Hi Everyone! I am new to NAM and although I am trying to catch up on all the threads, I am pretty sure that I never will get to read them all!! I bought my Mini about a year ago and it has had a few quirks that I have been able to work through but now I am getting strange problems that I have seen addressed here altogether...
1. my power steering goes out randomly. When I am driving, when I am parking, when I am stopped at a red light - it seems to make no difference. Sometimes I hear a fan, sometimes not. When the steering goes out I simply turn off the car and start it right up again and the steering works again. This leads me to believe that it is not a fan problem or overheating issue, otherwise it wouldnt come back on after a few seconds.
2. I frequently have a fan running while car is running and after it is turned off - I have thought that this is an engine cooling fan since we have had an incredibly hot summer this year, but now wonder if it is in fact the PS fan - how can I tell?
3. The dashboard gauges stop working from time to time. This has only happened twice - both times while driving and both times for only a few seconds and then they come back on fully functional. One of these times the PS was also lost but the engine had to be turned off and back on to restore it.
4. I have two lights that are constantly on. I have tried to to reset these lights numerous times and sometimes they go off on their own but frequently come back on within minutes. The lights both have to do with my tires (I think). The first is the "flat tire" light and that second light is the triangle with the exclamation point in the center. I have new tires and the brakes have recently been replaced. I also frequently check my tire pressure and it is correct and all tires pressures match.

I should mention that I have checked my PS fluid levels - fine and my coolant levels are also fine. My battery connections look good.

Thanks to everyone in advance!!

 

You didn't state the mileage on your MINI but with an '03 the power steering pump could simply be worn out- so worn that the brushes have a hard time making contact with the commutator at times. Your symptoms kind of point to this. I believe this is what happened to my wife's '03- you can find pictures of what her motor looked like disassembled at the end of the "Must read about time power steering" thread in the Stock Problems section. Only solution is to replace the power steering pump motor. It's a messy but not too hard DIY job if you are inclined.

The fan running could be normal since it's a hot summer. Look at the front of your car when you hear the noise- both the larger radiator fan (in front) and smaller power steering cooling fan (under car in middle) should be on at the same time and turn off at the same time. That's normal operation.

Look in your owners manual for the procedure on how to reset the low tire pressure light. The other one you describe might be the DSC and that has an on/off switch. Again, control of that should be outlined in the owners manual- if you don't have one they are available on line. If you've followed the reset procedures for these and are still getting the lights you might need to see the dealer.

Val

 

1) To see if your power steering fan is working, look at it under the car - is it spinning? Then it's working......you could also just stick a small screwdriver thru the grill and see if the blade moves freely (key off, obviously), if it does chances are good that the fan is OK. However your power steering pump may be going out - it's an electric/hydraulic system and the electric part wears out.

2) Does it matter whether it's the cooling fan or the PS fan? It is normal for a fan to run after shut down on a hot day, so what is your concern here?

3) Dash lights could be the Body Control Module failing, you'll have to see where this issue goes...

4) Do you have an owner's manual? In it it tells you how to reset the low tire warning system. When you had your brakes done, did you replace the wear sensors? If you rotate you tires or have a low one topped up you may need to reset the system. All you do is push the button down by the handbrake, then drive the car normally - it will reset in a block or two.

If you don't have an owner's manual, you can download or just read one on MINI USA's site.

Edit: Val's a faster typist than I am

 

Thank you both for your quick responses. The mileage is at 180,000 (we drive it absolutely everywhere since it gets the best gas mileage of our cars). I did not have an owner's manual but I have now downloaded one so I will take a look at that this afternoon. We did not have the wear sensors replaced when the brakes were done - we did the brake replacement ourselves and didnt know about the sensors. I do know about the on/off switch for the DSC and how to reset the low tire by pushing the button by the handbrake. My guess is that they stay on because of not replacing the wear sensors....
My only concern with the fan running is the lessons taught my by my car mechanic father - "listen to your car!" he used to tell my sister and I and so I do! haha! I am far more mechanically inclined than my husband but when I look under the hood, it looks a bit foreign to me and so I think I begin to worry unnecessarily sometimes...
In the meantime, I will read my new owner's manual! thanks again!
PS> Valashon - it is funny that you mention the thread about your wife's PS motor repair - I had literally just read it this morning before I posted my question - it was very informative - thanks!

 

It's not the DSC button to reset the tire warning, it has it's own button, back at the base of the handbrake handle.

If you did not replace the brake wear sensors, you can just unhook it and tie it up out of the way, it's the contact of the sensor to the rotor that turns on the light for the brake wear warning.

At 180K, I think you'll probably be investing in a new power steering motor, and while you're at it, the two hoses tend to get hard and leak after a while, as long as you have it out of there, replace them too.

 

Thanks Dave, I will look for the button to reset the DSC light, and will start looking into a replacement power steering motor and hoses - I'd rather be prepared than scrambling around at the last minute! Thanks again!