[Taramac]

My steering is so heavy and hard to manuvre out of parking spaces! Has anyone experienced this before?

[MarkW19]

How heavy...like no power steering heavy?

[Zipperblues]

What year is your car? A major fault with pre-05 MINIs is the placement of the Power Steering fan; it is directly under the engine and can become jammed easily. My local MINI dealer says that he has to repair about two MINIs a day due to the PS overheating because of a jammed fan. Go out and start your car and listen for that power steering whine.

[Taramac]

It is possible to move it but difficult. Usually once i get the car out of a parking space and begin to drive it it's fine but the last time i took it out, the steering was heavy for the whole journey. I've ended up with a sore back!

[Vitesse]

Also check the level in the power steering reservoir. Earlier cars did also suffer quite a lot from loss of fluid, which tended to mean a replacement pump. It's the black plastic bottle towards the middle of the car under the windscreen.

[Taramac]

Car is 2002 model. Started it up today. After a few minutes I got the whining sound when moving my steering wheel. It seems like it would be ok to drive today.

[Vitesse]

It sounds to me like the steering pump is knackered. If it is, it will get to the stage where you won't be able to move it at all, which could be quite dangerous. I would suggest you visit a dealer ASAP.

[Zipperblues]

It sounds like a power steering problem, because you really only use it at slow speeds, like when pulling into a parking space. Be careful if you take it out, and park in a space far away from all other cars until you get it checked out!

[Root Ginger]

I would say 99% the power steering pump. It's a common problem. Mine was changed under warranty so can't comment on how much it will cost out of warranty.

I had to drive from Slough to Norwich with no power steering. Man, did that give my arms a workout! Strangley though it worked all the way back home. There was no loss of fluid or fan issues.

[Richard Crofts]

Either power steering or you got some big ass tyres on it

[vigilante]

Saying that I think my power steering is heavy compared to other cars though (my other car is an MPV though). When I bought the car after driving it for a bit I thought it maybe a problem but was told its normal. Have you tried another mini with the same wheels on for a comparison?

[Ray Newby]

It appears your power steering pump has gone. I got through two on my previous 53 registered Cooper within six months. It is a common fault. My steering would go intermittently to start with, usually after I'd left the engine turned off for a few minutes then it went completely and was a *** to manouvre especially when parking.

[Zipperblues]

This problem is connected to the power steering fan. Last time I changed my oil mine was jammed, so now I lay on my driveway and spin it with my finger once a week to make sure that it is not jammed.

[Taramac]

Thanks a lot for the advise. I am getting it checked out on Wednesday morning!

[orvillespooner]

The power steering pump runs all the time while the engine is running. To test it start the engine and stall the engine at idle by letting out the clutch while in gear. The pump will keep running, you will hear the hum of the motor. When you move the steering wheel it will get louder. The PS pump is expensive, $444.00 retail for the part alone and the chances are your pump is OK.
This is what happened to me: '03 86k miles, same issue. I thought the power steering pump had failed. It had not. My lower steering column had siezed up. There is a spindle that you can easily spot under the dash. I goes thru a rubber boot and connects to the steering rack. At that point of connection there is a universal joint which is supposed to be lubed for the life of the car (you can only see this with the car on a lift). Water gets in and rust takes over and then you can't steer. On the road straight ahead all seems fine. If that universal joint has rust on it and around the bearing seals I would suspect that your problem. It cost me $543.00 to get replaced. Frankly it is fairly straight forward to replace but the troubleshooting is more difficult. The part is designed to come out without removing the upper steering column.
This is a safety issue and I am very surprised that it has not been made a recall. When this part siezes you have difficulty returning the car to straight when exiting a turn!

[migmini]

Hi, my 02 Cooper S CAUGHT FIRE due to the failure of the steering cooling fan. Lucky someone drove by who had a fire extinguisher. Anybody with similar problem should pressure MINI for an instant recall of all cars that might have the same problem. Serious and dangerous. MINI dealership and MINI importer only want to pay for 50% of cost of parts needed to repair damage, almost 2000€, and have gone out of their way to avoid giving me a detailed report about how and what happened. Car at dealership for over 30 days already. European consumer law states that in case of faulty design manufactureres guarantee can be extended up to 10 years. Hope to hear from you and hope my information helped.

[thrud]

For info, I recently had my steering pump replaced out of warranty by BMW. The total cost was around £400.

Paul

[herbie hind]

Quote: Originally Posted by Zipperblues (original)

This problem is connected to the power steering fan. Last time I changed my oil mine was jammed, so now I lay on my driveway and spin it with my finger once a week to make sure that it is not jammed.

truley i've had this also. had to have the rack replased too .

[pnut_jet]

Quote: Originally Posted by migmini (original)

Hi, my 02 Cooper S CAUGHT FIRE due to the failure of the steering cooling fan. Lucky someone drove by who had a fire extinguisher. Anybody with similar problem should pressure MINI for an instant recall of all cars that might have the same problem. Serious and dangerous. MINI dealership and MINI importer only want to pay for 50% of cost of parts needed to repair damage, almost 2000€, and have gone out of their way to avoid giving me a detailed report about how and what happened. Car at dealership for over 30 days already. European consumer law states that in case of faulty design manufactureres guarantee can be extended up to 10 years. Hope to hear from you and hope my information helped.

There is a thread compiling spontaneous engine bay fires on NAM (northamericanmotoring.com). This is a serious issue that all MINI owners should know about. Please add your information to the thread so we can petition MINI.

Spontaneous Engine Bay Fires

[waynef]

And so it continues... http://www.mini2.com/forum/faults-fi...te-yes-no.html