[Slashmb]

Hi all,

I'm a little worried at the mo. After driving around with no power steering for a few weeks now I've finally found a price that I am ok about.

The only thing is that the company is refurbishing my own pump so I've had it taken off and sent away. Can I still drive my MINI with the pump detached or will I cause damage to the steering rack as the fluid has been drained?

The pump should be back with me by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest and it cost £205. Other quotes were £250, £290 and £310.

Thanks for your help

Mark

[mab01uk]

Probably best to play safe and not drive it unless you can guarantee the rack and pinion has its own internal oil supply like a non-power rack does and that no dirt can enter the system through any disconnected hydraulic pipes. (A new rack will be expensive!)
You must have strong arms to drive with no power assistance for a few weeks. Did you find BBA-Reman did the best price on the pump?

[Slashmb]

Just had a call from where I took my pump and they say their 2 guys who fix ps pumps for them cant do it. This sounds a little strange to me. Can a pump fail in such a way that it can't be reconditioned? Or do they not know how to do it.

Can anyone tell me what sort of pump I have on my car? Am I right in thinking that there are 2 different sorts of pump fitted to Minis?
The car is a Mini Cooper built in August 2002.

Thanks for your help

Mark

[ButtonIt]

You could try an auto-breaker. There's loads listing on e-bay, give them a call

[mab01uk]

Quote: Originally Posted by Slashmb (original)

Just had a call from where I took my pump and they say their 2 guys who fix ps pumps for them cant do it. This sounds a little strange to me. Can a pump fail in such a way that it can't be reconditioned? Or do they not know how to do it.

Can anyone tell me what sort of pump I have on my car? Am I right in thinking that there are 2 different sorts of pump fitted to Minis?
The car is a Mini Cooper built in August 2002.

Thanks for your help

Mark

There is only one pump for 1st Gen MINI (ie. 2002 like yours):-
The electric pump is pretty unique to the MINI and gives it that distinctive whine under load. Most other small cars like the latest 2nd generation MINI use full electric power steering with no mechanical pump or fluid reservoir and in older type conventional power steering systems the pump is only driven mechanically by a drive belt off the engine. (No longer used much on small cars as it uses up space and saps engine power especially when combined with air con.)
BMW seem to charge about £500 to replace, the pump itself is about £140-200. Here is a photo of the pump (which sits low down behind the engine) which is also availiable reconditioned from BBA-Reman:- PS Pump - LINK
This thread may also help from someone who has opened up (and photographed if you search through the thread) a pump motor for repairs on NAM , and suggests the failure is often due to build up of dust from the motor brushes and failure of the internal electronic controls.
PS Pump rebuild - LINK