HELP!! power steering issue?!

[what?!]

ok, so i drove my friend's 04 mini cooper and i think i broke her power steering or something.

so i was driving and showing her how to downshift and revmatch. then i decided to take the car out to see what it could do. i was gonna try and hairpin rally stylee w/ the handbrake and all of a sudden, the power steering goes dead. we make it back to my house and pop the hood. i look for blown fuses and stuff (why do they have to friggin use ONLY pictures??) and nothing. so i put em back and start the car...that's when it starts making this wierd sort-of, whining/hissing sound. NO LEAKS. what's wierd is that the power steering actually worked a little better that time around. it just kept making that wierd sound even while driving around.

so i park the car and turn it off. still, no leaks, but the car's still making the whining sound. what could it be? i pop the power steering resovoir and it looks like the liquid is circulating...even while the car's off! i try to see if it's a fan or something but the engine bay's so damn cramped it's not even funny...

ok, i think her car has an electric power steering...i also think that the newer civics (ep3) have it too...so what could it be?!?!?!? HELP PLEASE, because we're goin to the dealership tomorrow and i have a feeling that i'ma be bent over backwards over gettin this fixed...

oh, i read the recalls, and i think it may be either the diode/PS tech service action 610403 on page 2 or SI M 32 01 04 Steering and Wheel Alignment June 2004 Technical Service...i'm just not sure. anyone have actual experience w/ this?? the car was bought ~March 04 in the US

[scooperman_uk]

steering has an electic motor to power the movement of the steering rack. it could be the steering pump or worse the rack. its a common fault.

[Lizard King]

in the 04 model there is a fan underneat the car for the power stearing if you are lucky maybe there is something in the fan that is making the noise just look under and try to see if you can turn the fan with your hand, (by the way don't forget turn off the car if you don't want to loose finguers)

[what?!]

it wasn't the fan. i saw it and it wasn't even moving. it was something else somewhere w/in the P/S resovoir.

the steering rack is probably it then...dammit...thing is, why is it still making noise after the car's off?? she has to disconnect the battery so the noise stops when it's parked so people don't think it's a bomb or someting

[DaFlake]

A little over the top with the bomb thing. Anyway, it is an 04 and probably still under warranty. Why not just take it in and get it repaired?

[what?!]

haha actually that's what we did. it fell under the 3yr/36k mi or something thing so yeah, it was fixed for free. it turned out to be the P/S pump motor or something. my friend wasn't too great at getting the details. she's one of those fix-it-and-i'll-be-happy kind of people haha. but all's well...

thanks! and it looks like you guys got another loyal addition to the community! thumbsup to the better mini forum out there!

[DaFlake]

, glad that it is repaired and welcome to the forum!