Power Steering Failure

[steved1982]

HELP !

Just driving my mini half hour ago and my steering has stopped working!
The steering has gone very heavy and just about got me home, I am pretty sure it is the power steering,

Can anyone help me diagnoise this. Where in the engine bay is the power steering pump, fluid container, fluid level check, steering belt ?

Thanks in advance !

[Root Ginger]

This is a common problem with the power steering pump failing. especially on earlier models. If you do a search you should find lots of info on it.

[Mull3t]

Happened to be a day after I got my 04 Mini!

Took straight to the dealers to which they sorted pretty quick.

Nothing to worry about, aslong as you have warranty still? else it can quite expensive.

[steved1982]

Warranty ran out in march this year so i think i am a bit stuck !!

Any one know where to get a power steering pump other than a mini service department ?

Just got quoted £500 just for the pump from them !!

[Fluff24]

I purchased a Mini One 02 reg 2 months ago and it has not been out of the Garage yet, first for some sort of Power failure where when i turned the engine off and tried to start the car nothing was working not even the central locking worked - was as if the electric had shut off completley. Apparently they cannot find out what the fault is???

Then back in the garage for a strange rattling noise from the wheel they replace the Brake Calipers - still rattles - no answer.

Then i am driving the car in a busy city and the steering fails i manage to pull over turn the engine off and back on - amazing i can now steer - Even worse when i get it home and turn the engine off the motor is still running, Mini Emergency service tell me that they can do nothing as it is the weekend and the motor will be fine running for 2 days??? In the end the car sat with the battery disconnected until i could get it to a garage.
I collect my car this evening, am just wondering what will go wrong next!!!

[ScienceGuy]

If you're handy and have a volt-meter, you can test out some things before you spend
all that money on a new pump.

There are two connectors on the pump/control unit. One has 2 wires and the other has three.
They are on the top of the pump assembly, so you'll need to be under the car reaching up
into dangerous places, so don't do it if you feel uncomfortable.

Pull the 2-pin connector off the pump.
Turn the car on and start the engine. (Don't kill yourself please)
Check the voltage between wires #1 (BROWN) and #2 (RED) You should see 12 Volts.
If you don't see 12 Volts, check the 100 Amp fusible link underneath the fuse panel
under the hood. (Don't melt anything. You should disconnect the battery before doing this.)
If you did see 12 Volts between #1 and #2, plug it back in and pull the 3-pin connector.
Measure the voltage between pin #3 (VIOLET/WHITE) and pin #2 (GREEN) also to pin
#1 (GREEN/WHITE) I don't know what to expect, but if you measure them, I'll go out and
measure mine.

Let us know how it goes.

[charlene007]

Hi everybody.
My 05 Mini Coopers power steering pump packed up over a week ago. It came back to life on one or two occasions but we decided to replace the pump regardless.
I ordered a reconditioned pump for 220 pounds from BBA Reman, which arrived the next day.
My hero dad and hero brother (Stephen & Matt) spent probably just over an hour removing the pump while Mum and I went on a steering fluid hunt. Another hour later and the reconditioned pump was in, the steering fluid was in and my steering was top notch. Dad and brother had the car on ramps and the only difficulty they encountered was a fiddly bolt securing the pump which is a bit tricky to get to, although it did come off with a bit of English perseverance! Other than that, it was straight forward.
The entire job cost 220 for the pump, 7 for the fluid and one or two bolts and jubilee clips.
DO NOT WASTE TIME AND MONEY HAVING YOUR PUMP REPLACED AT A MINI DEALERSHIP!!!
Any questions, please reply to this post...thank goodness for Dad and Brother!

[ratherbewindsurfing]

Charlene007 well done for sorting it out yourself rather than whinging at the dealer.

You could have saved yourself £220 !

Our Mini pas pump failed, i removed it from the car and drove it quite happly for some time until SWMBO decided that she didn't like the heavy steering.

I dismantled the pump and cleaned our the mixture of gratphite and copper dust from the motor brushes and armature. It has work perfectly since i put it back on the car.

I suspect the dust, which will have been highly conducting, somehow upset the electronics that control the pump motor and simply cleaning out the motor resolved the problem.

I wonder what BBA actually do to the pumps when they "remanfacture" them, i wouldn't be surprised if they do liitle more than i did and then test them.

Good luck!!

[jenjen68]

My steering died a few weeks ago, and we decided to order the Haynes Mini book and check the fan, fuse, etc. ourselves and attempt the Power Steering Pump cleaning if needed. After waiting a week and half for the book, it finally arrived. $30.
We then discovered we needed the following:
a torque wrench ($16 from Pep Boys), extra Pentosin fluid ($22 from BMW), three self locking nuts ($2.34 ea also from BMW), and a socket set with a various sizes to get the nuts and bolts off. We also used a screwdriver to remove the hose clamp (called a circlip in the book.)
So we managed to get the fan off, fluid out, but are having trouble removing the hose pipe from the reservoir on top from the pump itself. We got the clip off, two bolts in the back, the single bolt from the supply pipe and now we are stuck.
Can someone tell us how to get the pump out?
And is it easier to get the pump out if we remove the pipe and electrical plugs first?

Thanks so much, we are totally stuck :S

[NeuroBeaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by ratherbewindsurfing (original)

I dismantled the pump and cleaned our the mixture of gratphite and copper dust from the motor brushes and armature. It has work perfectly since i put it back on the car.

I suspect the dust, which will have been highly conducting, somehow upset the electronics that control the pump motor and simply cleaning out the motor resolved the problem.

I wonder what BBA actually do to the pumps when they "remanufacture" them, i wouldn't be surprised if they do liitle more than i did and then test them.

Good luck!!

Thanks for your contribution and well done getting your pump working again!

I have a link in my signature to a summary post for 1st Generation Power Steering Pump information that contains links to other posts of the steps involved in cleaning out the power steering pump to ensure it continues working. Some may find it helpful.

Jenjen68, I'm afraid I've no more detailed knowledge than offered by the Haynes manual on the matter of pump remove and refitting. Adam (username: MINIMANIAUK, click to send private message) might be able to offer you some additional advice on that if you ask politely:

Quote: Originally Posted by MINIMANIAUK (original)

In situ it is awkward to do anything, removal is only 1 connector,1 pipe and a few bolts,(on a ramp 1/2 hour max) once removed as a unit (the pump is in a type of tray with anti vibe mounts)

Good luck!

All the best,
Andrew.

[ratherbewindsurfing]

Quote: Originally Posted by jenjen68 (original)

So we managed to get the fan off, fluid out, but are having trouble removing the hose pipe from the reservoir on top from the pump itself. We got the clip off, two bolts in the back, the single bolt from the supply pipe and now we are stuck.
Can someone tell us how to get the pump out?
And is it easier to get the pump out if we remove the pipe and electrical plugs first?

Thanks so much, we are totally stuck :S

Detach the fluid reservoir from the bulkhead (couple of 10mm nuts I think), this will allow you drop the pump assembly enough to get the hose off the pump.

[jenjen68]

It worked!!!! Thank you!
We took off the pump and sent it to BBA.Reman (BBA reman. ABS, ecu's, throttle bodies, air mass meters, and catalytic converters) and for $200 they remanufactured it. We put it back on yesterday and the steering problem is resolved.
To recap:
1) Purchased Mini Cooper book for repairs (MINI Cooper Parts & Accessories Including BMW MINI & Cooper S Performance Parts at MiniCarParts.net), it is not sold in the States per se as it is based on a right hand drive but the engine component pieces are spot on. ($23)
2) Bought Pentosin, new bolts, and hose clips (we bought regular screwdriver tighten ones from Pep Boys as the factory clips sucked and were cheesy) Cost: $30
3) Cost to ship removed pump: $20 via UPS ground. Cost to ship back from Massachusetts (BBA): $10. We added the insurance for $5 since they had a special on next day air to California from Mass.
NOTE: Pump is guaranteed for as long as I own my Mini.
4) Tools we used for the job:
10 and 13mm sockets, Phillips and flathead screwdriver, awl for
removing those horrible clips, torque wrench, star shaped screwdriver.
Notes on removal: three bolts connecting the bracket to the car, and four from the bracket to the pump.
You will need to raise your Mini pretty high to do this job. We had to use several 2 x 4s and a floor jack to get the car up high enough to put it on ramps. Standard ramps have too much of an angle and the spoiler will hit and you can't drive it up.
You will also need a large receptacle to catch all the Pentosin. An oil change plastic container will do.
This job was challenging, but it is doable. Remember to bleed your pump once you replace and refill Pentosin by turning your wheel at a stop left all the way then right several times.

[mega-mini]

04 cooper-s, yep steering got spotty at around 130,000 miles. i have read the threads on the electrical connectors at the pump being trouble and the pick up in the steering wheel, and the pump itself. well, i found ZF has available a quieter pump and for around 500 usd. while waiting for the pump to arrive went through two weeks of daily pump failure after ten min of driving. the day the pump arrives steering was fleetingly sketchy and now two additional weeks later no problems at all. one note. the car came from Florida to Oregon, within a couple thousand miles i realized someone put regular power steering fluid in. i immediately on discovery flushed with the Jaguar/BMW green mineral oil. that was at 30K nearly a hundred thousand miles ago. no rack is not leaking, just the spotty trouble with the pump.

Mega-Mini Molalla, Oregon