Power steering cut out caused by battery??

[GordySB]

We've had terrible problems identifying the cause of a sporadic cut out of pwer steering on my 2002 Mini Cooper. Eventually we replaced the power steering unit, but this did little to improve things. The battery gave up 2 weeks later and after replacing this the problem hasn't occured again. Could the state of the battery have had a direct impact on the steering unit performance?
Any advice from personal experince would be helpful, esp as MINI dealer couldn't trace the problem following 3 visits!

Thanks
Gordon

[DaFlake]

Yes.... Our cars are heavy on the electronics and if the battery is not strong enough it can cause this to happen.

[minicooper51]

My Car was standing for a few days, and when i went to dirve it again, the battery light showed up.. i called my mechanic down and he had noticed that there was no power steering.. what does this mean... that i need to buy a new power steering pump or what? we tried to jump start the car, to see if the power sterring would work , and it didnt.. this makes me thik maybe the pump has burnt out? Need all the help i can get pleasee!! x thanks

[GordySB]

From experience I suggest you first replace your battery before following dealer recommendations and spending £850 on a new power steering unit

[DaFlake]

I agree.... Get a new battery first and go from there.

[ratherbewindsurfing]

It may be an alternator problem.

The power steering pump requires a signal from the alternator to operate.

A faulty alternator could be not charging your battery properly and also stopping the power steering pump from working.

[DaFlake]

It could be but believe it or not the MINI can't run all the functions it has on just the alternator. The grounding strap on my MINI snapped (it was modified) on a trip. I lost NAV, Radio, PS, and my instrument cluster. The battery handles a great deal of stress that the alternator can't deal with.

That being said, it is something I would check to see if it is putting out the proper voltage.

[minicooper51]

Thanks you all so much.. youve been a great help.. im going to check the voltage on the battery in the morning and go from there.. 13v when idiling right? im hopeing its not the psp.. very expensive i see. x thanks again x

[mab01uk]

Quote: Originally Posted by minicooper51 (original)

Thanks you all so much.. youve been a great help.. im going to check the voltage on the battery in the morning and go from there.. 13v when idiling right? im hopeing its not the psp.. very expensive i see. x thanks again x

The PSP need not be that expensive outside of MINI Dealers read here first:

Power Steering Pump replacement - Forums

ADVICE THREAD: Power Steering Pump Failures - totalMINI Forums

[ratherbewindsurfing]

Quote: Originally Posted by minicooper51 (original)

Thanks you all so much.. youve been a great help.. im going to check the voltage on the battery in the morning and go from there.. 13v when idiling right? im hopeing its not the psp.. very expensive i see. x thanks again x

You need to make sure the alternator can maintain about 13.5v across the battery when you have a decent load on the electrical system in the car (ie headlights, radio etc all turned on). It may not do this at tickover but should with a few revs.

[ratherbewindsurfing]

Quote: Originally Posted by ratherbewindsurfing (original)

You need to make sure the alternator can maintain about 13.5v across the battery when you have a decent load on the electrical system in the car (ie headlights, radio etc all turned on). It may not do this at tickover but should with a few revs.

woops it should be 14.5v (not 13.5v)

[minicooper51]

I replaced a brand new alternator, and then realised that my psp had actually burnt out.. replaced it with a second hand one, replaced it all my self etc. switched the car on.. no battery light on but the power steering still not working :@ checked all the fuses, all okay.. but still NO POWER STEERING! why does this happen to me?

[mab01uk]

Has the secondhand pump been tested for faults before fitting and is there power at the wiring connector?

If you still have your old pump there are pics and instructions on cleaning and rebuilding the pump in the TotalMini link below (post#3) you may have to register with TM to see the pics:
http://www.totalmini.com/forum/46-20...-failures.html

[minicooper51]

My pump is beyond repair... and yeah the power steering pump was checked and tried.. im gunna check to see if there is power? thanks so much for ll your help MAB01uk x

[minicooper51]

okay well this just gets better im sure.. i took it down to the garage to get them to check the power connectors.. the main wires were giving off power.. from the batter but the three littles wires, only 2 worked, then only one.. when we looked at the dash, all of the major lights were showing up i.e batter light, abs, airbag, warning light etc. Then all of a sudden the car just cut out, and wouldnt start again... jump started it, got it home and thats where it can sit now. whats is going on with these mini's?