idling problem

[neogeo]

got problem with my mini 2002 cooper when i turn the steering side to side the idling drops , anybody know y

[MINI-Morgan]

Thats normal isnt it?? to move the steering when stopped especially it requires quite a bit of hydrolic pressure created by the power steering pump.

[GR33NIE]

Yep think thats normal, pretty sure the same happens on my one

[twouptons]

Our car does that too, but I thought part of the point behind having an electric power steering pump was that it wouldn't impact the engine as much as a mechanically driven one.

A bit annoying, really.

-Eric

[Wobert]

The power steering runs at c1000psi, so as you can imagine that loads the electrical system up slightly......

In the good old days of an engine driven p/s pump, the pump would draw something like 2-3 hp all the time the engine was running.

With most new cars now using an electrically driven pump, the pump is only driven when there is "high steering demand". By doing so alleviates the "drain" of the pump when the p/s is lightly loaded, eg driving along the motorway. This in turn improves your fuel economy......

The downside with the electric system is that the motor will draw load at high demand times, and as you'll probably guess, with the engine at idle speed, turning lock to lock is one of those times!

BTW turning the wheels with the vehicle stationary is bad practice, you'll wear your tyres a lot more quickly, than turning the wheel with just a small amount of forward / rear motion!