Ouch. It could be worth have a word with Mini, the heating on my lasses car went soon after the warranty expired. But the dealership told me they have a 1 years grace where they can repair the cars under the manufactures warranty at their digression. This was VW mind but it can’t hurt to ask, you don’t expect something like the steering pump to go that soon.
I will try and have a word but my local dealer is not that great....
The car is on a 53 plate, 50,000 miles....
However, searching around it does seem to be a common and dangerous problem that MINI have never addressed. No suprise there then.....as my windscreens cracks again and the dealer claims it's a stone chip!!!!!
Keep a keen eye out because it is a sign of eventual failure which can mean sudden loss of power steering this can catch you out as it goes so heavy, some owners have nearly crashed due to the sudden extra effort required to turn. The other thing to bear in mind is that some failures have resulted in a small electrical fire in the motor which if not noticed in time and the battery quickly disconnected has resulted in a few total loss burnt out MINIs. With a 2002 MINI on 40K miles and original PS pump I now keep a 10mm spanner in the car handy for the battery lead and a fire extingusher in case the worst happens !
A guy in the States has stripped a failed motor and the cause seems to be a build up inside of dust and debris from the brushes which eventually wear out and failure of the control electronics which are internal to the pump and so causes the motor to fail or sometimes run continuously until the battery is disconnected.
Alfie- I think it has to go in! I can't leave it with the pump running can I??
mab- Yep, the steering went stiff last week before this happened. I disconnected the battery on the night as you suggested. Car going in on Friday....will report back.
This is a common MINI problem 99% of the time its the electric part of the PS pump which has failed. The electric pump is pretty unique to the MINI and gives it that distinctive whine under load. Most other small cars like the latest 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 but I have heard people pay up to £1200 if the steering rack is also leaking and replaced but this is more unusual. Here is a photo of the pump (which sits low down behind the engine) for your interest from BBA-Reman:- PS Pump
For a confident DIY mechanic it is not that difficult to swap and can be done from below on axle stands with standard tools. Disconnect battery. If you have an "S" there is a cooling fan/bracket to remove from the subframe followed by the pump itself,(1 nut, 2 bolts, electrical connection, fluid pipe). Renew the O ring on the high pressure outlet if fitted. Bleeding is straight forward like any other cars power steering. Pour in the fluid slowly to prevent air bubbles up to max. mark. Start engine park with front wheels on 2 glossy magazines (yes really they act as turn tables!) and turn steering slowly from lock to lock. (Don't hold full lock for more than 5 secs or you can damage pump). Stop engine & check level & for leaks, repeat the above several times to purge air, if any air remains causing noise leave overnight & repeat next day. Photos and detailed procedure is in the Mini Haynes Manual on page 10.4 and has been detailed in Modern MINI magazine a few months back and by some MINI2 forum members.
Simon hope all goes well tomorrow, let us know how you get on.
Took the car in, got a call from dealer telling me the steering pump had gone. I know, I said that.
Offers to pay for the pump without me even asking!! Astounding for this usually mean and unhelpful dealer.
Just had to pay the £230 labour, which I didn't argue with.
All good. Thanks, as ever for all the swift and helpful replies.......
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