I have had my 02 mini for about a week now and needless to say it is very different from my 93 mustang. So I have a lot of questions. My main concern is the whining that comes from it when I turn the wheel. It seemed pretty loud and was told that from the outside it is really loud. Now I'm getting all concerned about it. Does anyone have any input they can give?

 

power steering pump is generally loud but, check to see if it is leaking etc. they tend to go bad after a few years.

 

I know this sounds bad but the whining is normal. The pump is electric and has considerably more noise than a regular pump. I would guess normal unless your experiencing a tight steering wheel. search the threads for "power steering" and youll bring up a wealth of info on these problems. good luck

 

^^ ditto the above. It's an electrically driven hydraulic pump, and so operates only when needed. You'll certainly hear it at parking lot speeds - normal. Sounds almost like a backhoe hydraulic pump, only with a finer sound and a higher pitch. Check for leaks and have it checked if the steering effort is erratic, it leaks, or if you smell a burning-out motor. Check that the p/s pump cooling fan (bottom of motor) isn't clogged by an errant plastic bag or anything, and recheck that every so often. If that all passes, it's normal.

 

Sounds good to me. I'll give it a try today. I have a bit of a dilemma though' I'm not sure where exactly it is located in this car.

 

first thing would be to to check your fluid. just open the bonnet and it will be the cannister to the right of the coolant expansion cannister. it should be the second from the left. it should be a black cannister with black top on it.

if you need to add fluid DON'T add any normal fluid and DON'T add a stop leak etc. you need hydraulic pentosin fluid for it. this is what it is for reference purposes: http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NM.../InvDetail.cfm

i can't find it a chain auto store but, you may or call a BMW shop etc. they will probably have it.


however even if the fluid cannister looks full there is still the chance of a tiny leak. i have a small leak and i have lost almost NO fluid. to check for a leak you can look at the hoses that connect to the fluid cannister and get the car on ramps and look just behind the engine for fluid on the underneath of the car.

 

Took it to a shop and they said there was a leak that they could not fine because the "rack was covered in oil". He said clean it and bring it back sometime so they can find the source. He told me he topped off the fluids because they were a bit low and the noise stopped but in all reality it did not. I noticed only one time I didn't hear it loud as ever.

 

OK, here ya go. Open the mossmini.com site and search on power steering. the p/s cooling fan is below the engine, roughly centered:


^^ that's an aftermarket power steering fan shroud to help prevent the fan sucking up road debris - it's a good idea. Check to make sure nothing is covering the fan - if this fan gets clogged, it takes out the fuse that covers radiator fan etc. and can lead to overheating and all sorts of nasty things.

Also: Be **** about your Mini just this once (don't worry, you'll do it again) and head to your local "quarter car wash" with a floor jack and jackstands. (don't do this on a saturday or the folks in line will KILL you). Throw the front end in the air, and clean that engine compartment well using the engine cleaner. DO NOT use full force pressure washing, just that cleaner stuf, and rinse it off using LOW pressure, not hitting electronic components. THEN you can see what's going on.

Good luck - having oil-covered "stuff" isn't a good sign, but maybe, just maybe, it's normal road gunk and cleaning will help. Cleaning is a good idea anyway.

Good luck!

 

That would be coming from my ex-wife. ;-)