My recent replacement of the PS pump fan in both of our MINIs got me wondering - how do most people know when the fan has failed (which a lot of them seem to do)?

On my car, I found out pretty quickly through a lucky series of coincidences:

1) The same fuse that protects the fan also powers the parking distance control system (the "backup sensor")

2) My car, being a convertible, came with the backup sensor standard

3) My hearing isn't great, so when I took delivery, I asked the dealer to make the backup warning beeps as loud as possible. This also activates another feature of the backup warning system where the sensor beeps once when I put the car in reverse, **even if there's nothing behind me at the time.**

The combination of these factors means that as soon as my fan seized, the fuse blew, and the very next time I put the car in reverse, I didn't get the "beep" from the backup sensor. I checked the fan and was locked up tight from grit & debris in the bearing. I checked my wife's car (hers is essentially identical to mine), and hers was locked up with a blown fuse as well. But since her backup sensor doesn't give the single "test beep" when the tranny is placed in reverse, she had no idea her backup sensor was out, and therefore didn't know any fuses were blown.

So if you don't have the backup sensor option, how do you know the PS pump fan has crapped out? I've heard that when you lose the PS fan fuse, you also lose the low-speed circuit on the radiator fan, but neither one of us noticed that on our cars - perhaps they run cool enough that the fan rarely has to go into the high-speed mode in the first place?

 

I may be wrong (second post ever and have only owned my car for about 2 weeks) but I always notice that when I shut the car down, there is a whine that sounds like it could be from a small fan spinning down.

I could be wrong (and if I am, please correct me) because it could be the radiator fan, but it sounds like it comes from below/behind the centre console.

 

I check mine at oil changes...
I did add the oem ps fan duct kit...it fits on any S...it came standard on some cabrios...it seems to protect the fan from road debris...newengland winters, with chunks of sand, snow, etc was tuff on my fans...got 1 underwarrenty, then when my second one was "gritty" at an oilchange, i got a new fan from waymotorworks, then the duct kit (only sold by moss mini i think)...at about $70 the duct kit was easy to install, and should hopefully extend the life of the $$ ps fan.
my car is a 2005 with the ps fan split from the radiator fan (like all 2005 cars) with the updated wiring setup. On older cars, the ps fan was piggybacked on the radiator fan...and you could get the ps fan stuck, and SOMETIMES blow the fuse on the radiator fan...rendering it inoperative. That is why mini changed the wiring harness on 2005+ cars, and "select" customers that had fan issues under warrenty.

 

Okay, both of ours are 2006 'S' cabrios, so that would explain why the seized PS pump fans didn't appear to throw us into "high-speed mode only" on the radiator fan.

killertomato, it's entirely possible that you're hearing the PS pump fan winding down. Like I said, my hearing is a little dodgy, so I wouldn't have noticed it when it stopped happening.

 

If the fan is bad with it still spin freely, or when it does does it seize up? I would imagine it could fail and still spin sometimes.

 

I'd like to know this as well. Scott came and assisted me with my pulley install and checked my fuse just because. The fuse was indeed blown, but when I got under the car, the fan didn't appear to be seized. So when I replaced my upper motor mount recently, I took the fan all the way out and sure enough it still spins no problem.

I replaced the fuse, I guess i will check it again, but when would be a good time to check and see if the fan is still operational?

 

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...66&hg=51&fg=75

here's that OEM PS fan duct you were talking about. 36 bucks for the channel piece.
i'm picking one up with my spal replacement fan

 

On Riqui's MINI (a 2006 'S', same as mine), after I replaced the seized fan, I started the car, turned on the A/C, and within a minute, the power steering pump fan started running, so that might be a way to check that yours is still operating. I'm not sure if turning on the A/C had anything to do with it, though, since it appears that the PS fan circuit was separated from the radiator cooling fan circuit by 2005.

 

Could you be hearing the PS Pump? Because mine makes a noise like this when i turn if off and its definitely the pump. You can check this by taking a long stick and putting the end of it on the pump and the other end on your ear, whilst a buddy of yours shuts the car off.

 

You need two parts for the duct kit, the duct itself, and a new modified part that it connects to bt tge airdam in the middle....i believe it only fits S (R53'S AND R 52 S's).
The ps pump is just a 12 motor...just applt 12v to the plug to test....compressed air to blow out grime helps...it will never apin 100% free due to the poles on the magnet afgixed to the dc motor, but it should be smooth...if gritty, the seals/bearings are most likely failed.

 

The failure of the low speed portion of the fan is entirely separate...
With the old wiring, IF the fuse blew, BOTH modes of the fan would fail...resulting in an overheating car if stopped very quickly....
sometimes the fan would sieze, and the fuse would not blow..
but sometimes it will...

 

Thanks for the suggestion, I will check this out the next time I get a chance. I hope that it is the fan because it could be an easy check everytime you shut the car down - if you hear it wind down, the fan must have been running.

 

Not necessarily. If the required coolant temperature has not been reached at the moment you shut off the motor, the fan shouldn't be running. It's likely that you're hearing the PS pump. It has a nice whiny sound that should change pitch when the steering wheel is turned.

 

I check mine by 3 different ways.

1. As you do by turning on the A/C. I usually do it immediately after a cold start.

2. Mine is also a cabrio so the back-up sensor beeps when I back out of my garage.

3. Each time I change the oil.

 

I know this is an old thread, but I am wondering if we are having a similar problem with my wife's '06 Cooper S.

Her rear parking sensors stopped working. I checked the fuse and it was blown. I replaced the fuse and did a quick test and everything worked. My wife took the car out for a drive a few days later and the parking sensor stopped working.

I have not checked the fuses again, but if it is blow again then I guess I should check the power steering pump fan.

 

Yup...
on late model, post "face lift" gen1 mini's (2005+), the backup sensor and ps fan is on the same fuse...
check the ps fan...simple replacement.

 

Thanks Zippy. I saw the write up in the DIY thread and it does look simple and ebay has the parts pretty cheap. Is there an easy way to check the PS fan? Can I just run it up on my race ramps and see if it is locked up or is it better to try using a battery or my 12v charger to see if I can get it to spin?

 

Yeah...
You can try to spin it...
it is just a 12v motor...should spin kinda freely....will have tighter, but still smooth spots from tge magnets...the fans can be found for 130$ to 180$ ...some have you reuse the plate it is bolted to...but it takes 5 minutes to do the swap...possible have to drill out two rivets and install the new fan with screws.
the fan you buy SHOULD have a box, wired inline to the plug....i think it is a thermal fuse that resers when it cools....older fans, pre 2005, did not have this...all new ones do...
You might get a few montus out of the old one...blow it out, lube it up...but if the seals on the bearings are gone, you really should get a new one. The fan does not run alot, but considering that it helps cool the $600 ps pump...it suddenly seems cheap.
simplest way to test it is just to apply 12v to the plug when it is out...the computer calls gor the fan to run under differnt conditions, but just appling 12v to it is simple and fast.

 

Thanks for the extra info.

 

Just to follow up. I swapped out the fan over the weekend and so far so good. The original fan was not easy to move. It was also making a grinding sounds when I would spin it by hand.

I ended up going to the dealership for the part. I ended up paying more for the part, but it seemed simpler to pay a little more now instead of having to work on the car two weekends in a row.

 

GOOD IDEA.....

You can buy a replacement SPAL fan which is incredibly similar except the wire harness connector. I bought one for $40 online..... installed it and it works flawlessly (*EXCEPT*)..... the fan I installed is a "PULL FAN" rather than a "PUSH FAN". Which means the thing blows air at the ground (chuckle) rather than at the Power Steering Unit as needed. ... Oh wait! Why am I laughing?

At least I figured it out BEFORE I fried my Power Steering Unit$$. It is very difficult to tell which SPAL fans are push or pull units... so beware.

 

I hope the dealer can do this for me There's also an after market screen that's prefabricated for the fan Have you heard any feedback?

http://www.mossmini.com/Shop/ViewPro...FchM4Aod2UcAMg