Is there a way to test the power steering pump before removal to see whether the problem is the harness or the pump itself that has gone bad? 2006 mini cooper S power steering has gone south and steering wheel is very very hard to turn, so I suspect the pump is bad.

im gonna assume just put 12v to it, the plug is just a 2 pong plug i think..... but im no electrical guy and that may be a bad idea...

Might want to check your relays and fuses. The relays sometimes vibrate loose and need to be pushed back down in the sockets.