maybe i'm crazy, but i think my power steering isn't working anymore. i took delivery of my MCS last week, and it's got ~1300 miles on it.

my fiance took the car to work last thursday, and when she was driving back from lunch, she said the MINI felt "hard to steer" around the parking lot. i figured she just wasn't used to the car (although she did drive part of the time from St. Louis back to Denver when we picked it up), so i decided to take it for a test drive when she got home.

first - getting out of my garage into the alley was a 4 point turn. and it felt like i was working out, there was so much resistance from the steering wheel. now, it had only been a couple days since we picked up the MINI, so i figured that maybe i forgot how "tight" the steering was, and that it would be easier at hight speed. in retrospect, i think i just didn't want there to be anything wrong with our new baby.

i drove around the neighborhood, and turning corners felt difficult, the MINI definately didn't zip around the block. and then last night, on our way home from dinner, the highway on and off ramps felt way too difficult to negotiate above 30 mph - i was really having to pull the steering wheel.

so, i'm a little frustrated the the MINI may be broken. i called my local dealership, Ralph Schomp in Denver, but they can't take a look at it until Wednesday...

has anybody out there experienced a similar problem????????????

:???: :???: :???:

 

Start the car, leave it in neutral and turn the wheels left and right,.
Does it go "BBBRRRRRRRIIIINNNNGSSSSSSZZZZZZZZZ" ?

If not, the power-steering pump is not running.
Check the power-steering fuse. (Where that might be, I'm not sure.)

 

jeez, year of driving PAS front wheeled cars, and you'd think i would have thought of that.

i'm off to the garage right now..............

 

yep, this is definitely an issue.

i turned on the car and tried to turn the wheels. it required a great deal of force, and the Power Steering whine was noticeably absent. this sucks... :???:

hasn't anyone else out there experienced this? i spent some time on MINI2.com this morning, and there were a large number of posts about broken Power Steering - blown fuses, broken/frozen Power Steering Fan, burnt up motor, valve problems, fluid loss... you name it.

 

Is your fuse blown?

 

i opened the fusebox in the engine compartment, and the one one near the driver's door, but couldn't figure out which fuse may be tied to the Power Steering. the owner's manual is crap in that department (and the first i've ever seen without any details), and i only managed to find the fuse for the MFSW.

:???:

 

well, here's the update for today, after taking the MINI to Schomp...

the Power Steering pump has completely burned up. **** up. RIP. apparently, getting a new pump isn't THAT big of a deal - the part is only a few days away.

but here's the real problem. when the pump burned up, it took the Power Steering Fuse with it - which is by design right? as it turns out, the Power Steering Fuse is a "special" 100 Amp Fuse that isn't availble separately. that's right, BMW/MINI doesn't provide just the Fuse. instead, they have to replace the ENTIRE FUSE BOX. which has to be shipped from the UK. which is gonna take 2 WEEKS. it's unbelievable. what's the point of having the f*cking fuse in the first place, i ask you!!!

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

i'm sad to say, my MINI experience is quickly turning SOUR.

 

That's REALLY REALLY REALLY suspicious.

Other people have reported that the power-steering fuse is the same
fuse as the radiator fan.

Oh, I'm gonna take that back, Maybe the power-steering FAN
fuse is the same as the radiator fan fuse.

So, MAYBE the power-steering pump fuse is some kind of
fusible-link in the fusebox or something.

Let us know. ASK for your old fusebox when they replace it.

in Minnesota, there is a law that they have to give you your
old parts back.

Then let us know what it looks like.

 

No techy here but I have never heard of a 100Amp fuse for a car.

Space ship maybe.

 

I don't know since it hasn't happened to me but I am not sure that this is a reason to post a bunch of mad faces and loose your interest in MINI. Did the dealer provide a loaner or rental car. If so, other than it sucks, what about this would only happen to a MINI. It is an imported car. There is not a large network of supplies at every corner auto parts store, IE it is not a Ford or a Chevy. I view the MINI as a very new car, and while its price tag is not in this range, but its rarity and its uniqueness make me think of it as an exotic. Ever tried to get parts for a Lambourghini... you don't drive down to O'Reilly's or Pep Boys and pick em up.

I am sorry you have had this problem, and I know I remember at least one other person on this forum with the problem. So it is an issue that could hit any of us and I appreciate you pointing it out. I would be sick if I was you, but I am pretty sure I will love the MINI even if it is a lemon, because it is one cool lemon.....

jc

 

ok, a few hours has passed and i'm a little less steamed... i realize i was being pretty abrasive.

anyway, i didn't say that i'm getting sour on MY MINI, but that i am getting sour on MINI themselves. this just seems like a inadequate solution to what may become a common problem. on MINI2, i've seen a number of posts about Power Steering problems (~20?). in some of those cases, the fuse was blown as well. i find it very difficult to understand what the rationale is behind this fuse problem...

a fuse is a replaceable item, that is designed to absorb high amounts of load, and to basically break a circuit that is running too hot. (i think!) so what is the value in having a single fuse that can't be replaced when it fails? it makes no sense, from a cost pespective, to replace the entire fuse box - where talking the whole package with ~20 fuses included!!!

i too had never seen a 100Amp fuse, but that's what they said. it's one of the light green ones that is about 1 inch squared - go take a look. (this is what i was told - i can't verify 'cause i don't have my MINI)

i also understand that because of the limited production run of the MINI, and it's foreign origin, that parts are going to be an issue. believe me, this isn't my first car from across the pond! my fiance works for Ford, and is sympathetic to vehicle design/production issues - she tried to make me understand but i'm stubborn!

the real kicker here, and the reason for all the evil faces, is that (and i repeat) my Power Steering died on day 7 of my MINI ownership. day 7!!! that's 1 week. when it's all said and done, my MINI will have been problem free and operable for 1 week out of my first month of ownership. that is the issue that is really chapping my hide...

 

and i guarantee that i'll ask for my old fusebox back - even if it's just for the spare fuses!

 

I am sorry to appear to have come down on you so hard. I think that if they thought this was a problem they would have the parts available.... It is difficult to decide if something is a freak incidence or something that is a regular occurrence. If this becomes a regular occurrence, I am pretty sure a fix and or replacement parts will become readily available. BMW/MINI don't build parts like this typically it is a third party vendor. some of it is built to the spec of the automaker and some of it is off the shelf product. If a product is defective holding MINI responsible is well and good, but it could be a bad batch from a vendor or product that is not going to perform adequately. I don't work for MINI, but I bet the production engineers are trying to figure it out. I feel your pain... I haven't been able to drive my S for 3 days because of the damned tornados and thunderstorms. So I am driving my beater Nissan Maxima because I don't like hail damage. The weather is suppossed to continue. My car has been flawless and I love it, but I have other cars and I will not be surprised when something bites me. I am truly expecting something bad to happen with it. Not because MINI is an evil company or anything, just because it is a highly engineered car with lots of new stuff... stuff not taken directly from other cars.

jc

 

"i too had never seen a 100Amp fuse, but that's what they said. it's one of the light green ones that is about 1 inch squared - go take a look. (this is what i was told - i can't verify 'cause i don't have my MINI)"

It's not a circuit breaker?

Red

 

>>i too had never seen a 100Amp fuse, but that's what they said.
>> it's one of the light green ones that is about 1 inch squared

I just took a look on my 02/02 build MINI Cooper 5-speed and the light
green 1 Inch cubes in the engine-compartment fuse box are not
fuses. They are relays as are the three slightly smaller black boxes.

There are several 50-Amp fuses in there, but I unplugged them one
at a time, and the power-steering pump continued operating.

I'll jack up the car in the morning and trace the PS-Pump wires
to see where they go.

 

ok, now i'm starting to doubt whether or not he said 100Amp. i'll call the dealer again in the morning.

and thanks for all your (everyone) support.

 

Not a technical guy, but....

Could it be something was sucked into the power steering fan causing the fuse to go. I seem to remember some post that said they moved the water pump off this fuse for this reason. That could be why you need a new box (maybe).

Once again, I'm not a mechanic (far from it).

Hmmmmm...... english car with electrical difficulty, where have I heard that before???

 

Newer cars have 100 amp fuses but I can't see the power steering pump needing a fuse that big. I mean maybe the electric motor is pretty bad *** but i don't think it is 100 amp bad ***.

The first time I saw a 100 amp fuse was in a brand new 1997 Ford Escort ZX2 just getting its first oil change. I was working on it at my shop and the pliers I was using on the oil filter slipped and hit the alternator. I must have hit just the right spot because the main fuse exploded. You could hear the pop and smell the melted plastic.

Bye Bye 100 amp main fuse.

The part was like 20 bucks from the wholesale place down the road.

 

Hey sockdaddy, what ever happened here?

Did you get the fusebox back, and what did the fuse look like?

I might be in the same situation someday.

 

According to the parts diagrams, there are options for 50A, 80A and 100A fuses. There is a part number for the fuse (61 13 0 141 151) but without a technical manual, I'm not sure why it can't be replaced unless it didn't blow and sustained enough heat to damage the box itself. Sometimes explanations like that are lost from the tech who does the work to the person who answers the phone.

Electrical loads are increasing on vehicles to the point where I think we'll see a move away from the normal 12-V system up to something larger like 24-V. That'll reduce the amps load proportionally.

Good luck!

 

>>Hmmmmm...... english car with electrical difficulty, where have I heard that before???

Good point. Has anyone seen "Lucas" while milling around in the wiring and fuse box.

Tom

 

okay, here's the update to the situation (better late than never):

i actually got my MINI back in 1 week instead of 2, with some help from MINI USA. i contacted them after dropping my car off at the dealership (Schomp), to express my concern over the pump failure and the fuse/fuse box problem. they said they would follow up with Schomp.

MINI USA called the dealership and informed them that the fuse was available without having to replace the entire box (unless it was damaged) and gave them the part info. so, i'm happy to report that the MINI is back in my garage and the Power Steering appears to be working fine - althought it had been out so long that i forgot how loud the Pump Motor really is... it's embarrassing!

here's the breakdown of parts and service that was done to fix the problem:

tech comment:
diagnose voltage supply problem to electric power steering pump fuse (100 amp) in bottom of fuse box in engine compartment shorted out remove fuse box assembly in engine compartment and replaced fuse replaced electric power steering pump drawing too much resistance this was the reason the 100amp fuse was blown (they didn't use punctuation, so neither did i)

Repair 1:
Checking Fault Memory (.4 hrs)

Repair 2:
R&I Fuse Box, Engine Compartment (.7 hrs)

Repair 3:
Replace power steering pump for power assisted steering (.7 hrs)

Parts:
61138364631 Fuse 100A
32416760567 Rmfd Pump <--- does this mean remanufactured ???
00000000ATF Dexron II
07129952109 Clamp/Rec
82111468041 Prntosin


i was so excited to have my car back when i picked it up that i forgot to ask for the old fuse, or to see what the items on the repair list were...

 

OK, it's good to know that there is indeed a fuse.

I'll pull my fusebox out and get a photo of it this
weekend.

Thanks for the update.

But MAN, 90 Amps at 12 Volts is 1080 Watss which is 1.4 Horsepower!!!
that's sure some pump motor.

_________________

 

just read this thread because I have been having my doubts about the power steering. Mine is running when I turn the wheel in neutral. I have not listened to it that carefully before so I don't know if the sounds it makes are normal. Anyway, I'd like to check the level of the power steering fliud. May be a dumb question - but how do I check it?

 

Thanks for posting all the detailed info!

Re: you comment about the loud power steering...
I had to have my steering rack assembly replaced under warranty (symptoms was slight creaking sounds when turning at low speeds), and since I got it back the power steering whine has definitely DECREASED..

so look out for the slight creaking sounds and louder than normal power steering whine,, it could mean the steering rack is going bad on you.