This just keeps getting better and better!
Thanks MikeL for the How To.

PS Cooler
 

A quick look underneath the car the other night leads me to think finding a mounting point might be a wee bit problematic, but one source of an inexpensive PS fluid cooler would be an '89-'95 Taurus SHO. Pretty easy to find one the the junk yards around here these days.

Alan

Can anyone tell me if the power steering pump is the same for MC and MCS? I am searching junkyards for a replacement pump and don't want to mess it up. I am assuming they are the same part... Thanks very much.

I replaced my ps pump last night with a used one from an 06 mini. MikeL's instructions are perfect. I couldn't even get my fan to turn at all. So, back to www.car-part.com to get a used fan! Thanks again MikeL!

Google yielded a few rebuilding outfits that rebuild the pumps at prices between $150 and $200. A bit distant from the $1000 numbers that I have heard for a dealer to replace. I even found new updated pumps for around $300. I would still dearly like to see a schematic for the system.

See:

http://www.rebuildingfactory.com/contact_us.html

http://www.bba-reman.com/content.asp...eering_failure

MIKEL:
Could you please explain how you correctly wired the original Mini fan conector to the new fan? How did u know which wire went where? are they the same color maybe?
Thanks

I just cut the connectors and about 3" of wire off both fans. Then I spliced the the old connector onto the new fan. The wires are red and black so there is no problem with knowing which one goes where. Here is a web link with all you ever wanted to know about splicing wire: http://www.markwilson.com/mustang_ts...e%20splice.pdf

Great, thanks!

Mikel,

Should the PS fan spin constantly when the car is on? Or is it temp activated?
Sorry, about the many questions... just want to make sure what im doing is ok.

Thanks.

[quote=MikeL;1586866]FAN:
I had the opportunity to install the new fan I bought from Spal last night and everything looks good. The connector that came on the fan wasn't the same as the one on the car so I had to splice the correct one onto the new fan. The part number I ordered is VA32-A101-62A and the cost was $78.00 including shipping. For those who are anal about keeping their cars exactly stock, this isn't a solution for them as the Spal P/N is different on the MINI part. The MINI part is VA32-A103-62A. The A103 specifies the motor but the Spal rep. I talked to didn't know what the difference is. I suspect the MINI motor draws a little less current because the wires are a little bit larger on the new motor. It would be interesting to compare a working fan that is the right P/N to the one I have.



I didn't sign into the Spal website, but it seems that they are shipping from Italy. Maybe that's just how the website is set up?
I'm surprised that no one makes an aftermarket fan for the P/S pump.
I'm having a hard time locating a fan via car-part.com. The 4 places I called, they only sell the P/S pump, and not the fan, or does the fan come with the pump??

The PS motor controller is PWM modulated. The electronics themselves whould not generate too much heat on their own, given the MOSFET power transistors on the device. Heat comes mainly from the scorching header above the pump itself. If your car has a slight alignment issue that causes it to pull to one side or another with your hands off of the steering wheel, the constant tug you place on the wheel causes the PS pump to increase it's output. This makes the motor draw more current, and the motor itself will run faster and hotter as a result. A wheel alignment can actually increase the life of the pump.

The main problem with the little PS fan is the blade itself, and the mounting position. It's mounted with the shaft end nearly perpendicular to the road. The problem arises because the fan blade 'cups' around the motor to create a shorter profile for the assembled unit, and the mounting position puts the cup opening at the top. Driving along rainy, dusty streets will cause water and dirt to settle inside the cup, where it cannot drain. Since the fan does not run continuously, this collected wet debris essentially soaks the motor, rusting the bearing and motor innards causing it to sieze up. Even a small amount of dry debris can wedge between the motor body and the blade, causing a locked rotor and blown fuses (and overheating engine in most cars). The fan has never been redesigned to address the dirt/water problem, though a screen was added to prevent larger bits of crud from fouling the blades.

:thumbsup:
I just serviced my fan a weekend or so ago and it had a lot of fine debris in it again. The roads around here are sanded down with red volcanic cinder. It is easily ground up and flys around a lot. I have to service (clean) my fan twice a year just to make sure that it doesn't get too much grit in it.

When I change the oil in the engine, I remove the fan (since it's so easy) and give it some TLC. Just turning it over and tapping it on the workbench while spinning the blade empties a surprising amount of dirt from it. Blasting between the impeller and the motor with compressed air gets more crud out. Doing this has prolonged the life of my replacement fan (the third one, after a warranty replacement early in the car's life).

Same here, I just change my oil and such twice a year.

Had Fan Replaced
 

Every time it got over 50 degrees outside, my power steering would become intermittent and die so I suspected that the fan was to blame. The power steering was fine all winter long during the cold.

In any event, I called my local car shop and they ordered the MINI part and put in on in 30 minutes, and it cost me $230, which is $10 more than MINI was going to charge me in PA.

We'll see if the new fan solves the problem. I am hoping so because I don't want to replace the pump at $800.

I just did a search on car-parts.com and found a bunch of used pumps at the salvage yards. the prices ranged from $120 for a 2002 to $350 for 2004-2006. I also looked at the wiring and it appears, on mine anyway that the pump fan will not turn on until the radiator fan runs at high speed (both are energized by the same relay). The radiator fan comes on low at 105c, and comes on high at C. Normally the coolant wont reach C unless you have lost low speed (resistor on cooling fan open). So this makes me wonder how often does the little fan on the pump turn on. I just noticed that my pump runs constantly when the engine is on.....but stops running when the engine is off. back in 2002 when my car was new the dealer replaced the pump because it ran with the engine off. I now have 91K miles on the car. Anybody know what the warranty is from BBA-reman?

Any possibility of finding a brushless replacement that could do the same thing? Running a mechanical drive for the PS on such a small engine is going to be a bad idea. You'll lose some fuel economy, and undoubtedly power, especially in the low RPM's.

Reviving an old post
I now have the same problem and I'm looking to go the Spal way as well. As I look at the Spal USA website however; they list the A101 @148cfm and not 250.:confused:

MikeL - how has your fan been working?

Hope we can locate a nice low cost alternative to the OEM one.

How do you remove the fan?? I've never done my own oil change yet so not familar with how this could be done.

Couple of screws and the wiring plug.

Nothing to it.

Here is a link to the fan duct from the convertable that would help prevent debris from getting to the fan

Waiting for help too
 

Does Anyone know ? :confused:

The PS fan should only run when the radiator fan runs on high speed.

BBA-reman did a PS pump for me on a Nissan,still working after 1 1/2 yrs hily recomended,i have read somewhere recently on this forum you can replace the bearing on the fan for a $1.50 actually the bearing was also available in Stainless Steel as apparently that's what seizes up.