From all that I've read, it looks like a design issue - the brushes create a significant amount of dust inside the pump housing (with no place to escape) and the pump eventually "locks up"... I do not know if the potential heat is a contributing factor, but some have said that a fan failure without replacement has had minimal effect on the performance of the pump... most of this is my interpretation of the info provided in threads here and on other Mini forums.

 

Since the fan can operate when wet, I put 3-4 drops of Royal Purple oil (since I was changing my oil at the time) in between the fan and the fan housing. This seemed to work really well. Now my fan spins really free and very fast!

 

Unfortunately the Power Steering Pump Motor is not of the brush-less variety...so when the Brushes wear to some magical limit (ok, not magical, but talk to an electrical engineer)....it stops running. Keeping a electric motor cool will help to limit brush wear....So keep it cool, and it should last longer!!

 

Let me see if I understand correctly....

If an oil cooler (or really small radiator) were used and routed to the front of the car it would keep the pump cool and when its time to change PS fluid it would provide and easy access point. Sure you would need to buy more PS fluid than normal but wouldn't it help?

 

How do you flush the system accurately without going through an entire bottle of fluid?

 

Flushing any system will almost always take more fluid than the system holds, since some of the remaining fluid will mix with the fresh as it is daraind, and flows through the lines. Unless the system is contamnated with a fluid that is incompatable, or very dirty, just changing most of the fluid in the resiviour with a sipon or a turkey baster as previouly mentioned, should introduce some fresh adatives, and remove some of the dirt. I have done it this way on other cars before with good results.

 

I think it would help...the important thing IMO would be to size the lines on the cooler to prevent back preassure. I have not done this, but in theroy it should work. If I lived in a very hot location, this is something I would explore.
I chose to put my trust in the oem factory engeneered solution, the ps duct fan kit for the S. If you have an S, it is a good deal IMO considering how expensive the ps pump or fan is.

 

do a search on power steering cooler. a guy on here did a nice one , very nice install . now that i've got some small amount of disposable income i may do this . but i'm selling it so i may just let the next guy deal with it .

 

I found a small one and since AZ gets HOT in the summer, I am going to order it and find he right place to route it too. I thought about the duct kit but if I am in traffic with 110 degree weather would it still work?

 

It looks like it should be a good flowing desgin...so it should have low back-preasure.....is the hose size bigger or equal to the inside diameter of the PS fluid return line? If it is, I think you have a winner!!
Yeah...the 110 temps in AZ might be more than the duct, and the tiny OEM fan can handle. Heck...it sounds like your will be the way it should have been built from the factory!! One less thing to worry about, and a fun project!!

 

".....is the hose size bigger or equal to the inside diameter of the PS fluid return line? If it is.."


Not sure. I will have to figure out the size of hose on the PS pump first. Ideally, it should be installed in the front of the car but because of limited space to do so, I might put it under the driver side vent just under the window. I need to replace the cheap mesh that has degraded anyways.

 

Since a huge amount of heat is not being produced, I think if you install it almost anywhere with OK airflow, it will help a-lot IMO. If given the choice on coolers...I would pick the one with the least number of bends in it...a single 180 bend in a longer cooler might be better....to lessen back-pressure....but I don't think it would be a major concern. Sounds like it will Kinda fun!!

 

Discovered today that my fan was seized solid. broke it loose, but won't turn freely even after disassembly and cleaning - so I suspect a bearing is shot.

Ordered the Spal fan from A1 electric. Will install when it arrives next week.

I've been driving the car for a while (weeks) without the fan (I know because it's been blowing PDC fuses for a while and I just connected the dots today) with no issues yet. Have had some moderately hot weather, but not much. Had a track day, but in the rain so not a high-heat day. Definitely hasn't been summertime hot yet. Hoping things will breathe well enough with the fan and duct off for a few more days until I get the fan on...

 

Installed my Spal fan today - spliced it onto the cable set from the OEM fan and mounted on the OEM bracket with stainless hardware I had on hand. Replaced the fuse, and all is well - it works! And so does my parking distance control sensor.

 

How much was the fan?

I have been tossing the idea of using a blower fan (same size - used in sailboats) into the same space that the Spal is. I think if the fan produced more air, the PS unit would stay cool. I am not big into making changes to my car without easily going back to stock if I need to but it might be beneficial instead of continuing to replace the PS unit and fan.

When I was at the autoparts store I noticed that Royal Purple (I think it was RP) had a product that if added to the PS fluid, it should help in keeping the unit cooler. Any thoughts on it? (anyone)

 

You can get the spal fan with a compatible connector (and the thermal fuse) for 117$ from Pelican (the OEM runs about 180$)...so no splicing is required....one thing to remember...earlier fans lack the Box like thingy next to the plug....the revised fan has the box...it appears to be a thermal fuse of some type...if you have the old fan...I strongly reccomend you make sure you replace it....so if it gets stuck...there is less chance of fire....
http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/...C%20Cooper%20S

 

Thanks, used all this info to diagnose and replace my rattling PSP fan. Aside from fixing it before it died (and with it my PS pump), I scored on sourcing a fan MUCH cheaper than any specialty house. A1 Electric had the fan (their number 30103009, $60.00) at this site: http://www.a1electric.com/catalog/cat_spal.htm

Thanks again for the picture-by picture guide to fan and PS pump replacement. Very nice.

Thanks again.

 

Got my A1 Electric SPAL fan (their number 30103009, $60.00) today. It looks perfect and is the exact one the A1 assured me "he sold to all the Mini owners"). However, it's SPAL part number ends in "S"...which is a PUSHER fan. If you use this one, it will blow hot air from the engine and will drag engine heat onto the PSP, the opposite of what you want.

You need a PULLER fan. Part numbers end in "A". The original OEM SPAL number on my 2005 Mini fan is VA62-A100-62A. A1 Electrics' equivilent is SPAL VA32-A101-62A or [FONT=Arial]30103018.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]They look essentially the same and will bolt up the same. They do have some slight different fan blade shape and simpy reversing polarity will not produce equivilent reverse airflow. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Sorry for the bad initial info. The guy at A1 was nice in exhanging the product. I wonder how many Minis are out there with the wrong fan... [/FONT]

 

I put a SPAL fan on my wife's car about a year ago. Just took it out tonight to clean as it has developed some grit. (will be buying the duct kit from moss mini tomorrow)

anyway, I noticed that this spal fan has a series of vent holes in the fan hub, which makes it very easy to clean out.

recommended!

 

Hello Everyone! I have a few concerns if you can help me please...

Unfortunately I had a big leak of fluid on the parking lot floor New Years Eve so I haven't driven my 04 Mini Cooper S since the leak was discovered.
I quickly raised her up in the air this past week to notice Power Steering fluid every were.
I'm not sure if my fan or my pump is still good/working so my question to you is how do I check to see if they are still in working condition even though I'm replacing/re-manufacturing the pump and fan ?
So far I purchased:
-New PS fan
-Getting the pump re-manufactured.
-New hose from reservoir to pump
-New OEM Fluid

My concern is that I put in some basic STP powersteering fluid in the system to refill the reservoir to see were the leak was coming from. With that being said I believe my power steering system has the STP brand name fluid system in it.
Now that the power steering pump is off the car and is ready to be sent off for fixing, how can I get the old fluid out of the Power steering system while I wait for the PSP to get fixed or is this even necessary?

Will putting in the new fluid after the PSP is installed cause potential problems in the future due to mixtures of two different fluids or should I not worry and just fill it up?

Now my pump still worked when I noticed the leak because every time I turned on the car and moved the steering wheel I would hear the pump wineee. The steering wheel moved freely as well but there was just alot of fluid on the floor.
What might of caused this???
So for precautionary measures I decided to buy a new fan, rebuild the pump, new line and new fluid.

Is there something I'm missing to check or do?

Thanks in advance guys...!

 

I'd get it all flushed out with the right stuff. I am pretty sure the mini does not use power steering fluid and that will destroy any seals in the old rack as well as create leak problems in the system.

Pentosin CHF 11S I think is the correct fluid, it is an ATF fluid I believe, others here please correct me.

 

Thanks for the reply but how would one flush it out while the pump is not on the car and getting fixed?

Also, how can one tell if the fan is working after the installation? Is there a way to see if its working?

Thanks...

 

Can I assume that the whine when moving the wheel at a stop, and the groaning from the motor when shutting the Mini off are an indication that the PS pump is going southward?

No leaks yet, but I'll have to check the fan tonight and see if it's alive..

Thanks in advance...

 

I recently purchased an 06 cooper R50. I just did my first oil change and while underneath I was poking around and noticed that my PS cooling fan was stuck/hard to spin. I removed it, cleaned the crap out of it, lubed it up and man it spins great, hooked it back up and It doesn't spin. I had the A/C on and waited for the radiator fan to kick in and still it didn't spin. Any ideas? Does it pop a fuse when it freezes?

 

Here is your solution.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...lution-16.html

Read the whole thread, just found out this happened to me