Steering fan - doesn't move
 

normal? noticed it while under the car...doesn't spin freely with the car off. Maybe the fan es kaput?

Just checked mine, all ready up on stands, and it spins, but with a little resistance(?)

yeah...I recall it's supposed to move from when I cleaned deer guts out from under my wife's cabrio.

silly baxster you know i dont speak spanish :lol:

mine went bad recently and cost me $200 to get replaced at the dealership :sly:

Be really careful about driving it without it working. If the power steering pump gets too hot it dies. That's a $700 round trip at my dealership. Mine went out and we bought the part and husband replaced it. Takes a bit of contortionist moving but it can be done by you.

Also, the big question is has it already started to go bad and should you just replace both now. ugh. Good luck with it. :roll:

Get that fan replaced ASAP dude, and keep an extra on the shelf for the next time it happens. They die often, mostly from dirt getting in the fan motor; I budget changing mine about every 18 months. The design is super horrible; the fan is such that really heavy debris will fall down into the motor and jam it.

maybe you should consider one of these...

http://new.minimania.com/imagesbig/nma3042.jpg

http://new.minimania.com/web/AddedFr.../InvDetail.cfm

the car only has 17k miles on it and is NOT a daily driver. A shame it's gone bad so soon. I have the car up on stands right now....I wonder if the dealer will swap me one over the counter under warranty. It's a PITA to have to leave the car for 1-2 days to get basic things done like this.

I believe I will....I was thinking about that last night actually. I wonder if there's a downside to it.

when i had my pulley installed we noticed that my mini was leaking power steering fluid and the p/s fan was locked up. luckily my repair was covered under warranty. markel ended up replacing the p/s pump and fan. get it done asap!:nod:
i was also looking into getting one of the fan covers.

I have one of those covers sitting on my shelf in the garage, I was using it on my old PS fan but since I had it replaced with a newer unit that already has a cover on it, I haven't taken the time to install it....it does work well and gives you more protection that the one that comes stock....

The problem isn't the life of the part per se. It's the design flaw that makes it a problem. The power steering pump sits directly above/below the catalytic converter. Yep. All the heat, a rock or two and the whole thing's gone. aaack. Skid plates should be standard equipment, (well now it has the screen on the part) and the pump should actually be relocated. But where? :nod:

care to part with it? :razz:

T
 

I have one of these Fan Shrouds and they are indeed a great idea, but not perfect either. Last week while headed to work, I passed over a plastic bag on the freeway. It got hung up under the car and sucked into one of the openings in the Fan Shroud. I could smell something burning within a couple of minutes and when I pulled over and yanked it out, the end was all shredded by the fan. I didn't take any chances and had Chad at Detroit Tuned order a new fan and replace it, total cost $165.00. The old fan, when we tested it, was still working but rubbing on every revolution. It was only a matter of time before it burned out. I consider it cheap insurance, especially on a 5 year-old car. BTW, the new fan has a wire grate over it but I don't think it is much protection from small objects like grit, salt and sand (or plastic bags). So, with some persuading, we got the old shroud to fit over the new grate and fan.

just noticed outmotoring sells one cheaper... http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...protector.html

we looked this over again. seems it wasn't locked up, but sand/dirt had jammed the blades. cleaned it out and spun free. I couldn't start the car (header is off), so, we'll keep an eye on it once it's back together and get the dealer to warranty if needed.

OK my steering has gone all heavy, so I have been reading about the pump fan and sure enough my is stuck solid. Here are my thoughts.......

My pump is still "whining" so is it dead or could I possibly have a "Rack" issue instead?

Would it whine if it was cooked?

My dealer wants $900 for parts and labor, which is total Bullshi* if you ask me. If it is my pump, is this something that I could do myself? I'm not a qualified mechanic, however I'm not totally dumb when it comes to fixing/replacing stuff.

Can you change your own oil? Rotate tires? Change spark plugs or do a radiator flush? If so, then yes, you can handle this task.

ok, that sounds good. I'm taking it to the dealer next week to see what they say the problem is, i have the feeling it's the rack because i can still hear the pump whine. I don't think the rack is something that i could do though

What makes you thik your steering rack is the culprit? For me, the whining is coming from the power steering pump. As soon as it's plugged into a power source, the whine begins. It's a sure sign the power steering pump is kaput.

The whine i'm talking about is the power steering whine, it's the normal one. I'm thinking that if the pump sounds normal, it might be the rack

Well i'm happy to say that it wasn't my steering pump nor my steering rack. I took it to the dealer and they told me that they needed to replace the "steering shaft U joint".

The steering rack would have been $1500 aprox, the pump would have been $900 aprox but the u joint was $250 !

I was VERY surprised to have a dealer fix something for $250 when they already prepped me for $1500 or $900. I have new respect for the MINI dealer now !

One note about the fan grill.......it will only stop the large stuff from hitting the fan. The stuff small enough to get into the fan housing will still get by. Jusy get into the habit of checking the fan with each oil change, or as Ryphile suggested, just change it out on a regular basis.

What's the best price you guys are finding for the P/S fan. My mini has 55k and I want to change the fan now even though it appears to be fine.

Thanx