Car is a 2003 MCS with 57,700 miles.

Lately I have noticed that my power steering pump fan has gotten loud and making noise. At first I actually thought it was my AC compressor because it would only make the noise when I turned on the AC. Now I have verified that it will still make the noise when the AC is off if the power steering fan is still funning. It is not 100% of the time but getting more and more. I have verified that the power steering pump fan runs and works, its just loud. This evening I jacked the car up and turned the AC on and verified that the pump fan does run.

Anyways what goes bad on these things that would make the fan loud? Could it possibly just be something stuck in the fan? Or possibly a bearing needing a new fan unit? Tomorrow I am thinking of removing the fan and making sure there is no debris causing the noise. I have read that most pump failures are actually from overheating issues caused by the fan not functioning properly and I don't want it to get to that point if at all possible.

Thanks,
k

 

Also, is the dealer the only place to get a replacement fan? Or is their an online shop? If not then I am sure Classic would be the best place to get it from...

 

My 04 did the same thing, dealer replaced the fan and the power steering pump, just at the end of my warranty.

 

Check the threads on "spontaneous engine bay fires"

 

I'd get it replaced with a new one regardless. It's a -relatively- cheap part that may cause lot more serious problems if/when doesn't work properly.

Classic with 20% NAM discount is one option. The other one is the whole sale price for the Roadfly members from Crevier in SoCal. You can ask for a quote here: http://forums1.roadfly.com/mini/forums/partscounter/ I picked mine up from Crevier and they were the cheapest.

Good luck.

 

I took it off and had a look. Nothing bound up on it. When I spun it by hand it did make a noise so the bearings or bushings have gone bad. I will order a new one.

 

I'm not sure about the MINI, but on my Mazda6 it can become loud if the power steering fluid gets too dirty, iirc. Just a guess, though.

 

You should record both the noise it makes when you manually spin it, and when it's spun under normal operating temps, upload the vids to youtube and post them here. You could save dozens of NAMers from failing power steering pumps/fans.

 

FYI... Classic quoted $118.xx for the power steering pump fan for NAM members. Regular price before asking about the NAM discount was $180.

Way has a fan on the shelf so Tuesday I am getting the new fan unless its a lot more than classics discounted price which I will then order theirs.

 

Mine made a nasty grinding noise..I bought a new one on ebay for 50 bux..No more noise

 

The fan that was removed from my 03 MCS doesn't make any noise, but it has a strange feel when I try to spin it. It doesn't spin continuously (it's a bid difficult to describe it). The fan operates similar to if someone is running up hill first and down hill afterwards (repeating this many times). There is a bit of resistance first, then it passes that point and moves faster to the next resistance; so, it just oscillates.

I assume it should just spin continuously with out going through these cycles, right?

 

Your fan should spin freely without resistance. It was dumb on mini's part on the earlier models to not make them with covers on them. On average I probably see these fan problems 6-8 times a week.

 

I am a new mini owner. I have a Liquid Yellow 2002. Are you guys talking about the 4" fan that is on the bottom of the motor. I was shocked to see a fan in such a vulnerable spot. My fan does not run while the engin is running. It also is somewhat hard to turn. My guess is that it is shot. What is he fan for anyway?

 

Over past few weeks I've noticed what I'm guessing is the PS fan making noise as well.

I haven't gotten a chance to look at it but here are the symptoms. The difference here seems to be that it makes the noise even when it's cold.

2006 MCS, 34K miles.

Start the car in the morning, normal engine noise, after about 10-15 seconds of warm up I hear a spinning/buzzing/bad bearing type noise. It doesn't change with engine RPM, and since it doesn't start right when I start the car I don't *THINK* it's engine related. I also believe that the noise comes and goes, but I haven't tracked it enough to be sure. My first thought was a belt as making noise, but it doesn't seem to change with RPM, and if I turn off the AC it doesn't go away.

I did notice yesterday while at a stop light that the noise started and I could feel a little buzz though the steering wheel. This is the first time that I've noticed it, however I have really been looking since I hadn't tried to diagnose the issue until a day or so ago.

The noise turns off with the car, so unlike some other's I don't have the run-on issue, however this might be a difference between model years.

Any info would be helpful.

Mike

 

I just had the same problem and they replaced my Power Steering pump at 45kmi. I'm lucky my neighbor has a good friend at the dealership. If he hadn't recommended I bring it in I would have just thought it was my imagination until it was a real problem and no longer under warranty

Apparently this is a typical repair for mini's If maintained based on the factory recommendations this part should last almost forever!
One of the service techs at my dealership told me that everyone who works there changes their PS fluid every 2yr (which would be excessive for any other car) but this is one of the mini's "quirks"

 

Yep, it's pretty much unbelievable, schr5530. And they're more normal MINI "quirks" in other places too.

 

Ok, I'm posting my question because I can't find the information that I need by searching! I've been thinking about my ps fan after reading several old posts. I haven't seen my fan run at all. I went to a local shop and was told that it should run anytime the key is in the run position. I put the car on ramps and turned the key to the run position and nothing. The fan wouldn't run. I took the fan off and put 12v to it and it worked fine. A little louder than I would think is normal but it worked. I then checked all my fuses, nothing blown. I couldn't check the voltage from the plug where the fan plugs in because my test leads were too big. Can anyone please help me with diagnosing this problem as I don't want to replace my ps pump anytime soon!

 

jdboy, go switch on your A/C, wait a minute, and you'll hear/see your PSF begin to spin.

 

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

 

I tried turning the AC on and let it run for 5 minutes and nothing. The fan works if I hook it dirctly to 12v but when I test the connection that plugs into the fan I have no voltage reading. I've looked at and tested all my fuses so I'm now at a stand still. Is there a relay for the PS fan? The engine fan runs fine!