Is there a easy fix for the PDC backup sensors not working? They were working fine on my 2004 Cooper S, then all of a sudden I noticed the were not! I didn't see anything in the handbook. Also we do not have a Mini dealership in Anchorage, Alaska.

 

Is your back-up light working?

 

I'll check it out and let you know. Are the backup light and sensors related somehow?

Rich a.k.a. COOL S

 

Any word on this? Mine just stopped working.

 

After 45,000 miles of trouble-free operation from the PDC, mine went out last month because of a blown fuse. I replaced the fuse and it's been fine since. That's the first thing I'd check.

 

Good call. I checked the fuse and it was indeed blown. But now it is acting strange. After putting a new fuse in I went to test it out and I got 2 beeps and then nothing. I checked the fuse again and it was fine. Tested again and nothing. Put a larger fuse in just to see, nothing. Went to lunch, came back tested it and it kind of worked. Beeped at about 4 feet or so from curb, but that was it. As I got closer it stopped. Used to go crazy the closer I got to the curb. I'll test it some more later.
A few months ago it had a constant tone every time I put it in reverse. My car was filthy, and after cleaning off the sensors everything was fine. I thought it might be the same thing this time, so I wiped them off really good but no dice.

 

I had my fuse replaced and after a couple of backups, it blew again. Also whatever is going on has drained a new high end battery so that that the battery won't een take a trickle charge.

Totally frustrated!

Cool S

 

Mine still keeps blowing fuses. Anyone have any advice on this?

 

Blown fuse usually caused by bad/faulty/malfunctioning POWER STEERING FAN!

Personal experience. Had no idea that the two issues were related.

 

I've read this more than a few times. Better check that PS fan asap.

 

Yeah. It's not something that's easy to find in the forums. I drove a few thousand miles and was away from any dealerships without knowing there could be bigger problems. Hopefully it helps.

 

My dealer found that my fan was on its way out & replaced it. Luck for me I was still under warranty. I was in for what I thought was a noisy belt tensioner. Blowing any fuses is not normal. Something always causes the fuse to blow. Sometimes it is easy to find & sometimes it is not. The PS fan is one of those.

I'm sure you posting will help another MINI owner.

 

I hope so. My car was purchased brand new in Texas and I drove it home. I realized the PDC wasn't working when I was trying to parallel park in New Orleans and thought maybe it was just a missed setting in the key or something simple. Nothing in the manual, nothing on Google, nothing from my hours of searching on forums. Called the dealership, spoke with the service guy and he didn't have any ideas and he figured it was something simple and not something to worry about. I thought I'd get it checked out when I went for my first service. Didn't find out until I took the car in early for the "seat clunking" problem... the PDC was still not a big issue as far as I knew. Never got the seat fixed but I got a new PS fan and my PDC working!

I was between 4-5k miles before I knew. What mileage were you up to before you found out?

 

I'd guess my was at about 32K. It was an intermittent noise & I'd have bet $20 it was the tensioner for the belt. Sounds are funny. They throw their voices to other parts of the car making diagnosis troublesome. The tech told me he spun the fan by hand & it was gravely, his words. My PS fan never died, it was caught in the nick of time.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I'll check out the PS fan this weekend. What am I looking for? Just noise when I turn it?

 

A noise & a roughnesss as you turn it. It should be feel smooth & quiet.

 

Ok, so that's the goofiest thing I've seen yet. The PS fan making the PDC not work.
I took the fan off and sure enough it would not turn. I shoot it with some canned air and then it started to turn. Then I shoot it with some WD40 and now it turns like new. No noise, no grinding. Plugged it in, started the car, turned on the AC and a few seconds later, voila, happy little fan. Dropped the car, put it in reverse and presto, my beep is back.

Now I have apparently been running around for several weeks with a mom functioning fan, so I hope I did not do any damage to the pump. But it seems to be working fine.
Also I left the 10amp fuse in because I did not have another 5Amp. Will this cause any problems besides not letting me know there is a problem by not popping?

Thanks for the help,
Jason

 

My 2006 has spare fuses in the fusebox - have you already used those up?

Replacing a 5A fuse with a 10A isn't a heinous sin, since there's probably no wiring in the car that would handle 5A but would burn up before a 10A fuse blew, but it's always good to use the proper fuse, and they're cheap.

 

Cool, thanks Scott.
I used all my spares and have not had time to make it to the parts store for new ones. Just wanted to make sure I was not hurting anything in the meantime.

 

This was the problem with my PDC:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post2966707

Easy fix to a common problem if your backup lights are also not working