I love my mini(bought her in '04 after one owner) and have had no problems with her until the last couple of months(shes an '03). My steering wheel started to become loose and vibrate when hitting speeds between 25-35mph. Up to speed and after that speed there were no problems. Then it got worse when I found I could hardly turn my steering wheel to take a turn. Thankfully I was going slow and there was no-one parked waiting to pull out or we would have crashed. Taking Miss Mini to the auto center, one of the tire rods was replaced and a u-joint followed by a new steering shaft. Happy days, things worked fine........ Until, a week later, my steering wheel got stiff again and I could barely get her to turn into a side road!!!!
The auto centre guy is stumped(he is not a mini dealer) and I really need some help on this one. Can anyone relate or is there someone out there who can offer some advice

 

The steering getting stiff and hard to turn sounds a lot like the power steering pump.. they tend to go intermittently before total failure. As for the vibration, have you had the lower control arm bushings checked?

 

Thanks for the input I will go from there and see how it goes.

 

Check the PS fluid level. Our cars tend to develop a leak at the reservoir.

 

And if you add fluid...use the proper stuff...if you think a $500 ps pump is pricey...price the labor to replace a steering rack!! It is more than clutch from the posts I have seen. Do not us regular ps fluid, or tranny fluid...us the petrosin stuff, pricy, but very specialized stuff. You may need to order it, but some vw's use the same stuff.

 

Thanks for all your input There is no leak in the ps.pump, slow or otherwise, my fuse is good, I have already replaced the steering shaft(gulp). I will check the fan under the car and then tackle the power steering pump. I read some more info under another thread on "Steering" and learned that the '02-'06 models have a greater problem with this issue as they are hydraulic/electro as opposed to all electric power steering in the later models??!!!
Is this true?
Ps. I live on an island so all the prices here are way more than any of you guys are paying. I wont tell you what I had to pay for a new steering shaft

 

If you are in AK on kodiak (pretty area).I used to fly in there for SouthCentral Air...just remember, group you orders together for savings on shipping....and WayMotorWorks ships by PO, they can get almost anything you need, even if it is not listed...at least you can avoid some of the ups/fedex air charges if you can wait an extra few days...
The pump sometimes fails due to wear...it is a big dc motor with brushes...if it stays on after the car is turned off...then the electronics are most likely fried....rebuilds can be done for 200$, but since most places don't stock rebuilt units...you must wait to get your unit back. One or two folks have opened up the electric motor, cleaned it out, and installed universal brushes, then cut them to the right length....
Living in an area with lots of snow and ice, you might want to consider the ps duct kit that cam standard on later cars.
The vibration went away right? Since it seemed to be speed related the pump is most likely not at fault.
One adaditional thing to look at...check the wiring that goes to the pump...the wires sometimes chafe...and could potentially cause a fire...or simply cause the pump to fail.
Good luck, and welcome to NAM!!

 

The steering shaft is an unusual item to replace...I hope it was needed. Several vendors here are great places to get advice, and parts from...my suggestion is next time before spending $$$ on a high dollar part...check with a post, or one of the better vendors...I mentioned WMW before...and he is a full mini trained repair tech...he still fixes cars, but he sells parts too...an e-mail or a phone call, and I bet he would be happy to help you if you, especially if you were buying your repair parts from him.
Good Luck again!! I just wish I had a mini when I was living in Kenai...pretty good twisty roads, few cars, and tons of fun!!

 

Thanks for all the info. Yes, we have a lot of twisty turny roads, great for our minis. We have about 9 minis here and also the first one that came onto USA soil when they were first introduced.
As this is a small town, we all know who owns a mini and where they work!
If I had this website in my hands before going to the mechanic I know I would have saved myself some premo dollars. Again, thanks for all the great advice.

 

Kodiakmini, did you fix your problem? I have similar issues that I can't find a solution to. I've replaced the pump and cooling fan. This didn't fix the problem.

 

hi
i read your post with your particular problem Dont know what to tell you except i had both front u-joints replaced, my steering shaft replaced and the power steering pump and filter replaced and only then did my problem go away!!!! I am going to be paying that stuff off for a long time But i am good to go and i am going!

 

I replaced the lower steering column after finding the u-joint seized where it connects to the rack. This fixed the problem. just finished the work this morning. thanks for the input.

 

Sit right down and I'll tell you the tale... Anyhow...

I had just done the sound system over and blew tons of money on it to find that my power steering was all nuts. I thought it was the weight of the dynomat or my brain thinking the sound deadening was messing with me but there it was.

One turn into the bank one day and the thing goes into "no power steering" mode and I have to pull hard as hell to make the turn into the driveway. I replaced the blown fuse in the parking lot and cross my fingers that I'm getting back home.

I call my local mechanic and he preasure tests the pump... it's at about 60%. So I get a new pump and he checks the U's and everything looks ok to go.

Now 2 days later I'm telling myself it's "fixed" but it's still feeling tighter than it was before all the soundproofing and amps and speaker junk.

I'm going to pick up the extra cooling vent, but what can I ask the mechanic to check on? He said things looked ok when he had it on the lift and looked at the column, U joints and all. Maybe the column is warped? Wiring maybe? Somethings not right still. I've been driving the MINI for 6 years and it's not right in my hand. Still to tough.

 

I think I'm headed down the same road pal.

 

Twig, just a thought, the power steering pump goes to half power when the alternator isn't putting out enough juice. Is it possible that your new sound system is drawing down the voltage causing your pump to drop down to power saving level? The three wire connector that goes to the pump carries the signal from the alternator. Look for posts related to alternator and steering. I'm not a mechanic, didn't even play on TV, but I've had my share of steering woes. My problem turned out to be a seized u-joint on the lower steering column. $60 for the used part, and an easy repair. Too bad I spent all that money on a new fan and steering pump.

 

It's possible, but I find it hard to believe the stereo would pull that much juice. The stock alternator is 105A, similar to what you get with a Camaro or Corvette. It should be more than adequate to produce the voltage necessary to run the engine, accessories, etc. I have a 200W Kicker amp with a 300W 10" Kicker sub, and I never have power steering issues when I have it cranked all the way up. The only way it would be possible is if you were in a bass war hitting a low frequency continuously (like 74 Ohms). If you have more stereo amp than this, consider getting a 1/2 or 1 Farad capacitor.

Start simple by checking to make sure the wiring to the power steering pump is not frayed and the connectors are seated properly. Make sure you have enough power steering fluid and the proper kind. MINIs call for PHF 11s. Here's a link: http://new.minimania.com/InvDetail.c...249&googlebase.

 

I tried an experiment today and left the radio off and when I left the house this morning, the MINI was back to it's old form. Handling and performing like it's old self. I think the drain was affecting other systems too... seems it's got it's CVT shifting revs up too... I'm going to leave it off for a day or two and see what I get.

I figure it has to be something with the way the new stereo parts were installed/wired. Something needs to be tweaked. I didn't have these performance problems before the new stuff went in... Maybe I was wrong about the stiff steering being the fault of the pump/mechanics.

She's going back in to the audio shop (http://www.sound-waves.com) on Thursday to investigate so I should know more soon. They tell me it should be fine but it's not. Checking with the mechanic on the details of the fluid and wiring harness condition... Wish me luck and thanks for the advice guys.

 

WOW! It was the stereo.

Yes, keep us posted.

 

Before you drop a lot of money for a capacitor for your amp, consider buying a small deep cycle battery instead.
Check out this link http://www.termpro.com/articles/electsys.HTML

Usually a second battery is a cheaper, and better solution to high power drains to your electrical system from high watt audio systems. You put the battery close to your amps in parallel with current battery. They make small ones for lawn tractor and motor cycles.

 

Great info!!

Well after a "it's not powered well enough"- "but it's good" with the installer... I know I'm not going nuts. You all know how we are addicted to the ride of this car... I'm going to call my Math-Degree buddy and crunch some numbers and see what I come up with... I want to fix it and get it all right but I'm going to take a breath and pick the best option... the $$ are adding up. :(

I thought I'd list what's in the MINI now...

Head Unit
Alpine IDAX305
built-in amplifier (18 watts RMS CEA-2006/50 peak x 4 channels)
outputs: 6-channel preamp outputs (2-volt front, rear, subwoofer) — subwoofer output has bass level control

Front Speakers
JL Audio C2650
Evolution™ C3 Series 6-3/4" convertible component speaker system
15-100 watt RMS

Rear Speakers
JL Audio TR690TXI
2-60 watts RMS

Sub woofer
JL Audio CP108LG-W3v3
FlatWedge™ slot-ported enclosure with one 8" W3v3 subwoofer
50-250 watts RMS

Amp
JL XD600/6
6-channel car amplifier
75 watts RMS x 6 at 4 ohms (100 watts RMS x 6 at 2 ohms)
200 watts RMS x 3 bridged at 4 ohms (4-ohm stable bridged)

Again... a million thanks for the help all.

 

I crunched the numbers last night... Pretend I'm mumbling to myself with a pencil in my mouth and taping on the table in front of all my papers from the install plus the instructions...

Let's see.. 450 amps from the amplifier, 72 amps from the head, thats 522, 62% efficiency, that's 842 watts, divided by 13 for the battery (I think) = about 65 amps for extra stuff to run on.... 105 for the alternator, give half to the car to do it's thing... 53 Amps available and I need 65...

So in the end I'm 12 Amps short.

This would explain my performance anxiety lately. Am I right?

 

I'm not an expert, but I'm sure your not drawing all those amp all the time. If you put a battery (which is just a kind of capacitor) in, close to the source of your power draw ( i.e. Your amps). That should handle those spikes when your playing babies got back with the volume cranked up to eleven.

 

Wow!! Don't know much about amps and woofers but your number crunching sure impressed me. Hope you get things fixed.

 

Update: After all the crap is said and done, I've tweaked the bass/fader setting on the new tunes enough and it's not pulling as much and I'm not going deaf from the thump. Little did I know the power of the dark side. I think I'll "put a coat of LiveWithIt on" the MINI and call it a day. Seems all the parts are working like they should.

Thanks a million for the advice and help!

 

Glad to hear it's fixed.

Don't forget you can always help your amp setup by installing a 1 Farad capacitor.