Hello to all!
I noticed on New-years eve that I had a very large leak under the car. It happen to be power steering fluid leaking all over the floor.
After doing some research on NAM for power steering pumps.... I decided it was time to send the leaky pump out and get her serviced. So I went ahead and called BBE (Mini Cooper Power steering rebuild service company) to rebuild my pump. The service off of ebay is the least expensive way. It was $200 with free shipping and lifetime warranty on the pump.

Orlando Mini quoted me $900 for a new pump alone thats without labor cost.

Taking off and putting it on is a pain in the butt but its pretty straight forward. I also replaced a very large hose that connects to the pump and reservoir. After sending my pump to BBE, several days latter I receive a different pump back. This pump looks really beat up compared to my old pump but it should work.....

Today I installed the new pump myself having the car on ramps.
The install was not to bad and I also put in a new fan (purchased from Outmotoring).

Cost: $200 for rebuilt pump
$148 fan
$45 for 2 1ltr power steering fluid containers from Mini
$62 for the hose (reservoir to pump hose)

Well..... After the whole install I noticed a weird noise from the inside of the car in the drivers seat that's very faint but there. Its a hum that oscillate (very weird). Also I noticed that when I move the steering wheel the dome interior light dims. When I turn off the car (with the key in the ignition) the Power steering fan stays on until I remove the key.
-Is there something I did wrong????
-Should I check anything?
-What should I do?

 

I would say that pump is not right and unfortunately it probably needs to be replaced. It sounds like the motor is binding and drawing a LOT of current when you turn the wheel.

Too bad the warranty doesn't include labor.

For me coming to that conclusion when working on my car is the hardest part. I simply want to try anything before I do the job again. One good thing is that it usually takes less time the second time.

Rich

 

Iris send the pump back, I went through 3 of them one even lasted a week. I bought a new pump from Westchester Mini/ BMW and got a discount the cost has gone down it was around $400. 3 months and no issues it also comes with a 2 yr warranty no matter who installs it. Hope this helps you. Tom

 

I'm a bit confused...

I've been reading all about PS pump failures on first gen minis but today while reading a Steering and Suspension Overview.pdf (see photo) I got from the web on the very last page I got the following, and I quote:

"The pump motor is activated only if the engine is running. If the pump overheats, the pump will reduce output to 80%. If the temperature keeps rising, the pump will eventually shut down to protect itself (electronics) from damage."

What I don't get is how come we see so many PS pump failures if the pump supposedly has a built-in protection system?

Or could it be that many failures we've seen the pump was actually shutting down to protect itself due to something else failing (like the PS Fan for instance?) and it was just a matter of replacing the PS Fan of leak or whatever caused the pump to overheat?

Cheers!
RayanMX

 

Whos this BBE? cant find it on a google search for "BBE mini"??

 

Well it seems my power steering pump needs to be replaced, anyone know how much I'm looking at? Mini has really screwed us over, my 2005 Cooper S has just 51,000 miles on her. I'm really upset over this.

 

bought ours from this place carsteering.com, was about $450 for a brand new OE pump. install isnt too bad if your handy with cars took me a couple hours, or a shop would probably charge you a couple hundred. just be sure you use the right PS fluid when you done, its that blue (expensive) PS fluid,

 

Ok, thank you...I'm online now looking around...hopefully this will take care of the problem.

 

Buy a new pump from Mini, a little over $400.00 has 2 yr unlimited miles warranty do not go rebuilt or scrap. Also go to the 1st post and register a complaint you may get your money back, I hope everyone does that at least

 

Thank you, I will. I'm not comfortable about buying a used or rebuilt pump. Just need to save up some money, so I'm stuck driving it as is, but I am getting a little used to it. And I put my complaint in to the NHTSA, I am really disappointed in BMW, what are they dragging their feet on this? It's a damn shame, I guess someone will have to die before they are forced into a recall...

Thanks again, happy driving!

 

Happened to me, 91k miles pump shuts off after about 2 minutes upon start up thinking it may be the fan... We'll see tonight

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-solution.html

There is a solution and I think it should be a sticky.
The low speed fan resistor is the direct cause of the power steering pump failing. When your low speed fan resistor goes out your PS fan does not come on unless your high fan comes on, too much heat for that electric motor... replacing the resistor is the only sure way this wont happen again. As mini has not addressed the problem with the engine cooling fan resistor.

Thanks,
Austen

 

The pump does have thermal protection and will shut it self off if it gets too hot. But without the fan blowing on it, it is subjected to high heat. Not hot enough to shut the pump down via thermal protection but hot enough to cause a lot a wear and eventually burn up. This is why so many people have burn up and replaced there pumps. Sure it may last for a 100k miles maybe but it shouldn't need to be replace.

 

A good way to check to see if your engine cooling fan resistor is blow is to start your car and turn on the A/C. The low speed fan should come on. If not your resistor is blown and im sure your power steering fan is about to go out too.

 

I've just started experiencing this issue, with just over 110,000 miles. I filed a complaint online, let's hope something comes of it.
I was surprised how difficult it is to steer without the PS working - I guess it's because of the front wheel drive.

 

http://www.bmw-planet.com/diagrams/release/en/index.htm

Good website for mini wiring diagrams

 

I see you live in Westchester go to the MINI dealer and ask for anthony at the parts dept he will hook you up with a pump for a little over $400.00 has a 2yr unlimited milage warranty no matter who installs it. Tell him Tom, Kevin's friend sent you. Kevin does all the work on my car he is a Mini tech.

 

Thanks, I will be reporting this too. My 05 just started having this issue sometimes.

 

My 2004 mc w/ 85000 miles on it and the power steering suddenly went out on me. I took it to european car repair and they replaced the power steering cooling fan and the power steering pump for $1175. Ouch. I don't call this my Mini Cooper anymore, I call it my "money pit" especially after a rebuilt transmission at 59000 miles for $4200. I did call the 800 number listed above and registered a complaint

 

Looking at the schematic on bmw-planet for the W11 I don't get that.

It appears to me that the PS fan relay coil is wired directly to the switched contact of the low-speed engine cooling fan relay; the PS fan will be powered whenever the engine cooling fan low-speed relay is activated. It also appears that the only way the PS fan relay could be powered from the engine cooling fan high-speed relay is if the resistor were in fact intact.

 

Dear Bradley99,

I'd found your thread and thought my recent experience might be relevant.

I've got an '02 R50 Base with just over 95k miles on it and our power steering went from intermittent to non-existent. Taking a bit of a gamble, I elected to replace the PS pump and the PS cooling fan (the nearest dealership in any direction is over 4 hours away and my local mechanic was booked weeks out). The repair, while a knuckle-buster, restored power steering, but I have yet to see my brand new PS fan actually spinning. I've also noticed that when first heading out, steering is easy and smooth. As I drive, though, steering becomes increasingly stiff even though I'm still getting some assistance from the PS pump. I'm inclined to guess that heat build-up is compromising pump function, but it was suggested to me by a Mini service tech (kind enough to offer help over the phone) that the lower u-joint on my steering column may be the source of the trouble. You can follow the chronicles of my frustration and that of others on the following thread if you haven't already visited it: <https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/stock-problems-issues/174040-low-speed-fan-resistor-we-need-solution.html>

I've tried running the engine for a while to get it good and warm, cranking the AC, and crawling under the front end with my shop light and that SPAL fan (OEM spec) is stock still, even as the high speed fan cycles madly or runs continuously. All involved fuses check out, though I can't vouch for the relay and don't know how to properly test it. I've put my voltmeter on the 3-wire harness running to the rad fan and have verified that two of the three are hot (the brown obviously being the "earth" wire) when the AC's running and only one is hot when I switch off the AC (with the engine good and warm, that's when I'd expect the low speed fan to still be spinning, but it doesn't). So, I've ordered a Dorman radiator fan housing from RockAuto.com and plan to install it early next week. I've ordered this fan housing essentially to get a new low speed fan resistor, as Mini has seen fit not to design this component for easy repair/replacement. If you've got any suggestions, I'm all ears as I'm now afraid to take my car for long drives for fear of damaging my brand new PS pump. Otherwise, I'll replace the rad fan housing and post a follow-up on the thread I've linked to.

The wiring on these cars, while amazing, is crazy-making and I consider myself a mechanical do-it-yourself-er and an electrical neophyte. It would be great if one of us could find the definitive if-this-then-that formula to resolve this troublesome design "vulnerability" once and for all. If my babble serves only to cloud the issue, please accept my apologies and disregard.

 

registered a complaint... I have 2005 MCS with 55,000 miles and my PS intermittently cuts out while driving. cycling the ignition fixes the problem but I haven't delved deeper yet.

 

Dear James2133,

Good luck with your complaint process. My car is so old and I'm the last in a line of I-don't-know-how-many owners, so I'm kinda resigned to the wear and tear factor on a car that wasn't particularly well cared-for before I came along. My R50 Base model has over 95K miles on it and now that I've been obsessing about this power steering issue for weeks I'm finding that there are all kinds of potential faults and weak points in this "system." Having already replaced my PS pump and PS cooling fan, I'm going to replace the engine cooling fan and housing (I've already got it on order) just to replace the low-speed fan relay. My power steering pump is definitely working, but I've got steering that goes intermittently from smooth to stiff. Now I've become convinced that the lower u-joint on my steering spindle is seizing or sticking. So, again, I've got another part on order and hope to have the spindle swapped out by the end of this week. I'm electing to perform these repairs myself as there isn't a Mini dealership within less than four and a half hours of my home. If the spindle and fan housing don't finally fix this problem, though, I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. I'm going broke and getting more than a little burnt out on this problem. It will be interesting to see what Mini has to say in response to your complaint. I'll keep checking this thread to see if you've got any news and I'll post a follow-up on my repairs.

 

Ya I simply figured I would add some fuel to the fire and perhaps mini MIGHT do something about it but who knows... until then I will simply cycle the ignition switch and it works so heres hoping I dont make it worse. I just do not have the money to do the parts replacement game. Good luck with the journey.