My week old "new to me" '04 Justa Cooper is showing signs that the power steering pump is about to fail. Today I turned off my car and the power steering whine continues without the engine being on. I've unhooked the battery to keep the pump from running, but as soon as I plug it back in it starts whining again. I checked under the car and the fan was not running. Is http://www.bba-reman.com/catalogue/D...ledProduct=920 the best place to buy a replacement that is warrantied? Also I remember a thread that went through how to replace the PS pump but can't seem to find it.

Any thoughts?

 

This is one of the better DIYs I've found on swaping out the pump (you can ignore the part about the OE fan duct):

http://www.billswebspace.com/MiniR53PSPFanDuctDIY.htm

Bill's website also has some source recommendations for the pump:

http://www.billswebspace.com/mcs.htm

I know that Way over at WMW offers new (not reman) pumps for sale. You might find a new pump a bit cheaper somewhere else but you won't find any better MINI knowledge and long-term commitment to customer satisfaction:

http://www.waymotorworks.com/oem-pow...ring-pump.html

Based on your symptoms, your pump is definitely gone. Most likely the circuit controller card that is internal to the pump has fried, which is why it continues to run when it shouldn't. Continued use of the failed pump could potentially devolve into more serious problems (e.g., shorting, fire, etc.) so don't delay in getting the new one installed.

Good luck with the swap!

 

Awesome. Thanks for the DIY link. That's definitely better than the others I've seen.