Folks,

No matter how much I tighten the power steering fluid reservoir cap on my 2002 MINI Cooper S it still "weeps" fluid out down the side of the reservoir...it's not much but I do have to keep wiping it up after each outing otherwise, if I didn't do that after each outing then it would make quite a mess. I don't see any seal on the cap. Do any of you know if there is a way to solve this problem ?

I'd appreciate your quick replies as I'd really like to get this sorted a.s.a.p. Thanks in advance.

 

Are you sure the level is correct?
If the level is correct, i'd imingine that a new cap would be an easy fix, unless you want to get creatice, and make a gasket.....

 

Hi Zippy NH. Level was correct last time I checked. So, can one buy a new cap on its own ? To be honest with you, I have just obtained 2 small sheets of gasket material (one paper-type, the other rubber-type) as I was in fact contemplating making a gasket...but I wanted to hear your opinions and see if you know of some other fix.

 

I'm seeing a digram of the cap off www.realoem.com right now and that the cap has a seal. I wasn't aware of this ...I will have to check if mine is there or not (I can't remember seeing it when i checked some months back) or if it's damaged...

 

My '04 has always weeped a bit. Not enough to drip or anything, just enough to leave a thin film and be irritating. Never got around to asking if 'they all do that'.

 

I'm pretty sure the cap has a small breather hole in the top too (look for a small hole in one of the ridges), so a little seepage would be normal. If it's excessive, it might be that sealing ring or a good excuse to put in the stainless steel reservoir.

I replaced both hoses connected to the power steering reservoir recently because the rubber was wearing out causing seeping and a small mess in that area of the engine compartment. It wasn't a lot of fluid loss though - I didn't have to top it off before replacing the hoses.

 

To ZippyNH, Eric Rowland and gknorr: Thanks for your prompt replies ! They were all appreciated very much. Spoke to our local agents today and they told me they would be ordering the sealing gasket (O-ring) for the cap as it isn't in stock. I hope that by replacing that part the weeping from the cap should stop. The weeping is between the cap and the reservoir neck and not through the small breather hole. I will tell you how it goes once done in a week or two's time.

 

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Yo Folks ![/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Took the cap off and, yes, mine does have the seal on it. It seemed so flattened over time that I had hardly noticed it before as it looked as part of the plastic moulding of the cap. I took it off and replaced it with a non-oem seal which I had in my box of assorted o-rings. It was of the same diameter but very slightly thicker which I believe should work in my favour as to giving a better seal between the cap and the reservoir. The cap tightened up and I believe it won't leak as it sealed really well which is great because I don't have to wait until the local Mini agent gets me one. I'll let you know how it goes once I use the car.[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

Took the cap off and, yes, mine does have the seal on it. It seemed so flattened over time that I had hardly noticed it before as it looked as part of the plastic moulding of the cap. I took it off and replaced it with a non-oem seal which I had in my box of assorted o-rings. It was of the same diameter but very slightly thicker which I believe should work in my favour as to giving a better seal between the cap and the reservoir. The cap tightened up and I believe it won't leak as it sealed really well which is great because I don't have to wait until the local Mini agent gets me one. I'll let you know how it goes once I use the car.

 

Hi All, I took the MCS out for a 15 min. shake-down drive today ("shake-down", because, literally, the car gets shaken down to its core on our atrocious, potholed and bumpy roads here in Malta) and returned to my garage, popped the bonnet and...voila, no leaks from the power steering reservoir cap ! The seal change did the trick ! Thanks for your advice !

 

Just wondering, did anyone get their cap seal in a store or have to oder online? Seems like a simple universal seal, just need to know the size. I found it online, but would rather pick it up locally if possible.

 

Here is all the items:

There is the seal , cap and reservoir if you need it. We have the reservoir in stock. I could not find any factory measurement numbers on the seal itself.


http://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2005-Cooper-R53-S-Coupe-L4_1.6L_W11B16A/Steering/Reservoir/

Thanks

 

DO NOT BUY A NEW CAP, that will not fix your problem All the caps have a hole in them that is a vent, this is what is causing you to see oil come out. When you order a new cap it will have the hole in it too, and will "leak" the same way. Do not plug the hole as you need it to allow the air to escape when you turn the steering wheel.