Was listening to music for 20 minutes with the car turned off and started it up to drive home. The battery light stayed on when it started and i have no power steering. I did some searching and it seems the factory alternator is a piece of junk. Does anyone have a procedure for diagnosing this? I know replacing the alternator is going to be a nightmare as the front end of the car needs to come apart so i wanted to see if there are common issues that cause this that i may be overlooking?

 

Do you have a scangauge? You'll know if your alternator is charging or not. Or have your battery tested. If still good but just low on juice, chances are it's the alternator. Check all fuses 1st. The Denso unit isn't junk. Same core is being used on Toyotas & other *** imports & is known to run forever in those. In fact, you can get that same core/amp rating from not just salvaged MINIs but those Toyotas, too, & swap it into your shell if you're handy. Change the bearings while doing this. The MINI's cramped engine bay=higher temps + parasitic electrical loads beyond those in imports may be factors for its shortened life.

 

How old is your battery? As mentioned above check your fuses first, was everything working as it should before this happened ?

 

Put your voltmeter across the battery terminals while the engine is running. 13-15V is charging. 11-13V is not charging. 9-11V is a permanently damaged battery.

 

The"S" DENSO alternator is actually pretty good....far better than the valeo unit on the r50....
You can put a mini into "service mode" to get at the alternator in about 30 minutes...so no...no nightmare.... Look up "girls guide to service mode" for a good diy...
And just for info...the alternator on the S (DENSO) IS THE SAME core/windings used in most Toyoda's... Like my wife 's highlander... Going on 215,000 miles, still on the factory one...but rpms are hard on bearings and brushes...and that rarely goes over 3500 rpm..so that might account for the life differences....
A $10 voltmeter is the most useful tool to troubleshoot an electrical system.... I'd bet $$ it is an alternator issue...but check the voltages, ground wires, etc...the PS pump is MADE to shutoff if the alternator stops making current....

 

No scan-gauge, unfortunately. Was going to check it all last night when i got home from work but the car slowly died on the freeway while trying to limp it home. Didn't have enough juice in the battery to run the emergency lights consistently! I'm 99% that it was the alternator and think it took the 2 year old battery with it. I have another truck to drive so i had it towed to my local mini specialist and am awaiting the prognosis.

Couple years... This car has given me a cornucopia of issues over the past few months but i'm hoping I'm at the end of them for a while. Although, she has 100K on her on the original clutch, supercharger and oil pan gasket so my fingers remain crossed.

I will have my mechanic do this, thank you!

Appreciate the insight. I'm 99% it's the alternator as well but left the cooper in good hands. I have a 1 car garage that my wife uses so there was no towing it home to put it into service mode and self-diagnose. She's at the local mini specialist that I trust. I appreciate the insight on the Denso and will ensure he puts in ONLY a DENSO reman. I think they're like $150 on Rock auto and $300 on PelicanParts. I wonder what the difference is??

 

For anyone that finds this thread in the future, alternator took a dump as suspected. My mechanic swapped it with a re-manufactured unit with a 1 year warranty for $500 and I'm good to go.

 

Thanks for the info and glad that you were able to solve the problem