Hi guys. Kinda new to the site (and owning a mini altogether). I've been lurking for about a month now though searching for a specific thread on my particular issue and while some are similar, none quite fit the bill. A couple weeks ago I had the power steering issue fixed on my 03 mcs. Battery light was on a couple days prior to the fix, then went out before I even had the unit replaced. After the install of the new unit everything went well for a week or so, but now my battery light has returned. Power steering is fine, but the strange part is when I put the car in reverse (manual transmission) the battery light goes out. When I put the car in neutral or any forward gear, the light returns. After a short period of sitting (long enough to eat a meal) I started the car and the light was gone again for a few moments, followed by a few flickers, and then a steady on again. Also I have noticed that the two times I have had this issue have been preceded by heavy rain. Any ideas anyone?

 

I would look at 2 things....
First, check the ground wires....simple and easy...The one by the engine mount Can be a bit of an issue...I would also check the wires to the alternator...could be loose..
I suspect the crankdamper is failing...and when the car sits or the load is low, it grips...but when it gets warm or a high load it slips...should be easy too look at...

 

Thanks for pointing me in what could be the right direction. I understand the crank pulley is somewhat easily accessible by taking the passenger wheel off and going through that way. I'll take a look at it today. It would make sense that the damper is going bad. Ever since buying the car I thought that I could hear the sound of a pulley going bad, that distinct metal on metal noise, when going through areas where sound tends to echo. Such as over passes and streets with buildings on both sides. Also if that rubber is the part that fails it makes sense why I seem to have the problem after heavy rain. I'm also missing the lower engine guard so things down there are prone to get a little more drenched.

 

Alternators usually don't work very good when wet....
Causes issues electricly...and destroys the bearings....
I'get the splash guard back on there, or getto rig something up.....

 

Yeah the guard was missing when I bought the car. Got a price from the dealer on one. I definitely plan on having it re-installed very soon.

 

Update: So the light continues to stay lit. But only when the car is in a forward gear or neutral. I checked the crank damper. The entire pulley seemed to be working fine as far as i can tell. I also took it to an advance auto store and had them run a test on the battery and alternator. Both of those are also working fine. They were also going to check which code it was outputting, but the reader they had was not working for some reason. Wouldn't even turn on. So that was a bust. My biggest question remains as to why the battery light will go out only when the car is put in reverse, without fail, every single time. I guess I need to set up an appointment at the dealer yeah?