Is it safe to put in with CHF 11s Power Steering fluid?

 

I believe those type of fluids will swell the o-rings up that in turn help seal the leak. If the hose is leaking from age/breakdown I am thinking that will not help. Plus on the Mini the washers on many of the hose connections are metal not rubber.

 

Honestly though... stop leak?

Sounds too good to be true huh? I think it is. If it did work I'd say it would only be a temporary band-aid. If it sounds too good to be true, than it probably is...

 

Not sure if it will help a Mini, but I had a 95 Camry with a very bad power steering fluid leak that was fixed with stop leak.

The first bottle slowed it down, the second stopped the leak for 3 years until I sold the car for $500. Didn't have even a drop in my driveway for those 3 years.

 

All sorts of stop leak products that do work. Some are good and some and bad. Pepper is a good go-to if you have a coolant leak don't have any Bars Leak on the shelf.

 

I've used ATP in older BMW and it absolutely worked to swell seals and stop weeping.

 

My R50 had a PS leak that was really bad, would go through a bottle every 2-3 days. Since the fluid is synthetic, I didn't want to waste all that money putting it in. I used two bottles of stop leak and kept putting in non-synthetic fluid. The leak stopped and didn't return. After a year I got rid if the car in which I didn't have to put a drop of PS fluid in....

 

Have you checked to see if your car has a steering recall? If so, Mini will replace it at no charge.
I am not a believer of using chemistry for temporary fix, as it will come back at some point, that will haunt you again.
It may need new hoses, or just tightening them.

 

If the hose or fittings are leaking, the recall won't cover that, just the
pump and fan.

 

Hi Cristo,
I have had two rack and fans done under recall by Mini dealers and both times they also changed the hoses.
If you are saying if it only needs them, you are correct, as there is no recall on the hoses.

 

When they did my rack and fan under recall, they charged me
about $400 to do the hoses (MINI of Towson).

 

I guess it comes down to the dealer. Most are just into it to make the easy money!
I think I would have had words with them!

 

Thinking aftermarket hoses are just over $200 so considering what the dealer charges $400 for new hoses and labor is not that bad if you cannot turn a wrench.

 

I think I paid less than 100 for the two supply hoses from Pelican parts, ECS Tuning also has a kit for the two supply hoses coming from the reservoir.

 

I had the same experience - $350 extra for the hoses. "The warranty on the new pump & fan won't be covered if the hoses are bad", the dealer said.
With the benefit of hind-sight I would verify that the hoses are actually leaking & that it's not just the O-rings, which I believe are a common weak spot.

 

The power steering lines are known to leak as well. If anyone has a leak and/or is changing the pump, now is a good time to change the hoses as well. You'll want to inspect the return and suction lines. #1 and #11 on the diagram below.



#11 is the return line HERE
#1 is the suction hose HERE
DIY on pump replacement HERE.

If anyone has any questions please be sure to let me know.

 

The third hose, noted as 3 but not in a circle, is the expensive hose. The dealers usually want to change all three where in many instances it is only the number 1 hose that is leaking.

 

I have#1 and #11 ready to go when I pull out the broken header.

 

Agree. Find the source and fix that. It's a great feeling (in an OCD kind of way) to not have any drips or spots on the ground.

My son and I just completed this repair last week and finally can let him park on the driveway.

 

Just changed both of these hoses in my wife's 2006 MC with CVT two weekends ago...it was not hard overall but getting the PS pump out and back in was a bit of a bear.