I got in my car tonight and had no power steering, I stopped immediately and checked under the bonnet to see if any belts were off but everything looked fine, I started back up and all was fine for a minute but off and on all the way home it would work then stop!!!! What the crap is wrong here?? Bad thing is I am having some sort of Auxilary Emissions Control issue right now from where I installed the AGS and I cant take the stinking thing to the dealer until I pinpoint that issue and correct it to eliminate the SES light as well as the EML light! WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS

 

Hey Kenny, the PS pump is electric. Still having problems with the AGS?
Man, bad day at black rock & 40 miles of bad road......

 

I too have had PS issues, when hot ...going in today

 

Its a power assist steering where the pump is electric and only kicks in when it feels the resistance from what I have been told and then kicks itself off. Having an MCS you may not be able to hear the whining noise that it makes. but doesnt hurt to have it checked out regardless

 

I cant have it checked until I eliminate the SES lights from the AGS problem

 

i have replaced many a power steering fan. they get a bunch of sand and junk up inside them and they stop working. how many miles are on the cars with problems? i replaced my fan and pump about two weeks ago. it went out on me on the track on a some what warm day. i pulled the "dip stick" to see the level and the fluid felt gritty. that is a sign that the power steering pump has gone bad. i have seen it several times. the fluid should be clear, not dark, and very smooth, no grit. mine went bad because the power steering fan gave up the ghost and stopped working. it then burned up the pump over time. i even had the moss grill guard over the fan. that still didn't help keep out the small sand. yesterday i saw one that was frozen. it would not move at all. and every time the car tried to turn it on, it would load up the car and blow the fuse.....that also controls the cooling fan, so that would not kick on and there where several times the customer had the temps up in the 230 rang and had to shut things down while in traffic. i have seen about 4 different types of fans come through the parts line. i looks like they are trying to make things better. the new one i installed last night has a big fuse type link on it. i hope it is better. a bit more info, this car only has about 30K on it and never saw winters, but my car was at 56.5K and has seen winter. hope that helps. pumps i think are 350 and fans are 120. hope that helps. check the fluid first, see what it's like, then go from there. this is also a rather easy do it yourself if not under warranty.

Chad
Detroit Tuned

 

I sure hope your MCS is under warranty. I had the same problem twice, first time the steering rack was leaking and a while later the steering pump had to be replaced.

 

Good point . Forgot all about the fan problem. When the fan fubars it takes the pump with it.......

 

The car has less than 20K on it and it really sucks because yeah its under warranty but with the SES light on I cant do crap!

 

Even if you have a SES light on the dealer will still need to fix the other items that are wrong. A power steering issue has nothing to do with the SES light and they know that. they will offer to fix it and the AGS at a cost of like a million dollars, but all you have to do is say..."ummm, on thanks, but I'll take that warranty pump please." Thank You. and bam, your back in the power. as for the AGS a weekend and a tube of silicone will fix it for the time being, or till the next leak...lol. give them a call see what happens.

Chad
Detroit Tuned

 

that is correct. there is no reason why the dealer will not fix a power steering pump due to the ses being on. the ses has nothing to do with the power steering. the fan probably took a dump and overheated your pump. i have seen/replaced plenty times.

also if your p.s steering fan is bad, you will blow the fuse for the radiator fan, so watch your cooling temp.

 

Kenny,the SES has nothing to do with the PS. I woulden't wory about, the two aren't related. Agokart is correct, I just checked with the SA at the local dealer.

 

Thanks guys I went ahead and made an appointment for tomorrow morning, I am taking her in to be fixed!!!

 

Has anyone/mechanic seen a case of cracked PS fluid cap or reservoir due to over-tightening the cap? I am always paranoid about tightening these caps. Because you might think you got just the right touch, and it ends up being too tight after thermal expansion. Eventually the part might give after endless thermal expansion cycles. Any input is appreciated.

OK you can laught now

 

i have never seen any crack. they all leak a bit around the threads, but if you clean the engine bay a few times a year, you can keep up with the very small leak and you will never notice it.

 

Are we supposed to check the fluid when engine is warm or cold? Also, do BMW/MINI only sell a litre or the OE PS fluid? Mine is at MIN mark when checked cold and I want to top it off to MAX. However, I do not want to be stuck with a huge can of fluid in my garage. Any idea??

 

Hi Guys,

UnynJak 06 is a newbi to this forum. Please anyone, what is the SES light. My Mini Cooper has just rolled past 5000 miles and the ps pump is very audible inside the car.
Funny thing is though if I completely shut down the AC system the growling sounds from the ps pump seems to dissapear. Any thoughts?

Thanks.