Power steering gone on R53 Cooper S

[chris watton]

My wife just rang me to tell me the power steering seems to have failed as she got to work this morning.

Is this a known issue, or could it just be a fuse?

(I can see a £500 bill for this....lol)

[helix402]

Very common problem, pumps fail, sometimes wiring to the pump too.

[Justin Cyder]

Very common. The PAS pump exists in two states: gone or about to go. Can DIY but it is a pain as it sits on the bottom of the engine-ish by the exhaust manifold. Plenty of guides on the net or just hand over your cash.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/MINI/47-S...

Edited by Justin Cyder on Tuesday 15th April 14:13

[chris watton]

cheers - have it booked into a garage for tomorrow to diagnose the problem - I have seen refurbed pumps for around £160, so if it is that, it may be a job I may try myself.

Have un-sorned, taxed and insured her other car, just in case it takes longer than expected.....

[Justin Cyder]

For info & apropos of this being a motoring site, the reason the pas is driven electrically & not off the engine is to save a bhp or two I.e. think emissions regs & because of this, it gets hot. Then it lives by the exhaust, so it gets hotter & so it fails prematurely. I think if you can get the car up off the deck, it's a fairly straightforward nut & bolt job to swap one over, the problem is getting to it for the most part.

[chris watton]

Well, the verdict from the garage is that it is the steering pump. If we were to go brand new from BMW (£360!) it would be around £550 all in.

Cripes....

[Bungleaio]

Worth getting a BMW garage to have a look at it. I've heard of a few that are doing this under some sort of extended good will as it's such a common issue.

Sadly I only found this out after I paid for mine to be done at an independent.

[TTmonkey]

It's usually just corroded connections.... Get a BMW dealer to look at it. You can still drive it, you jus need to flex some muscles!!'!!!!!!!!!

[Cerbieherts]

The actual pump motors fail, a very, very common issue that BMW has brushed under the carpet. Sometimes the pumps current draw becomes so exessive that the wires melt, or the pump carries on running even when the engine is switched off. Do your research if buying off fleabay as some of the recon units are of variable quality and come with their own set of problems. DIY replacement is perfectly viable if you are half decent with a spanner..

[chris watton]

Wife left the Mini with the garage (literally just a few doors up from where she works..). They are getting a refurbished pump for just a few pounds more than what it would have cost me on the net, so they may as well do it (£45 for an hours' labour..). Also, I have asked them to change the weeping engine mount and finally the car a full service - we bought the Mini last September and I think it could do with it.

Can't believe how much my wife loves this car!

[Evo]

My wife really regrets selling her Cooper, so I've agreed to get a Cooper S as my drive to work hack

[NormanD]

Mine went the other day

Purchased another pump and arranged for my local machanic to change it over tomorrow (Friday) as my brake upgrade parts will be with me today

Drove the car yesterday, the pump worked, but then still pumping even then the ignition was turned off

Now I have a flat battery


Having Googled, I find this is a verry common problem

[taylorj1979x]

My wife keeps mentioning she was a mini, think I may have to put my hand in my pocket shortly. Good to know what to look out for and what might go wrong though

[Cerbieherts]

NormanD said:

Mine went the other day

Purchased another pump and arranged for my local machanic to change it over tomorrow (Friday) as my brake upgrade parts will be with me today

Drove the car yesterday, the pump worked, but then still pumping even then the ignition was turned off

Now I have a flat battery


Having Googled, I find this is a verry common problem

You are lucky it just flatened the battery. The feed wires can melt if the pump runs for too long and it can catch fire. I would not drive it anymore and get it fixed pronto!

[Defcon5]

When mine went went I got a refurb from BBA

[NormanD]

Cerbieherts said:

You are lucky it just flatened the battery. The feed wires can melt if the pump runs for too long and it can catch fire.
I would not drive it anymore and get it fixed pronto!

That was the first time the pump stayed on

Yes I took to my garage the next day

[mab01uk]

As said most MINI Dealers can get a 'goodwill' payment from BMW for this fault on Mini's up to about 10 years old with reasonable mileage.
If not below is link to MCR forum for DIY replacement info.

Mini Power Steering Pump replacement:
http://forum.minicooper.org/forum/new-mini/general...

[ging84]

NormanD said:

Mine went the other day

Purchased another pump and arranged for my local machanic to change it over tomorrow (Friday) as my brake upgrade parts will be with me today

Drove the car yesterday, the pump worked, but then still pumping even then the ignition was turned off

Now I have a flat battery


Having Googled, I find this is a verry common problem

This happened to me when i changed mine a couple of weeks ago, did not notice the sound of the pump going when i left it, but over night it drained the battery then died after a short drive
was it the TRW one from euro car parts?
i now know why they are £50 cheaper than the others

[NormanD]

ging84 said:

was it the TRW one from euro car parts?
i now know why they are £50 cheaper than the others

The one that died was the original one
I have replaced it with a TRW, thats is working without problems

Hope I haven't spoken to soon, just leaving for a 250 mile round trip

[ging84]

oh i miss read your post
i thought yours failed after you replaced it the same as mine