New Member - Power Steering "Whine" Question
 

I am an American living and working in Europe (Hungary). I purchased a 2001 Mini Cooper a couple months ago, and noticed the power steering whine. It has almost 200,000 kilometers on it. I learned it's an electro-hydraulic motor and that's somewhat normal. I've done about an hour of researching this on the internet. I see there was a recall in the U.S. for the Mini's pump. I'm not sure about a recall in Europe, but mine is probably outside the recall limits anyway.

I cannot really take it to a shop to have them check it, because Americans are taken advantage of here. They will immediately tell me it's bad and say I need to change it.

Anyway, I can get a new/rebuilt pump and replace it myself. But my wife plans to take the car on a trip consisting of about 600 or 700 miles. I won't have time to get the pump and replace it before she leaves. I wish I could compare my "whine" to a normal "whine" of a steering pump. It doesn't sound bad. Just somewhat loud.

Any thoughts?

You can call the local MINI dealer and see if there was a recall for your MINI in your location. That's sad to hear that they take advantage of you there. If they say it does not have a recall, I can do my best to help you.

First, check the fluid level of the power steering. If the fluid is low, it will whine. If it is low, you'll want to check and make sure there are no leaks under the vehicle. Next, if you have determined the pump is faulty, we have a tech article on our site HERE > click on tech info (tab at top) and scroll down Suspension and click on Power Steering Pump Replacement. I'm not sure how different your Cooper will be from our version, but it should help you with the replacement.

Let me know what you find.

Thanks for the reply. The fluid level is good, and no leaks.
I cannot call the dealer, because I don't know the language. But maybe with a translator.
I've been to your website, and there is a ton of helpful info there. Thank you!

Glad it's helpful! If you need help while you tackle this job please don't hesitate to let me know. Good luck!