Hi all, Been an off and on lurker for years, but now I could use a little help. I'm driving a 2005 Cooper S (R53?). A couple of days ago, I all of a sudden had most of the dash warning lights go on and lost power steering. Was headed home so just parked it while scratching my head. The next day I needed to run a short errand, so took the car knowing I wouldn't have far to walk if I got stranded. Lo and behold, everything was fine. 3 or 4 miles in, the same thing happened all over again. Got to my destination and tried to start the car. Nothing. Went and did my errand, came back out, and the car started, again, everything was A-OK. a mile or two and the lights came on again and again, the power steering went. Made it home, but now the battery light was burning brightly along with all the others (ABS, Tire, etc, etc.) I was thinking serpentine belt, hoping against hope that it wasn't the alternator ($$$). But the belt at least seems OK, and just now checked the battery - which gave me a whopping 15-20 volts with the car off (I thought with the car off, it would be right at 12, or waaay low, with all the other stuff happening). Battery light is still on. Ran the car and checked the battery again, no discernible difference in voltage. If it was the alternator, wouldn't the battery be pretty low by now? Same for it it was the serpentine belt? Ideas? Things to (easily) check. I'm a sometime mechanic and don't have a ton of tools. Thanks in advance... -Ed
Welcome, thanks for joining Motoring Alliance, the FUN and Friendly MINI Community. How old is the battery. They don't last more than a few years usually and when they start to go all kinds of bad things happen.
Just left lights on for a few minutes to get rid of the surface charge. Now battery reads near 12 volts with the car off. But now the thing will not crank to start. And an odd, rhythmic clicking coming from the engine with key disengaged and out of the ignition. (injectors??) Dash lights still work.
water in the boot? Hi and welcome - Was there any standing water down in the battery box lately? My 2004 did some very strange stuff when the box didn't drain and had a lot of water in it. It has behaved well after clearing the drain and cleaning up all the fuse block stuff in the box.
Check under the hood in the small plastic box on the firewall that houses the positive jump start terminal. These have been known to come loose and cause the symptoms that you describe. If not loose, I vote for the battery.
I second CHKMINI! The only way to know if the battery is good it to have it load tested. Most auto parts stores can do it for you. Welcome to MA!
Welcome to M/A the FUN Mini site. It all ideas above fail to be an issue have your main crank pulley looked. Depending on your cars milage and if it's still the OEM your crank pulley may be separating and about to fail. FYI ~ you do not want it to fail while driving. :nonod:
Crank pulley was one thing I was thinking also. When they start failing, symptoms can be very erratic, depending on what accessories aren't being driven consistently by the belt (alternator, supercharger, water pump) and how hard you drive.
Yup I was thinking the OEM crank damper is ok when cold as the rubber is hard. Then as the car gets warm it starts to slip causing all kind of issues.
Tried both. The alternator & the damn crank pulley failed on separate occasions. Alternator symptoms: batt light on; AC/cooling fan/powersteering gone; temp shoots up. Cure: Rebuilt w/ Denso core from some Toyota found in a salvage yard. Same rating, same shaped core, fits the MINI Denso shell perfectly. Twas a fluke experimental fix. Amazing discovery. Crank Pulley symptoms: batt light on; AC/fan/powersteering gone. Batt light goes off when AC off. Burnt rubber smell. Temp shoots up. Cure: ATI Super Damper Make sure you won't overheat. Both fixes are DIYable. Not easy, but very doable. Hope you hunt it down.
Good idea. Since this will be hard to see happening, just put a witness mark from the center of the pulley to the outer edge. Drive for a while (a few days) and look to see if the mark is still a straight line.
The positive jump start terminal seemed fine. Have not had the battery load tested yet. But I have tried starting the car. Now I get a rhythmic click-click-click, and the driver's window goes down about an inch with each click. There is enough juice left in the battery to power the window back up and closed again. Can't make this stuff up... And thanks everyone, for the welcome.
Hi MNMiniDriver, Same car here, had the same issue a year or two ago. For me it was an issue with the power steering pump cooling fan. It's a part that has been recalled now because so many of us have had the same issue. Hit up a dealer and they should fix it for free, if that's what it is!