First thing first, my MINI is an '02 Cooper. That makes it about 12.5 years old, which might help explain a bit... Months ago, I went outside to drive the MINI and found a pool of mystery fluid on the pavement. It was a lot of fluid so I skipped the usual sniff test, etc, and went straight to checking all the fluid levels. The power steering reservoir was completely empty: first mystery solved. I put the car up on jack stands planning to diagnose and fix, then my procrastination gene kicked in. Fast forward about eight months. I could see from under the car that one of the tie rod boots had mystery fluid on it so I suspected the seal(s?) and figured I might need to replace the rack, so yesterday I dropped the subframe. Note: I know it's possible to replace the rack without dropping the subframe but I'm a cheapskate of necessity and want the room to look around carefully and thoroughly diagnose rather than just jumping to conclusions and the most expensive possible fix. I also thought it would be a good idea to clean up everything and look for anything else that might need work...I refer you back to my first paragraph...12.5 years old... Today, with the rack on the garage floor, I looked around for signs of fluid and it looks like I should replace at least one of the hoses leading from the reservoir. Then I cleaned up around that boot I mentioned, popped the clamp and pulled back the boot. Yup, there's fluid in there. Should there be fluid in there? What does the fluid look like, you ask? Here's a fresh sample on a clean, white paper towel. Looking for advice because I need to order parts and get this thing running again SOON. FWIW, I mentioned this problem off hand in another thread - this one - and here, for anyone else finding this thread while looking for help on the same sort of issue, is a helpful response.
The boots are there to keep dirt out, not to keep the fluid in.....that said you need a new rack. Usually since you'll be changing the rack you'll need to at least change the hose from the reservoir down to the pump - that's the one that usually leaks, it gets hard and the clamp isn't a screw clamp, so over time as the hose hardens and shrinks it leaks. So while you're in there...... Is it time to change the pump too? Tie rod ends? Ball joints? Be sure to use the correct power steering fluid - Pentosin CHF 11S.
I'm not sure what size the fitting is - metric for sure - but the end that goes on the reservoir is a slip-on fitting with a hose clamp.
Or depressurize the steering system, get rid of the PS fluid in the rack & run the $50 Condor PS delete block. That's the only part you'll need.
Yeah, MINI should've made the system more reliable. If out of warranty, replacing the entire system is a pain in many ways that's why I've a Condor in storage. It's always good to have a ready option, while still available, for a part or system that's bound to fail. PS system, charger-pump gears are some of the parts that make the car retain its British identity.
I can't believe I'm considering this. I'd forgotten about it, thanks for the reminder...I think. I'd jump right in if I didn't like my power steering. Then again, I do enjoy an experiment (it took me 5 exhaust systems to find one I liked). Wait, I also like my wide tires. I'm retiring the 16x8 wheels and going back to the 7.5" width wheels w/ 225/45-16 tires. Something tells me that plus a PS delete may be a bit of a struggle.
You'll be ok w/ the PS delete. When my fuel pump left me on the church grounds that fateful Sunday, I braced for impossible steering as we were being towed by an SUV. My 12" steering wheel didn't help....to my surprise, I might have been overly prep'd by fear, steering w/o pump wasn't that bad & I can take Condor.....I think.
Yup, I decided to try the PS delete. It's easily reversed and since I would need to repair my system anyway all I'm out if I don't like the delete is $50 and I'll consider that the cost of an interesting experiment. I ordered today from Condor. Fingers crossed they have them in stock and ship quickly.
Fill us in on how you like it once it is buttoned up. I drove my MINI for 15 miles or so without the P/S. For me it's an experience I don't care to repeat. I'm wondering if my alignment had something to do with my hard steering or maybe it's old fart arms that only have strength enough for donuts & beverages. :donut1::beer
Positives outweigh the negatives here. Cost, time, weight, all the plumbing, maintenance & worry that go w/ it + free workout.
The free workout part is my only concern. I'm sure I can deal with it, just can't know whether I'll like it until I try it. By the way, you forgot one more positive. Between the manual transmission and lack of power steering I bet no one will ever ask to borrow my car. :biggrin5:
Hahaha. I missed the biggest positive.....Parking may be the only time you'd get the work out, you can always use valet.:biggrin5:
Get under your car and unplug the PS pump :biggrin5: Personally I don't see the weight savings and getting rid of minor leaks outweighing the bear a car becomes at low speeds to steer.
I'm really happy with it and, to tell the truth, that still surprises me. Also, I'm glad I decided to keep my mind open and live with it beyond the first couple drives because I think what bothered me at first was more that it was different than I'm used to rather than that it was objectionable. It's true that at low speeds it's more work but that doesn't bother me at all now that I'm used to it...except parking. That's not really a lot of work for me any more either since I now look at and approach parking differently. But I admit that if I had to do a lot of parallel parking that would probably be a deal breaker...I don't, so no problem. I'm back again to choosing the MINI for errands and trips to the stores. See my posts here for a bit more detail. Also, I think Crashton's comments above about alignment may be spot on. My non-stock alignment may be responsible for some of the extra work required at lower speeds but I've kept it as is and I'm happy with it anyway.
Do you worry about stressing the U-joint at the bottom of the steering column, you know, the one that was on back order most of last year? At least it's available now (actually the euro right hand drive one is, and you just have to make a minor change to get it to work correctly on left hand drive cars).
Frankly, I don't know whether to be worried about that. Blissful ignorance? Maybe. It may be the new weak link in the chain...maybe, I really don't know. I already plan to put the car back up on the jack stands again to look things over when the weather warms up. The U-joint is one of the things I'll check, though I don't know whether to expect visibly noticeable strain or deformation before that part fails so inspection may not tell me anything useful.