My son's 2006 Mini Cooper S came home from college with several issues, most of which I have taken care of already. I replaced the two hydraulic hoses in from the reservoir to the PS Motor. When I pulled the cooling fan for the PS Motor I cleaned it up but noticed the fan motor was pretty tight like maybe a bearing or bushing had gone bad. Question, does the fan run all the time or just when the PS Motor reaches a certain temp? Should I replace the fan now or can I wait, since it is Winter now? Thanks !
If it was me I'd replace it now. You are relying on it to keep the PS motor cool. The fan is much easier to replace than the PS motor. Much cheaper too.
It only runs all the time when the AC is on, other times when it is under a load, I believe. If you spin it and it feels notchy then you need to replace it. Crashton is correct better safe than sorry.
Since the current fan is seizing I would also advise you to check fuse 41 in the drivers footwell as it is probably blown. You will also need to make sure that your cooling fan relay is working properly, the PS fan is tied in with the cooling fan and if the relay is failed you may not get PS fan actuation.
The new fan showed up yesterday from eMiniparts.com and I was able to replace it in about 10 minutes. The old fan definitely had bad bearings. The fuse was blown. I replaced it and ran the engine with the A/C on I could see that the steering motor fan was operating. Thanks for pointing out the fuse !!
Thanks for pointing this out. I had my p/s pump and fan replaced under warranty last spring. Guess the dealer never checked for function. I went out to the garage tonight to check and sure enough my #41 5A fuse was blown. Cheers Rich