12 replies to this topic

[Betsy51]

I bought my dream Mini Cooper last Saturday and twice the battery has seemed to be flat. On both occasions we have needed jump leads to get the car started.
I am at my wits end as the garage informs me that there is nothing wrong with the battery and look at me as though am a dumb blonde who has maybe left her lights on overnight . I can assure this is not the case.
The problem seems to be intermittent which is very worrying to me.
So I'm hoping that someone on here can help.
I have a Mini Cooper 51 plate.

Hoping to hear from anyone who can help

Thankyou

[richw911]

Could be a faulty alternator? The garage should have checked that though?

Edited by richw911, 22 September 2013 - 06:54 AM.

[creakyjaws5533]

Try mini2 it's a bini specific forum
Jack

[Badboytunes]

Try mini2 it's a bini specific forum
Jack

 

 

Where does the OP state that she has a MINI? It could be a classic Mini......

[Mrpeanut]

Try mini2 it's a bini specific forum
Jack

 
 
Where does the OP state that she has a MINI? It could be a classic Mini......

Not too many 51 plate classics mate.

[Spud_133]

Granted there aren't many, there still are some though. If the battery has been tested and is ok, then I'd be testing for a drain, then testing the alternator

[Stu1961]

Just help the lass out is there no common courtesy anymore. I would tend to agree it is probably the alternator,
more specifically a faulty diode pack have seen this problem on marine engines which I used to work on
for a living.

Could also be a dead cell in the battery which may show up intermittently.

[sonikk4]

Is the car a classic or modern mini to start with?

If it's a classic the it could be down to multiple things running from the battery, the alternator, the stereo system etc. each will need to be individually checked to see what the issue is. It could be the stereo causing a voltage drain overnight or something else. The alternator may not be charging correctly or like said the battery may have a dead cell. If there is an alarm fitted this may get at fault.

You need somebody who owns a multimeter who knows how to use it correctly to see where the issues lies.

If it's a modern BMW mini then the same rules applies however there are potentially more electrical items fitted like the alarm, central locking etc that maybe at fault.

[Betsy51]

Thank you for all your replies, I have been to kiwi fit today and they inform me that my battery is working fine, the starting motor is also working fine and the alternater is also working as it should be.
So there must be a drain somewhere, but where that is god only knows!!
Thank goodness however it is under a 3 month warranty from the garage I purchased it from.

But if you have any more ideas, I would be very grateful

Thankyou

[Badboytunes]

If its a modern MINI, it could be the power steering pump. On the 1st gen cars ( yours would fall into this bracket if it were  new mini ) the power steering pump is submerged in the reservoir. These are troublesome units that drain the battery  before they fail. They have been know to cause lots of issues too with wiring. They also become quit noisy too especially when on full lock. There should be a small whine when turning the wheel from lock to lock. If its noisy then its on its way out. A new unit is around £300 + depending on where you go. Budget around £300 labour from a garage to get the pump replaced.

 

Just to clarify, this post relates to New MINIS nit Classics.

 

Cheers

[Badboytunes]

Oh, and stay clear of Kwik-Fit, I wouldn't trust them to blow their own nose let alone do electrical diagnosis.

[tiger99]

Is the power steering switched on with the ignition off? That would be a typical piece of bad design by BMW, and rather pointless. If it is off, it should not drain the battery. But that depends on whether "off" really means "off".  Often it means that there is still power fed to the unit (no mechanical switch or relay) and the thing is shut down by an electronic signal to the microprocessor, which remains idling along, drawing some current.

 

I am inclined to agree that the power steering should be considered as a suspect, along with every other box of electronics on the car. I find the abysmally poor standard of electronics design in cars rather depressing, and lots of the stuff is capable of seriously draining the battery as a result of minor component failures, or even software glitches. The drain when all is well is usually 1000 times higher than it would be if properly designed, just like the standby current on your TV (which is regulated by law, for energy conservation, only they set the limits far too high, and that is what cowboy designers design too, not the ideal target of as close to zero as possible). It actually does not take any more effort or cost to do it properly.

[Betsy51]

Thank you again for your replays, especially Badboytunes..my mini is now back in the garage and a new power steering motor in the car.

Thankyou