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 Posted: Jan 30, 2019 02:25PM
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CA
Sounds like it is time for you to freshen up your Canadian winter driving skills and stop relying on technology!

.

"Hang on a minute lads....I've got a great idea."

 Posted: Jan 30, 2019 08:13AM
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For the moment....until the weather gets a little better, I get in the car, start it up, and immediately hit the DSC button.  This prevents me from losing power steering somewhere along the way.
Course, it does make me drive a little more carefully, as I have no traction control, nor will cruise kick off if I hit snow or ice (tested that theory this morning)

I'm baffled by all this.

Looks like I might be buying some kind of scanner to see if I can detect certain faults in certain sensors or modules.  Still makes no sense to disable steering if there's wheelspin.

  ~ 30 minutes in a Mini is more therapeutic than 3 sessions @ the shrink. ~

  Mike  Cool  NB, Canada   

 Posted: Jan 28, 2019 11:42AM
 Edited:  Jan 28, 2019 11:45AM
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p.s.- Dan, don't sell those 2008/2010 Suzukis you have. (I think that's what you own) Even though these MINIs have been very reliable (for the most part), some systems are ungodly expensive to repair and a lot of systems are at the mercy of BMW Mini themselves to reset and/or check, unless I want to get into questionable software downloads off the internet, to be able to even access them.

I almost feel like I am a hostage to BMW for certain aspects of the car, whereas my bike (Harley) and my Austin Mini, or most of my other cars I've owned, I can buy parts where I want, read the OBD-II (clear it if necessary), work on it myself or take it to a shop if I want, and move on with my life.

Heck, even my old VW Golf Diesel had "subsystems" whereby I bought a $150 cable and software from a reputable firm and played with engine timing, airbag warning lights, doorlocks etc. Not so with BMW. Ugh... I don't even know when the service manual became available for the R56 (2008+) but it wasn't around when I bought this car in 2012.....so I am getting it late.

  ~ 30 minutes in a Mini is more therapeutic than 3 sessions @ the shrink. ~

  Mike  Cool  NB, Canada   

 Posted: Jan 28, 2019 11:23AM
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Hmmm, well....I just drove like a mini maniac on the way home with DSC disengaged....I am lucky I never got pulled over by the cops. Sliding around turns, jamming on the brakes, squealing tires around corners. Even did a huge 360* reverse donut in my large icy driveway.

I still have electronic power steering assist.

I bet anyone 3 rusty lugnuts, if I ENGAGED DSC (ie: don't do anything when I first fire the car up...DSC is engaged as a default) that I wouldn't make it 2 miles down the road if I had any kind of wheel slip, and EPS would go out.

My $$ is on a sensor and not the $2000-$3000 electronic power steering module/rack whatever itself. SOmewhere a connector for a sensor is full of water, or unhooked, or flaky. The steering (when its told to work) is working fine.

SOMETHING is freaking out and telling the EPS to disengage.

  ~ 30 minutes in a Mini is more therapeutic than 3 sessions @ the shrink. ~

  Mike  Cool  NB, Canada   

 Posted: Jan 28, 2019 10:30AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ve9aa
I should mention again, that everything in the car seems to work and there are no errors or warning with the exception of no power steering and the "steering wheel with exclamation mark" popup on the tach, when the steering goes out. ABS, DSC, hill assist, windshield wipers, etc. etc.....ALL 100% normal and functioning. If I unhook the battery(to reset), I wager if it was summer and I was driving on dry pavement, I could probably go days without any issues, but where it's winter, there is a little slip and slide here and there. I am leaning towards a wheel speed sensor....my manual arrives Feb 5th or 6th.....I'll be doing some reading (lol)
The rotational speed sensor issue might trigger a 'limp mode' but it shouldn't trigger the power steering from quitting.  There shouldn't be any external forces to cause the PS to quit - so I'm suspecting an electrical issue with the PS circuit...

Check the connections at the PS unit, its fully electric with no hydraulic fluids...  Apply some dielectric grease to ensure good contact....

Here is what Bentley says about steering power assist reduced or failed - possible causes: 
1. EPS control module or motor electrical contacts corroded.
2. EPS electrical cable damaged.

Check the connections at the PS unit, its fully electric with no hydraulic fluids...  Apply some dielectric grease to ensure good contact....

 Posted: Jan 28, 2019 07:38AM
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Gee Mike, every time you post you mention something else I've never heard of before (and probably don't want to know about) ... electric power steering, DSC, wheel spit/slip sensors, hill assist....????.

Makes me love my classic Mini even more.
Our newest car is a 2010 - I'm beginning to worry about having to replace it with something newer. All that complexity. I'm starting to think even idiot lights were not such a bad idea.

.

"Hang on a minute lads....I've got a great idea."

 Posted: Jan 28, 2019 07:21AM
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I should mention again, that everything in the car seems to work and there are no errors or warning with the exception of no power steering and the "steering wheel with exclamation mark" popup on the tach, when the steering goes out. ABS, DSC, hill assist, windshield wipers, etc. etc.....ALL 100% normal and functioning.

If I unhook the battery(to reset), I wager if it was summer and I was driving on dry pavement, I could probably go days without any issues, but where it's winter, there is a little slip and slide here and there.

I am leaning towards a wheel speed sensor....my manual arrives Feb 5th or 6th.....I'll be doing some reading (lol)

  ~ 30 minutes in a Mini is more therapeutic than 3 sessions @ the shrink. ~

  Mike  Cool  NB, Canada   

 Posted: Jan 28, 2019 06:37AM
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OK, so I get 35minutes into my drive this morning and the power steering goes out in the middle of a round-a-bout which is snow covered. I presume I had a little bit of wheel SLIDE of some kind (but DSC light did not show up like it normally does for wheel SPIN.

So, that tells me it's some sensor somewhere doesn't like a small slide or wheel spin (or inertial forces) and not being able to compensate?

(this seems illogical to me....I mean if you think about it....OK, car is spinning or drifting ever so slightly...what shall we do?

DISENGAGE the guys power steering to make it tougher for him to steer of course !

I think I like Lucas electrics over German technology.

I am going to reset it (unhook battery) for the trip home and push the DSC button (to disengage it) and see if that works.

That's not a solution, but maybe it'll give me either more data and some days of driving WITH power steering.

Stay tuned........weigh in if you have any info !

  ~ 30 minutes in a Mini is more therapeutic than 3 sessions @ the shrink. ~

  Mike  Cool  NB, Canada   

 Posted: Jan 28, 2019 05:28AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ve9aa
Unhooked batter for 2 hours.

Took car for short drive . All good.

I am NOT convinced issue is resolved however.

Someone must know what sensors are involved with the electronic power assist steering system (module?) or how to clear errors laying resident.

I would bet $100 that  in 24hrs I'll be posting that I am back to square one with no power steering.
I'm guessing as onetime said - possible water intrusion with one or more of the connectors.  Since the ps is returning, it's probably not a fuse issue...  

Keep us updated whether the problem persists... 

 Posted: Jan 27, 2019 11:05AM
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CA
Unhooked batter for 2 hours.

Took car for short drive . All good.

I am NOT convinced issue is resolved however.

Someone must know what sensors are involved with the electronic power assist steering system (module?) or how to clear errors laying resident.

I would bet $100 that  in 24hrs I'll be posting that I am back to square one with no power steering.

  ~ 30 minutes in a Mini is more therapeutic than 3 sessions @ the shrink. ~

  Mike  Cool  NB, Canada   

 Posted: Jan 26, 2019 06:59PM
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Sorry to hear of these problems, being as the trouble started with a large puddle, it must be water intrusion in one or multiple connectors. When you receive the Bentley manual I would disconnect all connectors involved with powering steering. Spray them all with an approved contact cleaner/moisture displacement fluid and follow up with dielectric grease. Good luck!

 Posted: Jan 26, 2019 05:56PM
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Small update: Unhooked battery for ~3 minutes today.
When I hooked it back up, error was gone. (just running car in the driveway, I had 'power' steering again).

Shut car off.

Three or four hours later, drove car to town (~30kms). Worked 100%....I was a happy guy, UNTIL

Came back to car 30-40mins later, error reappeared.  No power steering.

I'm not a happy boy anymore.

Curiously...when I unhooked the battery earlier, I lost the time & odometer readings, but not the radio presets, nor date.
(not unhooked long enough?)

Will try unhooking the battery longer tomorrow and do another test.

  ~ 30 minutes in a Mini is more therapeutic than 3 sessions @ the shrink. ~

  Mike  Cool  NB, Canada   

 Posted: Jan 25, 2019 01:08PM
 Edited:  Jan 25, 2019 01:13PM
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CA
2009 Mini "Justa" (non-S) R56 hatch, Canadian car. 6-speed.
A lot of water fell yesterday. Went around a turn and got very surprised and hit a ginormous puddle of water probably close to a foot deep, completely across the road.
Car didn't stall,  but I almost instantly saw the dreaded yellow steering wheel error with exclamation point.

I cannot find a fuse for this motor and mechanism.

I searched the internet almost dry but find no reset procedure.

My absolute last hope is to take it to a dealer 4 hours away and miss a day from work. I don't want to do this.
I am not w/o skills and do most of my own work on my car, classic car, motorcycle, electronics, etc., but I am not a mechanic-LOL

Is there anything I can try as far as a reset?  Fuse # and location? (under the hood fuse box shows nothing obvious)
(I already scanned it with an OBDII reader and as expected, nothing related to steering showed up....had to try)

I have nearly 500kms on the car since this happened yesterday, so I am pretty sure now that  it's not coming back on its own.

One small pc of info I noticed late today, is that I can kinda/sorta get the assist motor to engage just a little when the car is FIRST started (and systems are booting up) but it's not true power steering....it's more like in a car with a real power steering pump and a slipping belt you get that jerky feeling and the wheel moves slowly, gyrating......then after 2 seconds, the cars systems have checked and it goes back to "straight non-assist steering".

It's not impossible to drive., but it is annoying.

OTOH, the longer I go like this, the more I'll look like Arnold Schwartzenegger !

Thanks for anything folks,

Mike
p.s.-I ordered a Bentley Manual last night, but it'll be 10-12 days before it arrives.

  ~ 30 minutes in a Mini is more therapeutic than 3 sessions @ the shrink. ~

  Mike  Cool  NB, Canada