Lets see where to start.... 2002 Mini S and it's not even mine, it's the girlfriends!

Overheating.... The low speed fan kicks on like normal. I'm not sure if the high speed fan kicks on however tonight after letting the motor idle for 30+ minutes and driving the Mini up and down the street revving it up and then bringing it back to the garage to let it idle for another 30 minutes it won't overheat! Which I guess I'm not complaining but why on earth not now lol. I mean it shows 62 F on the temp guage though Orlando Florida huh lol. Normally if I drive it on the highway it's fine, never overheats. But when I sit in traffic, stop and go, city driving it overheats. Coolant levels are perfect but I did notice this under the car tonight when changing the passenger foglight bulb. Sorry for the angle.




I have checked all fuses inside and engine bay and all fuses are fine. I do not think I have the new relay mod separating the radiator fan and PS pump fan. So my PS fan doesn't turn but my low speed fan does. So i'm at a lost at thought. Engine oil is where it's supposed to be too.

Power steering fan..... When is the fan supposed to spin? It spins freely if I reach under the car and spin it, but never kicks on.


Oil Leak..... Here is a picture of what had the most oil collection underneath the car. I can't say this is where it's coming from but I have no idea what I'm looking at. Hopefully I can locate the problem but maybe someone can chime in. I've noticed oil all under the car from the passenger side (which is what this picture shows, what it is I'm not sure), all the way over to the PS pump.




Air conditioning not working properly..... It works GREAT at highway speeds but if I idle in traffic or it's hot outside it gets hot and no longer works. Tonight the temperature outside was low 60's and the a/c worked great. I can hear the compressor kick on, almost sounded like plastic grinding so maybe the gears are bad but if it was bad then why does the a/c work at highway speeds or when it's cool/cold outside? I took a test on the psi on the "low" port and at 62F ambient it was like 32 psi which according to the guage tool that came with the R134a kit it was fine.... but when it was HOT outside and running hot the ambient temp was 95F and the psi read like 120 psi. Weird? Or does ambient temp have that big effect on performance? When the a/c kicks on the low speed fan automatically turns on too.


Thermostat location.... I've looked at all the diagrams online and can't seem to pinpoint the actual thermostat housing. Nothing seems to look like anything the diagrams show. Does anyone have a picture of the actual housing? I took out the airbox and ecu and couldn't seem to locate it.





So there's my problems. I've fixed the other ones but these are starting to bother me.

 

Concerning the picture with evident dried-up coolant drainage ... I had a similar issue:

The coolant level dropped immediately after 10 miles of driving. There was no damage to the coolant reservoir or any of the loose coolant hoses. When I brought this up to the dealer, and they diagnosed and repaired the thermostat which was leaking. Confounded, I didn't even know thermostats "leaked" but just measure atmospheric temperature.

I own a 2008 Clubman S, but they all seem to have similar issues. Hope that helps.

 

Sounds like a thermostat leak. Easy to replace and only cost around $40. There's a DIY guide in the how-to section.

That oil leak looks like it's coming from your oil filter. I see the oil filter housing... Happened to me too. Dealer over tightened the housing and must've pinched the seal. I replaced it and now, no leaks.

 

PS fan only runs when fan is on hi, or when commanded to from what I have heard...so if it spins freely...it is ok...car will not overheat from a bad PS pump...just will kill the pump overtime. The fact the radiator fan works is a good signs...
thermostat might be leaking...could be sticky...radiator could be partially plugged...
has it had it fluid changed...it is a regular mantaince item....it does NOT. Have long life fluid....
Next worry/ possibility is waterpump or SC waterpump gears(pto).
Any odd sounds/changes recently?

 

The radiator system has two bleeder valves in it. One is front and center and obvious, the other is on the left side deep down in nowhere land. There may be an air bubble in it that gives it the odd behavior.

 

I have an '03 MCS and had similar problems like you are describing with overheating. My radiator fan ran as well but not the low speed, just the high speed. It is only supposed to run when the a/c is on or it is over heating. A scangauge II will help you understand more of the temps the fan is kicking on at. The temp gauge is pretty much useless because it is programed to stay at "normal range" all the way up to 230ish. If the a/c is not working correctly it is because it is designed cut off if the car is running too hot. At highway speed there is more airflow through the radiator for the a/c and keeps it cool. Recheck your fan, I have a feeling that your low speed is not working.

 

I've watched the low speed come on. It comes on and off every now and then. Or at least it looms like the slow speed.

A/c has a high charge. I checked it with a psi gauge. However when it's cool outside the psi runs normal. That's what makes it weird to me

 

Well I am mostly certain your oil can just be from oil changes I find that oil always leak all over the car when the filter is taken off. Are you seeing drops in the floor or just that in the picture? I would clean it all off as best you can and then re-check in a few days.

The temp gauge you are looking at is that the one below the RPM gauge? because that is the outside temp not the cars temp.

 

Yeah I look at the temp for outside and use that for the comparison in psi for the a/c charge



I'll have to wipe everything down and take a good look at it in a week