So, I've gotten stuck in stopped traffic a couple times this winter (ambient between 20F and 40F usually) with the car idling, heat on, etc.. After about 10-15 minutes of this, the following will happen:

1) A loud noise from the engine bay starts (presumable this is the electric cooling fan kicking on? Sounds like a fan)

2) After the fan has been on a couple minutes, the temp gauge starts inching above the normal happy medium it sits at.

Upon this happening, I have always gotten scared and U-turned and gotten out of traffic and starting driving around surface streets. Once moving, the temperature immediately comes down to normal.

What do you guys think is going on here? I find it especially suprising the engine can't cool itself with the outside temp of 20 F AND the heater turned on. Something seems wrong.

 

same exact thing happened to me except for that large noise. it turned out the wire for my fan had gotten loose and disconnected itself. what i would do is in your drive way turn your car on and put your ac at the highest level, power wise not temp wise, and then go to your engine bay and make sure your fan is spinning. if not then you know your problem!

 

Mine turned out to be the fan was locked up and seized. The salt / water gets into the fan motor then it sticks and locks up. I would try to spin the fan by hand with the car off. Just to make sure that noise you heard was the fan. And not the P/S pump fan on the bottom. Then inspect your connections. Turn your A/C on will force the fan t kick on also.

Also if the high speed comes on but the low speed does not and nothing else looks bad. It might be the low speed resistor.

Here is the resistor stage one is here:


Think you said before you have a 2003, there is a split year for production at 3/2003. Check you production month/ year on the door jam sticker to know which fan you need.

Up to 3/2003 Part # 17101475577

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/17101475577/

&

Production 3/2003+ Part # 17117541092

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/17117541092/




Thanks and good luck.

 

I'm going to check the fan out. I should note when the fan comes on (or what I assume to be the fan) it vibrates the floorboards and dash of the car a little bit.. Almost like it is out of balance.

Question: does the low speed setting on the fan ALWAYS go on, or only at a certain temp? ie. is there any running condition of the car where the fan would be totally off?

 

i believe just during warm up, but if you turn on the ac the fan will come up even during warm up.

but if your low speed fan is shot, the fan will stay of til you reach a certain temp (around 220F if i rember right) or til your ac reaches a certain level of pressure.

 

OK, I just went outside and turned the car and the AC on. It warmed up to operating temp pretty quick because I had just been out driving for lunch. Here's what happened:

-The loud noise and slight vibration occured after a minute or so, but the cooling fan is NOT spinning.

I think maybe the vibration is the PS pump cooling fan? And it would seem the low speed or entire radiator fan is not working.

 

1 step closer to figuring out the problem! (took me over a month just to figure the fan wasn't blowing lol). just to make sure, you had it on a hi blast? the fan comes on once a certain bar or pressure is reached.

if so its either 1 of two things.
a. the fan is seized. do what ecs said and try to spin the fan by hand with the car off. if it spins freely go to the next problem. if its difficult to turn than thats your problem and youll need to replace the fan.

b. the fans not getting power at all. this can be from a number of different things such as loose wires and blown fuses.

check to see how the fan spins and report back!

 

Check your coolant level yet??

 

Low speed cooling fan issues are a common problem, many threads on the issue here.

 

Zippy, yeah coolant level is fine. I have recently replaced the heater core (twice) and flushed/bled. In fact the fan used to come on for a couple of minutes after the car was off after "spirited driving", and it turned out coolant was low. After replacing and filling the coolant, that problem went away.

Javskies, the fan turns by hand easy so is not seized. I need to check and see if it will turn on with the AC full bore. Right now it's looking like either the low speed or all speeds of the fan do not work.

 

My suggestion....
Pickup a new radiator cooling fan....
And a new ps fan (if you can feel vibration in the floorboards from it, I bet it is nearly dead...should be pretty smooth...water gets into the bearings... And corrodes them...makes it loud/vibrate...then can blow fuses)...
Guess you could either bypass the resistor or get a new one in a kit...but it is the same work, actually less, to swap it out... And about $100 if you look around....just my opinion...but the fan and motor "lives" in a pretty hard environment... Sand, salt, grit...all winddriven...why spend $40 or so to "make it work" and it might fail differently when a "new fan" can be found for about $100...new also replaces the relays on the earlier version of the fan where they are in the fan rather than in the car...
Guess for piece of my mind you should check to see if the high speed fan comes on...but I would be very careful when dealing with a car very close to overheating...it stresses head gaskets, and judging from your statement about 2 blocked heater cores, you might have some corrosion internally.....

 

I'm with you. I was thinking to replace both of them just to be safe.

Wasn't there something about BMW totally gouging on the price of the PS fan? Is there somewhere else people are getting those?

 

The ps fan is pretty $$$... Think it is just an $$$ design...
Folks have tracked down the maker (spal) and the model....not much of a change in $$...
You can buy the fan without the mounting bracket...save $20 or so...pre 2005 unit might be rivited to the bracket...so a few extra seconds of work to drill them out, the reinstall the new fan with a few screws...getting the mini specific one gets you the right plug and the thermal fuse(in the box inline with the plug if I recall right)...added on 2005+ fans..an extra safety feature ...
Buy a bare fan, no plug...you could splice, sodder, and shrink wrap the connection....just be sure it is the right spal fan...many undersized units were around... They look like a computer fan...but much tuffer...more seals, etc....
Read somewhere the newer mini branded oem fans (still spal) are built better, and have stronger motors to aid in keeping the ps fan cool.

One tip...
If i recall right, when the radiator fan is on high, the ps fan should be on...so makes me wonder if the fan might be totally dead if you hear/feel the ps fan but not the rad fan...
So I would check the relays and fuses for it just to be sure unless you have seen the radiator fan running....

 

Thanks for the tip Zippy. Yeah, I haven't seen the rad fan running at all, so I think it might be dead. I'll check the connections and relays/fuses and buy a new one otherwise.

Just got the quote from Classic on the PS fan.. $132. Ouch. Hope it's more than a computer fan lol (it sure LOOKS like one!)

 

You can get the updated fan by itself. Direct swap for newer Gen 1 MINIs, for the older ones that have the unit riveted in , you just drill out the rivets lineup the new unit, and use some short Philips self tapping screws.

P/S Pump Cooling Fan part # 32416781742

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/32416781742/ES2627297/



There is a grille for the 10/2003+ models with the original grille. I don't know if it will fit the original pre 10/2003 brackets.

P/S Pump Cooling Protective Fan Grille part # 32416766192

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/32416766192/




The newest updated part version PS fan/ mount, comes with the grille and that fan with the mount. Also has the snap in clips for people who have a later models with an automatic transmission that need the air channel to mount.

P/S Pump Cooling Fan W/ Grille Part # 32416857718

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/32416857718/ES2558179/




So that gives you some options and whats out there on the PS fan.

Thanks