All he works on is bmw, mercedes, foreign cars. So i figured he would be the only one in town that knows what hes doing... im only 20 so i dont have a lot of money to take my car out of town to get it fixed, tryin to pay for school and a car!

As of now im hoping it is a blown head gasket and not a cracked head. he said he would get it fixed for me at no charge, im would imagine parts not included.
we'll see whats next...

And yeah the car looks nice, when it runs right.

Thanks to everyone on here for all the help!

 

The oem gasket is only about 60$ or so, new bolts are strongly reccomended, about 100$. if he get a thicker aftermarket gasket, the prices are pretty compareable. Good to hear he is standind by his work and not making you eat unneeded work!!

Prices are educated guess...taken from other posts....good luck!

 

I talked to the mechanic today.

he put a pressure tester on the cooling system, let the car run for 2 hours. he said that car has absolutely no leaks.

He let the car sit for 24 hours came back to it and he had marked the coolant and it had dropped about 1 inch.

He pulled the spark plugs no sign of coolant on them.

Thinking now it HAS to be a head gasket or cracked head.

**if the coolant was going into the oil wouldn't there be coolant in the oil?
(would you be able to tell by draining the oil)

**Could the coolant be going into the engine and its just getting burnt off?
(no signs of white smoke or smell of coolant)

Thanks, Austen

 

YES. Drain the oil. Pay close attention to the initial stream when you loosen the drain plug. Since water is heavier than oil, it'll be much more free flowing and lighter color than the rest of the oil. Also, drain the oil into a clean pan. When it's all drained, stir it around and you will see a whitish/brownish tint indicating water. The milky oil cap seems to indicate this is what's happening.

It's possible but that'd need to be a pretty small leak. Are you sure the system is properly bled? There are 2 bleed valves on the MCS, one one the upper hose and one down under the intercooler cover by the airbox.

 

Most professional shop will have test kits that are usually a paper strip they can drag in your oil to test for antifreeze contamination.....they look a lot like a PH test strip.....

Glycol, Single Parameter Test Kit, Model: EG-1, Visual / Appearance of color

• Ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) contamination of automotive lubricants is an indication of a cracked engine block. Glycol presence also can indicate leaks in cooling systems. Test Kit Model EG-1 presents a purple color if ethylene glycol and other 1,2 glycols are present in oil or water.
• EG-1 Test Kit contains approximately 25 tests and come with a 14.4x8x7 inches Blue Polypropylene Carrying Case.

something this guy should have done the first time you visited with you symptoms.....but it does sound like he is proceeding very cautiously...so it sounds like it might be work sticking with him. I have heard of some MINI's with head gaskets that are just "pinched"...so they don't always leak a lot, but do consume coolant. Coolant is VERY CORROSIVE TO ENGINE PARTS......change you oil and do not drive your car if a head gasket leak is suspect....you might be trashing your bearings.....and your motor.

 

One last thought....
He started with the car cool right....this might prove nothing due to expansion/contraction of the glycol.........and any air trapped in the system. Test strip would answer the question about where it might be going...oil vs exhaust.....
Good luck.

 

so the head is cracked any suggestions on where i should get one?

 

Sorry to hear about that.....
You looking for a oem ish head? Or a ported and polished ones with bigger valves? Lots of options...depends on money and timeframe. I know Wayland at WayMotorWorks does heads...from mild oem to custom higher performance. I'd give him a call....I know he was parting out an 04' S....maybe he has the head still....might be a good deal, especially if he inspects it before sale, since that would better than a typical junkyard head!!

 

get one from thumper and all this will end with a smile. since it's coming off anyway.....

 

any contact info?

thanks

 

I've just finished reading this thread from the beginning. I'm an old geezer and I'd like to pass on an old test to see if you've got coolant in your engine from either a bad head gasket or cracked head. After the engine is up to operating temp, hold a Kleenex with both hands right behind the exhaust tips. If it's blown apart, you've "bought the farm". If no moisture is present, the exhaust will pass right thru the tissue.

 

he took the head off and he could see a hair line crack from one of the water jackets to the 1 cylinder, i have bought a cylinder head on ebay that was reconditioned.. $500 no bad i thought...
and the head has not been welded on.

 

I understand how it would work on a car without a catylic converter, but most cats make lots of water vapor depending on their condition...so this trick's time may have passed. I do think it is interesting.

 

Sounds like a pretty good deal for a bone stock head...good luck getting back on the road!!

 

Hi Guys!

I saw this post has some hits in 2010 so I'm hoping some of you are still watching the thread to provide help.

Here's my story:
Bought my 2004 MINI Cooper last year in June, test drove around AZ, bought it, then drove back almost 500 miles to TX. Still no problems, couple months later I noticed overheating when at a stop (after driving freeway or other long durations). Temp would go back down to mid-range once I started moving again.

So a thermostat, water pump, couple of hoses, and PS fan later (it was dying ) put on by an MINI independent shop... and here I am with no problems with overheating. I've got about 83K mileage wise.

I'M still loosing coolant though , I don't see any signs of milky-ness in the oil (oils fresh so it'd be easy to spot too). I also don't see small coolant puddles on under my car as I've seen in the past.

What gives, any insight would be much appreciated!

 

The most common places to loose coolant is
1) The Thermostat gasket....sometimes the housing for it goes bad too...an thermostat with an improved gasket is being sold by MINI.
This leak is almost impossible to spot......sometimes it can be smalled a tiny bit...sometimes it MAY drip on some days......
2)The Coolant tank (on the S) leaks around the seam....it is pressurized...and leaks with age...the old tanks were opaque, the new ones are milky yellow.

 

Hey Zippy!

You were lightening fast on that last reply. Are you like the NAM guardian angel? Thanks for taking the time to reply. Your post got me thinking.

When they replaced my thermostat would it have not been the norm to replace the gasket and possibly housing? The shop told me they pressure tested the system and saw nothing leaking. I'm in a different city right now from where the repairs were done (a couple of weeks ago) so going back and having them look at it is not an option. I've got an R50 so I'm probably not prone to the leaking coolant tank, but I plan to watch around the area.

I'll be leaving town for a couple of weeks and plan to leave the car parked. Before leaving I plan to top off the tank. Then look it over to see if it has leaked while stationary. If that is the case, any thought as to where the leak might be ?

Still stumped,

 

I'm not sure when the improved gasket came out...but a vendor or two have said there are lots of the old ones still around...I would keep a jug of premixed coolant in the car...top off as needed....and wait till something else needs work...or even an inspection....heck, you could buy a thermostat from a vendor... I know for a fact WayMotorWorks stocks the newer part...some folks say swap the plastic housing too...some claim it is fine to reuse...I think it is about a $30 part....a few folks say it is any easy diy, with minimal coolant loss.....Eitherway, it's not a big or $$ job.at you cars age, I would look at the hoses...there are a few places where things can rub...but since you don't have any leaks, it is unlikely!
Yeah...a rainy, yucky day in today...so I'm spending some time on-line.