2003 Mini Cooper S just turned 140,000 mi

Original Problem:
Noticed that the Fans started comming on after driving. They would stay on for a while. Out of the ordinary enough to worry. I checked coolant resovour: Empty - Topped off to minimum level. Checked Oil while i was at it : LOW Not on Dip stick.> Topped oil off..

Drove it for 3 days... Same problem occuring..

Fans started comming on after short drives... Some times the coolant light would come on. Pop the hood to find out the resovour is EMPTY!!!

started to look for leaks > No leaks on the ground.
Checked oil while i was at it: LOW: registered on dip stick > Topped off...


Brought it to reputable Euro shop!

Diagnose Coolant Loss : fans comming on...

Conclusion: Found the thermostate housing was leaking. > (Replaced)

Also replaced Both Drive axels... <Going to make a new thread for this issue)


3 days later... Fan was comming on after a short drive. Coolant resovour was empty

Back to the shop...

Pressure check it... Bleeding it for 3 hours... Replaced Coolant resovour cap..

3 Days later noticed that the heater wasnt working as fast as it should be... had a feeling it was going to be low....

Just before i hit the drive way.. Coolant light came on flashing.. when i turned the car off the fan was still running....


WTF....

what am i missing..

The Oil is not contaminated.

No visible leaks.

thermostat housing replaced.

Resovour Cap replaced.

3 days Fan comes on or the light will flash... i check the resovour and its empty...

 

Coolant light?
You mean the tempture light...the car is overheating?
When the car was run very low on coolant....and apparently overheated the first time, did the system ever get bleed? Do it after the thermostat? It can be hard for even a pro...
Tail pipe smoke/steam?
Overheating just a couple times in a mini can cause a headgasket fo fail or crack a head.....

 

PS is the resiviour leeking..look around the seam....

 

Resiviour Leak : Negative

System was bleed the first time and the second time at the shop... 3 hours of bleed time...

Tail Pipe Smoke/Steam : Negative

Im scared of a head gasket issue...

 

3 hours to bleed????????? Uhmm... FInd a different shop as it sounds like they don't have a clue.

Where are you located? Perhaps we can recommend you a good mech.

 

I found that even after bleeding, some air takes a while to find its way to the top and I've had
to replace some coolant intermittently for up to a week or so before the coolant level stayed
stable for good.

 

It's possible you may have a small leak or pinhole(s) in a hose or the radiator itself. Have the radiator pressure re-tested by someone else.

The driving times allows for the coolant to "leak" out (as it's now under pressure) and you may or may not even smell any coolant as it will have vaporized pretty quickly.

 

I once had a leak where the coolant was dripping out on to the exhaust and evaporating as it hit it. Would think the pressure test would reveal something like that.

 

I agree, if they know what they are doing at worse case it would take an hour, and even that is a long time.

 

Well im sure he was exagurating bleeding for 3 hours... but... im always open to Mini shops around my area... im in Alviso, CA 95002 ... i have looked my self and i have asked if he has seen any Residue that implicated any kind of leak even the smallest leak would leave some kind of clue behind.. and well sure enough after last night when the light came on and fan stayed on the resivour was 4 cups low... this is really frustraiting... i have not had anytime to take the car down to the shop yet..

what about that issue with the fan.. i read some where that some one was having the same issues and it was a low speed ran resistor.. but if i remember correctly it didnt say anything about low coolant.. i could be wrong..

 

You might try Edge Motorworks in Dublin. Great people!
http://www.edgemotorworks.com/

Jim

 

How does your exhaust smell? If the coolant is getting into the combustion chamber it gives the exhaust a unique odor. I had a bad head gasket years ago on my Nissan pickup: no external signs of a leak, just a continual usage of coolant from the reservoir. Pulled the head and discovered a split around a water passage adjacent to a cylinder. Strange thing that I wasn't getting any sign of combustion in the coolant but was definitely losing antifreeze to the exhaust.

Eric

 

exhaust smells fine to me, but let me get a few opinions.. ill get back to you on that.

 

Same experience here, bleed then bleed again over a couple of days.
Run the heater at full blast for a while and while bleeding.

 

Re-visit the reservoir issue. Look BEHIND the bottle (use a small mirror) and look for white residue accumulating around the seam. Also look at the heat shield directly below the bottle. Wipe it clean and shiny and then look for white stains on day two of driving. There won't be any coolant there because it boils off right away but there will be stains.

 

Yeah, just checked and I need a new cap. This will be the second one in 104,105.xx miles. The tank holds but the caps start to leak, why?

 

If that's the second cap on the same tank, the tank threads may be bad. Get the whole unit, it's not that expensive if you do it yourself.

That will give you time to worry about something else like "World Peace" and a "Cure for Cancer".

 

If the car has 140,000 miles...I would look at the radiator/hoses....
Many mini rads have failed where the plastic and metal meet....
Also the fact the fan is running...and the "shut me off light, I'm overheating light comes on" (as I call it) tells you the fan is working...it is trying to cool the car...but there may not be sufficient volume for the coolant to do it's job...the "low speed" portion may or may not be working, but at this point that is not contributing to your coolant loss/overheating issue...just a distraction.
The cooling system must be full to function properly...letting it run when low can only cause further dammage...and if the tank is empty, simply adding coolant is likely to leave air bubbles in the system...causing further overheating....
If the coolant is so low the tank is empty, open the bleed line while adding coolant to let the coolant flow down into the rad....it is not doing a proper bleed, but at least if the car was very low on fluid, it will ensure the system is mostly full....

 

Just thinking....about a leaking water pump or cracked thermostat housing?

 

Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist.
George Carlin

 

I have a slow leak now, too. Had the thermostat housing replaced a couple
years ago, and just did the radiator fan earlier this month, but now I see some
coolant very slowly appearing from the head gasket under the #4
cylinder exhaust header area (the one next to the tramsmission side of the engine).
No white smoke and no smell of coolant in the exhaust, and oil looks clean.
Can't see any other leaks except a little coolant will pool on the top of the transmission housing.
Nothing ever appears under the car on the ground.
It takes a couple or few weeks for the coolant to go from max to min in the
resevoir (this is a 2003 MC, not a MCS, and I plan to keep it for the long haul).

What I'm wonder is this: can I let this go indefinitely providing it doesn't
get worse, or do I really need to get the head gasket replaced?
And if I do, is the head a little warped, and if so, should I have it milled or
bite the bullet and get a ported head from someone who has experience in optimizing for
midrange power in a normally aspirated engine (Thumper comes to mind)?
As the dollar signs increase along this line of thought, I also have to consider
the fact that I have a Midlands transmission currently.

 

Since the leak appears to be external....I'd do a quick test of the oil...be sure there is Coolant in it to be sure....if there is, get it fixed ASAP...if it is ok...watch it closely....I'd be leery about adding the liquid head-gasket repairs/sealers sold at the auto-parts stores....
Since there is no telling when it could suddenly get worse...I'd consider finding a good time to have the car down for a day, and scheduling it for the fix. You will not know if the head needs to be resurfaced till it is removed....but a thicker gasket should be available to give the mechanic a bit of wiggle room....
If the head is warped...it may not be a good exchange for the core....something to consider...I'd give Thumper or another head porter (like WMW) a call, and ask what they can do for the $$. Advantage...you can show up to get the car fixed with the replacement head in a box...less downtime, disadvantage...the 1500$ or so for the reworked ported head for a few HP.....when your head might be fine, and the exchange heads "unknown history" vs yours....depending on how you drive...may or my not be a good thing!

 

Don't think there's coolant in the oil. Ran the front of the car up on ramps,
let it sit a bit, and drained a half a cup from the pan into a clear container.
Nothing settling out at the bottom, looks like normal clear dark brown 6000
mile old oil, no emulsification, no green fluorescence with a uv light, even
at the bottom, and no gunk at the filler cap as one sometimes gets from
condensation.

A month or so ago, I lost about a resevior full of coolant. I noticed this just a
few days after I had idled 10-20 minutes waiting for a stuck tractor trailer
to be moved from the road ahead. I then found that the low speed fan was
out (open resistor), and replaced the fan assembly a few weeks later by myself.
I figured I just boiled over then since I didn't notice any more coolant loss after that,
and I've never seen the coolant temp gauge go over 1/2 way up, although
I'm not sure I was looking at the gauge that day. Coolant temps currently cycle between
85 and 93 C while driving (odometer reads coolant temp trick), and goes up to 104 C
activating the low speed fan normally if I idle long enough.
No signs of leaking around the thermostat housing, radiator, hoses, resevoir, sensor, or fittings that I can see.

Sorry for kinda hijacking the thread, but it does seem pertinent to the original subject.

 

OMG OMG OMG the oil changed in to MilkShake.... No leaking nothing leaking... still takes 3 days for the resivour to empty..... Head gasket i assume... unless there is a oil cooler leaking some how in the coolant....

 

Do not start the car.
Have it towed.
Good luck.