I have read a couple of posts about overheating / leaking coolant reservoirs etc. as only a few of these types of problems have been reported here, I assume these are isolated incidents...

I was wondering though, what is the 'normal' engine temp gauge reading for the Cooper?

After warming up, my engine temp gauge reads at the half-way mark most of the time, and I wondered if this was normal. I checked the coolant reservoir, and the level is about 1 1/2 inches above the MIN marking, and is still the blue/green color so no problems there I don't think..

What does everone else's temp gauge normally say?

 

On my MCS the temp gauge usually sits just below the middle mark. On a couple of instances for no apparent reasons it has risen to a couple of needle widths above the middle mark, but now resides in the middle.

Interesting that your coolant color hasn't changed. It seems that the blue dye in the coolant is breaking down in some cars (both MC and MCS) but not in others.

 

My temp shows just below mid point at all time including 100F days with a/c on and a full lapping day an a really tough track.

 

Thanks! :smile:

Of the previous five cars I have owned (four of them were Mustangs), none have had the same "normal" temp reading.

 

John W
This is absolutely normal. I live in the middle east and the tempreture is around 35 degrees celcius reaching 50+ in the summer the tempreture is always around the middle line. i think the reason it sometimes goes a little above that is due to the supercharger in the MCS. i don't think this is a problem with thr coopers.

please comment on this cooper drivers.

cheers

 

I did have a radiator leak. Actually It was the water pump or the O ring.

However my engine temp never raised above the middle mark on the gauge.

I think I noticed it in time and kept the fluid topped up though!

Always stays in the same place, just below the middle mark.

Pebble.
:smile:

 

The water temperature guage needle movement on most modern cars is not linear. Imagine a hill then a flat area followed by another hill and that would be the graph of what the needle shows. Stated another way, cold to normal represents 0-100 celcius, normal represents 100-180 celcius, and normal to overheat represents 180-250 celcius. I have no idea what the actual numbers are, but the former should illustrate my point.
This is done so that the needle should not move above it's "normal" position unless there is a problem. People would freak out if they saw their temperature guage fluctuating all the time, but the reality is, your temperature is always fluctuating.
A couple of observations:
1) Your car is not fully warmed up until the water temperature guage has been at normal for a few minutes. The water temp may continue to rise a bit after the needle steadies, plus oil takes longer to heat than water.
2) If your needle is regularly going above the normal mark, keep a close eye on it. It is possible that your cooling system is not getting the job done.

 

After warming up, the needle on my gauge, usually stops just shy of the mid point. When I brought the car in for it's 10k service they said I had a leak in the coolant reservoir. I wasn't apparent from the gauge so either the gauge isn't real sensitive or the leak wasn't very big (or the engine is very effcient at dissipating heat).

_________________
Dark Silver S w/ White Top, Premium & Sport Package, adopted 6/13/02

 

Right at the center mark or just below. Depends on where you're sitting in the car

 

Middle..................like BMWs

 

i have an autometer water temp gauge in my s. on a hot day in stop and go traffic, the temp is about 215; on the highway, same weather condtions about 195. normal city driving, hot day around 200. i have yet to check calibration on the gauge, but those readings sound a little too hot for me. my car has the nav, so i only have an idiot light for the stock temp and it has never come on.

 

Mine is half-way up the gauge. I was wondering about this myself, as it is winter here in AZ and it's only gonna get hotter :smile:

 

Yep, as Astrop posted above, and as others have described on Roadfly extensively, the MINI temp gauge (w/o NAV) is pretty much an "idiot" gauge, that is it is not linear, and should just about always read near the center of the range.

However, there have been quite a few reports (on roadfly) about temp gauge problems, and I have come across the same problem (so far at 3500 mi my only real problem, knock on wood):
Sometimes the temp gauge strays considerably from center. However, for me and others it seemed very clear that either the sensor was faulty, or more likely something in the instrument cluster. In my car, the temp a few times went as high as max, but without the red warning light coming on. When turning the engine OFF, the indicator in these circumstances does not drop to the edge of the gauge, but stays higher and then when ON goes to about 1/2 gauge range above where it stayed when OFF. Some people have had their gauge cluster replaced for this, and I suspect mine will have to be replaced too. However, I want to go to the dealer when the gauge is reading high so they believe me.

Other than that, the temp indicator should under almost all normal conditions (except when warming up) stay at about 1/2 of the range.

 

Right in the middle. I look at it all the time while driving and it stays right in the middle.
Hope this helps.

 

>>i have an autometer water temp gauge in my s.

Where do you have the gauge sensor installed? I have the NAV system, and I cant stand not having a temp or oil pressure gauge. I am going to install them later this month or next.

_________________
'03 MCS, Dk Silver, 17" wheels NAV, DSC, Premium #1 and #3, Rally lights, etc, etc. Fulton, MD. FRS 7-21

 

>>The water temperature guage needle movement on most modern cars is not linear. Imagine a hill then a flat area followed by another hill and that would be the graph of what the needle shows. Stated another way, cold to normal represents 0-100 celcius, normal represents 100-180 celcius, and normal to overheat represents 180-250 celcius. I have no idea what the actual numbers are, but the former should illustrate my point.
>>This is done so that the needle should not move above it's "normal" position unless there is a problem. People would freak out if they saw their temperature guage fluctuating all the time, but the reality is, your temperature is always fluctuating.
>>A couple of observations:
>>1) Your car is not fully warmed up until the water temperature guage has been at normal for a few minutes. The water temp may continue to rise a bit after the needle steadies, plus oil takes longer to heat than water.
>>2) If your needle is regularly going above the normal mark, keep a close eye on it. It is possible that your cooling system is not getting the job done.

I just want to confirm what Astro has said in his post with one exception. Where he makes reference to celcius that should be "Fahrenheit". His number ranges are probably close to correct but 250C is 482F and that is HOT!
I checked my Cooper this afternoon and it was at dead center when 76C (169F) and I watched it move up to 96C (205F) but the needle never moved at all.

 

The needle in my Cooper reads right in the middle, even though my coolant has been brown for several months. (I had it tested...chemically MINI said it was okay. I do watch the guage/levels closely though just in case things change.)

_________________
'03 IB/W Cooper

 

Just a hair below the middle. From about 6 minutes of running till forever (so far). Never seen it anywhere else except while warming up.

Wes

 

I agree that the temperature "guage" is a glorified idiot light.

Here is the data from the OBD while running around in local
traffic. The needle quickly went right up to the middle and didn't
move a hair even though you can SEE the temperature going
from 180 degrees to 195 degrees. DIDN'T MOVE A HAIR!!!:evil: