Hello everyone!

I've been experience overheating recently. And i checked the fan and sure enough it wasn't moving when i just turn the car on with the AC on. So while im replacing the fan, should i do the water pump and thermostat while its all apart?

Any other suggestions on cooling system parts to redo?

 

Depends on how many miles you have and if you want to spend the money to replace them while everything is apart. Could do it has preventive maintenance and might not be a bad idea. R50 or R53? As you're doing the water pump and thermostat take a look at your radiator hoses and maybe change out the coolant as well. We have an R53 water pump DIY here and thermostat with hose replacement here. coolant change here. Take a look at your coolant tank too as those are a common failure. Look for signs of cracks or wear. And of course, parts here if needed. Good luck! If you have any questions, let me know.

 

Thanks a lot Pelican, i have always read your DIY when i can for my MINI cooper repairs. Thanks for the advice.

 

My pleasure and I'm glad that they have been helpful while you work on your MINI. If you ever have questions or need anything please don't hesitate to ask.

 

My car has 99k miles on it. It is constantly overheating. I keep refilling the coolant tank and its good for a few weeks, and then it overheats again. I hear my fan working very hard after I turn off the car. I fear it is also killing my battery because of that. I dont know what I need to replace. Can it be the hoses? I see the bubbles coming out on the side of the coolant tank, can that be the cause of the leaks?

 

Due to an apparent manufacturing defect, the coolant expansion tank on the MINI Cooper tends to leak along the molding seam. When the car warms up, both the heat and pressure of the coolant starts to attack the seam along the edge of the tank, eventually causing it to fail and the car starts leaking coolant. The good news is that the replacement tank is relatively inexpensive and can be changed in under 30 minutes. It sounds like you are experiencing a leak from a failed coolant tank due to seeing bubbles coming out of the seams. We have a DIY for the replacement here that may be useful to you with some more information about it (look at figure 2). Can purchase a new tank here. Other than the tank, do you not see any leaks anywhere else in the system? Be sure to check everything out to make sure there are no other leaks. If you have any questions, let me know.

 

Your car is needing coolant regularly...
Your coolant tank is leaking...
Think you answered your own question...
Keep going down the road you are on, and you will need a battery AND a head-gasket.....

 

I just went through this with my mini. I had a leaky thermostat. You should turn your car on take a flash light and look in between the head and the airbox. If you see any liquid on the black thermostat housing it's probably leaking also you might smell a fant smell of coolant. But yes the tanks do have a known failure.

 

While the thermostat housing gasket is a common failure.... The op seems to have a much simpler issue...a leaking coolant tank...
The glue that holds the two half's together fails...and starts to leak...if steam or coolant is coming out, the system will never pressurize....
Changing the tank is a VERY simple cooperation...two maybe 3 bolts and one hose...refill, put the cap on, and you should be done...
If you are still loosing coolant, you might need to look further...
One tip...the FULL LINE in the tank is about the line where the tank is glued together....overfill it, and pressure tends to go too high, since the tank us for expansion... So DO NOT FILL IT YO THE TOP, OR YOU WILL MAKE THE NEW TANK FAIL.

 

Hey Pelican,

So I have a strong coolant smell, and my AC currently doesn't work, nailed down to being the clutch coil. So will my low speed fan never run because the ac doesn't work or can it without the ac? I smell coolant once the entire warms up but I can find the leak. I ran the car at idle for almost 10 minutes and no low speed even at normal engine temp.

 

Low: Comes ON @ 221F and shuts off @ 214F

High: Comes ON @ 234F and reverts to low speed after dropping 7 degrees.

AC and Fan action:

"The cooling fan operates on low speed when the A/C is switched on AND the system pressure reaches 8 bar. The fan switches to high speed should the AC system pressure rise above 18 bar."

So your low speed fan may or may not come on at normal op temps. Here it took quite a bit of time idling before it hit 221F

 

Some good info from Eric above. Are you seeing any coolant on the garage floor? The Thermostat housing & gasket is a common leak as well as the expansion tank. Sometimes both can be subtle so look closely. Look along the seams for any sign of residue or seepage. Typically, if the t-stat housing is leaking you can usually see a puddled near the housing or see some white residue. Check the water pump as well.

 

You sure? I heard my power steering fan go on at 221°F and then the rad fan didn't kick on till about 230°F. Do I have a bad low speed then? Ugh...

 

Water pump is new, no spills on the ground, tank isn't leaking... Replaced it about 7k miles ago. i don't see mich signs at the t-stat but I may replace he gasket anyway.

 

Yep, if it doesn't go on closer to 221F, the low speed resistor has died, a common failure.
Good news is you can just replace the resistor (several thread on this) or the whole fan.