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  #1  
Old 11-07-2009, 10:39 AM
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Overheating- no coolant VERY LOW oil!

My car has been over heating so i checked the coolant and i was very low, then i checked the oil and it was very low also. I took off the oil cap and it had a layer of a milky substance on it. Any help would be appreciated!

Thank you,
Austen
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Old 11-07-2009, 10:40 AM
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it is an 03 MCs with 80,000 i use mobile one full synthetic
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Old 11-07-2009, 11:15 AM
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Any smoke from the exhaust? White maybe? Sounds like a cracked head.
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Old 11-07-2009, 11:45 AM
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Just heard about when my pulley was installed. I think it means you have coolant leaking into your engine somewhere. Get thee to a mechanic.
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Old 11-07-2009, 07:46 PM
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Whatever it is it is likely to be bad, this has many of the common symptoms of a blown head gasket or damaged head.
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Old 11-08-2009, 12:50 AM
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it is getting in the shop soon
any suggestions on after market heads or gaskets?
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Old 11-08-2009, 12:51 AM
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and any one have an idea on cost?
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Old 11-11-2009, 05:12 PM
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Ouch.....I hope that this wasn't all the result of a fan problem. Sounds a lot like a blown head gasket or a cracked head. The fact that the oil is creamy means that there is antifreeze mixed in it...more than likely. That means that bearings, etc are all going to be suspect. Talk to a good MINI specialist...and if you need a motor I think Wayland at WayMotorWorks down in Atlanta had one....he has some beautful heads also....might be worth talking to him.
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Old 11-11-2009, 05:46 PM
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Is the oil on the dip stick "milky"? Is the coolant also "milky"? If so then the comments about head/ gasket may be correct. If the oil in the pan (dipstick) and coolant is not milky, then you may be alright. It is common in areas w/ a colder climate to get a milky residue on the underside of the oil cap. Especially when the car doesn't get up to operating temps for long. I know I see that w/ mine in the winter sometimes.

If its more than that, I agree - take it to a good Mini specialist.

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Old 11-11-2009, 06:00 PM
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Normally if it is a head Gasket you will see plenty of white smoke when you start the car. You also may smell antifreeze.
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Old 11-13-2009, 08:41 AM
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Do you have an oil catch can installed?
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  #12  
Old 11-15-2009, 04:04 PM
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no white smoke, no oil catch can, coolant is not milky its just loosing coolent, and the oil cap is the only thing milky
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Old 11-15-2009, 04:16 PM
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losing coolant

Quote:
Originally Posted by rhcp4life View Post
no white smoke, no oil catch can, coolant is not milky its just loosing coolent, and the oil cap is the only thing milky
Is there a build up of coolant on the heat shield under the expansion tank?

My 03 MCS was losing coolant by dripping on the heat shield. Thinking it was the hose clamp on the underside of the tank, I changed it out but I still kept loosing coolant.
I then removed the tank and inspected it, and found that the horizontal seam was leaking on the firewall side of the tank. I changed out the tank and have not had any problems since.

Hope it helps.
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  #14  
Old 11-15-2009, 05:15 PM
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^ I think zeus just nailed it. I think your oil cap "residue" is normal, I wouldn't worry about it. Check the coolant tank, there was a recall on the 03's, if yours is white then it needs to be replaced, the newer one is kind of grey. I had mine replaced back when I was in warranty, and the new one leaked too. I ended up getting a stainless steel one. The other thing to check is the coolant cap, mine died about a year ago. It would just loose a litte coolant at a time - so it was hard to notice unless you checked it regularly. You would see a little coolant on top of the tank (just under the cap) if you checked it just after driving it.

Good luck - I still don't think you have any head damage.

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Last edited by xsmini : 11-15-2009 at 05:18 PM. Reason: spelling
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Old 11-15-2009, 05:17 PM
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just did the head rebuild because of a blown head gasket....expensive it was and i did all the labor. about a grand plus labor. I went for bigger valves while i was at it. mine was only over heating when i went up hill or raced around,no smoke, no oil in rad or water in oil. so get ready !
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Old 11-16-2009, 11:49 AM
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so the mechanic told me today it was the water pump and that i would also need a new thermostat, he also said my rear control arms were cracked and they need to be replaced and that its not safe to drive...
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  #17  
Old 11-16-2009, 12:07 PM
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It is a mechanic with mini experance right?
Sometimes the overheating can be due to excessive wear on the gears where the waterpump+supercharger connect. If he is saying it is the waterpump...is it because the pump-seal is bad and it is weeping? Doing a new thermostat at the sametime is a good thing. As for the low oil....had it been a while since you checked it? Or was it sudden? If it is just the waterpump.....what happened to the oil? Maybe you did burn a bit....is there evidance of a leak? I' m not doubting you mechanic, just making sure you ask the right questions so it gets fixed the first time.
PS... If it is the waterpump/supercharger gears....you can get a rebuild, including those gears from a few vendors, incuding supercharger tech...in old town fl....seem to be the cheapest way to go...about $500.
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Old 11-16-2009, 01:39 PM
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I wonder if there's any merit to replacing the supercharger with the water pump. Supposedly the superchargers last to around 100,000 miles so you've probably got a couple years left, but I expect there's a lot of labor involved and most of it would be done for the water pump. I think it's worth asking at least. (I'm curious about it anyway!)

You could consider getting some H-Sport adjustable control arms as long as you need to get replacements. Not sure what the stock pieces go for, but H-Sports are about $240/pair. If your car is lowered, you should have them anyway. If not, you'll be set for when you do lower it.

Also: Very sorry about your bad news!
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Last edited by bee1000n : 11-16-2009 at 01:41 PM. Reason: I feel your pain.
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Old 11-16-2009, 08:52 PM
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I think he is talking about the front lower control arm bushing . almost everyone with 75k on their car who drives like i do ,has worn out lower control arm bushings .replaced it with a poly bushing and i love it ! I too rebuilt the supercharger ( changed the Oil and changed the fiber disk) and checked the water pump . My radiator guy told me it was the water pump and thermostat. changed the thermostat 3 times and took the supercharge off 4 times.It was a warped head and blown head gasket! should have just bought the 500 buck rebuilt head on ebay and called it good.
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