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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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2003 DS/B MCS, Alta CIA, TSW engine damper, Craven STD's, Custom sub & amp enclosure, Blacked out Belt line Headlight rings Gas cap and Side repeaters, XENONS, Led door handle mod! Blue led gauge swap.
it is an 03 MCs with 80,000 i use mobile one full synthetic
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2003 DS/B MCS, Alta CIA, TSW engine damper, Craven STD's, Custom sub & amp enclosure, Blacked out Belt line Headlight rings Gas cap and Side repeaters, XENONS, Led door handle mod! Blue led gauge swap.
it is getting in the shop soon
any suggestions on after market heads or gaskets?
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2003 DS/B MCS, Alta CIA, TSW engine damper, Craven STD's, Custom sub & amp enclosure, Blacked out Belt line Headlight rings Gas cap and Side repeaters, XENONS, Led door handle mod! Blue led gauge swap.
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2003 DS/B MCS, Alta CIA, TSW engine damper, Craven STD's, Custom sub & amp enclosure, Blacked out Belt line Headlight rings Gas cap and Side repeaters, XENONS, Led door handle mod! Blue led gauge swap.
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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l 2005 MCS l 11-04 Production l owned since new l Craven -17% Pulley l Craven Speed STD l Dinan CAI l JCW 380's l kingsbornewires l MSD Ignition l Power Steering Fan Duct l Ian Cull's Auto-Up Circuit l LightInSight l Official MINI Armrest l Euro Parcel Shelf l Brake Light PULSAR(gen2)l Power Steering Fan Duct l MyMINI-Minspeed.net Knee pad l Detroit Tuned Tensioner Stop l LED interior dome light l Blitzsafe/xmradiol Exaust and Sway-bar to Go!!
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.
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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04 MCS Indi Blue, Auto Climate Control,Cruise Control, Heated Seats, Nav, Carbon Fiber Wrapped Dash and Door Panels, MFSW to Alpine with Sirius Radio and IPod/ Blackberry Connect, Blue LED Speedo and Tach,LED Dome and Footwell lighting, Front and Rear Fog Lights, Rear Stone Guards,Sports Package with DSC, M7 Extreme Hood Scoop, M7 Air Diverter, 15% Helix Pulley, Helix CAI, Scanguage II, Passport GT2 Performance Computer, Bell RX65, 17s S Lites, Sport Edition F7s for Winter
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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2003 DS/B MCS, Alta CIA, TSW engine damper, Craven STD's, Custom sub & amp enclosure, Blacked out Belt line Headlight rings Gas cap and Side repeaters, XENONS, Led door handle mod! Blue led gauge swap.
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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Hers: 06 MCS Hyper Blue, K&N CAI, 17" BBS wheels. She would love to Aero kit it.
^ 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.
Nik
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2003 LY/W Cooper S w/ 214,000+ Miles
& 1 Classic
Last edited by xsmini : 11-15-2009 at 05:18 PM.
Reason: spelling
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 !
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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2003 DS/B MCS, Alta CIA, TSW engine damper, Craven STD's, Custom sub & amp enclosure, Blacked out Belt line Headlight rings Gas cap and Side repeaters, XENONS, Led door handle mod! Blue led gauge swap.
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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l 2005 MCS l 11-04 Production l owned since new l Craven -17% Pulley l Craven Speed STD l Dinan CAI l JCW 380's l kingsbornewires l MSD Ignition l Power Steering Fan Duct l Ian Cull's Auto-Up Circuit l LightInSight l Official MINI Armrest l Euro Parcel Shelf l Brake Light PULSAR(gen2)l Power Steering Fan Duct l MyMINI-Minspeed.net Knee pad l Detroit Tuned Tensioner Stop l LED interior dome light l Blitzsafe/xmradiol Exaust and Sway-bar to Go!!
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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A car is safe in a garage, but that is not what cars are for.
Last edited by bee1000n : 11-16-2009 at 01:41 PM.
Reason: I feel your pain.
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.