Hey Everyone! I'm new to this and excited to learn... I own a 2004 Cooper S and am in love with it. I'm having some issues with it and would appreciate any help I can get. Here's the diagnosis....

Coolant tank is empty (just refilled 2 days ago), no external leaks.
Cylinder 4 is misfiring.
Oil cap removed. Evidence of oil and coolant mixing.
All 4 spark plugs removed, found liquid in cylinders 2 and 4, both spark plugs were wet.
With pressure applied, found coolant dripping down on top of piston.

Before my dad, husband and me begin taking the cylinder head off I figured I'd check and see if anyone here has an idea or has dealt with anything similar.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

Sounds like a blown head gasket.

 

+1 on the head gasket. Hopefully the head isn't warped from overheating.

 

That's what I was afraid of... Thanks for your help... stay tuned, I'm sure I'll have more questions as I dig deeper

 

I'd do a compression and leak down test before taking it apart. That way you can ensure it's just the head, or know if it is a bottom end problem so you know what you will need.

 

Hi grey! Welcome, and sorry to hear about the problems. Please let us know if we can help. I have an '04 Cooper S myself and just love it. Let us know how things go and post some pix if you can.

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.

 

That is a head gasket for sure.

 

Ok next question... I'll have to at least order a new head gasket, any recommendations? My husband has bought parts off amazon and ebay for spark plugs and brakes... a head gasket sounds like a lot of mula so I want to make sure I get the best bang for my buck for my lovely little mini to get her back up and running...

(sorry for all the questions, it's my first time working on my mini so I appreciate and welcome all the advice and help I can get)

 

I've always used the brand felpro on all my other cars (non mini). I'm new to mini as of July so I'll not sure if felpro is still top choice or if there are other brands more suited to mini. And it should be be bad should be able to get it for $50 or less. But when you remove the head I do recommend taking it to a machine shop and making sure it is not warped. If it is a little and don't get it machined it will blow another head gasket before u know it.

 

Thank you! I'll start looking for a machine shop now... You guys are great!

 

Buying a cheap part may not be cheap in the end. There is a lot of labor involved in this fix & I'm sure you only want to do it once. I'd buy an OEM gasket set from the dealer. But I'd call the good folks at Detroit Tuned ask their recommendation first, Chad knows these cars very well.

http://http://www.detroittuned.com/

 

How's it going? Are you doing the head gasket?

 

I'm not a fan of the felpro head gaskets, they are so stiff I don't like them flexing with the head or lack of. I know other racers that have had this issue with felpro head gaskets too so I don't install them as the labor is too much to redo just to save a couple bucks.
I do keep the OE gaskets in stock though