Recently I've noticed this winter that my heat really doesn't kick in like it used to. When I first got the car, it worked good, and now this year it's gotten to the point where it blows cool when it's below 29 degrees... I've topped off the coolant with the BMW brand because it was low at first, and days later its still blowing cool... Sometimes it'll warm up but not very often. Any advice? Thanks

 

you're in Florida! You don't need heat!

How low did the coolant get? You might have an air bubble preventing flow to the heater lines. You might want to find a MINI savvy mechanic and have them bleed the system. GEN1 S is kinda tuff to bleed properly.

You might find a local owner with the expertise by a) identifying your town and/or b) checking http://www.sunshineminis.org/forums/index.php?style=2

 

You added coolant, but was it ever changed?
the heater core might be plugged.....rust, etc bulids up in a coolant system when the fluid is not changed regularly, and tge lowest point in thw systen, with the narrowest tubes/passages is the heater core....
Might be able to flush it, but many suggest new. Check the engine temp with a scanguage, etc to check for a stuck thermosts first, and mayve bleed it just incase you have an airbubble.

 

Yes it was fully flushed around thanksgiving time, heat worked and all of a sudden stopped working like last week

 

Lol I'm in sc right now, last night it got down to like 25 and it sucked driving all the way home with no heat that feels like Ac

 

Well the reservoir leaks sometimes, but recently it's been holding, the lowest it got was to where the reservoir was empty, but that was a while ago.

 

who flushed it?

I'm still guessing it was improperly bled

did they know there are 2 coolant bleed points on the top end of the GEN1 S cooling system?

btw - GEN1 S colant res' - ever been replaced? They only last about 4 years then the seam splits and they leak.



this one is leaking from the back side - the side against the firewall. It was the second one I'd put in this car.

 

Here is my reservoir.. And I had it done at a shop. Yes I would imagine so, as I could see that the points were opened when I first got the car back from him... I could see where they had been taken off

 

I have exactly the same symptoms...but am in Canada and freezing.

I'll be watching to see what you find out.
(2008 clubman - non S)

 

I dunno if it the source of your problem

but IMO those tanks are toasted and need to be replaced.

and THEN the system properly bled

 

It's the heater core

 

Your replaced tank looks like it's leaking again. Wipe the tank seam down and the whole thing then check it after a heat cycle. Your power steering bracket is missing a M6 nyloc nut/washer too.

Jeremy

 

It is also possible the thermostat is stuck open. Check the upper radiator hose when the car is at operating temp. It should just about be too hot to touch if everything is working properly. If you can comfortably grip it, I would go with that first, before diagnosing it as a heater core.
Let us know what you find.

Also another point - If you ever had green coolant mixed with factory, that can cause the coolant to turn into a jelly and block everything. Even when doing a coolant flush, this can stay behind and cause your heater core to be blocked. Just a thought, but I would check the temp on the hoses first.

 

Lol that's the stock bottle at 101k... What nut are you talking about?

 

OH! That nut! There's a funny story behind that thing being missing lol

 

101K that's pretty good then! Did you replace your heater core then? I'm dreading when I have to do that.

Jeremy

 

Yup. Pretty sure that's what happened. In feb 2011 I bought the car with orange coolant in it. Eventually an oil leak developed from the o rings on the oil cooler, and it turned out that there was play doh like substance in all nearly all the lines. That's been fixed, and the heat worked, albeit not as hot as when I first got it... And it worked up until like Christmas Eve, when it blew cool... Every now and then it blows warm, but only if you turn it off and wait like 5 minutes.

 

Ill also check that hose

 

Heater core hasn't been replaced, but from what I heard it is rather easy

 

Ok so I felt the hose, sure enough I can comfortably grab it after driving it about 15 minutes. Does this mean the thermostat is done, or could the radiator be blocked as well?

 

You might wanna check this out http://www.parts4euro.com/DCShop/ind...fd50ae3b941552

 

Mine turned out to be a thermostat. It's a 2008 with 65,00 kms.

 

Good to hear yours is working again, but just so you realize, your car, according to your signature, a 2008 clubman, is a VERY different car...different motor, etc, so posts in the gen2 section might be more useful for you.

 

Yea I think I'm going to check or replace my thermostat first and check coolant hoses for possible blockage

 

Hey guys quick question.

Are the hoses to the heater core, the interior hoses, supposed to be hot when the heat is on? I felt mine, the inside ones behind the kick panel, they felt like hard lines and they weren't hot...
Any answers?