After a recent oil change, the shop said I was low on coolant. For some time after using the car and turning it off I have been hearing a sizzling type noise (not sure how else to describe) and thinking it was radiator related (front driver side of engine bay) I looked high and low and find no leaks anywhere. Does anyone have a thought?

 

How about the thermostat housing? They have been known to leak coolant from time to time.

 

+1

 

Unfortunately when the thermostats first start to leak, they will leak a fine mist of coolant that in the process of driving will be blown away from airflow and not accumulate on the top of the transmission or leak down the side of the engine block, places that will show coolant if the leak is major.

 

Known recall item. Had this fixed at the dealer a few weeks ago.

 

Since when has the thermostat been a recall item?

 

????????

 

Is it an official recall? It's an 08 with 62k. Prefer not to have the stealership charge me an arm and a leg

 

There was a recall on certain years ( Gen 2 ) Cooper S and JCW for the auxiliary water pump Part # 11537630368 . Its on the turbo engines. It sets in-front of the transmission and can be heard running a little after you shut the MINI down on the driver side near the front grille, it will buzz a little, then shut off. Check out this thread. Its called the additional water pump or auxiliary water pump. Your MINI dealership can run the VIN to see if the part has been replaced with the newest version.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...8-no-heat.html

The main thermostat housing up near the side of the engine on the driver side is the best place to check for leaks among others. There is also a link on how to do the thermostat housing DIY. See link above for that also.

Thanks

 

Another easy check is to remove the coolant tank, and check for cracks on the bottom of the tank. Just remove the screw on the rad support (like for an oil change) and pivot the tank around to look for evidence of a leak. I had this leak, and didn't ever see coolant on the garage floor.

Grab a flashlight and look under the air inlet pipe near the driver side of the engine. If you see any blue or greenish stains on the top of the transmission (aluminum casting with deep ribs), then this is evidence that the thermostat is leaking. The thermostat is mounted in the side of the engine, where all of the hoses connect.

Both of these are not bad to change, there are how-to's posted, if you are comfortable getting into this type of work. There is a really good chance that one or both of these areas are leaking on your car, based on age.

ECS is a great source for these parts, both are less than $100 each, and significantly cheaper than the dealership.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Since I took it to the dealer a few weeks ago and was told so. This is on an N18 engine. They may not replace it until it starts to leak.

 

While I'm not doubting you, dealers have been known to screw up information before. Doing a casual search on here, MA, and Google turns up no recall for the thermostats, only a TSB for the N18 motors because of a problem with the chip giving false readings of overheating. If yours was replaced free, it was probably because it was under warranty.

Otherwise the only thing that had a recall related to the cooling system is the aux water pump for the turbo that was recalled due to a fire risk.