It's happened twice during the past 3 days now ...
Sitting in traffic, OAT at 88-92, and A/C on. Temp. gauge slowly starts climbing - a/c blowing warm air. Both times, just before pegging the needle I was able to get moving again and, after a short time at 30 mph or above, the needle headed down to normal. No blinking a/c light and no CEL.
After searching here I checked the fuses (all of 'em, incl power steering) and they were just fine. I then tried to re-create the problem and determined that the fan was not coming on. So its not a huge hassle - at least I can drive the car - I just need to make sure I don't get trapped in traffic! MINI dealer suggests that I drop the car off and they'll - somehow - sometime - work it in. Not much consolation when the dealer is almost 50 miles away and its my only car.
I'm sure that these fans can fail WITHOUT the power steering pump issue but I'm just curious how common it is. Mine is an early '05 MCS with 7k miles.

 

dumb question, but did you check the coolant level?

 

Could also be a faulty thermostat.

 

My fan failed last year on my '02 MCS, but failed in the opposite manner - it would run all the time, even with the car turned off! I had to unplug it from the wiring harness so the battery wouldn't run down. The dealer replaced the fan subsystem -- evidently there are some embedded electronics in the fan itself that can fail.

 

Coolant level is fine - and has not been overfilled.
Thermotstat - well, that's another story. About 6 weeks ago I went through another overheating issue. Almost the same - except that the fan was working. Dealer determined that the thermostat was bad, replaced it and everything has been golden ever since.
Seems clear to me that the fan has failed - just curious how common this is.

 

I’ve had a lot of thermo switches fail and never had the fan motor fail (non MINIs). I believe the MINI has as temperature sensor and fan relay. I vote for the failure of one of these components rather than the fan motor.

 

Thanks NealW. I'll report after the dealer has checked it out.

 

What does the blinking A/C light mean? I had an overheating problem. The a/c light blinks now after about 35 seconds when I'm at idle. I just shut it off before anything bad happens.

 

The electric cooling fan isn't on the same circuit as the PS pump now (starting sometime in 04 production I think) so they're no longer related. You may have a loose connector somewhere or a sticking fan relay. The fan should alwys come on with the A/C no matter what the engine temp. Dealer should be able to figure it out.

Neil
05 MCS

 

I am having problems with my 2002 MCS. The fan seems to work fine and keeps the engine cool but if it is running when I turn the car off it will stay running. I have come out 15 minutes after turning the car off and the fan is still on. The funny part is, I can turn the car on and then shut it off and the fan will turn itself off.

The dealer tells me the they will replace the fan when I bring it in.

Alec

 

Fixed. 5-amp fuse.

 

Turner Motor Sports recommends the installation of a 160 degree thermostat. I installed one on my 2005 JCW MCS and it seems to work great. I was in Palm Springs (110 degrees) with air on and it didn't go over about 180. It has not thrown any fault codes. This might be a solution.

 

Check to see that the fan is plugged in. Seems simple enough, I know...but after my inspection #2 my car overheated twice in one week - fan never kicked on. (once at the MINI meet in OH). Found out the dealership must have unplugged the fan and not plugged it back in. The plug is sitting on top of the engine on the front right side. Wiggle it, push it, etc to see if the fan turns on. Good luck

 

Where did you find a 160 degree thermostat? My dealer gave me the dumb look of a trapped animal when I asked about one.

 

Turner Motorsports (turnermotorsport.com) has them ($44.95). They are probably a special order item made for the Mini. Tell the dealer if you want them to install it that John Cooper Works states that this thermostat will work with no problems and should not void any warranty. Mine has worked great. Another suggestion for keeping Mini or any other car cooler is the use of Red Line's Water Wetter. I've used it for years and seems to keep my cars 10-15 degrees cooler. I need that in the heat of Southern California.

 

i just had the same overheating thing happen to me last week. The AC went hot, and I pulled over, and coolant started spilling out, etc.


I had the dealership replace the fuse and the fan. They tested the fan and said that it's motor blew. Everything is cool now.

 

Watch out with cold thermostats. It's alright in the heat but if you ever get into weather close to or below freezing, you might run into trouble. The MCS uses the coolant to cool the oil and oil needs to be close to 212 degrees to burn off the water and contaminants. A couple manufacturers make 180 degree thermostats and even they don't recommend using them in cold climates.