I don't know how to ask this without feeling stupid, so here I go. On the MC there is a cap directly to the right of the engine, I though it was a radiator cap? On the MCS, there is no cap here. It is not named in the manual, and I cannot remember what it is and why the MCS does not have one. Maybe it is the wine speaking, or maybe i just do not know enought about cars except how to drive them. Thanks.

 

Maybe it is not a stupid question if it has had 54 views and no answer. Or maybe it is so stupid that no one wants to answer. Or maybe I don't make sense. Anyone?

 

Any pics? That may help people see what you are looking at?

 

Hi there...

Sorry for not seeing your post earlier

Anyway it's the coolant expansion tank release cap.....

Have a great weekend.

peter
Team M7
562-608-8123

 

I went and looked on my Cooper. Yeah, what he said.

 

Thanks guys, that makes sense, but where is this on the MCS then?

 

On top of the coolant tank, where else?

 

Mid-bay, behind the engine....right above the exhaust header.

 

It usually has some white stuff around it from coolant that's "escaped" from the tank and fryed on your exhaust heat shield.

 

Here's a picture of mine from this past summer. Since this is a coolant expansion tank, is it normal to have what looks like coolant having expanded out of the top? Even though mine's an 05 MC, I recall (no pun intended) that a cracked expansion tank was an issue on earlier models.

 

Nope, the one in the pic above is not the cap I am talking about. But I found a pic. The cap that I am talking about is the chrome one to the right of the middle dog. Wierd description, I know. So what is this and where is it on the MCS?

 

Anyone? Sorry to be so antsy, this has been boggling me.

 

Sorry I dont know, let me go put some dogs in my MCS and I will see if I can find it.

 

1 vote "radiator coolant expansion tank" or "middle dog waste outlet tube"

it kinda looks like the pic in the mini maintence manual for the reg cooper.... I have an S , so can't go spot-on check for you.

 

The oil filler cap is actually under the middle dogs butt. This one is different.

 

I'd second the oil cap suggestion. In your picture I see two chrome caps. I believe the one to the right of the middle dog is for the oil and the one at their rear is the coolant expansion tank. (That's what I recall from my MC)

I just checked my MCS and its oil cap is behind the intercooler, much closer to the coolant expansion tank.

 

If your putting coolant in that tank, you got problems. I'm pretty positive that is where the power steering fluid goes. The black one, not the clear tank. The clear tank is the expansion tank.

 

I really wish I had a dogless picture. There is actually another cap under the dog, which cannot be seen in this picture, which I thought was the oil cap. It is attached to the engine. The cap in question shown to the right of the middle dog is on a tube separate from the engine. Unless someone else has a dogless pic, I may just be perplexed until I take a new pic and post it. Or if anyone has their manual handy, it is shown but not named in the MC engine bay diagram.

 

Haven't had to add any fluids yet so I think I'm OK (for now ). But is it normal for the black tank to have some overflow? BTW, this is the same as the tank behind the middle dog's posterior in the above pic.

 

Yes, that is the power steering tank, and the same one as in the dog pic behind the middle dogs right butt. I should really ask more questions and then only post ridiculous pictures for discussion, just to hear everyone's strange references in their explanations.

 

my old cooper and my new S

you can clearly see that either the cap isnt there on an S or, its covered by the IC.

i dont remember correctly, but i think it had something to do with oil, judging from the symbol on the cap.

 

Not-so-redinwhitecooper, you rock. OK, so the cap in question was the one between the engine, intake and battery (next to the red tube), which is missing from the MCS engine bay, unless it is covered by the IC as mentioned. So does anyone know what this is and if the MSC has one and its covered or if its missing and why? Now we are getting somewhere, no distracting dogs.

 

I know you wan't to keep this thread going buuuuuuuuut.....

It's the coolant expansion tank release cap .

peter
Team M7
562-608-8123

 

Well Peter you sound like you knows what you are talking about, so if you could tell me if it exists on the MCS or not and where, I would be glad to kill the thread. (I was a bit confused when someone posted the power steering fluid tank pic and said that that was the coolant expansion tank). Thanks Peter.

 

Yeah I'm bored watching TV with the wife unit

The MCS does have an expansion tank, it's the one attached to the firewall
(big white bottle) above the exhaust header.
I hope that put this issue to bed

peter