Howdy guys. I have a 03 Cooper S that has just under 50,000 on the clock. I bought it last August. It's pretty great.

Last night, I left for work, and my wife texted me the photo below. Today I came home and the fluid had not dried. It is slightly greasy and - foolishly or not - I tasted it. It wasn't "sweet" per se but it wasn't instantly gross. Just neutral.

There are several spots near this one that have dried to a brownish orange color.

I then parked the car in the garage only to see that it was still dripping this fluid from underneath.

I worked a 10 hour night shift and then went for a workout, so at the moment I don't have a chance to jack this thing up and see what is going on underneath - it's time to get some sleep.

After talking to my former mechanic dad, my only guess right now is a head gasket leak, and this is oil mixed with coolant. With less than 50,000 on the clock, a head gasket leak would...displease me...but I've only had it for a few months so I don't know how it was treated before.

I'm in FoCo and a related thread just said that MINI of Loveland is backed up until Mid-May. Any recommendations on where else it could go? Somebody mentioned SCR.

Here's the photo of the spots:

 

Looks like rusty water, maybe?

 

Been running the a/c?!

 

The A/C hasn't been on at all in the last week or so due to the cooler temps. I works from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM - last summer I made it without A/C the whole time.

Like I said, the fluid is a bit greasy, but does eventually dry, as evidenced by some spots behind it.

Man, I'm sorta stumped. I only really have Fridays off in terms of weekdays, so I'm hoping I can get it in to somebody this week.

 

When cold, open the coolant tank...check the color and smell...might match.
2 common coolant leaks on the s is the coolant tank cracks/leaks on the seam..it is pressured, and the thermostat gasket...both tend to be very slow drip leaks.

 

In relation to the motor, where is the leak ending up on the ground?(driver's,pass,front,ect.)

 

Also of note...
The mini does NOT use long life coolant...
So often this is the most neglected item on the car...
Oem coolant is blue...
the car can be switched with a flush to other regular coolant, but i suggest sticking with oem/oem compatible coolant...
The color might be due to having been mixed with some wrong type universal coolant and a bit of age...but that is about the only type of fluid that is not a heavy petroleum/syenthic oil based fluid...

 

AH! Zippy, you just might have it.

The car was a bit short on coolant about...a month ago or so, I guess. I didn't know it takes a different kind, and put in "regular" green 50/50 mixed coolant.

If it was starting to leak already for some reason, that might account for the coloration.

Miniconcarne, the leak is in the center of the car, maybe 6-8 inches behind the front wheels. All I could see from my quick pre-sleep inspection was that it was running down the inside of what looked like a guard or heat shield.

This week I have the luxury of driving my wife's car in to work tonight for my "Friday". Unfortunately I have stuff cramming my calendar the other two days. Where I might normally get the car up on the jack stands and start looking around I think this one might have to just go straight to a shop, but I'm pretty curious - hence the post. I haven't had a car leak like this pretty much ever.

 

Check the coolant expansion tank (hoses in/out) real good, that may be the culprit based on were the leak is. These are prone to leak around the "seam" and will need to be replaced.

 

The car is old enough that it likly has the different coolant in it...important thing is to use more of what it had!! Imo For now keep the coolant filled to the max line, and monitor...when you have time just look around for the scource...the tank is a simple, cheap diy, the thermostat just a bit harder due to acess iand bleeding. Important thing is too keep the system filled up....when the coolant system gets low, a few airbubbles can get in, and cause overheating.....the color is interesting, but as long as you don't have a mix of the dexcool orange stuff and green/yellow/blue, everything should be fine. The dexcool stuff makes kinda like jello (when mixed) and is a different ph (acidity) than others.

 

Been there, done that. Coolant leaks aren't rare on these cars. If you confirm a coolant leak, I'd flush that system six ways to Sunday after repairing the leak.

 

Under ordinary circumstances I would be happy to do this work myself. I am not a mechanic at all but I enjoy figuring this stuff out and I can get some help.

However, the stuff cramming my calendar is a Master's class I have been taking. We're almost to finals, I have two papers due, and since work pays for the class I absolutely have to do as well as possible. The class is a bit ridiculous, but there you have it.

When I get a diagnosis, I'll post here. Sounds like these leaks are pretty common with the MINIs...?

 

The tank on the s is very common...it is preasureized....old ones were white...nwer ones, the revised one are kinda yelloish...
better, but most find they just take longer to leak...always along the seam...thermost gasket was also common...mini also revised the part with a newer/different material there, and seems to have fixed it...many were done under warrenty, but so mant mini's were low mile toys used on weekends, many cars never had these faults become apparent under warrenty.
As the oldest cars hit 10+ years, the older ones are starting to have radiator issues, but on a 10 year old part like a modern plastic radiator, that is kinda expected.
Big thing is just to know what is going on with the car...having cjecked your coolant level and oil, the two biggest things that could go wrong...coolant leak leading to ovetheating and a cracked head, or oil leak, leading to oil starvation, and seizure, both avoided. Simple 5 minutes or less a month item that could save $5000 and weeks of pain.
Pretty basic stuff, but some former honda/toyoda drivers are used to never looking under the hood...and when something goes boom....the threads can get interesting!! Just being involved and looking st your tires, oil and coolant/fluid levels can save so much from a relalibilty and cost standpoint, it is amazing so few folks do it!! Here most folks are into their cars, so they do...but the general population seems to turn on the key and drive....

 

Leaks on the R50/R53 in the early years are common. When you check the tank make sure you check for leaks around the water pump. When it goes it goes.

I like the suggestions you got to make sure to flush the system very well and use the proper fluid for the MINI. MINI spec. coolant.

I can say SCR could help you out, they are FoCo area.

Keep it topped up, if it overheats, head work is expensive, see the other thread.

Don

 

All right. My schedule cleared up when my "developmental autobiography" took less time to write than I thought it would.

It is indeed the coolant tank that is leaking. After reading around on the internet, it sounds like other people have managed to produce the same sort of sludge color by mixing the wrong coolant with the factory coolant.

I am surprised by the failure - it's a pretty poorly designed part. Threads and pipe junctures are supposed to fail, not the middle of a plastic tank. Further reading online on BMW forums show that they have this problem as well, which is disappointing.

Nonetheless, a replacement isn't expensive. I can get three OEM tanks for what one shiny aluminum tank would have cost, so the shiny was a no-go with the wife A quick swap and a thorough flush and I'll be in business.

Also, to defend myself a bit - I'm not normally the kind of person to just surrender the car to a mechanic, this is just a terrible time of year for this. I loved working on my WRX. Minor to medium mechanical stuff is actually pretty fun for me. But fluid leaks are no joke, so barring the time it took me to actually get down there and look (I didn't think I'd find the source in about 30 seconds) I wanted a repair sooner rather than later.

 

I take pride in doing everything on my car myself, but I have to respect your reasons. If you waited until a better time, damage may have resulted. I have a pickup truck that I can fall back on if I need to, otherwise trying to do everything myself (as a full time employee and part time student myself) would not always be possible. I also agree with the purchase of another plastic tank. It took 9 years for the first one to go.

 

Hey - I also wanted to give a shout out to SCR. I went there this morning after work to get the coolant. They were super friendly and knowledgeable, and after misquoting the price by a few dollars, they marked it down to reflect their error - very classy and I didn't expect it.

I also had a great experience with the online parts vendor who sent the coolant tank in record time. I understand we're sponsored by some people here and I don't want to step on their toes, but I still wanted to spew out some positivity (as opposed to anti-freeze! )