A few days ago my mini's fan stopped shutting off when I shut her off. It will stay on for about 5 minutes or so, and then shut off after I've already gone into the house/work/etc. Is this something they do in extreme heat? Or is this a problem I should get checked out?

Thanks!

 

Yes, it is not uncommon for the fan to stay on for a bit after you shut the car off....mine stays of for about 30 seconds after the 2 mile, 20 mph, crawl into my neighborhood. On a really hot day with a/c and a crawl, it might stay on a couple of minutes. If it stays on for an hour or more, you have a serious problem (mine just cost me over $500 on the 02)

However, if your 'performance' has changed the first thing I'd look at is your coolant level.......if u'r in Orlando proper, DownTown ain't that far away...

 

Thanks a bunch! I'll keep an eye on it, and check my fluids.

 

If this problem just started, it might be symptomatic of something going bad with the cooling system causing it to run hotter than normal. Check your coolant level after she cools down. If it's low you need to fill it back up. If this is the problem, get the car into the dealer to check for leaks. Have you smelled any antifreeze right after stopping the car or while standing at a stoplight? The dealer will actually suggest that you have the car flat towed to them if you suspect a leak because the head can warp so easily.

 

double post.

 

I's say it's the heat. If the fluid level is OK and it stops after 5 minutes I doubt you have a problem.

 

as mentioned above, it's normal in the heat

 

My car does it too. It definitely gets hot in central florida lol. I took it to downtown mini and they said my low speed fan was actually broken but as long as the high speed was working they said not to worry about it but quoted me i think $500 to fix.

 

Checked my fluid levels this morning and they were non-existent So, I took her to Downtown Mini, and it turned out to be the thermostat that had gone bad. She is also getting a brand new transmission, and all under warranty. Thanks for all the input everyone! With mini's being so different from other cars it is awesome to have a great group of people to pose these queries to.

 

I had the problem with my fan not shutting off, and did lots of research on here one night. I found the answers around 11:30PM, and unplugged the fan circuit overnight (egg-shaped connection at upper right of radiator on the '02 R50). I started the car the next morning, re-plugged the circuit, and went to my favorite local Mini repair guys (Terry Sayther Automotive ) The fan relay had blown, and for some reason when it blows, it stays on all the time and even pulling the fuses will not shut it down. I have an after-market extended warranty, which covered the repair. They put in a whole new fan, relay included. Much nicer, as it shuts off like it should!

 

mine did that a few days ago and thought something was wrong then i remembered my benz also did that

 

I also forgot to add that Downtown Mini rocks! Everyone there is super nice, the service was quick, and the part I liked the most was that I didn't get talked to like a girl who didn't know what she was talking about when I brought her in for service. Thanks guys!

 

Hi rlandrews......for others searching out the problem,..I think what happens is the fan motor resistor goes bad, keeping the fans on all the time,....or even possibly not working at all. The resistor is only available with fan motor assembly.
This is one common problem,,....I suspect there may be others/with different scenarios.

Steve

 

At at a dealer, about $700 repair...wanna guess how I know sadly mine was closely followed by a failed A/C compressor...adding another $1500

hasn't been a good month for the 02....

 

I understand the thermostat ( Maybe....) but a New Tranny billed to BMW ? Why did they say you needed a new transmission ? ? ?

 

I could only understand a connection between the 2 issues if it's an automatic tranny. It could have overheated (this logic is still a stretch, though).

 

my radiator fan is staying on way too long. I had to pull the 50 amp fuse to shut it off before the battery went dead (temp gauge said all was cool, and yes fluids were fine). Several hours later when I plugged the fuse back in to drive, the fan came right back on. Must be a sensor or similar gone bad, any one else experienced same?

 

It is most likely a bad relay. You can check this out by swapping out the fan relay with another identical one (there are 4 or 5 of theses one inch green cubes) in the main fuse box under the bonnet.

 

My wife's 2003 Indi Blue Mini fan would not shut off either. I unplugged the connections to turn it off and took it to the dealer. Fan was toast along with the thermostat. About $650.00 to fix. The fan will stay on until the battery dies in this situation. All of them stay on for a short period of time in the hot weather, but if it stays on over 10 minutes, I would think you have a problem. My new clubmanS stays on for about a minute and then shuts down. Gawd, I love that car!

 

my car did this same problem, only my fans would run untill the battery died. a new fan assembly fixed the problem.

 

I'm disproved

 

Yep,

Bad relay. Cost a whole $17.17 at my local BMW dealership. Hmm, gonna have to find another acronym as Broke My Wallet just didn't happen on this one. Oh well, there's always next time. (As I had stated in my original post, the temp and fluid levels were fine - BTW I replaced the radiator header tank several years ago, when it was the source of fluid loss.)

 

My '02 just did that too. I found a post in MINI2 forum where tapping the fan speed regulator fixes the problem. I tapped it w/ a screwdriver handle, plugged the 50A fuse and it worked. The fan stopped running constantly.

Btw, the fan speed regulator is that little box on the left side of the fan that says "Gate" on it. Not sure how long the fix will last but a least I didn't have to buy a new fan assembly right away.

 

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