So I'd imagine this is a MINI thing but my engine runs WAY hot. I've never had a car that ran so hot normally and the fan on this thing makes it sound like a turbine engine is under the bonnet. I was wondering if there were any ideas to maybe make it run cooler with maybe a better radiator setup or just something in general that would upscale the cooling and down size the amount of sound that comes from the cooling fan?

Ideas?

 

M7 tuning makes an aerogel blanket that cuts engine compartment by 40 degrees. as far as the fan I think that is a MINI signature.

 

Some vendor makes a thermostat with a different opening point, set to 180ºF.

 

With the 180F does it throw a CEL.

 

I have not heard that it does. I should note that I do not have one of these, since I need the stock thermostat due to cold winters here.

 

What is the stock thermostat temp?

 

If the fan is coming on the t-stat won't help.

Are you just complaining about the fan noise or is it coming on to often?

What makes you think it is running to hot?

 

I'm pretty sure the stock thermostat opens at 200ºF.

 

Well I don't think it's running "too hot" for the coop. It has to be running at the temp is supposed to but I'm saying I've just never owned a car that ran as hot normally as this one does. If I'm out driving and then open my hood its kinda hard for me to look at the engine for too long because it's so hot. lol I've never had that problem with my other cars before.

And as far as the fan is concerned I just didn't know if maybe a cooler thermostat would maybe help on the workload of the fan = quieter fan.

 

Perhaps it would not be a bad idea to get the coolant flushed and changed. I suspect it has been a while since it was done, if ever.

 

At least a year (when i got it) I've kept up on coolant levels but haven't flushed it. Prob not a bad idea.

 

I think the stock thermostat is 190. That also seems to be the temp. mine normally runs.

 

Yeah, according my to scangauge, coolant temps will stay in the 197-200F range with the A/C on. With it off, it'll let it creep up a bit higher.

 

To get back to the OP's question:

to help cool it down i'd do a few things-
-get the air intakes that replace the two grills at the top of the hood.
-get a larger/more functional hood scoop
-look into a more effective cooling option (new intercooler, air diverted)
-IIRC m7 makes an air diverter that forces the air to stay low and go into the radiator, and not up the inside of the hood. it bolts on the rad support where a typical car would have its hood latch.
these mods will help pull more cold outside air into the engine bay.

taking it a step further-
look into a Hondata gasket. these are made for the s2000's and other hondas. its a layer of some composite plastic that replaces the gasket between the head and the inatake manifold.
this helps prevent some heat soak from the head to the intake area.
it may not lower you actual engine bay temps, but it will DEFINATELY lower your intake temps (much more important)
you would have to make your own though. i've beek looking into doing just so, but have many other projects lined up right now.


someone please correct me if something like this already exists for the mini... i haven't been able to find it.

 

to help cool it down i'd do a few things-
-get the air intakes that replace the two grills at the top of the hood.

This does nothing for under hood temps. This only gets air into the cowl area.

-get a larger/more functional hood scoop

-look into a more effective cooling option (new intercooler, air diverted)


This is a Just-a-Cooper.

-IIRC m7 makes an air diverter that forces the air to stay low and go into the radiator, and not up the inside of the hood. it bolts on the rad support where a typical car would have its hood latch.
these mods will help pull more cold outside air into the engine bay.


The complaint is that the engine runs "hotter" than other cars the OP has had. I don't believe this is the case. I think the OP is simply experiencing the heat generated by an engine that doesn't have a lot of extra room under the hood to help with the cool off after shut down. While driving, the MINI is actually very well ventilated as shown by numerous threads dealing with intake temps.

 

Who sells the air intakes that replaces the grilles on the hood?

 

I think he was refering to the cowl vent air scoops.

 

Oil cooler... Was enough for old Porsches all by itself.

 

This is what I'm talking about. I was just wondering if the heat I was experiencing coming off the engine was supposed to be as hot as it is, the engine FEELS hotter than it should (to me) when I open the bonnet but after checking its normal running temp I've determined that it's just fine.

I'm used to a V8 with all sorts of room around it in the engine bay to help disperse the heat coming off the engine.

 

 

i've owned a few tight engine bayed cars...
300zx (z32), s2000, mini...
they take FOREVER to cool off.

my swapped honda on the other hand, stripped engine bay, big aluminum rad... was cool in minutes.

 

If you want to look at it another way... A hot engine bay means that the engine itself is doing a good job of transferring heat to the air.

 

Try adding a wetting agent (sold at most auto suppy stores).

I did a quick google and found this:

http://stason.org/TULARC/vehicles/vw...tive-cool.html

 

smaller, more cramped engine bays take longer to cool off. its pretty standard on these types of cars. the only real way to address that is a vented hood but there really isn't a performance gain and its expensive.

 

I can say using the "water wetter" product found at most autopart stores works extremely well. I live in Tucson Az and the summer temps get up to 120F and being stuck in traffic going 30mph max really works the cooling system if your one who also likes to put work the A/C unit hard. So, needless to say my fan would kick on everyday and stay on for 10-15 min after I turned the car off. After I flushed the fluid and put 50/50 then added a bottle of "water wetter" my fan never comes on after I park her. Great product in my opinion.