Well I'm new to the forums here, but there is one common trend that I have been reading about in all these forums. Its the infamous coolant problems. I live in a warm climate, average temperatures in the summer are around 120 degrees. My airconditioning has been running all summer. The coolant in my resivoir went kind of fast and i excused it because it was hot. I recently had the whole system flushed and refilled. Now whenever i turn on the AC and its cool outside, i go through a whole resivoir of coolant every couple of days. I refill the resivoir and bleed the air out of the system as well but nothing seems to work. Does anyone have any ideas outside of taking my mini into the dealer?

 

Your radiator tank is probably leaking..... There are 2 versions...a white/light colored one prone to leaking along the seam, and a yellowish/semi opaque version that is the improved version. The newer ones still fail, but take MUCH longer to fail. Look at the seams of the tank.....if there is a whitish residue, you probably found you problem. It will cost you about 30$ and 10 minutes or so to do the swap.
Good luck.....the other possibilites are definately not as easy or as common.

 

Thanks for the input. I know i have a white radiator. The odd thing is that i paid the mechanic to look over the entire system for leaks. Nothing was reported. Ill have to take a look at it myself. The other remark i have about the whole problem is now I am witnessing the coolant level dissappearing slower now that i don't run the AC all the time. But its still a problem. I'll check it out tomorrow and let you know what I see. Thanks again.

 

It only takes a pinhole leak in seam....the a/c is a seperate system...only commonality is they both have seperate radiators and are both used when hot. It is a very specific problem, and nonmini guys generaly will not catch it. Good luck.

 

Hi guys/gals:

I have the same issue with my '05 coupe. It never happened until this year (I have the yellow reservoir by the way). Now given I live in the tropics and it's 90+ even now in October, my MINI has never gone through coolant like it does now.

I don't see any visible leaking, but I'm refilling the reservoir at least every 2 weeks or so. I've sometimes even had my over-temp light come on at stoplights, plus the fan runs sometime with the car off...

Any ideas? It's due for it's oil service soon, I guess I'll have my MINI mechanic look at it when I take it in.

 

Make sure yor oil looks ok.... If it is creamy...then you might be loosing it into you oil..maybe a head gasket?
If the oil level is ok/ looks normal some folks have had some leaks aount the thermostat housing...also check the area around the waterpump....when the seal is worn on the shaft, a weaphole begins to show you a minor leak...a warning of sorts that it is on the way out.
During the summer the cooling is highly taxed, and any weakness will become apparent. Good luck, and a reminder MINI/BMW coolant is blue.... Use it IMO.

 

The over-temp light at the stop light is troubling. I hope when at idle you don't hear a clanking/chains dragging sound... Not to get you worked up over nothing....bit if you do it might be the waterpump/supercharger gears wearing down..lot of threads on it..

 

BigGuyLittleCar,
What year is your Mini? Is it an S or non-S?
The 2006 and I believe the 2005 MCS cars have a very common problem with the thermostat housing leaking. It is frequently hard to notice the leak. Mine would only leave a little puddle at night and I only noticed because I park in the garage in the same spot every night. If it is leaking, you will see white residue or coolant puddled near the thermostat housing but it is a little hard to see down by the housing.

 

I had the thermostat housing leak on my '06 recently. The dealer was able to find it, but I could never really figure out that there was even a leak. All I knew was that coolant was disappearing!

 

One way to check for leaks is to put a big sheet of paper under the car for the night. In the morning look for spots and their color. That is how I found my thermostat leak. The dealer fixed it under warranty. I told them what to look for. Not sure if that helped or not.