Hello all, newbie here (been trolling for years) but have had my wife's '03 Cooper for 6 years. Recently and quite noticeably anytime she shuts off the motor the cooling fan runs for almost 15 minutes, and very loudly. She has also started noticing it getting hot in traffic. Did a search on this but did not find any exact scenarios.

Thanks for any help guys!

 

Off the top of my head, thermostat.

If it were me, besides the obvious "checking for leaks", I think I'd do a "flush & fill" and replace the thermostat.

Good Luck.

 

Thanks, sounds like a cheap try at least!

 

Also check to see if you still have low speed on the fan, too.

 

No, the fan just roars at all times when hot...

 

True, could be that the low speed fan isn't coming on when it should, therefore letting the car heat up enough to make the high speed fan come on.

Once you've checked your fuses & such try this, if the car runs cool enough when running down the road for the fan to not turn on, pull over quickly & turn the car off, turn the key back to the on position & watch the temp gauge for when the fan kicks in. I think its 200/210 but don't quote me on it. If doing it this way & the temp doesn't go high enough to kick the fan on at all, it probably is the low speed relay.

But if you can't even run the car @ speed without the fan coming on, then think thermostat.

 

Check the coolant level. Mine does this when it's even a little bit low.

 

let it idle in the drive today. After about 10 min the full fan came on, blowing hard! No fan before that. Temp up. Coolant ok... Ordered a thermostat today, we will see. Thermostat install pretty straight forward?

 

May as well check TWO critical fans while looking into this.

Pull MINI up onto Rhino Ramps.
Engage ebrake, shut off car.
Put chock block behind one of the back wheels.
Raise bonnet.
Start engine.
Turn on the car's A/C.

About 15 seconds later the Low Speed Radiator Cooling Fan and the Power Steering Pump cooling fan should both come on.

If the LS Radiator Fan does not come on, time for new fan assembly as the low ohm resistor in the assembly is blown. TYC makes an excellent new fan assembly for under 100 dollars.

And if the PS Fan does not come on, check the 5amp fuse on drirvers side kick panel. The Power Steering Pump Fan accumulates leaking oil from crank sensor seal and oil pan gasket and it gets mixed with the dirt and sand from the road causing the fan to seize up. Then the 5amp fuse blows causing the eventual PS pump failure down the road....

Both fans are critical. The latter should be checked every oil change.

 

Like other posters have said, this is probably a thermostat issue. MINI should replace it for free. I'm not sure if there's a full recall out but its close enough that they might replace it free of charge even if you're out of warranty.

Your symptoms sound like mine and I'd bet this is your problem. The fans run at full speed with the ignition on, I thought my water pump had died and the car was overheating but it turned out to be this, far less harmful, issue.

Have your dealer run your keyfob. They should be able to tell you if your thermostat needs/is eligible for replacing without even touching your car.