My mini has been leaking coolant. The drops form underneath in the middle of the engine. I don't see any leakage or wet spots when looking at the engine from the top. I've yet to jack up the car and try to find the source from below. Anyone have an idea where the leak may be coming from? It seems to be happening somewhere in the middle of the motor. I'm hoping it might be just a loose hoe connected to the motor somewhere out of sight. The car is on '04 and NOT turbo. Automatic.

 

I'm guessing you mean NOT supercharger (04 Mini Cooper S has a supercharger and regular Mini Cooper doesn't;
neither has a turbo).

Best bet is the thermostat gasket on the driver (transmission) side of the engine.
It often drips down, then follows around to the back of the engine then down. In
this case you can often see it pooling up on the top of the transmission as well.
If it's coming down the front, then the water pump is a good possibility. Otherwise,
various hoses and connections of hoses could be to blame. Lastly, a bad head gasket
could do this, but that's probably the least likely scenario.

 

I would also suspect thermostat housing/gasket. From the engine compartment, use a flashlight to look around the thermostat housing. Look for dry white residue (dried coolant) or any small puddles of coolant.

 

+1 on checking the thermostat housing and gasket. R50 Cooper and R52 Cooper convertible ( NON S ).

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...hermostat.html




Thanks