It's been really cold in Cleveland for the past couple of weeks and I have once again started noticing that when I start my MINI after it has been outside at work in the cold (I garage my mini at night), there is the sound of "water" flowing back and forth from somewhere inside the dashboard!

It goes away after 1 to 2 minutes and has happened in past winters and nothing wrong has ever come about, so I've just passed it off as a quirk. Now I'm wondering if there are any other Coopers out there doing the same thing.

If there are others, what is it and why does it do this? Anyone out there have answers? Thanks for reading and any replys are appreciated. Cheers.

 

You're not alone. We've had cool-cold temps here in Tennessee over the past several weeks and I noticed the same thing in my '04. Thought it was just me being over sensitive to the car but subsequent occurrences made me think otherwise.

My MINI shop manual arrives this week so I plan on seeing what could cause the noise in that area using the diagrams in the book. I'm fearful it means the heater core is doing something bad... Hopefully not and I won't panic until I do more research. It's a bummer though as I'm on the cusp of being past warranty...

 

I don't have the technical explanation for it but it has to do with the heater, I believe. I'm on my 3rd MINI and all 3, on occasion, sound off and nothing untoward has happened to me. I'm sure a search will yield a more informed answer.

 

Holy crap! I heard this this morning, too! I thought I was hearing things!!

 

That's just coolant flowing through the heater core. Unless your feet get wet when you get in the car or you get sprayed with steam or smell coolant, it's nothing to worry about.

 

Double-check your coolant levels. The noise is caused by air pockets in the heater core and the rest of the cooling system. Some noise is normal, but if it continually gurgles it could mean that air is entrapped in the system and needs to be purged.

 

My MINI has done this since the day I got it! I'm in SoCal, so I'm not sure that it has to do with cold temps...