I have a 2005 MCS, and from some were under the bonnet on the drivers side there is a mystery leak, and it's leaking a mystery fluid. the fluid is clear and seems to be some kind of lubrication to something, any ideas? i've taken it into the dealer twice for this problem, and it just comes and goes, like a leak ghost or something. Also it seems that the first time i start it in the morning it idles really really rough like it wants to die..if you have any info let me know!

 

What does the fluid smell like? Sweet? Oily? Foul? How fast is the leak? Gather some and take it to a lab for anaylisis.

 

its kind of oily....no smell...

 

Have u been running the air conditioning when this happened? Condensation?

 

naw, its been to cold in colorado to be run the AC...im soo confused..i dont get what's going on..

 

Check your motor mounts, they're oil filled and are known to leak.

 

well we checked them when we were at the dealer, and there was nothing. I soaked some up with a paper towel and it had no smell, but it seems like a lubrication. i asked the dealer about a clear fluid in the car, and they said that there is no clear fluid in the car, this is driving me crazy!!

 

New brake fluid will appear clear. Brake fluid has a distinctive feel when rubbed between your fingers. Compare the mystery fluid's feel to real brake fluid. Just a suggestion.

YD

 

thats a good idea, ill take a look at it ad see. thanks!

 

Just over the last month I had a clear fluid leak (or os I thought)under the bonnet on the dirvers side, then I put a large piece of plastic down and it ended up being a pale blue. It was coolant.

 

YEA!! thats what mine is! was it kind of more towards the drivers side? I soaked some up and it kinda has the pale blue affect that yours has! thanks man!

 

It could be power steering fluid. Check the reservoir. There is a known problem of fluid leaking into the steering rack boots and being difficult to detect and isolate. Steering fluid is fairly clear, feels like oil. Brake fluid is clear, but feels more 'coarse'.

 

I had a PS leak that ran down the lines. However, it was kind of a light tan, almost like brand new motor oil, but not as slick. It was also more a few inches toward the passenger side.

 

well i took it to them today, they looked every were...still dont know where its coming from..any body had a washer fluid leek at all?

 

have they checked the lower control arm bushings? They are oil filled. Mine blew a while back, replaced, fine ever since. Although, that looked like an oil leak, so probably not what you are seeing.

No washer fluid leaks either.

for blue green colors, my guess, either washer fluid or radiator fluid. You can have leaks of the coolant in MANY places, and if it drips along a hose, it can be displaced from the source. Check the coolant overflow res, all the hoses, the area near the radiator cap, and all hoses. I believe on the S, there is a radiator line that runs under the intake manifold, so that is very difficult to see, but it connects to a plastic inlet on the driver side of the engine, and if the clamp is bad, or a small crack in the hose, it can drip, but then drip around the transmission. If it were coolant, you would probably smell it though.

 

yeah i think im just gonna have to see what i can to to recreate the problem, you know make it leak. so then i can find the problem..but other then that im going crazy trying to figure out what's going on with my baby..:(

 

Yesterday I drove back (3 hours) from Monterey, CA to Fresno, with A/C on and no problems. Upon parking in the garage immediately afterwards, this morning there was a blue, oily fluid leak about ten inches from the left front tire. I believe its coolant. I'll put it up in the air later this week to see if I can find anything.

 

yeah MINI told me that the thermostat housing is a common part that is bad on the 2005's. Check it out, if your car is still under warranty you should have them pressure test the system. they did that on my car and found the problem..took them 4 times but they found it!

 

I also had a problem with coolant leaking. It ended up being a bad seal at the water pump. Every morning, there would be a small puddle under the car. As the weeks went on, it got bigger and bigger.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. A MINI expert took a look at it today and said to keep an eye on it for awhile (thermostat housing area and coolant level). I have quite a bit of warranty remaining yet. This is the time of year it's not a good idea to have a leak.

 

I went through that this winter. But was able to chase down the culprit.

Believe it or not it was a coolant leak..... Not like any coolant I ever saw but what ever.....
They replaced a top secret part, topped off her fluids and "repressureized the system" whatever that all means....

But it fixed the problem. The rough idle even stopped. I had that going on as well. They told me at that visit to put a bottle of dry gas in it the next two fill ups and that did the trick. Stating it may have gotten a batch of fuel that had ethanol added to it since I had her outta state and was using different gas than I normally do (Same company gas, just from outta state) (BP)

Ethanol is theeee worst thing to put in our cars. If your state uses it, invest in a case of dry gas and use it whenever you pump gas into your car during a rainy couple of days.