Mine just stared leaking two days ago and i found that mine actually has a crack in it. when the engine is reving above 2500 rpm the is a fine spray coming out of the side of it near the rear connection that goes back to the water pump. Parts are due to arrive today. $112.80 plus shipping from Penske Parts. Will be installing it in the next day or two. Planning on taking some video of the process. The bentley manual has instructions but do not seem complete after looking them over carefully. Will share what my experiences are in doing this job.

 

I have 92k miles. Do I need to do something with my timing chain?

One reason I bought this car was because it had a chain not a belt......

 

Love the car but yes, the repairs can be pricey. Probably not awhole lot more than any other newer car now a days. What gets me is I can do alot of the work but as I've gotten older I can't lay on my back and look up and work, I get dizzy. I do my own oil changes but I don't have to lay under the car very long. The other thing is I'm not real comfortable working on a car on jack stands.

 

time to call for a recall!!!!!!!!!

 

Wow, I have the exact same situation with the dizziness! I worked on cars for a living for many, many years, and have done pretty much all my own work all my life, but right after I had my stent put in 2 years ago this started. Still can't lay on my back and work on my cars.....seems like it might be time for a lift. Only problem is, I'll need a different house too, and my ceilings are too low in this garage....

Did you have any heart issues? I keep trying to blame it on my meds, but I'm down to only one, and it's a light dose.

Sorry for the hijack, OP

 

I agree!

schatzy62 - THANK YOU! I look forward to your write up/video.

 

No heart issues that I know of. I don't go to the doctor unless I'm really sick which isn't often. I'm 63 now and it's irratates me because I'd really rather do my own work plus it's kinda fun and challenging.
In my case, I think it has something to do with vision but even with readers on I still get dizzy.
A lift would be helpful but I don't have the place or funds for one.
Guess I'll just keep it to changing oil/filter. Saves a little.
Getting old kinda sucks.

 

That might be inner ear problem called vertigo. Basically little sensors in your inner ear use a small stone like thingy to figure out your heads position. They don't work correctly so they confuse your brain, it doesn't know who to believe, your eyes or your ear so you get dizzy. Google "vertigo exercises" and you find some body movements that will help you "reset" your inner ear. I had the same problem, it comes and goes but not as often after doing those exercises.

 

If you can smell it I would suspect a leak somewhere. Thats probably where your oil is going.

 

okay so i spent the weekend at the mechanic shop repairing the mini. i first bought just the rubber gasket from mini for $5 hoping that the leak would be from there. i took it my local mechanic and spent a good two hours removing the thermostat housing gasket from the mini. man! i must say that this was not an easy thing to remove. there are so many hoses attached and electric plugs that need to be removed and the work space is very tight.
anyways, once we got everything removed, we realized that the complete thermostat housing had a leak in it and it was not the rubber gasket. there was coolant residue left all around the leak. next morning, i stopped at mini again and bought the whole thermostat housing for around $130. the store apparently had over 10 in stock as it's a 'common' issue.... SOMEONE CALL A RECALL ON THIS SUCKA!!!!
so i took the new thermostat housing to the mechanic and he put everything back together and charged me $200 for the install. so the complete install cost me $330 compared to the stealers price of $530. i've been driving the car all day today and so far everything seems to be running fine
thank you all for the help in finding the issue!

 

Had mine replaced back in Sept. and no issues since. I still check my oil and coolant level at least once a week to be safe. Yes, they need a recall on that as well. Hopefully the new ones are abit better then the originals.

 

on a side note, do you guys ever feel a loss in power from driving the car in 'D' mode... meaning, when i am accelerating the car from a stop, there are minor 'hiccups' in the car's power... is that related to the turbo? i usually like to drive the car is 'DS' on the local roads and once i get on the highway at crusing speeds i switch to 'D' to bring the revs down.

 

should never have made it from plastic! mine was so brittle it just broke with finger pressure.

 

Yes, I've got an auto also and in 'D' there is a slight hesitation in acceleration from a stop (not always but about 90% of the time).
'DS' seems to eliminate it but I think you'll use a little more gas.
Don't know if the hesitation is turbo lag or just the nature of the beast.

 

okay good to know. i was hoping there was no power related issue with the mini. i drove a regular new cooper once as a loaner and it was slow in power but drove with no lag.

 

Just swapped my thermostat out and let me tell you. This is not an easy job, period. Very tight and those hose clips are very difficult. I also have a code now that Im trying to clear. My accessport is not picking it up, or clearing it. The car is running like crap too!

 

Code could be cuz you left a plug out somewhere... There were just so many of them besides the hoses. Good luck

 

Ya, I bet you have an unpluged wire or loose connection somewhere since it probably was running ok prior to the thermostat install. There are quite a few wires to disconnect to get to the thermostat.
Good Luck with it.
Or, possibly air in the system (don't know if that alone would cause it to run bad though).
You did bleed the air out?

 

P2885 is the code, I have a boost leak somewhere. All of the plugs are on. But I did pull the boost line out of the way, so I bet I pulled it loose somewhere. Going to smoke test it tomorrow to find the leak. Wish me luck!

 

Let us know what you find. May help others out.

 

Will do. It may be a plug. It leak tested fine.

 

Ok, it was a brake booster line, the best we can guess. It is a vaccum line I guess that runs along with the wastegate line. It pulled loose when I moved them out of the way. It pulled loose and went on very easily. Not like the wastegate tubing thats a ***** to remove! Anyway, thats it. Changing the thermostat sucks fat one's, and be careful with that line if you change yours!

 

Good to hear you sorted it out. I know whenever I do work on mine I'm very careful (almost paronoid) about disconnecting wiring and tubes.

 

I got my car back from the shop after getting the thermostat and recall done and knock on wood its running better than ever! Thx to this forum for all help and guidance! Next on the mod list is upgrading the fog lights!

 

Why are you modding if your car is for sale? Or, have you changed your mind?