Oh you are in that Rainbird(?) building across the freeway from me. Yeah because of the Bob Smith being so close, you have to watch out for the guys in the Minis wearing the blue shirts, they don't wave.

 

I am having problems with posting today...see above and below. You can't blame me though...my MCS overheated this morning. Two weeks after getting the 30000 Mile Service at Bob Smith. Now I am overheated.

 

Oh you are in that Rainbird(?) building across the freeway from me. Yeah because of the Bob Smith being so close, you have to watch out for the guys in the Minis wearing the blue shirts, they don't wave.

 

Hey Krass check your oil. I hoep this isnt causing the overheating. The monekys at the dealership dont know how to change filters.

 

That's a good tip, as I tend to check to see if the oil change was actually done after I pick up the car for service. From what I've read on some of the other boards, there seems to be a problem with the engine fan on some Minis. I just finished reading a horror story about one guy's experiences...how they tried everything but nothing seemed to work. He brought it back and forth to the dealership several times to no avail. The story had a happy ending though, he got a new engine out of the deal.

There was no real reason my car should have overheated, I had just driven over a mile, and was getting an iced tea through the drive thru when my AC went hot, the temp gauge shot up, and the car started smoking and spitting out coolant. It was only 11AM and was 82 degrees when all of this happened.

 

this morning at corner of Magnolia and Adams in Huntington Beach . . .

BRG/W MCS belonging to fellow SCMM member. We said good morning and he was on his way.

DS/B MCS parked next to the BRG. Don't know whose that belonged to. Anyone here?


Oh, lot was full for Derelicts so I had to park across the street.

 

Spot no Mini today.........

 

I was there too, but my car was across the street. The BRG car sounds like it may have been Jack Belcher's. Did it have Monte Carlo stickers and lights in front?

 

Rick,
It indeed was Jack, thus our exchange of greetings. He was on his way to Flo's in Chino before heading to Cal Speedway in Fontana.

I left about 7:30.

 

Any idea why it's overheating yet? Would something they did at the service be the cause?

 

I just got it back today. It seems that the engine cooling fan burned out, so it was replaced with a newer model. I read a bunch of posts where the same thing had happened to other Minis, and luckily that seems to be the only problem. I had absolutely no problem driving it after that, as I drove around for a couple of hours with the AC on full blast and the temp gauge didn't even flinch. Everything was covered under warranty, and I got a free car wash out of the deal.

I'll give it a few more thousand miles before I throw on a reduction pulley, or do any performance mods.

So...it seems that the recent service was just a coincidence with the timing of the fan going out.

 

Just so you know, the Mini's temp gauge is not a direct measurement device. It is driven by software and the nanny-meisters have decided it would scare the heck out of all of us if we actually saw the temperature variations which naturally occur while operating an IC engine under varying loads. So, through the miracle of software, they've thoughtfully designed it so the needle stays pegged at the "normal" setting, no matter what the temp is actually doing, unless the temp really gets out of whack.

It amounts to a glorified idiot light.

 

That makes sense, as it always seems to stay in the same place afterthe engine warms up. The software probably has a normal temperature range that keeps it pegged in the middle. When it started overheating yesterday, the needle had no problem moving up to the red zone.

All I care about is that it stays within the normal range, I'm okay with not knowing the exact temp.

 

Man, I did not know this!... I cant have that. Time for some gauges me thinks.

 

Convoyed southbound on the 405 at 11.30pm tonight with dark silver MCS. . Be my wingman anytime.:smile:

 

On Sunday a PW/PW MC 'SO LIL' heading south on the coast highway in Leucadia just north of Encinitas Blvd. We got a honk and enthusiastic waves all around. Today a PW/PW MCS flying west on Encinitas Blvd at about 4:15PM. Dark wheels so I think it was C Shelly.

 

Sounds like the right place and time, so I bet it was me, in my own little pegasus. Was that you flying eastbound? All day long I was feeling the urge to go find a red MINI and a blue MINI.

Saw a PW MC last Sunday afternoon late on southbound 5 freeway around San Clemente, no plates yet - Thanks for the wave!

And on the aternoon of the 4th I spotted a PS topless pulling into Wildflower Ranch. Some days north SD county is rife with MINIs, seems like I see more and more all the time.

Shelly

 

Last week into LA for the King Tut show. I was amazed at how many Minis there were. Everywhere we went, Farmer's market, LACMA, Beverly Hills - Minis galore! Lots of paper plates. Still only three others occasionally seen around home so the MINI feast was a delight!

 

Yup, we were headed east. I know where to find blue and red MINIs, 2 blue, one red and a black MCC all live within a block or two of us.

We actually play a game of MINI vs Hummer. Most days the MINIs win. The only recent exception was the last rain. I guess everyone brings out the heavy duty off road SUV for the near impassable winter roads. Those puddles might be 1/4" deep.

 

.

 

hey Krass, cxheck your internal fuse block for the power steering fan.. this causes similar issues..

 

They replaced the fuse and the fan, but I'll be sure to check the fuse if it happens again after I run out of warranty miles.

By the way, saw a PW MCS drive by as I was on the side of the road getting waiting for the Sheriff to write me a ticket tonight on some side street in Santa Clarita. I was going 51 in a 45 zone. I'm surprised he didn't throw me in jail for the empty Diet Coke can laying on my back seat.

"Respect my authoritay."

 

Saw PW/B MCS with Bonnet strips on Technology Dr in Irvine on Sat morning at 11:45am. Good choice in color.

Also saw Dark Sliver MCS with works in Downtown San Diego.

 

Spotted quite a few yesterday...actually let's start with Friday. At the Oceanside Train station parking lot, a Cool Blue Cabrio w/Black roof. I was parked in the same isle at the opposite end.

Yesterday on the 101 in Oceanside (Parked) Black MCS with tags "MINI SSS". Further down the 101 heading North Chili Red/W - we waved - don't think you saw us. Just behind that one by a few blocks. EB/W w/white bonnet stripes. No wave.... Dog beach area heading south in Del Mar, DS - personalized tags "DOG KO". We were 2 cars behind you....

Anybody here???

Donna
02' CR/W MCS (gone to MINI heaven - burned up)
05' Cool Blue MCSC "Ariel"
05' HB/W MCS "Gizmo"

 

Saw about 45 to 50 MINIs today - all colors, models, and trims.

The SoCal MINI Maniacs Palos Verdes driving adventure was a hoot! SCMMhas great, friendly people, even more varied than their MINIs! Good food at Ricky & Ronnie's Cruise-In Diner too!



Highly recommended next time around!

_Dave_