heh heh..

 

mines manual transmission and the bonnet does not get hot at all. MINI must have changed something along the way to address this problem. The scoop grille is partially open and there's a fan that kicks on and runs for awhile when I turn off the car.

Check out my gallery, there are a few pics there.

 

FugitiveAI -- That's interesting for sure. I'd love to know what ECU firmware version yours is running. Maybe MiniDivision knows and will respond .

Anyway, I am going to start posting the bonnet temps for each commute to and from work.

Here are the actual temps for today.

10/1/07
Morning Commute
Start bonnet temp: ----------- 58F
Dest. bonnet temp: ----------- 141F
Dest. b-temp +5 to 10 minutes: 191F

Evening Commute
Start bonnet temp: ------------ 78F
Dest. bonnet temp: ------------ 143F
Dest. b-temp +5 to 10 minutes: 209F

Anyone interested in logging their bonnet temps for their '07 MCSm, feel free to join in.

 

How about a burn injury. Maybe a garage fire, since there's no breeze to cool it down like when parked outside. There's also things like hood scoops deforming/melting due to the extreme heat.

The turbo water pump ran for 5 minutes, after engine off, tonight when I arrived home and it still reached 209F.

At normal highway speeds, there probably not a problem. Bumper to bumper traffic, I bet it breaks 200F. I'm not going to jump out of my car and measure the temp in such a situation. However I can simulate it by just parking the car and let it idle.

I'll let you know what my findings are.

 

FugitiveAI

My bonnet doesn't get hot at all. I have not noticed the fan you are talking about but I will check. However, I checked just next to the scoop and thats hot while the rest of hood is cold. Did you check the scoop or the gap between the scoop and bonnet?

Jinxy

I had my car reprogrammed because the IPod adapter was installed by dealer. Do you think that would have made the difference?

 

chandler-vt -- On the center of the bonnet just above (1/4 inch) the seam where the scoop ends is where it is hottest. The heat then wafts up the inside of the bonnet and exits between the bonnet and windsheid.

If you V out from the center of the hot point towards the washer jets, you'll find that section of bonnet gets quite warm.

If you car was reprogrammed, check your invoice, it may state what ECU firmware version was loaded. Mine is version 26 which came out in July-August. If there is a newer one, I'd love to know.

 

Can you also tell ECU version by using technique described here? :
https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111025

 

10/2/07
Morning Commute
Start bonnet temp: ----------- 57F
Dest. bonnet temp: ----------- 170F
Dest. b-temp +5 to 10 minutes: 201F

Evening Commute
Start bonnet temp: ------------ 78F
Dest. bonnet temp: ------------ 137F
Dest. b-temp +5 to 10 minutes: 193F

I tried seeing how hot things got just letting it sit idling outside, like in a traffic jam. It's started at 141F got as hot as 191F before the fan kicked on. Once the fan turned off, I pulled into the garage, turned it off and read tonights max temp of 193F. So, it did help to have a freshly cooled radiator for the water pump to pull from.

Called the service dept. at the local Mini dealer. They said the ECU version is up to 26.1. When I tried to inquire what the ".1" fixed the SA acted like he had no idea to find that info out.

MiniDivision -- can you let us know what 26.1 fixed from version 26??

 

Jinxy

will check and post it here but i m assuming it must be 26 since the car was reprogrammed in first week of august

 

I would contact Mini Customer Service, ask them what the max temp spec is for when car is shut down, and ask them to have it checked under wty at an authorized dealer. That should not be a problem for them at all.

 

I've been checking regularly, mostly feeling just above/behind the scoop, and on Sunday afternoon noticed it was uncomfortably hot. This was just that one time though. I've checked many other times and not noticed any significant heat. I did notice while checking out the scoop intake from under the hood to see how I will get the grille off that there is a heat shield mounted just behind it. This seems like a quick fix for the heat problem. I think due to EU hood clearance revisions for 07 the hood curve is a little flatter making it harder for engine heat to find its way out from under the hood. Older MINI's have a more slanted hood. If time permits I'll be removing the scoop grille this weekend and we'll see if that makes any difference. Probably not though since the heat grows while the car is not drawing in air.

 

Todays Temps after 4 mile drive .Never over 3500 RPM's
pre drive temp. -78.2
Immediately after drive 124.3 F
3 min.later -170.9 F
3 more min. 187.1 F
Thank you

 

Hi Everyone!

I'm posting my daily temps over in the thread I started last week in a failed attempt (so far) to get NAM user "MiniDivision" to respond to these temp issues.

See you out there.

 

10/3/07
Morning Commute
Start bonnet temp: ----------- 68F
Dest. bonnet temp: ----------- 144F
Dest. b-temp +5 to 10 minutes: 204F

Evening Commute
Start bonnet temp: ------------ 85F
Dest. bonnet temp: ------------ 154F
Dest. b-temp +5 to 10 minutes: 211F

The whole reason I started monitoring bonnet temps is because my windsheild washer jets weep all over my bonnet . The reason they weep all over the bonnet is due to how freak'n hot the bonnet gets after parking.

Once the Mini turbo charged "Shake & Bake" oven steams all the water out of the washer jet lines, it no longer weeps. How do I know the lines are empty. Because it takes 2-3 seconds before they squirt once the jets have stopped weeping. If I activate the washers and then again later during a trip the squirt instantly.

So I ask, is it a washer jet issue, or a thermal expansion issue generated by 200+ underhood temps?? Also keep in mind if the bonnet is reading 200+, imagine what the temps actually are under the bonnet.

Hmmm, I no longer have to imagine. I just remembered I have a multimeter with a thermal probe that will give me the under bonnet temps with the bonnet closed. It's going to be placed directly into the hood scoop thru one of the holes. While I'm at it I'll check the fluid temps as it weeps out of the jets.

More data logging to follow.

 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I called Mini service again today and talked to a different SA. He said if there was a heat problem, the ECU would alert me (duh!). Or, the fan and/or water pump might need to be replaced.

Ahhh! I think my head is going to explode

OK - first of all, he didn't even know that the water pump and fans are controled by the ECU. Second this means he is not aware of what software updates address. That would be known issues, bugs and in some cases enhancements. Bottom line - the ECU is not always right.

ps - my spouse likes to remind me that I'm not always right either.
(which is true, by the way)

Oh, I almost forgot. In the "Fun" department, this car is still second to none as far as any car I've owned. I just wish they would fix this problem!!

 

I've recorded temps as high as 325 degrees on the Flying Squirrel. I'll start recording temps from Arthur for you to compare.
Except for the annoying smell of "burnt cat" that Arthur produced at high altitude running in Colorado and Utah (9000+feet), Arthur has been relatively trouble-free.
there is still the issue of hotfoot though. Temps at the center pillar run a nominal 130 degrees. Ouch.

 

Sounds like you had quite a trip Arnbut I wondered were you have been !

 

Hi Arnbut, good to see you back in the forums.

What kinda of temps have you pulled from the bonnet? Mine is hottest in the center of the bonnet, just above the seam where the spoiler meets the bonnet.

Are your washer jets weeping after you use them and the car is parked?

 

Strange--I hear people tell about the weeping jets, but I've never had the problem on either paint or my white stripes. I have a week 3 build, so I would have thought I'd be in the same position. I HAVE heard that it has to do with the cosmoline covering the jets, and that it stops eventually--don't know if that's true or not.

I'd be interested in the temperature of the water in the washer fluid tank, too.

 

Yeah, I wonder if we can get the threads merged? They are on the same topic and it would be easier to follow.

 

Hi daffodildeb - I have heard of the cosmoline issue as well, but that is not what I am experiencing. It's definately washer fluid; because if I don't use my washers for a day or two, the jets stop weeping. As soon as I use them, the next time I park the jets start weeping.

At this point, since Mini Inc won't acknowledge this problem, I think I'll take it in and have the jets replaced and have them replace the stripes as well, since they are permanently stained.

If it continues to weep after that, I guess I'll just keep bringing it and insist they keep replacing the jets and stripes until the problem is resolved.

Regardless of the weep issue, they still have the excessive heat issue with the bonnet. People have been reporting that their scoops are melting/warping due to the heat.

Arnbut & korby - Are either of your washer jets weeping after using them, then parking?

 

I just requested the admin merge these two. We'll see what happens.

 

Mine weeped for 2 months then stopped , but I have never used them .The rear is were the cosmoline was leaking on mine .

 

korby, Could you give them a try and see if they leak like mine?

 

I agree with you on the importance of fixing this heat thing. I wonder if they'll decide to replace hoods with vented hoods, or cut holes in the current hoods. Seems like the later manufacturing dates don't have this problem.

Funny thing is that I haven't (knock on wood) had a lot of the issues reported, like the 3rd-to-2nd squeal, or the wiper thing. I have a week 3 build, too, so you'd think they would show up. My biggest problem is the defective SZL module/switch, which "hasn't been released" for the particular model number I need (they aren't all alike). But that's another thread...