Hello, i'm a recently new Mini owner....... enjoying it extremely btwthumbsup: been noticing recently i can smell antifreeze after i shut off the engine. thanks to several threads on NAM forums i was able to pinpoint a split reservoir tank, but I got my wife to rev the motor with the cap off and the water bubbled everytime she revved it, does that mean I have a blown headgasket???

 

Once the engine is at operating temperature and the thermostat opens it is perfectly normal to see fluid moving through the coolant system of any car, bubbles could mean your coolant system was not flushed properly.
After the reservior was repaired could you still smell coolant after turning the engine off?

 

Still waiting on my reservoir to arrive.

 

Check under yr oil filler cap. if there's a foamy-oily substance, that's coolant mixed with oil--blown head gasket. also, when U start the car dead cold, if there's white exhaust and a sulfuric-type odor--blown head gasket. And, if there's no hot air blowing thru the heater when the car is warmed up--blown head gasket.

 

remove a spark plug, then slowly turn the engine so that the piston is at TDC, then use a air hose to feed high pressure air into the cylinder with both intake and exhaust valves closed. open the radiator cap and listen/watch for bubbles in the coolant.

 

If your engine was low on coolant at any time, some air will get ingested into the coolant and will need to be purged by bleeding the air via the purge valve as well as general driving. Keep the coolant at around the halfway level when hot. Also, during hot weather driving, some steam pockets develop in the engine water jackets and create more potential for bbbles finding their way into the reservoir. This is exactly what should happen, with the reservoir being the area where the air bubbles separate from the coolant.

 

I've now got water coming out of the exhaust but it no milky substance around the oil filler cap and my oil does not appear milky or anything. i'm really getting confused guys!! HELP

 

Water from the exhaust is not always something to worry about, especially in cold weather. Normal combustion produces water vapor, which will condense in cold exhaust piping and show up at the tailpipe as dripping, spitting water. Being that you have no signs of coolant infiltration in the oil is a positive sign. However, if you continue to smell coolant under the hood upon shutting off the engine, there are places to examine. A common point of failure is the thermostat housing, which either cracks or suffers a gasket failure. Check around all the heater hoses, the oil intercooler piping and hoses (under the oil filter), and around the water pump and radiator. Leakage in these areas show up as a white powdery staining, with possible wet appearance.

 

Go to Napa and they can get test sticks that you put in the coolant to test for a bad head gasket. You also can find them on the internet. good luck

 

Thanks a bunch guys!! i'll check that out.