We have developed a leak under our 05 Cooper. It is clear but does have an oily (slippery) feel to it. It is not the color of the oil in the crankcase. Reading other forum threads it appears that it may be a leak from the thermostat housing. I have also noticed that lately temp. gauge reads warm enough to send heat, but it doesn't until it comes on with the fire of Hades. IS there a way to check to see if it is indeed the thermostat? Also, where may I find the TSB's for my 05?

Thanks for any help!

 

Found this: http://www.alldata.com/service_provider/ Hope it helps

 

You can also subscribe to Mitchell Online. A one year subscription will set you back $30 bucks. All the information from BMW is present, TSB, Recall, Procedures, Diagnostics and more.

 

To know if it is leaking from the housing, face the front of the engine, look down at the top of the gearbox to the right of the filler tube; either fresh coolant will pool at that location or a whitish residue will be present.

A common symptom for a failed coolant thermostat is overheating, unfortunately by the time it registers on the dash gauge; it’s become very hot. The default for the thermostat is the closed position. If the MINI is no longer under warranty and you want to do the work yourself, and since the housing should be replaced because of the leak, pull the thermostat and place in simmering water, it should begin to open and open completely by the time the water produces steam (takes about 15 seconds), if not it’s a bad thermostat.

 

you will also see a blueish crust around the thermostat. i replaced 2 today at work and they r really east to do just make sure u bleed the system properly. if its leaked enough u will also see it on top of the trans.

 

Thanks to all for responses!!
I have seen a bluish color on some of the bolts under the engine. I will check the thermostat as suggested... should I assume the housing is bad since it appears to be leaking? or is there a gasket that may have failed?

 

The gasket is attached to the thermostat, it is possible either the gasket has failed or the housing is warped. The one tech I’ve spoken to about this issue replaces both parts when a leak is encountered at this location. Sorry I can’t be more definitive on the cause and we’re making an assumption this location is the source of the leak. Check all hoses and the expansion tank.

It is time to purchase the Bentley Service Manual.

 

Sorry to hijack your thread...k-huevo how are you and are you still enjoying the same MINI Cooper S Dark Silver?

 

im also a tech for mini and i do the same replace both. they are seprate parts the t-stat and gasket are one and the housing is seperate. ive only noticed these goin bad in 05 and up minis. next time i do one here at work ill try to take some pics of what it looks like when it leaks and post them up

 

just a heads up, when my coolant housing warped and cracked,
the dealer ended up replacing my clutch as well since
the coolant had contaminated the clutch lining.

 

did you notice any problems with your clutch? It seems the takeup has changed of late... only 25 k miles on the car. I'm over the 3 years....
maybe the dealership will cut me a break

 

The warranty is four years or 50,000 miles; all of these concerns are covered.

 

BOOYAH!!!!!

 

I have noticed that the coolant housing concern is related to the Cooper S; Is this true? or is the R50 also prone to this failure?

Also be advised that if the coolant gets to the o2 sensor consider the sensor poisoned and should be included in any warranty!

 

Thanks for the heads-up. We have service scheduled for tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how far reaching this may become.

 

never had to change a clutch cause of the t-stat issue or an o2. the leak happens on all the models of the minis.

 

Is the t-stat housing on the drivers/trans side of the engine underneath some electrical bits that you cant see? Got some blue fluid slow leaking from that area but cant get a good look at exactly from where without taking the air box and stuff apart. Or is that more likely the water pump? I have a 05 MCS with about 30,000 miles.

 

its on the drivers side of the car to the right of the valve cover. cooper s is harder to see it covered by the map sensor and a few wires.

 

Yes. Apparently the 05s ( we have a MC not the S) are notorious for a leaks in the housing around the thermostat. We just had ours repaired under warranty and luckily problems were limited to just the housing.

 

That would be great if you post some pics. I have an '05 MCS that has 70,000 on it (so out of warranty) that has mystery coolant disappearance...I'll have my mechanic take a look next time it is in the shop, but in the meantime, I'd love to see a pic to get an idea if I can see this myself. I'm a girl...I have not idea where to look .

 

Anyone care to estimate how much a Mini dealer would charge to replace thermostat and housing?

 

It would be close to $250.00 here in Albuquerque, that is about two hours of labor charges.

 

THERMOSTAT KILLING A CLUTCH LOLOOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL THAT HAS TO BE THE DUMBEST **** IVE EVER HEARD.. ALMOST AS STUPID AS AN OXYGEN SENSOR GETTING TAKEN OUT BY A THERMOSTAT LEAKING. THIS IS GOOD STUFF. I LOVE IT.. I THINK WHEN MY THERMOSTAT LEAKED IT ALSO KILLED MY SUNROOF MODULE.

 

Tis better to silent and be thought of as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!

Do a search on the effects of anti-freeze on the o2 sensor.

Better yet here are two links:
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0407phr_bosch_oxygen_sensor_tech/index.html[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...07/ai_n9299385

 

if you acually dip it then yea but a leaking thermostat killing one thats ********. believe all you want from clowns that think that they know what they are talking about. ive been with mini since day 1. this has never happend unless self inflicted. trust me.