No coolant in reservoir
 

I have a 2006 Mini........ I've already had the thermostat replaced in Feb 09
Several weeks ago I noticed there was NO coolant in the resovoir so I called the dealer........He gave me some long explanation of why that was okay and told me to add an inch or so of water......i asked why I'd add water and he said some people just feel better seeing something in there!!! Well, I let it go because he's always taken good care of things but this just has not been feeling right.....plus I've noticed strong gas fumes sometimes when I pull into my garage and it just seems to be working a little harder when it runs...... I decided to just go with my gut telling me something is not right. Sure, I do not see the coolant leaking and no lights coming on but something is wrong..... I dropped it off last night and now waiting to hear what they have to say....... Any comments, please???:confused:

Fill it to the line with distilled water if the dealer doesn't refill it with coolant. Keep watching for leaks. Does the temperature gauge indicate overheating?

Thanks............ I do not see any coolant leak like I did before they replaced thermostat in Feb and temp gauge NOT indicating overheating
But shouldn't there be some coolant in the resovoir I've checked it when it's hot and cold........it is bone dry

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If they recently replaced your thermostat you may have simply had an air bubble, once it purged there was room for more water, which came from the overflow reservoir. Top it off, and if nothing changes over the next few weeks, no problema.......it's not unusual to have to add water from time to time over the course of the year, especially if you live where it gets hot in the summer but you shouldn't have to do it weekely.......

Thanks to the reassurance....... I live in FL and it's plenty hot here now. Waiting for a call from the dealer to find out if they found a problem. I bought the car new; love it .... almost paid off and would like to keep it for awhile....... ( no car payments will be sweet!! ) so of course I've been concerned....
Let you know what they tell me if anyone interested! thanks all
:thumbsup:

If the cooling system was improperly flushed and there is air in the system, often you will hear the sound of the coolant slushing through the system on start up and acceleration from a stop -- it sounds almost like a little "mini-waterfall" (no pun intended) happening under your dashboard. I've had this happen twice following routine flushes. I just re-bleed the system per the Bentley Manual and it goes away (and the SA gets docked one grade number in their service follow-up survey for not doing it correctly). As MINIdave says, the low reservoir level could be related.

Though, the cooling system and coolant reservoir seams in particular are known to need attention in the 1st Gen MINI so you're doing a wise thing to get it checked out.

Thanks again......... You know I'm beginning to think it was improperly flushed and there is air in the system..... The sound you describe........I think I've heard that!

Okay...so I just had this same problem and went to see Danny at MINIcorsa. He "skooled" me in what to do.

First off, I had a small leak in my plastic coolant tank, which was letting air into the system. I didn't realize this was happening and I was adding coolant due to high water temps and no visible coolant in the tank. I did this for a couple of days with no difference in temps. I called Danny and he told me to come on down...

Danny replaced my tank and then BLED the system, which I didn't even know you had to do. While the car is running, turn the small black plastic valve located on the coolant hose just in front (bumper side) of the radiator. This will allow the air to bleed out of the system. Once coolant starts to flow, close the valve. Shut off the car and add more coolant to the tank. Drive the car for 10 minutes or so and then bleed the system again as above. He had to do this three times to get all my air out of the system.

I've never seen anything about the need to do this but I've started to check this weekly along with my oil level and tire air pressure. It only takes a second to do and it should help prevent overheating.

BTW, Danny is awesome. I stayed at his shop for about two hours and met several very cool people and learned a TON!!! Now if we can just get him and Jan in one building, life would be easier.

Good luck.

...and don't forget you want your cabin heater set on its highest setting while you're bleeding since the coolant is all part of the same happy system. :)

...one more tip, only use distilled water when you top off the coolant. I keep a gallon jug of it in the garage, and I've had to top off my reservoir twice since I got my Clubman back in March '08. Each time it only took a few ounces, which seems normal based upon other's experiences.

UPDATE ON THE COOLANT PROBLEM
 

First of all........thanks again to everyone who replied; the input helped alot! I brought my car in to the dealer where I've always had work done and sure enough there was an air pocket...........whatever they do to fix this was done and the coolant topped off....so far, so good
Of course when I initially called that there was NO coolant in the resovoir I was told no problem. I'm glad I listended to my instincts! I swear the car is running better......before it felt almost like it was dragging a bit.. Now it feels like it's running like it should.........

so, here I am again with the same coolant problem, I guess.... The resovoir is EMPTY just a few weeks after having in and they supposedly found it was an air pocket and fixed it and topped it off.. Call Ralph today again, the service Mngr at Braman Motors in West Palm Beach, Fl and he tried to assure me that the mechanics really did the above and he sees this alot with us Mini drivers... gave me some explanation as to how it operates and at times I'll see fluid and sometimes I won't but bring it in, he'll have them put it up and check it all again.......supposedly they checked for leaks already but he'll have them check it all out again.. I'm ready to sell my Mini and buy a Toyota........ All I know is the owner's manual says it should show between min and max on the plastic resevoir....... Any further feedback?
thanks

Check for what I'd call "overspray" from around the tank and cap. It would be a white-ish color and very noticeable. You could have a leaky tank and/or cap. Knowing what I know now, I'd just replace it as it's cheap (like $40) insurance. Once it's replaced, refill and rebleed the system then monitor it.

Your problem is not normal, despite what the dealer says. If the system was properly bled, as he stated, you should lose very little coolant, maybe a few ounces per year. You either have a coolant leak or you may even be leaking coolant into the engine. The dealer needs to do a pressure-check for a coolant leak, and possibly other checks to see if it's a more serious issue.
Good luck, and don't let the dealer b.s. you with "this happens all the time". Also, document every visit for this issue, and escalate with MINIUSA if the dealer gives you a runaround.

thanks........ went over there yesterday and the mechanic came out to look under the hood with me and give me the whole song and dance about how it works, again. he then said when it's cool there should be coolant. I told him I have been checking it every morning for the last couple days after it's been sitting all night and empty!! he said he'd like to see it when it's cool but he'd take my word for it.......gee, thanks! I finally had him speak to my son who can take apart and put together any type of engine from a car, plane or boat! My son told him to do some check on the, I think he said engine head or something like that......anyway, at least my son can talk the same talk Long story short, I had them just top it off because I'm going out of town and when I get back, they said I can bring it back and they'd run all the tests they did before and whatever my son told them to do As my son said at least they're willing to do whatever ....but he agrees that something is not right in spite of the technician saying he works on 100 minis a week, sees this all the time, went to Mini school, the manual says it should be between min and max level to protect their own asses and blah, blah blah.... I will get to the bottom of this before the warranty is over............July, 2010
Next step.........I'll speak to someone at Mini USA

My '03 hasn't needed the coolant topped off since I replaced the leaking overflow reservoir, and that's been thousands of miles and in all sorts of weather - the coolant level SHOULD be between the min and max marks, depending on whether the engine is hot or cold, max when it's hot, lower when it's cold, but mine doesn't vary even an inch.............

I haven't seen a drop of change in the level on my '09.............I agree with your son, something's not right. Could be a head gasket, could be something simple, but they need to find it and fix it.

Thanks.......... yes, the head gasket is what my son said. When I get back from going out of town I'm bringing the car in so they can run all their flippin tests....... I'll keep you all posted.........any other ideas or suggestions are really appreciated..... Thanks again to everyone who replied.
:thumbsup:

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The overflow reservoir is there to do just what it's name suggests. Water expands when it heats up, so you need some place for the expansion to go (That's what these tanks used to be called - expansion tanks) and that's into the overflow tank. When it cools off it needs to go back into the engine, which is what it does - not the other way round.

If it's expanding too much, due to overheating or compression getting into the system from a bad headgasket for example and pushing the excess out of the overflow tank, then when the engine cools off again it will draw all the water in the overflow back into the engine to replace what was lost - unless there's nothing in the tank.

That's why I think the MINI tech is BS-ing you, there should always be liquid in the overflow tank, and if it gets low you need to bring it back up to the appropriate line (warm or cold level depending on your engine temp) but I'm completely prepared to have a MINI tech explain why I'm wrong here.

I agree with skinnyonmymini that the best way to top it off is with the engine warmed up and the heater on, that way you get all the air out of the system and can fill it to the "warm" line, then when it cools off it will withdraw what it needs as the coolant contracts - and the tank should have liquid left in it after it cools, as the actual amount of expansion/contraction isn't that great.

thanks....... Bottom line is, I'm right that it shouldn't be totally empty after sitting all night in my garage!! He filled it with coolant on Friday morning. I checked it Friday night, still at same level.... didn't use it again till Sat night and checked it again Sunday after using it...still okay. I'm going to continue to watch this. I'll be going out of town this week but will deal with it when I get back next week. I'm going to bring in everyone's comments and see what they have to say!!!! Thanks all

You MUST have coolant in the resevoir. Otherwise, the main part of the cooling system (the pressurized part) will suck air into it as things cool down after a drive. Air is bad in a cooling system. It compresses easily and prevents the proper pressure from building up. And pressure is important because it raises the boiling point of the coolant. Cooling system must be pressurized on modern engines.

The big question is why was their no or little coolant in the resevoir. If it's due to a big bubble in the main cooling system "burping out" and then the system sucked in most of what was in the resevoir as it cooled, then you may be just fine. Top off the resevoir to the proper level. It may be that the mechanic didn't properly "burp" the system and some air was left somewhere, like in the heater system.) However, if it's due to a small leak, you're gonna want to keep an eye on the level and make sure it doesn't change. A properly running system should not change it's coolant level in the resevoir for a long time.

Oh, and do NOT use tap water. Only use distilled water. Not drinking water. Not filtered water. Only distilled.

Cheers!

thanks for the info

Here'a another issue that I'm now dealing with; just happened this morning!

bought my new 2006 Mini in July 2006
Feb 2008 the battery died and it was replaced Told they last about 2 yrs but with the heat here in FL , 19 mos was reasonable. Got in my car this morning and wouldn't turn over..... Had it jumped, brought to dealer and new battery installed.......still under warranty but total aggravation and inconvenience..... So 18 mos after 1st replacement, here I was again and again told this was not unusual....... I never had a car that needed a new battery every 18-19 months..... Between this and the coolant problem I decided this morning no more Minis for me! :cry:

I am adding about 8 oz to the resevoir every few months.
The dealer says it is normal.

This is the only car I have ever had to do this to.

We've got the same issue with out 06 mcs. The cooling fan was running longer than normal after we shut the car off. Didn't matter the length of the trip. Checked the coolant and sure enough, the reservoir was empty. Topped it off and it hasn't run the fan or overheated since. But that was just a couple of days ago, so we'll see.