I cannot thank you enough! Will be doing that relay jumper trick! will report back when I'm done with it in the morning as it is 1am right now here in the Phils.

Thanks again!

 

It's noon now and no luck with the relay jumper trick. :( I don't have the proper wires to clear the relays so that it clears it fully. So holding off on that one.

On a side note, will this resistor from ebay work?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...440145737#shId

The last time I studied resistors was in highschool which is long gone from my memory. I need to buy it soon as it has to ship all the way from the UK to the Philippines. :(

 

.47 is pretty close to .33 - the fan will run a little slower than stock, but much better than nothing,
and the power rating should be adequate.

This one's closer in value and in stock at Mouser.com:

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...IHFCJ8nBVIc%3d

 

Oh man, i have no idea how i missed that one! Thanks!

Update: bought the resistor from mouser! Shipped it via FedEx, should be here in a few days.

 

I replaced my fan and relay yesterday and found out why they smoked. Some how a little stick got jammed in the fan. With the fan jammed it overheated the fan motor and the resistor. So no fault of the aftermarket resistor.

 

Good to know, Banzai.

 

Add me to the list of failures. I only noticed the failure with my Scanguage. Mechanic replaced the relay. So far, so good.

 

hi guys, this is my first post, just purchased a 02 mcs, soon after realised the fan was not running when air was switched on, so hit the forums.

a big thanks to all who contributed to this thread!

i have just completed modifying the fan so thought i would share my experience.
its actually easier than you would think.
after purchasing a .47 100w arcol resistor i set about the task, in my case i did things a little bit different than what i read here.
the first thing to note is that i have the fan with 2 plugs, the smaller 2 wire plug being for the relay in the fan assembley.
please read the thread to familiarise yourself with what others have done as i dont have a camera so no pictures sorry.
here is a step by step guide for us early model owners.
1. pop the bonnet (hood)
2. turn the wheels to one side or the other
3. unlike previous post i only need to remove 1 8mm bolt from the wheel well, the one that screws in upwards, remove this on both sides
4. now remove 5 philips screws from the underside or the bumper cover, there are 7 but you only need remove 5.
5. now remove the 2 t30 torx screws
6. give the cover a wiggle and it will come free, have a friend disconnect the lights and temp sensor while you hold the cover.
7. set cover to one side
8. now remove the 5 13mm bolts on each side of the bumper carrier as mentioned in previos posts
9. set the carrier to one side
10. pop out the 2 plastic clips that hold the radiator assembly in place
11. unclip top hose from radiator
12. you will now be able to pull the radiator forward enough to see the wiring and relay housing
13. there will be 5 wires, we only need to be concerned with 2 of these, a light blue 2.5mm and a red 2.5mm
14. first mount your resistor in a suitable place, best to mount to a flat, metal surface as to aid heat soak.
15. tap a wire into the light blue wire, i used a scotchlock as a temperary measure and then soldered later, basically just to check things worked as they should . and then run this wire to the resistor. the temp measure here was a female spade connector.
16. now tap the 2.5mm red wire, run this to the other side of the resistor.
17. now reassemble
18. top up any coolant lost and test, dont forget to bleed the coolant.

i had never worked on a mini before and had this done in 50 minutes, im not a mechanic, im a panasoinic service engineer, so yes im technically minded, but if in doubt about doing this DONT, use a reputable mechanic.

tools needed
8mm socket
13mm socket
3 0r 4 inch extention bar for above
t30 torx driver
philips screwdriver
vice grips for top hose
flat screwdriver to pop plastic plugs on radiator
drill to mount resistor
pliers to close scotchlocks
sharp knife

parts needed
resistor
2 blue scotchlocks or solder/iron
2 blue female spade terminals or solder/iron
length of 2.5mm wire
screws to mount resistor

total cost was around £7 or $10 and about a hour of my time

i hope this helps those of you with earlier cars, as on the earlier cars you cannot tap into the wiring at the fan plug.

 

Welcome to NAM & glad you found this helpful.

 

Add me to the list of victims. Took my 2006 S in for a window adjustment and the Mini dealer tells me that the reason my fan is so noisy is that I am running only on the high speed. They also tell me that the high speed fan does not stay on all the time which makes the engine temp swing pretty widely which causes the metal to expand and contract which causes fluid leaks and in my case the water pump is leaking and needs to be replaced. I asked why I never saw the engine temp climb and they said it was because the coolant is low and the air in the system was fooling the sensor. Mini then tells me that to fix the water pump requires that you take off the supercharger and that the cost of replacing the fan and the water pump is $1,600. I checked at an independent shop and they suggested that the water pump leak could allow fluid into the supercharger and offered to do the repair for a mere $1500! The last time I went to a Mini dealer it was to fix the oil pan seal... which cost me $1600. Its cheaper to buy a new Mini than it is to get them repaired! I only have 63K miles on this thing. I hate to see what happens when you get to over 100K.

 

Over 100k you just get more leaks. I replaced the SC myself at 80k miles for around $700 and wished I had splurged and replaced the water pump when it would have been easy. I'm a regular customer for cooling fans. Best of luck.

 

Part of that ridiculous bill is probably the cost of a fan. You can get an aftermarket fan off ebay for $65- http://www.ebay.com/itm/200749334472...84.m1497.l2649

I have one and it fit and works perfectly. Given the "quality" of OEM mini parts I don't think you can do much worse with a chinese knock off. The fan itself is a 1.5-2hr job. I haven't done a water pump so can't say how much more work over doing the fan it is. I'd think the hardest part of removing the front of the car is all ready done for the fan it's not a ton more labor. Couldn't see it being more than maybe two or three more hours. The pump itself is around $60. Let me grossly over estimate time at 8hrs @ $100/hr we're at $800. Add $150 in parts and that's $950. That would be the limit for a reasonable repair IMO. $750 would be a good price. Or do it yourself for $150.

 

I do all my own work and have saved thousands, 131,00+K and I love my MINI. Why didn't you just install the resister, 99% of the time the fan motor is okay, just the low speed resister is burned out. The solutions are right here for anybody that can read and pick up a wrench.

 

Having done both the entire fan unit and just the resistor I'd vote for replacing the whole fan. It's a lot easier job and at only $65 for a fan not much more expensive.

 

Norm, it wasn't the resistor that scared me. It was taking the supercharger off, replacing the pump and the concern for future or current leaks. If I did the repair any leak caused by the original failure were on me. If Mini did it, its on them. They replaced my thermostat for me as well, for instance, because it was leaking due to the heating and cooling of the car caused by the faulty fan.

I absolutely love how our Minis handle and I much prefer the supercharged Mini to the turbo Mini as a lively car to drive... but the engine quality is a piece of s**t!

 

anyone tried this? is it the same http://www.detroittuned.com/dorman-g...an-relay-kit/? thanks

 

I worked on the Mini this weekend and this was on the agenda. RockAuto.com sells the (almost) same resistor set up as Detroit Tuned but for 20 bucks or so instead of DT's price of $50 (for $50 just get a new fan unit). The install was a snap once the fan assembly was out, just cut the wires, match up and splice. You guys prob already know there are only 3 wires, one blue and two reds of different guage (thickness). Strip the wires and match them up using butt connectors then use some shrink connectors for a watertight seal and you should be good.

There is a thread on another websites DIY library (google is your friend) on how to remove the fan assembly without having to remove the radiator and loosening the condenser as the Bently suggests. A few tips:

*cover the alternator when you remove the upper radiator house. I got coolant on it although not much but it freaked me out. You may have read my thread haha Scanguages volt readings are still happy though
*Youtube has a video on checking the fans operation with a voltmeter. Spend 5 bucks for a cheap one at HF or spend some cash and get one you will own forever. It's a better way to check and know for sure rather than checking with AC ect. If you are gonna check the easiest way I've found is to use the Minis comp menu to get degrees in Celsius and see if the fan kicks on at 105*. If it doesn't high speed will kick on at 112*. If that's the case hour resistor is bad.
*be careful while tilting the radiator forward to get to the fan assembly, the bottom mounts are plastic and fragile.

Really the hardest part was getting the car in Service Mode, well almost, no need to pull radiator forward, other than that it's a nice weekend project. I added a new WMW 15% pulley, belt, plugs, expansion tank, and oil change for $hits and giggles. Big thanks to everyone posting in this thread and on the boards!

 

The leaky thermostat gasket is a common problem and has nothing to do with the low speed fan function not working. The high speed function will keep the car within a safe temperature range even without the low speed capability. I think you have been misled into thinking that lack of low speed functionality will somehow cause unsafe temperature range fluctuations.

 

You may be right Maj! When it comes to Minis I am easily misled... like when my son convinced me to buy him one. The thermostat is a common issues but this one had just been replaced less than three months prior. Now the dealer said that the low speed fan stays on all the time the car is running but the high speed fan cycles on and off which gives you the temperature swings and possibility of expansion and contraction instigated fluid leaks. Are you suggesting the high speed fan stays on all the time once the engine hits a certain temperature? These are aluminum engines which tend to do a lot of expansion and contracting.

 

Here it is again:

"The cooling fan operates on low speed when the a/c is switched on and the
system pressure reaches 8 bar. The fan switches to high speed should the a/c
system pressure rise above 18 bar. For the engine cooling system, the fan
operates on low speed at 105C (221F). When the temperature drops to
101C (214F) the fan will switch off. The fan switches to high speed at 112C
(234F) and remains on high until the system coolant temperature drops by 4C (7F)
at which point the system reverts to low speed."

 

Thanks for reposting that Cristo.

 

Cristo is correct, your dealer rep is confused about the operation. Here is my experience with the fan when driving in Central Florida. I installed an Ultragauge (provides a digital readout of engine temp) which made me realize the dash temp gauge is close to worthless. At around 140 F the needle hangs at around the half way point and doesn't move even as temps approach 210 F. I have been sitting in stop-and-go traffic with ambient temps in the 90s and it never gets hot enough for the low speed fan to kick on. If I turn the A/C on, the fan goes into high speed (apparently my A/C functions above 18 bars whenever I use it) and the engine temp will settle in around 190-195 F. So, for my Mini, the low speed fan operation conditions are seldom if ever met.

I'm curious if other folks have the same fan operation results that I do. Mine cools really well even without the fan. So again, I think your dealer is using fear tactics to get you to authorize repairs.

If you have previously owned Japanese vehicles then the Mini will be a disappointment in the reliability department. I'm constantly on the fence about selling mine since I get tired of wrenching on it. It only took me a year to go through two windshields - luckily Florida has a no deductible rule for windshield replacement so they are free but it is still a pain...

 

Cristo, Maj, thanks for the detail on the fan operation. My dealer definitely uses fear to encourage repairs! I took the car in for a check engine light once and he told me my cylinder pressure varied between cylinders and he needed to take the head off to further define the problem and that would cost close to $2K. I didn't bite and have driven two years without seeing the check engine light again. Honesty is hard to come by at dealerships.

 

And edward3...
These engines on a gen1 are CAST IRON, with an aluminium head....not all aluminum like you refered to....

 

We finally took a Sunday off and did a how-to to install our diode kit.

How-Too or all our instructions.