Hello,

I've got a 2004 Mini Cooper S which is overheating at idle.

After sitting at idle for a few minutes on a very hot day, it will peg the temperature gauge.

As so as I start driving again, the temp goes back down to normal.

I tested all of the fuses and they are good (both under the hood and inside the car).

The coolant reservoir was empty. I filled it some time ago but have not been monitoring it until now, so I will start watching it daily.

I read in other threads where there are two fans, but I only see one behind the radiator on the driver's side. I believe I've heard it running because there is a loud fan that runs for a while after the car is shut off. I will check this fan again today after it gets hot now that I know where to look.

I'm aware of the power steering fan. I checked under the car when it was idling and it was not turning. Does it only come on when needed? It does not appear to be very dirty.

Thanks for your help!

Alan

 

Sounds like you most likely have air in the system....watch the water level in the tank...it should self "burp" or you can bleed it. Remember to keep the fluid topped.
The fact the radiator fan is VERY loud, cycling on and off indicate that the low speed mode MIGHT be out...leaving the high speed functional...the radiator has ONE FAN, TWO MODES....the low speed portion often fails due to a failed competent...the resistor on it. There are several threads on this.
That having been said....if the fan is running, the car should not overheat....so the overheating was likely caused (pray a bit if you are the type) by lack of coolant!!
The PS cooling fan turns about 20-30 seconds after the high speed is turned on, or as needed (the car decides I guess?!)....if the high speed is cycling on and off, with no low speed, I'm not sure it will ever turn on....which is bad, since the PS pump is a $500+ item.....try to turn it by hand...it should not feel grittty when you turn it...it should be smooth...with some minor bit of resistance at a few spots due to the magnets inside, but SMOOTH. If it is stuck, has high resistance, etc...it might be failed/failing.
Check for a fuse....it might be inside the car..depends if it was modified by the dealer...or it might share the fuse with the radiator fan.

 

Thanks for the reply!

So I should keep the burp tank filled to the top? The MAX line is only about halfway up the side of the tank. Just want to make sure about this.

The next time it overheats, I will check out the fan to see if it is running. The low speed idea might be right, but I'm almost positive that I could hear a loud fan running while it was overheating.

I'll check out the PS fan.

 

Compare the temps between your upper & lower radiator hoses. You might have a bad thermostat.

 

No overheating today. I suspect this was because I filled the tank with coolant this morning. Air conditioner is noticeably colder too.

So now the question becomes: Why am I losing coolant?

 

2 likely places...
Thermostat gasket...a common weakness on the MINI....there is a newer part...
Or/And
The tank...the "burp" tank as to referred to it. It leaks too...the most recent one is yellowish....the old one was kinda clearish milky....they usually leak around the seam.
Hopefully you did not let it overheat too much....the headgasket can fail due to overheating....Keep an eye on the oil/tail pipe....
No white smoke or creamy oil or coolant drops in it, and you are most likly fine!!

 

What if my car is overheating fairly quick and then white smoke is coming from exhaust ??? Never got engine overheating light yet so maybe only turbo is overheating. I did have check engine light I check the codes with alta power commander tool, I did reset the codes and they com back one more time codes say thermostat issue. After second reset no more codes but my car starts smoking after longer red light or car wash alot of smoke but not when driving faster.

 

I had the same issue happen to me, but last winter during a very cold day. Temp was fine while running on the expressway, but the fan started up while I was stopped at a light. I had a bad thermostat gasket that was leaking and my coolant level had dropped siginificantly.

I added a generous amount of coolant and it didn't happen again. Had the leak fixed a couple of days later and never had an issue since.

 

Bad head gasket? Kind of sounds like coolant is entering your combustion system somewhere?

 

I'll check my coolant level. It should drop right?

 

Since it sounds like you have a gen2..aka TURBO CAR...a new thread might work better...
Gen1, the supercharged car owners are as knowlegable on gen2 issues.
It does sound like you have BIG issues...burning coolant (aks coolent in the exhaust) is usually a very bad sign in any motor...