the past week my cooper has over heated a couple of times. ive noticed that when it happens its always when im stopped in traffic or at a light. also when i open when i check out the engine i never hear or see a fan running. could it be that i have a problem with my fans or more likely a problem with say the thermostat? thanks for any help!

 

Check the PS fan fuse...a 5a fuse by the drivers leg...
On pre 2005 cars it blows....taking out the relay that powers the radiator fan....
So you likely need a new power steering fan...it looks to be about the size of a computer fan...and cools the PS pump.

 

It sounds like your radiator fan is toast...you can find one for under $100 at RockAuto...or the OEM MINI fan is something like $325. Both will fail again eventually, so pick your poison.

Also, double-check your coolant levels and top off if they are low. If you're lucky and it's just the radiator fan, you should have a pretty easy fix on your hands.

Worst case scenario...you could also have a failed thermostat or water pump. If it's a Cooper S, have fun with replacing those, especially the water pump...it's attached to the backside of the supercharger and is a pain to replace. Also if it's a Cooper S, check your coolant expansion tank...those are prone to failure.

Whatever you do, get this taken care of ASAP...if you blow the head gasket (or worse), things get A LOT more expensive to fix.

 

On a gen1 car, the radiator fan is wired oddly...
Please CHECK the PS fan fuse before you spend $100+ on a new radiator fan...
This is a VERY common issue that folks with newer mini's don't know about.
If it is blown, the usual cause is the ps cooling fan...a 15 minute diy fix.
Dealer in 2005 were modifying the wiring harness of many cars in a nationwide campaign to prevent this issue...it was done for any owner under warrenty IF they had YOUR issue OR they had a PS cooling fan changed under warrenty.

 

The radiator fans on gen1 cars CAN be troublesome....
But the issue is USUALLY the failing of a resistor that controls the low speed fan...when this happens the fan ONLY runs on hi...the car DOES run hotter than normal, but IT DOES NOT OVERHEAT.
good luck!!

 

thanks for the replies! in which fuse box would i find the ps fan fuse?

 

In the car...drivers side...by you left leg in the sidewall... Forget the fuse number...but it is a 5 amp...if I remember right it is about 4 down...
Depending on the version of the wiring...the park distance control (PDC) may share the same fuse...

 

Hi All,
I thought this thread was relevant to yet another issue I am having (oh the joy of owning a mini) and thought I would post here. If this isn't applicable, please tell me and I will start my own thread.

To start, I haven't overheated yet. My issue is my radiator fan stays on occasionally after the car is stopped. It keeps going, and going, and going, until the battery drains. Unplugging it helps (obviously), but I can't drive with it unplugged (maybe it was stupid of me but I tried, and it was fine at high speeds, but low speeds my temps went up so I pulled over, plugged it back in, and continued on my merry way).

The battery drain thing happened twice in the last two weeks, so it is not all the time. The first time it happened, the fan was on when we parked. This has happened before but it generally shuts itself off after a minute or two. Well, this time it obviously didn't because when I came back to the car that night the battery was completely drained. Another time the fan wasn't on when we parked, but it must have popped on overnight because the battery was dead the next morning.

I am pretty sure it is actually the fan draining the battery and not a battery issue itself because the first time the battery was dead, we jumped the car and the fan turned right on. The car had been sitting for 12+ hours, so everything was obviously cold.

I have seen the part that I THINK I need, problem is that I read reviews about the parts and some people say that early 02 minis aren't compatible with said part (two plugs versus one). I guess the question is, what do I go with? This seems like a pretty simple DIY for me, even though I am obviously not car savvy.

Lastly, is this the same as the power steering fan? I ask because I just got a letter in the mail saying MINI will replace the fan/pump if it malfunctions through 2014. I figure if I can get this fixed for free, why not do it?

 

Check out this thread... does it sound familiar? Huge thread.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-solution.html

Short story, the low speed fan resistor goes bad. I used the ($26, Amazon.com) to do the fix. If you go that route, I'll post the link to the DIY instructions when I get home.

I'm no expert, but I've been reading a lot about the fan issues lately, as I ended up doing the relay resistor replacement. I've heard stories told about people having to whack the relay with a screwdriver to unstick it; this might be your problem. Next time it stays running, whack it with a screwdriver; if it stops, it's a bad relay. I replaced mine while I did the resistor replacement because of the stories, and it seemed like a good time to do some preventive maintenance.

 

A little more info. The first time the car overheated was about a month ago. I read that it could be air in the line making the thermostat stay closed so I unscrewed that little screw in the front lines to let air out. Since then the car hadn't over heated until I check my coolant level last week. I'm pretty sure I unscrewed it to let the air about. But after that is when it started overheating again. I hope that helps find the problem faster

 

SO... where is the relay located?

 

On the back side of the radiator, left side; near where the hose goes in up top. You will see the wiring harness leading to it.

 

Have a look at if you'd be so kind. Is it the thing on the bottom left of this kit? I looked up your link and they LOOK to be the same piece to me, so it would helpful to know if what I am looking at here is what I am supposed to be looking at.

At $70, versus $26, it seems cheap enough to just replace the whole kit and caboodle, if my thinking isn't off.

 

Yeah, bottom left on that picture, but that's not how it mounts.



The top left while standing in front of the radiator. $70 seems like a pretty good deal, starting to wish I'd done that.

 

Waring....
Depending on the YEAR of the car, the relay might be on the radiator fan (later cars that have the 2 plug replacement ) or on the car side...mostly 02 and some 03' cars....(the 3 plug models)..
The resistor... Is always on the fan...you can physically see it on the fan when you remove it.
If a relay is stuck...you can usually tap it firmly...unstick it for a bit.
Just to point out again....the relay and resistors ARE separate issues...with separate symptoms when they fail....don't lump them as one item/issue.

 

A few years ago I replaced mine with an similar one from rocksuto....
Just be sure to get the RIGHT fan based upon production date...something that many online sites neglect...they stock the early or the late fan....rockauto does list the dates and model numbers....so at the least , get the right model number there....then make sure the number is the same....wrong connectors means it cannot work....
On all the fans there is an EXTRA plug (not counted for the 2 vs 3 count) for the PS fan....if the car is a 2005+ or has had the wiring harness modified to split the fuses...the extra PS plug mounted on the radiator fan side will not be used.

 

How can I test if my high speed fan is working?

 

Sounds like you have done a functional test....
The high speed fan should turn on preventing an overheat.
The failed resistor ONLY prevents the low speed from working...
That so most common issue is a fuse as noted above that stops it from running (along with the PS cooling fan...so common many cars were rewired for free by mini).....
Then next most common is a stuck relay...
Then maybe a dead fan motor....
All may/may not have different fixes....

 

so i just ran my car to normal temps and at no point did the rad or ps fan turn on. but i cant seem to find a blown fuse anywhere. can someone show me a picture of exactly where the fuse would be?

 

To test the normal operation of the low speed fan you can check the voltage at the fans connection on the drivers side of the fan. You can also check it by turning on the car and letting it idle. At 221* the low speed fan will kick on and make very little noise, at 234* the high speed fan will kick on and it will be loud! A third way to check both the low speed and ps fan is to turn on the AC, at 8 bar the low speed will kick in and at 18 bar the high kicks in.

You can monitor your temps using the cars on board menu (coolant temp sensor) and just watch what happens as temps creep up. I bought the resistor from Rockauto for 25 bucks ($50 unit from DT was too much, rather buy a whole new assembly at that price) and was a snap to install.

 

I got my car to normal temp, the middle mark of the gauge, with the ac on full blow and neither the rad fan nor the PS fan turned on

 

Sounds like the resistor is bad. Like all have said, check fuses etc but the resistor is a common problem. I would still use the temp trick I stated above, the on board gauge is more of an idiot gauge than an accurate gauge. My car stays at the middle operating temp from 160* or so up to 232* (hottest it's been while in traffic) when the fan kicks on according to my scanguage.

 

You guys won't believe what it was. The plug for the high speed fan was loose from its wiring so it was get power too it -____- can't believe it was so simple this whole time.