I know this isnt the first time something like this has been posted, but being new to the R53 family, i am a little concerned. I have a '03 R53 - Cooper S.

For the first time today, in the rain, my engine cooling fan stayed on for far to long. I have 135k on this vehicle and just replaced thermostat housing, and coolant expansion tank.

I heard this happens because the coolant can be low, this shouldnt be the case, considering the overflow was just flushed? And the thermostat housing was replaced.

Also read that it could mean the low fan is out? and sometimes the fans get "stuck". After about an hour, i unplugged it, shutting it off, and quickly unplugged it, turned right back on. I left it unplugged.

Anyone solved a problem like this before? and to what lengths did you have to go for a solution?

 

If your car is running normal, your fan relay is just stuck. Early 02-03s with the 2-plug fan have the relay in the fan assembly. A tap usually cures it. I simply wired in a cut off switch as this happens randomly.

 

minsanity...it seems to be running normal, idles well also. a cut off switch sounds interesting, and this is just to keep from having to unplug it or give it a tap? how does one go about creating such a switch?

and thank you for the response! i appreciate all the help i can get.

 

I can't recall w/c wire on the fan harness I wired that switch as it's all taped up. What you can do is unplug the fan & find the wire that constantly has a 12V supply even w/ key off the ignition. That's where the cut-off switch should be tapped into. You may add in a relay/fuse for added safety.

 

Right on minsanity..Thank you again for the help. Tried turning it on this morning after unplugging the fan last night, car wouldnt turn over and had to get a jump. Do you think its ok to keep driving the car as long as i keep unplugging and plugging the fan back in? Or should i fix this issue ASAP?

 

If issue is just that- a stuck relay, then. car is safe to be driven. Careful as you might eventually break a plug clip or 2. I know it's a hassle. Swapping the relay requires fan assembly extraction w/c is a tedious task. The switch works so well. Sometimes when symptom hits, I turn switch off, next time I run the car, relay is back to normal. So it's that random. You save the batt from draining w/ this mod, too.

 

brilliant...i really appreciate the help!

 

Hope you sort this.

 

Pardon my ignorance here - but the relay is in the fan motor? My '02 Mini Cooper just started having fits with the electric fan motor running after the key is off. Sometimes it would quit, sometimes not. Now the fan will run until the battery is dead. Nothing I did at the under-bonnet electrical center (pulling relays, fuses, etc.) would cause the fan to stop.

So you are putting a switch on the 12v signal to the motor, and manually controlling the cooling fan motor? Does it need to be 'on' when the A/C is on? Do you have to keep an eye on the temp gauge when driving?

Anything else I should look for or try first? Any help will be appreciated. Regards, Dave

 

The relay on the 2002 and 2003 is not on the fan “motor”. It is on the plastic fan shroud.

Looking at the front of the car, look down the left side of the fan. About 6-8” down you will see a black bump out. THAT cover has the relay inside. Before I changed mine, I used a hefty screwdriver and a light tap on the housing to shut it down.

BTW, that relay is replaceable. Not easy to get at but replaceable. But if you do that you should get one of the upgraded low speed resister packs so you won’t have to replace the fan ever again.

///Rich

 

Thanks Rich. Are the updated resistor packs OEM from MINI or are they aftermarket?

 

Dorman Gen 1 Fan Kit

Dorman makes the assembly and Detroit Tuned and eBay have them. It doesn’t have the big green wire wound resistor which simply fails.

MUCH better than the original.

///Rich