WINKJ Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Hi Guys, my GF has a mini one, 58 plate I think. Basically I am seking some advice as to what the problem could be rathe than taking it to Mini that will charge us a fortune. we noticed her oil light would come on when going around roundabouts, topped it up and this seems to have solved the issue (also, the dipsticks in these mini's are TERRIBLE) before the issue the coolant level was low so I also topped this up at the same time. in a week the coolant has pretty much emptied!!!! not sure what the issue is, there is no leak at all!!!!! pleae help guys! dont fancy a big bill from mini and I dont trust them as much as some of the car 'brains' on here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Is this any help. http://www.mini2.com/forum/maintenance-mini-care/148139-bmw-mini-coolant-leak.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 Is this any help. http://www.mini2.com...olant-leak.html I have checked this out - they are saying things like head gasket and pressure tests etc... to me this seems like Mini will be issuing a big invoice to us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9JAH Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Sounds like a cracked head gasket. I had same issue in a MG and 350Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Signs of grey sludge when you take the oil filler cap off is likely to mean head gasket or cracked block/cylinder head And does the expansion tank (assuming the Mini has one) look as though it is has oil in? As with the ZED, get a good Indy to look at it rather than a main dealer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Head gasket was my first thought, could be any number of things though. Cracked rad, dodgy water pump, loose hose... Take it a normal garage, one you can trust, it's only a Mini and doesn't need particularly specialist knowledge to service. No offence 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 have you tried filling up the coolant and seeing if anything comes out over a 24 hour period (leave it stationary for 24 hours) look for signs of moisture etc, check your rad for drips or pools of water in undertrays etc. follow rad pipes look for splits cracks and holes, usually wettness is the give away. run your hands along other coolant pipes and see if they give any indication of moisture.. does the coolant bottle look like it has mayo in it or around the lid, this would show oil emulisifcation and would be an indication of a headgasket failure. check round the seal of the head on the block. you can sometimes see where the gasket has blown out if it is a gasket issue. if a 24 standstill test shows nothing, take for a quick drive and re do all checks above. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 thanks guys - will give these a go!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 When our mini was almost 3 yrs old we were losing coolant at almost a litre a week. Was the thermostat housing in our case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 When our mini was almost 3 yrs old we were losing coolant at almost a litre a week. Was the thermostat housing in our case. sorry this is out of my league! haha. any way I cam investigate this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 thanks for all the advice, I ran the test and still couldn'd find anything. had a thought - if there was too much oil in the engine, could this of caused the increased use in coolant? as it now seems to have resolved itself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Incredibly unlikely, not without having caused massive engine damage that would be instantly noticeable. Too much oil is just as bad as not enough though, in case you were wondering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 Incredibly unlikely, not without having caused massive engine damage that would be instantly noticeable. Too much oil is just as bad as not enough though, in case you were wondering. yep I know that the dipstick in the Mini is so so so so poor though! I will still get it checked out on Thursday then to be sure. not quite sure why it seems to have resolved itself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuarty Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Probably nothing to do with it, but my wife's Mini had a recall a few months ago regarding the thermostat. Its a 2012 mini! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveparkin Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 If its a 2008 Mini, then it will be the BMW/PSA engine, same as in my other half's Pug 207 - we had a coolant leak from the plastic thermostat housing on that one. Try to look for crystallised deposits of antifreeze as well as wet patches - they will be a similar colour to the coolant, which is probably either orangy-pink or greeny-blue.The thermostat housing is just above the gearbox/clutch bellhousing on ours - follow the radiator hoses back to the engine - it will be at the end of one of them... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyp Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I think there is a known issue with the mini's expansion tank weeping coolant when hot - can be fixed by running some sealant along the seams of the expansion bottle - depends how low it gets, as my girlfriends mini has the above issue, but it only falls to the bottom level of the bottle. If it sinks lower it may be more serious.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 I think there is a known issue with the mini's expansion tank weeping coolant when hot - can be fixed by running some sealant along the seams of the expansion bottle - depends how low it gets, as my girlfriends mini has the above issue, but it only falls to the bottom level of the bottle. If it sinks lower it may be more serious.. I have done some searching on this and that seems to be the very commn problem... better to do that than buy another tank? if I were to buy a new tank, is it a straight swap? do I have to worry about air in the system or anything ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bems Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Old ladys mk1 mini cooper had this and as already said it was the thermostat in the end although it took four attempts at the same garage to find this out. As you say there was no visible leak/drips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted October 12, 2013 Author Share Posted October 12, 2013 Guys, this is still a problem. I refill the coolant and the next day 95% of it is gone and there are small dregs of a dirty looking liquid. Really unsure of what this is and there are no visible leaks. I am happy to take it to a garage but would prefer to give them some pointers as to what's could be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth29 Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 could be the cap on the expansion tank not sealing properly? have you tried leaving it idling until it gets really hot - fans coming on - and seeing if you can see any evidence of steam/coolant escaping? also, i think if you have air in the system it can cause loss like this - there may be a point where you can bleed air out of it - i had to do this on my z as it was losing coolant. the bleed valve will be at the highest point in the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewen@Clark Motorsport Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 We had a couple of Minis in the workshop in the past that have had this issue and they both required a new expansion bottle to fix the problem. Our local dealer keep these on the shelf so it does seem a fairly common problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted October 12, 2013 Author Share Posted October 12, 2013 Thanks for the info guys. Also forgot to mention it's impossible to get the lid off until the car has been running for a second or two. Also once I managed to losen the cap with the car running and the bottle began to fill up from nowhere! It seems the air in the system could be the problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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