coolant problem again

[djlow1969]

hi think i need some help after the car going in to bmw garage to get a compression test done 189 psi -200 psi all was ok was coming back from Dundee yesterday and the temp sign came on again yellow and then red so pulled over and let it cool down then opened the expansion bottle and there was antifreeze in it and the fan was running to cool the engine down so topped up and continued on my way home just to say there was no water any where heater works as it should just to hear that gonk is getting on my nerves as i no it is something to do with the heateing i have just about had it and i am thinking of returning the car back to the dealers as i can not go far with out the hearing the gonk going off hope to hear from you soon david

[jdl_1967]

Hi David,

Is your S an R53 or an R56?

I've had issues with my R53 JCW for over six months now, thankfully just in the process of getting it mended now.

It was losing coolant which worsened over time and eventually started to find its way into my oil.

Prior to finding coolant in my oil, I changed the expansion bottle (slight leak), the cap twice (one wasn't holding pressure and one just to be sure), the radiator fan (resistor gone), the thermostat, the thermostat housing and the heat exchanger / oil cooler.

It never overheated, ran perfectly with no loss of power and there was no steam from the exhaust. It was pressure tested 3 times by a local garage with absolutely no loss in pressure after hours of being left on the test kit.

Only when it was stripped down was a cracked head found, so a reconditioned JCW head was purchased.

There is quite a lot of information online that points towards cracked heads being more common than blown head gaskets on the R53.

If it's an R53, do you know how to access the on board diagnostic function through the dash? It can provide the exact temperature your car is running at.

I'd shy away from driving if it appears to be overheating.

John


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[EcosseGP]

Yeah think you should get it back to the dealer. I'm sure you'll hear from John on here who had the sane issue with his MINI losing water without a leak. It turned out to be a cracked head and in getting repaired as I type it up. The car will be back better than ever no doubt but I'd get it checked sooner rather than later ...

[EcosseGP]

^^ ah as if by magic John appeared

[jonnie]

If it's an R53, do you know how to access the on board diagnostic function through the dash? It can provide the exact temperature your car is running at.


How do you do this?

[jdl_1967]

1. Ignition off
2. Press and hold trip reset button
3. Switch on ignition
4. Release the trip reset button
5. Press trip reset button until '19' illuminates where the trip counter / odometer is
6. After a couple of seconds it will flash 'on' 'off'
7. Press the trip reset button when it shows 'off'
8. Press the trip reset button until you get to number '7'
9. Start the car
10. It will now show the water temp in degrees C until the car is switched off

I used this continually to monitor my temp when I was having issues

Thermostat open at 94 ish
Thermostat closes at 89 ish
Low speed fan comes on at 106
High speed fan comes on at 112

Temp should not spike when you accelerate

Full details of all diagnostic functions below:

http://new.minimania.com/ECU_Reset_P...50_52_53_MINIs


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[jonnie]

thanks jdl_1967.

[mini mad andy]

Hi,

Don't quite understand, you said there was antifreeze in the expansion tank but you also said you topped it up, presume it was only a small amount of coolant you added.

When you had the pipe replaced about a week ago when they were replacing the coolant did they bleed the air out the engine properly? You shoud maybe try opening the bleed valve and see if air comes out of it.

It might be worth getting the thermostat checked as if it is not working properly it could be restricting the coolant flow, also worth getting the temp. sensor checked to make sure it is not giving a false reading.

The compression sounds ok, if anything a bit high but as John says above it could be a head gasket / crack issue but it might be worth checking everything else out first.

Andy

[badwolf340]

couple of things you need to clear up....is the car using water ? is there any mixing of water and oil ?are you checking water level when cold or just when you get a warning on the dash ?

If its using water there must be a reason leak /crack/failure of part or maybe if not using water (loss) a failure of a sensor/elec fault.If following a logical route you will find the answer.

[jdl_1967]

The compression sounds ok, if anything a bit high but as John says above it could be a head gasket / crack issue but it might be worth checking everything else out first.

Andy

As Andy says, start with the easy / cheaper things first.

R53s can be a pain to bleed.

There's also a bleed bolt on the side of the head just behind the thermostat housing that's difficult to see and even harder to reach. Long extension bit on a socket needed, it's brass coloured and can be seen glinting with a torch.

If the thermostat housing is leaking you may see coolant running down the bell housing towards the bulkhead just near to where the bell housing joins the block. It drys quickly if the engine is hot, so you need to look as the engine is running. It may only leak when you're at operating temperature too, i.e once the thermostat housing has expanded / twisted etc due to the heat.

I have a thermostat housing you can have for free if you need one. I changed mine in desperation even though there was no evidence it was leaking.

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