1st Gen R53 Cooper S Engine overheating, spewing coolant

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by Gizmo, Mar 2, 2013.

  1. Gizmo

    Gizmo New Member

    May 22, 2012
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    I'll keep my day full of adventure short.

    Started my car this morning, sounded like my engine was knocking, I get on the highway and after about two miles the sound stops completely. I stop at a traffic light, accelerate and then I see a bit of white smoke behind me, it disappears then a second later my temp gauge spikes, the red warning light flashes and I pull over.

    Pop the hood, and coolant is all over the back of the engine and the underbody metal below that. Looked like the coolant tank failed.

    I live in an apartment for school, home (with all of my tools) is an hour and 30 min away so I get my car towed back to my apartment. I filled the expansion tank with distiller water. Started my engine again and let it warm up to running temp and there was no sign of leaking, rev'd the engine several times, let it ran for a few minutes...nothing.

    Then I drive it gently around, after about 5 minutes it overheats again.

    I have to wait for Monday to see if any of the local dealerships have a new tank. I have class at 9am on Tuesday so I need to fix my car Monday.

    Any suggestions on what to look for to see if it is on fact the tank? Both times there was coolant on the power steering reservoir and dripping down the side for the top.

    Thanks for any help...

    John
     
  2. Mr. Jim

    Mr. Jim Mudshark
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    May 22, 2010
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    John,

    I have a used tank if you can get here to pick it up?
     
  3. Gizmo

    Gizmo New Member

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    Pm'd you
     
  4. Mr. Jim

    Mr. Jim Mudshark
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    Just replied
     
  5. Sneedspeed

    Sneedspeed New Member

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    Sounds like a head gasket. Normal Mini head gasket systoms of runs fine and then overheat all of a sudden and no leaks outside. The tank is boiling over and venting. That's where the coolant on the PS and header are coming from.
     
  6. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

    May 4, 2009
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    Thermostat stuck closed?
     
  7. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

    Jun 4, 2009
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    A shop can use a tool to sniff the coolant & check for the presence of combustion gas. Sounds like your head gasket may be leaking. How does your oil look, normal or like brown sludge?
     
  8. Mr. Jim

    Mr. Jim Mudshark
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    I gave John a spare overflow tank I had yesterday, just waiting for results of him replacing it.
     
  9. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    Hope it's his overflow tank. I love easy fixes. :fingerscrossed:
     
  10. Gizmo

    Gizmo New Member

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    I'm at home right now, I'm going back to my apartment later to try and fix this. I'm really hoping it is just the over flow tank.

    I'll keep you all posted.
     
  11. JMC40

    JMC40 Well-Known Member

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    Other thing it could be is air in the coolant system. In all of my reading on bleeding the system properly, I came across many that said coolant spewing everywhere was a byproduct of air in the system.
     
  12. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    Or a busted rad fan?
     
  13. ZippyNH

    ZippyNH Well-Known Member

    Jan 25, 2010
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    Lets look at this from the START...
    Sounds like I would try to find the KNOCK....this likely caused the HEAT, which caused the overheat...

    You MIGHT have busted your coolant tank from the overheating...but that would just likely be damage from the overheat, but not the thing that caused it...
    I am betting you need to get it into a shop..maybe have a compression test and a leakdown done ASAP....the cause might be more serious.
    The 'KNOCK" can indicate a serious issue, especially if the proper fuel was being used.....or might have been caused by improper fuel...and done other $$damage....
     
  14. ZippyNH

    ZippyNH Well-Known Member

    Jan 25, 2010
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    Naw...busted fan results in overheating when the car stops moving....
    Depending on the production date, the EARLY, PRE-2005 PRODUCTION 2005 model year cars can have the unsplit wiring harness from the earlier cars (mine did, was "updated" after I killed my first PS fan by the dealer) that KILLS the fan when the PS fan seizes, and blows a fuse...

    But here, the car was on the HIGHWAY....KNOCKING FOR 2 MILES...
    That KNOCKING ALONE can make enough heat to overheat a car, and blow a head-gasket if ignored...like accelerating onto the highway...

    I hope the fix is simple....but if it it clanging when you start..maybe you should not leave the driveway till you look closer...or the $$ goes up.

    The white smoke at the end of the drive says head-gasket MAY have gone at the end....
     
  15. ZippyNH

    ZippyNH Well-Known Member

    Jan 25, 2010
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    These MINI's have a cast-Iron block, and can hold a HUGE amount of heat...and it takes a bit of time to get it out...
    Ever notice how after an auto-X run, the TEMP continues to GO UP when you park AFTER A RUN..and you generally idle to cool down?!......it simply takes time for the heat to migrate from the block to the coolant....more so than an aluminum block....I suspect the block was VERY hot from the KNOCK...and the car simply overheated when it slowed down...most likely causing the head-gasket to fail.
    Just a WILD GUESS........
    I just keep reading the second line of the post...........about the knocking for a couple of miles....
     
  16. Gizmo

    Gizmo New Member

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    [​IMG]

    Could this have caused the knocking?
     
  17. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    Hmm snake oil knock. That sure if possible, I guess. I recommend Chevron Techron as a FI cleaner.

    Have you checked the oil? Does it look OK?
     
  18. ZippyNH

    ZippyNH Well-Known Member

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    MOST fuel injector cleaner is a detergent in a light Number 1 Diesel fuel carrier....so used improperly, yes it is possible. If the octane of the fuel was already kinda low..below the 91 needed, then you add a cleaner that drops it a bit more....
    BUT the knock could be from a blocked injector, so having one cylinder running lean, resulting in a knock...
    Usually if the bottles of cleaner is added to a mostly or nearly full 11 gallon MINI tank...the bottles are usually good for 15, you are fine, especially with 92+ octane most folks run....and frankly with a 17%, I would try to run ONLY 92+.....no playing around with "it seems OK with 89 with a bit of 93 added"....adding the pulley can add heat, which increases the amount of octane the motor needs....
     
  19. Gizmo

    Gizmo New Member

    May 22, 2012
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    I only run premium fuel. Oil looks normal.

    I just replaced the expansion tank, ran the engine for a few minutes. Had my friend rev the engine a bit.


    Within ten seconds after the video, smoke came out of the engine bay and coolant overflowed out of the expansion tank again.

    Stand by for the video...
     
  20. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    Jan 5, 2010
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    :cornut: Any leak or rust at the water pump bearing inspection hole? Could be your water pump going out or the thermostat going out.:Thumbsup:

    Jason
     

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