2nd Gen R55 Clubman Most liked posts in thread: Coolant leak help

  1. wmwny

    wmwny Well-Known Member

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    #2 wmwny, Sep 15, 2016
    Welcome to M/A!:Thumbsup:

    One morning I found coolant on the garage floor from my '06 r53, and it was the water pump...even though it never acted overheated or anything like that. it drove ok, but I ended up replacing the pump.
     
  2. 00Mini

    00Mini Well-Known Member

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    #3 00Mini, Sep 15, 2016
    Hissing and steaming are never good sights and sounds under a hood of a car. A quick repair by you or a shop will save you big time as these little cars do not take to kindly to overheating.

    Welcome to Motoring Alliance the bestest MINI forum on the interweb !!
     
  3. caseydog

    caseydog Well-Known Member

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    #4 caseydog, Sep 16, 2016
    Welcome!

    Coolant leaks are very common on MINIs, at least on 2nd gen MINIs like yours and mine. The water pump gasket is one of the coolant leaks my 2007 CS had.IIRC, that was the leak my MINI had the day I bought it.

    I never got a CEL from a leak in my MINI, but if the coolant level gets low enough, you will get an overheating warning light.

    Eventually, your overflow tank will fail, too, but at least that is a ten-minute DIY fix.

    You can expect some oil leaks in your future, too. What can I say, MINIs leak.

    CD
     
  4. busby77

    busby77 New Member

    Sep 9, 2016
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    #5 busby77, Sep 16, 2016
    Thanks for the replies everyone. I tried replicating the issue again and was not successful. I have it up on stands now with the wheel well removed to try to get a better look. Rented a pressure tester but of course none of the caps fit, not even the bmw one. One thing I found interesting is that the coolant in the reservoir is blue, but what is leaking is green. Also not much coolant was missing from the reservoir. As much as I hate to do it this might be one for the shop as nothing is jumping out at me as obvious.


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  5. caseydog

    caseydog Well-Known Member

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    #6 caseydog, Sep 16, 2016
    The coolant should be Pentosin blue. I suppose it is possible that the engine is full of Prestone, and the reservoir with Pentosin, but it seems like they would get mixed before long.

    If the water pump gasket is leaking, it should drain the reservoir pretty quickly while at driving temperatures.

    Not sure what to think.

    CD
     
  6. busby77

    busby77 New Member

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    #7 busby77, Sep 16, 2016
    There's obvious coolant on the friction wheel and components below. Is there a bleeder screw in the area? Should I be looking at the turbo components? I have an appt at the local independent shop tomorrow, I'd just rather not have to do that route.


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  7. caseydog

    caseydog Well-Known Member

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    #8 caseydog, Sep 16, 2016
    I tend to doubt it is related to the turbo cooling.

    If it isn't obvious where it is leaking, you probably won't know without a pressure test.

    Besides, if the coolant in the engine is green, it is the wrong stuff. You should flush it and fill it, anyway.

    CD
     
  8. busby77

    busby77 New Member

    Sep 9, 2016
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    #9 busby77, Sep 16, 2016
    Ok thanks very much for al the help guys. Here's a few pix of what I'm seeing, I applied a filter to show more detail [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]


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  9. busby77

    busby77 New Member

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    #10 busby77, Sep 17, 2016
    Mystery solved! A/C line had a hole in the area of the water pump, all makes sense now. Thanks for all the help, cheers


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  10. 00Mini

    00Mini Well-Known Member

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    #11 00Mini, Sep 17, 2016
    Thanks for informing us on what the problem was. :Thumbsup:
     
  11. caseydog

    caseydog Well-Known Member

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    #12 caseydog, Sep 18, 2016
    Glad you figured it out, but I'm thinking an AC leak was not a cheap fix. I hope you didn't get bent over too bad.

    CD
     
  12. busby77

    busby77 New Member

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    #13 busby77, Sep 18, 2016
    Not a cheap fix. Putting it off till tax season. It's the low a/c hose.


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  13. caseydog

    caseydog Well-Known Member

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    #14 caseydog, Sep 18, 2016
    It is still AC season where I live. :frown2:

    Make sure to set your controls so that your compressor doesn't run if you have a leak. If it is not fully charged, you can damage your compressor if it runs without refrigerant.

    CD