Engine Drivetrain 1st Gen Cooper S S water temperature range

My '09 JCW runs 220 degrees with no issues. It's 40 degrees here today...it still ran 220 degrees.

 

For what it's worth, my 09 justa runs 220 also. 218 with the AC on.

Jim

 

2nd gen cars work differently than first gen.

2nd gen cars have a "2 speed" themostat, under normal conditions it runs right at 220*, but if you're running hard like on the track or with the A/C on and a really hot day with high humidity, the 2nd part kicks in and drops the temp to the 185* range. I think it does this to protect the turbo under really hot conditions, and runs warmer the rest of the time for emissions reasons - just a guess on my part.

As to the OP's question, 185*-ish is what my 1st gen S used to run at too. The fan thing could be that your low speed isn't working anymore - that and the cooler weather.

Does the 185-195 equate to the middle of your temp gauge? I think it's about right tho....

 

185-195 is exactly what it should be for an R53, if you let it sit and idle it will go all the way to 220

The R56's run in the 220's all the time.

 

n/m

 

To answer the OP's original question about a thermostat test:

The way we used to do it back in the day is to take it out and throw it into a pan of water with a thermometer in it. Watch the temp rise as the water heats up on the stove and note what temp it opens.

However, removing one on a MINI is a bit of a PITA.....

 

My scangauge confirms this.

 

A Very Timely Thread

After owning my new 2010 MC for almost 5 months, I pulled my Scangauge from my truck to see what things were like in the MINI. The first thing I noticed was the water temp was at 220 F. The truck never ran over 186, so I did a search and found this thread.

I have heard that an engine performs efficiently at high temperatures as long as the coolant doesn't boil. So I gather that 220 for a MINI is OK. Info with the Scangauge suggests a 50-50 water/antifreeze mix doesn't boil before 265 at sea level. Although I have driven part of the Blue Ridge Parkway at elevations of approx 5000' I have received no warning signals.

I consider my MINI efficient as I have averaged 37.5 MPG for 4000 miles as calculated at the pump. Most of this has been open road driving. (Auto trans.)

 

Welcome aboard.

What type?? When you get a chance, build you garage, as it is helpful to the folks responding to you.

Jim

 

Is it also normal for the R53s coolant to rise with spirited driving or auto-x, I did have one weekend that I did two laps of an auto-x course and the coolant gauge in my chrono pack did rise some, to my best guess it was just a few degrees however it did make me nervous. sorry for the thread jack but I figure it is a somewhat related question.

FYI its on a 05 MCS with a recent thermostat housing change and Im not positive it was bled correctly as it was not done by a MINI dealer. and it took the techs a new reserve tank and 3trips to determine what the Mini dealer located in about 10 min.

 

Yes, the coolant temp will rise with more spirited driving but it should drop back down fairly rapidly if driving at highway speed.

 

I've never seen it rise - even after back to back spirited run on the Dragon, mine stays level all the time.

 

It is normal when driving hard on and off the track. A 50/50 coolant and some water wetter helps.. 2 cents.

 

If you are referring to the OEM gauge by the speedo, then no you will not see it move until you get to the red zone. By default the gauge will stay at the midpoint unless there is a coolant failure. If you have a scangauge or other aftermarket water temp gauge you will see the temps fluctuating from around 195° to 220° depending on driving conditions.

 

04 JCW with the usual mods and scanguage shows 197 most of the time.