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Do Minis Consume Coolant? |
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R53MAO 
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PSMINI Member Joined: May/30/11 Location: Tacoma Wa Status: Offline Points: 243 |
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 Topic: Do Minis Consume Coolant?Posted: January/28/12 at 3:15pm |
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So I was checking things under my hood today and saw that my coolant expansion tank was empy! Almost completly dry! I had not run the car today before that. Well, I ran up the road to Oreily autoparts, and got some coolant, and re filled the expansion tank to the fill line. I then proceded to tear apart the front end of the car, looking for a leak. I spent two hours looking for a leak. During this time I ran the car at an idle for about ten minutes to see if that would produce the leak. I got nothing. Not a single drip, not a wet spot that I can find. The car has never overheated in the year taht I have owned it, and I got a new thermostat put in, in the spring last year because it was cracked and leaking. So my question is, is coolant something that you should need to fill periodicly even if you dont have a leak? Are Minis know to evaporate, or in some way consume coolant? Thanks for the help folks!
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2006 Astro black cooper S with matt black stripes and red mirror caps. 15%, pully alta CAI, Alta IC diverter w/ sprayer, one ball exhaust.
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CORNERS
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PSMINI Member Joined: July/29/10 Location: Bothell, WA Status: Offline Points: 3733 |
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Posted: January/28/12 at 3:27pm |
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No car should 'consume' coolant. After the engine is good and hot, do you smell coolant when you open up the bonnet?
The typical places for coolant consumption for an R53 are a thermostat gasket leak (hard to detect because it would leak onto an area where you can't see the leakage.
Other than that, there could be leaks in the hoses, your radiator or heater core. But the thermostat gasket leak is most common. Since you mention that you have already replaced the thermostat, I would assume that the thermostat gasket was replaced as well. If so, then you would want to carefully inspect hoses etc. Also - you might want to inspect your coolant reservoir cap. It could have lost a seal resulting in evaporation. |
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R53MAO
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PSMINI Member Joined: May/30/11 Location: Tacoma Wa Status: Offline Points: 243 |
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Posted: January/28/12 at 4:02pm |
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I do not smell coolant ever while driving. I spent several hours under the car today looking for a leaking hose or gasket or anything, and could find nothing. Not even a wet spot. I looks as though the coolant reservoir gasket is intact.
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2006 Astro black cooper S with matt black stripes and red mirror caps. 15%, pully alta CAI, Alta IC diverter w/ sprayer, one ball exhaust.
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SMOG
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PSMINI Member Joined: April/07/09 Location: Port Orchard Status: Offline Points: 4296 |
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Posted: January/28/12 at 4:26pm |
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Is there a cloud following you when you drive down the road?
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I wish there was a local MINI Dealership, like our Honda, Subaru, Mazada and VW.
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R53MAO
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PSMINI Member Joined: May/30/11 Location: Tacoma Wa Status: Offline Points: 243 |
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Posted: January/28/12 at 4:36pm |
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Not that I have noticed. The strange thing is that I have had a piece of card board under the engine of the car for the last 2 hours now and there isn't a single drop on it. If the thermostat is cracked, how long would it take to drain the coolant reservoir?
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2006 Astro black cooper S with matt black stripes and red mirror caps. 15%, pully alta CAI, Alta IC diverter w/ sprayer, one ball exhaust.
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CORNERS
PSMINI Expert Advisor
PSMINI Member Joined: July/29/10 Location: Bothell, WA Status: Offline Points: 3733 |
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Posted: January/28/12 at 5:17pm |
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It is very possible for it to leak without a drop ever hitting the ground, especially if the leak only happens while the system is under pressure and the leakage is on to a hot engine part. When the system is hot, try squeezing on hoses and looking if there is any very fine stream squirting from any of them near or around the hose clamps.
Look for areas coated with white dried out residue as well, that the coolant leaves behind after it evaporates.
Do you smell coolant inside the car when driving? If so, it could be leaking in or around the heater core. (I hope not, because Bentley manual says that it is extremely difficult to reach, maybe even requiring the windshield to be removed. |
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R53MAO
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PSMINI Member Joined: May/30/11 Location: Tacoma Wa Status: Offline Points: 243 |
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Posted: January/28/12 at 5:39pm |
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No smell of coolant while driving. When I had the car running and the hood up today, I didn't see any steam or anything like that. Didnt notice any white residue, however , I was not looking for it either. I will look again for residue and squeeze hoses to see if anything leaks. I took everything down to the aluminum bumper off today, and all of the plastic panels underneath off. Is there a way to pull the radiator foreword a bit without removing it completely or without removing any of the hoses on it?
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2006 Astro black cooper S with matt black stripes and red mirror caps. 15%, pully alta CAI, Alta IC diverter w/ sprayer, one ball exhaust.
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CORNERS
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PSMINI Member Joined: July/29/10 Location: Bothell, WA Status: Offline Points: 3733 |
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Posted: January/28/12 at 5:46pm |
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Yes, it is possible to pull the radiator forward.
Remove all the 13mm nuts/bolts on the front of the under bumper, the 16mm? bolts holding the lower steel crash tubes in place, and remove both wheel well liners and the steel crash tubes. You may need a BFH (big F'in hammer) to dislodge the crash tubes. Get some longer bolts like the 13mm ones you removed from the aluminum bumper. You can slide the radiator out on these bolts. I think you also need to remove a 2mm bolt at the middle of the intake manifold and another 2mm bolt on the driver side near the bonnet release cable, to allow some play in the hoses. This is called 'front end service mode' and there should be guides somewhere on the Internet on this. |
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R53MAO
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PSMINI Member Joined: May/30/11 Location: Tacoma Wa Status: Offline Points: 243 |
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Posted: January/28/12 at 6:13pm |
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Thanks Kurt. Dang I was only 4 bolts away from being in front end service mod, today. All I needed to do was remove the crush tube. I am going to try to go get some long bolts tomorrow and try to pull the radiator out and see what I can see. Again thanks for the help, Kurt.
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2006 Astro black cooper S with matt black stripes and red mirror caps. 15%, pully alta CAI, Alta IC diverter w/ sprayer, one ball exhaust.
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valvashon
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Joined: June/15/07 Location: West Seattle Status: Offline Points: 1170 |
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Posted: January/28/12 at 6:25pm |
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MINI sells special pins that thread into those holes, but the cheaper solution is a pair of M8x100 bolts. I have gotten two different sets over the past few years at Tacoma Screw (the one up here in Seattle on Leary Way). The Tacoma one should have them as well. They are closed on Sunday but maybe there is another specialty store that might have them. They are not really a Home Depot or Lowe's item- they are kind of an unusual bolt. I sent my first set to a member of NAM in Florida that was having trouble finding them; you can have my other set if you really need them tomorrow. I'm going to the Camano Island drive tomorrow but she is going to Tacoma and could leave them under a windshield wiper or something when she parks her car at the Theatre tomorrow. I'll ask her if that's OK when she gets home real late tonight. Now I'll go out to the garage and see if I can find them.
Bruce |
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...Now mom may drive to the grocery store, But that's not what this car is really for...
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R53MAO
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PSMINI Member Joined: May/30/11 Location: Tacoma Wa Status: Offline Points: 243 |
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Posted: January/28/12 at 7:15pm |
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That would be awesome Bruce. If you send them with her, just let me know what theatre and what color of mini they will be on. Perhaps sitting on a tire would be better than under a windshield wiper. Let me know, thanks again!!!
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2006 Astro black cooper S with matt black stripes and red mirror caps. 15%, pully alta CAI, Alta IC diverter w/ sprayer, one ball exhaust.
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valvashon
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Posted: January/29/12 at 7:46am |
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OK- Stacie will be at the theatre (Tacoma Musical Playhouse/Narrows Theatre, 7116 Sixth Avenue) from approximately 1 pm to 4:30 pm or so- her matinee is at 2 pm today. I'll have her leave the bolts in a small bag under one of her wipers. She drives a Silk Green R50 with plates that say "MINIMNT" so it will be hard to miss. She usually parks on the side or in the back lot.
It's kind of obvious what holes the bolts should go through to hold that front plastic thing up and away for "service mode"- I think they are the two that have a sort of metal reinforcing ring around them. Also, I discovered that you don't have to drain the coolant to be able to move the plastic thing- there is (was in my car) enough play in the hoses to allow for it. Good luck with your work today. Bruce |
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...Now mom may drive to the grocery store, But that's not what this car is really for...
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R53MAO
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PSMINI Member Joined: May/30/11 Location: Tacoma Wa Status: Offline Points: 243 |
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Posted: January/29/12 at 9:02am |
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Thanks again Bruce, I owe you a beer
 Hopefully I can find the culprit soon and get the car back in tip top shape. How can I get them back to you when I am done? |
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2006 Astro black cooper S with matt black stripes and red mirror caps. 15%, pully alta CAI, Alta IC diverter w/ sprayer, one ball exhaust.
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JoeW
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Joined: April/01/11 Location: Ballard Status: Offline Points: 60 |
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Posted: January/29/12 at 9:28am |
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I'm going to chime in here for a second; It may have just been that when the thermostat was replaced, there was an air bubble still somewhere in the system, and as you drove, it worked its way back up into the expansion tank and let the rest of the coolant into the system, leaving your exp. tank empty. Get the car nice and warm so the thermostat is open (you will know when the upper radiator hose is warm after about 15 mins of running) Next, open up the expansion tank and top up the coolant. Then crack open the bleeder screw near the pass side of the engine compartment and lift it up a little bit if there is any air in the system, it will burp out of that bleeder.
The cars don't consume coolant, and if you aren't seeing any crustys on the block or near the thermostat, it probably isn't leaking it. Feel your carpet next to your gas pedal, if it is wet then the heater core is leaking, but those don't happen very often. |
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valvashon
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Posted: January/29/12 at 3:27pm |
Keep 'em for next time or pass them on to another member that needs them sometime. They were my spare set, bought specifically to pass on to another MINI owner. I think they were less than a dollar each at Tacoma Screw. JoeW has a good idea about it being an air bubble. You could also try taking off the cap that's above the thermostat when the car is cool and squeezing the hoses to "burp" the system. Bruce |
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...Now mom may drive to the grocery store, But that's not what this car is really for...
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R53MAO
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Posted: January/30/12 at 8:53pm |
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Got the bolts yesterday. Thanks again! I have decided to wait to see if the coolant level drops any over the next week or two or if this was caused by a bubble in the system that eventually worked its way to the coolant reservoir. |
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2006 Astro black cooper S with matt black stripes and red mirror caps. 15%, pully alta CAI, Alta IC diverter w/ sprayer, one ball exhaust.
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R53MAO wrote: