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Over heating Issues

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Over heating Issues

Postby Niallo2826 » Thu Jun 28, 2018 9:18 pm

Cooper S went for NCT today in 31c! It overheated half way through the test when the coolant almost exploded from the expansion tank. Let it cool down and filled it back up and after a bit of driving same thing happened again down the road. Otherwise it's running perfectly and has been up until today.

Thermostat or potential head gasket?

Engine temperature gauge is showing perfect temperature and hasn't moved beyond half way.
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby irlmin » Sun Jul 01, 2018 7:40 pm

Niall,
Check the 2 stage cooling fan, they are notorious for causing the problem you mention . you will need to replace the fan and housing .the 'resistor' that fails is located in the housing. head gasket failure is not very common on the R53 . We get the odd rad leak , thermostat housing warping , and the very odd waterpump .My 1st place to check would be the fan .
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby Niallo2826 » Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:33 pm

Thanks Ger. compression test and investigation proved head failure unfortunately so the engine rebuild has begun. Any suggestions for minors upgrades as open heart surgery is taking place?
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby irlmin » Sun Jul 08, 2018 9:15 pm

Hi Niall ,
There is not a lot you can do mods wise while the head is off , 'Works' kit is very mild with just light porting on the heads and not worth the investment required , We have done lots of upgrades on R53 and the best value to power / torque is 15% pulley . Janspeed exhaust manifold , airbox mod and decent remap . will transform the car , much improved drivability and a decent increase in power and torque .
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby Niallo2826 » Fri Jul 20, 2018 8:39 pm

All fixed and back on the road. It was the fan in the end that caused the overheating and the heat gasket to go eventually. For some reason the temperature gauge never gave any sign though. Thanks for the advice Ger.
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby Alan B. » Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:21 pm

Can I ask where you took it to be fixed and get a rough idea of what it cost?
New mini owner here and just had my give up on me too. Suspecting head gasket failure but need to find somewhere to take it to get it sorted soonand haven't a clue where to bring it as I don't fancy being shafted by main dealer prices.
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby irlmin » Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:32 pm

Hi ,
Make sure you get a correct diagnosis .too many places out there fix by elimination at the customers expense there are several issues with R53 cooling that in some cases can be a simple fix if caught in time , what are the symptoms of your problem ? I assume R53 , as R56 S has another complete set of issues cooling wise . G
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby Alan B. » Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:54 pm

Yeah 04 R53.
Noticed the fans running on a bit there the other day after a bit of slow driving in traffic but needle didn't budge.
Then drove to Longford the next day with no issues and back.
Leaving dublin I got to kilcock and it stalled on the top of the slip road but restarted. And as I got round the roundabout to pull over safely the needle shot right up and I parked it in the petrol station. It wouldn't restart then after allowing it to cool over the next hour and boiled all the water that went into it as it cooled.
Engine light on now and won't restart. Sounds like no compressionwhrn I tried turning it over.
Very small trace of white under the oil cap.
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby irlmin » Tue Sep 25, 2018 10:32 pm

1 st thing to check is compression ,figures should be even across the 4 cylinders , then a leak down test , if figures are well down on one or two cyls it may indicate head gasket failure, is the engine swinging over faster than usual ? if so it may again indicate compression loss . but also oil may have drained from the tappets due to extreme heat , I would do the tests and see what figures you get , I will be better able to advise then , the R53 engine is pretty 'bulletproof' and can withstand a pretty serious overheat with little damage . many modern engines wont be so good . G
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby Alan B. » Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:03 pm

Yes it appears to be turning over with a cylinder or two being easier to cycle if that makes sense. Like it's not turning with even pressure across each cylinder. At least that's what sprung to mind.
I'm praying this isn't gonna be 1000 euro fix as my live for minis will be over as quick as it's begun. And I really want to love this little car
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby irlmin » Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:04 am

As I have already said make sure you get a correct diagnosis as its easy to do repairs by eliminating potentially faulty components at the customers expense, one good thing is the R53 is now appreciating in value and any money you spend will be covered in future price growth ,
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby Alan B. » Wed Sep 26, 2018 11:36 am

Thanks folks. Local guy that has done work for me before including an engine rebuild said to get it to him and he'll take a look see what he can find out before opening it up. And said he'll make sure I'm not missing money away. So have to get it towed home this evening.
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Re: Over heating Issues

Postby Alan B. » Tue Oct 02, 2018 9:47 am

No 1. 80psi. No 2. 110. No 3. 120. No 4 110
That's the results on the pressure test anyway just to add it in here.
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