Mini R53 loosing water

[speeddemon]

Hi Guys
Hopefully the Mini fanatics can help me with this...My Mini seems to be loosing coolant every day :argh:
As there's no warning signs except for the heat gauge shooting up i find myself pulling over to check the water level only to find the bottle empty.

I have to fill it up every morning cause it's always empty in the morning but no sign of water leaks on the ground or in the engine bay.
I have replaced the bottle last week as it had a crack in and thought that was the problem but it seems as the problem is stilll there.

It's a 03 Cooper S

Any advice will be greatly appreciated

 

[dvst8]

Did you replace the cap as well ?

I had the same issue with mine and after replacing the cap and bottle is was fine.

 

[julestar]

My Mini was thermostat... and didn't see much coz the water just evaporated when it leaked down the engine...

 

[Bugger]

Check your water pump as well,sometimes they cause issues. My wife's 2002 Cooper S had a similar problem,eventually resulted in a blown head gasket,but came down to a water pump,thermostat and a bad pulley bearing.

Good luck!

 

[speeddemon]

Did you replace the cap as well ?

I had the same issue with mine and after replacing the cap and bottle is was fine.

Yes i did....brand new oem bottle with cap.

@Bugger...how do one check the water pump....should i take it out to visually inspect it?

 

[Bugger]

If you're having to fill up water regularly then it might likely be the pump. If the car is getting hot then generally water isn't circulating through the system. As far as inspection is concerned,I don't think there is a physical way of checking the pump itself.
The first sign that your water pump will fail you soon is called weeping. Water pumps are designed so that when the bearings inside start to fail, the seal begins to weep, allowing small drops of coolant to leak out. This is intentional, and those drops under your car (you most likely have an under engine cover which may be the reason there's no water on the floor) are meant to warn you that your water pump isn't going to last much longer. It's also important to listen to your water pump. You shouldn't be able to hear it. If you hear rubbing, grinding, whining or other noises coming from the area of the pump, that's a sign that the bearings inside might be failing.

 

[speeddemon]

If you're having to fill up water regularly then it might likely be the pump. If the car is getting hot then generally water isn't circulating through the system. As far as inspection is concerned,I don't think there is a physical way of checking the pump itself.
The first sign that your water pump will fail you soon is called weeping. Water pumps are designed so that when the bearings inside start to fail, the seal begins to weep, allowing small drops of coolant to leak out. This is intentional, and those drops under your car (you most likely have an under engine cover which may be the reason there's no water on the floor) are meant to warn you that your water pump isn't going to last much longer. It's also important to listen to your water pump. You shouldn't be able to hear it. If you hear rubbing, grinding, whining or other noises coming from the area of the pump, that's a sign that the bearings inside might be failing.

Thanx Bugger...I think my best bet is to replace the waterpump and thermostat all at once to play it safe:thumbs:

 

[Bugger]

Probably the best idea. Kill two birds with one stone. It's not a big job,just messy!:rollsmile:

 

[speeddemon]

Probably the best idea. Kill two birds with one stone. It's not a big job,just messy!:rollsmile:

Good thing I wont be doing it then:rollsmile:

 

[Bugger]

:roflol::roflol: Very true! Rather let someone else get dirty! Hope you come right though,please let us know if those two issues solve your problems. It's the most likely!

Good luck!:thumbs:

 

[Cooper]

I had the same issue. MINI dealership replaced the bottle to the updated spec from the 05-06 model and this sorted it out.

 

[speeddemon]

I had the same issue. MINI dealership replaced the bottle to the updated spec from the 05-06 model and this sorted it out.

So the bottle is causing this? Cause i replaced the bottle already but i dont know if it's an updated spec bottle

 

[Willy]

take it to a radiator shop and have them test the water and cooling system.

Might be just a leak somewhere as headgasket will give steam out the exhaust and bad running.

 

[speeddemon]

So just before i wanted to buy the pump and thermostat my buddy tells me he is gonna check it out first cause there's no noise coming from waterpump and he suspect it's not the pump.....I tell him ok then and then he found a small thin hose under the bottle that was leaking:joy:

He replaced it and so far so good....water level is still the same according to my wife and I hope that was the only problem.
I dont know what hose he's talking about though...waiting on him to send me a pic. Think he said it's a heater hose/pipe

I thank the man above for having friends like him and thanx to u guys for all the advice too:thumbs:

I'm just happy it wasn't the pump or thermostat