The wifes Mini cooper s has developed a cooling problem

not frozen up

over heats very quickly but the rad is cold and the heater blows cold
so by my logic it could be the waterpump , all belts are fine and every thing is spinning round .

How easy a job is replacing the pump as I have no work at the moment and so dont want to pay garage prices when I am a bit skint.

it could be the thermostat failing to open – take that out and try it in a pan of boiling water

I'd get on a Mini forum and ask. They'll be able to give you better experiences and diagnosis.

Is there any coolant in the reservoir?

Headgasket ??

Happened to a work colleague last week -same symptoms- it needed a new thermostat. DONT GO TO MINI main dealer though. Seriously.

Classic knakered thermostat syptoms, should be pretty cheap and easy to fix, although last time i changed on it was on a Mk1 Fiesta 🙂

What the others said re failing thermostat. Replaced my waterpump after Xmas cos it was knackered, it made an awfull noise so was easy to identify.

Seriously. Dont go to the Mini garage thinking they know better as its a premium product. If you've got a 2000-2006(?) mini its the engine out of one of these:

If its a later Mini its the same engine as this?

what a load of utter bollocks
on the new minis theres an important part of the water pump thats made of plastic and after they have been stood (sometimes only for a couple of weeks) it hardens and when you start it it breaks causing said problem – mini know of this fault and the replacements are now made of brass
the reason I know this is because it happened recently to my daughters just after she bought it ie when it had been stood. because it was going into the main dealers to be done I took the car to a local garage that i use and who is honest to find out what needed doing so that she wouldnt get bulled by the garage
if its not a new mini troutie ignore this
hora where the f do you get your imfo from why the f would bmw use a peugot engine???
trout if you want to ring me mark (montylikesbeer) has my number
g

if I remember correctly the impeller was plastic on the earlier ones but it is a long time now since I got involved in Mini's. (Rover still existed for a start)

I have got the mini back to within 200 yards just cant get up the hill yet so will start removing all the clutter on friday and get the pump off then hopefully .

I thought my spannering days were over but needs must
Justme
any idea how much for a new pump .

justme, I'm loathe to use wiki but here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_engine

The older engine circa 2000-2005/6 is the Chrysler Neon engine.

hora's right in this instance.

it happened to mine a couple of yearsa ago, look on a mini forum, common problem, dealer will say thermostat or thermostat housing (???)

The new mini does use an engine partly developed with Puggyeot. The Cooper S uses a 1.6 twin scroll turbo engine as used in the new Pug GTI. Why would BMW develop a new 1.6 engine for just one model ie mini when most of there engines are large capacity inline motors rear wheel drive. I believe the bollocks are on you.

http://www.carkeys.co.uk/launches/peugeot/11934.asp

Everyone always bangs on about water pump impellors coming loose. First port of call is thermostat and housings (cheapest and easiest, if the water pump doesn't have to come off). Then the water pump, which should cost about £30.

Another reason to avoid main mini dealers- boss had an accident and needed a new alloy, arch trim and tyre. The parts dept said atthe time -'no probs we can get the alloy in next day etc' ..two weeks later the car was ready to collect.

Why? They also provided a courtesy car and the bill to her insurance company for the courtesy car hire (another minging new shape mini)….£2,000.

Previously they had asked her for £1,300 for a new electric motor sensor for the convertible roof when it failed.

Wonder why main dealers are called stealers sometimes.. 🙄

justme- I've owned a 54plate Cooper. Its a rough and agricultural engine IMO. Any decent garage should be able to work on it outside the Mini warranty period.

1st gen MINI had a Chrysler engine which was unrefined, uncharacterful and uneconomical. Fitted purely on cost grounds because of the spend on the rest of the car.
Diesels used the horribly underpowered Toyota Yaris 1.4 engine.

2nd gen MINI use the 1400 and 1600 codeveloped with PeugeotCitroen which is a great engine, very advanced/powerful/clean for size and economical.
2nd gen Diesels use the Ford/Peugeot/Citroen 1600 HDI/TCDI engine which is also a good economical and clean engine.

Latest rumour is that 3rd gen with be sharing the whole front structure with Peugeot/Citroen.

JustMe, ???????????????????? I though everyone knew the MINI had a skanky engine.

Its an 05 with 22000 on the clock bought when we had disposable income

its fate from here on in is to be bodgedRepaired as cheaply as possibly and traded in for something more comfortable / more economical / .

mrs trout still wants a mini though whats the diesels like

wheres justme now then ………….

trout- if shes going for the first gen still (on cost grounds) then the diesel (Yaris engine) will still be alot as they command a premium?

I reckon get the thermostat changed and keep it as it'd probably cost you a grand or two ontop and you'd end up with essentially the same car but with unknown foibles.

Plus the difference in mpg/cost wouldnt be enough to cancel out the additional £ outlay?

Why not look at something else entirely different? Quirky and small?

Im inclined to think its the pump based on what you've said so far.
Usually the heater matrix is fed from the main engine cooling circuit and not the rad cooling circuit (this could be tosh as i dont know minis per-se), so if the heater remains cold, suggests there is no water circulating round the engine.
The thermostat is worth a look first if its easy to get at, just take it out of the housing, replace the housing and then run it up. If its the pump, the rad should remain cold, if its the thermostat then the rad should heat up.
Hope for you its the 'stat for ease of replacement and cost.

I'd try the stat first, but without seeing the cooling circuit I'd say it is odd to have the heater matrix fed by the stat-controlled feed. Normally the heater matrix is on a permanently open (or valved at the heater controls) circuit around the engine, providing a) secondary cooling and b) warmth before the stat opens.

water pump thats made of plastic and after they have been stood (sometimes only for a couple of weeks) it hardens

While I'm sure the part might be at fault, I'd bet my bottom dollar that there isn't a single part on the car that's made of plastic that "hardens" through lack of use – they sit un-used on the production line for weeks, then weeks in the dealers/shipping containers.

Just realised I'd duplicated bigyinns post pretty much, sorry!

sorry folks but until ive asked someone who i know and believe I'll stick to my original statement if I'm wrong then I'll apologies
troutie no idea what they cost it was replaced on warranty. hers is a 6mth old diesal and it seems nice -she likes it in preference to her previous car (an mx5) also averages 54+ to the gallon
wheres justme now? -at work much as i try to avoid it sometimes i have to do it and my work does involve a computer screen g

Very likely the water pump impeller has failed . . . heater coolant supply on most modern engines forms part of the thermostat bypass loop which will always be hot if coolant is circulating . . . jammed closed thermostat makes no sense whatsoever based on rapid overheating AND no heater . . .

It could be a air block , if i remember there is two cross hesded screws on the rubber pipe leading from the coolant res to the radiator try undoing these as you top up the coolant with the engine runing .
I was told its a common fault with mini coppers . mine was a 05 plate as well and i had a bit of luck that a local garage knew what it was and it took him 5 minutes and did it free of charge for me.

Considering you're missus has done 22,000 miles in the last 5-years then a diesel isn't worth considering – assuming you're not changing the usage of the car.

Cheers For all the suggestions
Non stop yes tried the air bleeds no better .

MK1 yes I know what you mean when ever we go anywhere we go in my vw T5 as the mini is not very comfy for 200 mile trips

Re: Joint ventures with PSA etc.

BMW seem to think they share engines with PSA, put "Strategic Realignment in Decisive Phase" into google.

—
TedC

Buy a new shape MX5. Smoother, quieter/more refined than the older MX5 (tiring on long motorway journeys). Basically less intense.

Ps. – I also owned two mk2.5 MX5s and also agree on the Mini Cooper- I found it noisy/tiring on long journeys.

Any news monseur troutie?

No news yet was all set up to start removing stuff over the weekend and the mother in law who has been very ill passed away .

so we towed it to my mates garage and told him to fix it and sod the cost.

I will post up what the problem was when it is fixed.

Sorry to hear that mate.
More important things going on than cars.

Update

Water pump was goosed also crappy plastic thermostat housing was leaking

Mechanic had never done a mini before and said it was a PITA to do with all the bits that needed removing just to gain access to it .
no doubt it will be expensive 😥