Not a Volvo, but could do with some advice

[capt jack]

My daughter has a 2008 Mini Cooper 1.6 auto. She loves it dearly, and has always had it serviced at Mini.

It's had very little use since before Christmas.

Yesterday the heater stopped working, so I checked the coolant and found it to be very low. Possibly there's been a leak around the the plastic header tank, but everything is so cold and wet it's hard to be sure. Topped up the header tank today, ran the engine, burped it for an airlock, and all now seems to be well.

But......

I did notice quite an accumulation of white gunk on the inside of the oil cap. Now this has me thinking - low coolant, oil cap mayonnaise - could this be a head gasket? Or could it be simply that the car has only been used for a few very short journeys in the past six months, and never really warmed up?

The car drives very well, there's no white smoke from the exhaust, the tickover is smooth.

Ever since we've had the car (from 2016) it has needed the occasional coolant top up, and looking on some Mini forums, that's actually not uncommon for Minis. Because the car hasn't been used, I've not really thought to check to be honest.

The car was last serviced by Mini last October and has done less than 300 miles since. Most of that will have been short trips of no more than 3 or 4 miles. The car has covered a total of 86,000 miles now.

Now the Mini isn't a bad car, but it's a far cry from the DIY-friendly old 1990's Volvos that I know best, and I'm really not sure what to make of it all. A new thermostat for example is a 3-hour job coming in at £120 plus labour at Mini! Which is quite a bit different from the £10 and ten minutes that I'm used to!

I'd welcome any thoughts and wisdom.

Cheers

Jack

[XC90Mk1]

Originally Posted by capt jack

My daughter has a 2008 Mini Cooper 1.6 auto. She loves it dearly, and has always had it serviced at Mini.

It's had very little use since before Christmas.

Yesterday the heater topped working, so I checked the coolant and found it to be very low. Possibly there's been a leak around the the plastic header tank, but everything is so cold and wet it's hard to be sure. Topped up the header tank today, ran the engine, burped it for an airlock, and all now seems to be well.

But......

I did notice quite an accumulation of white gunk on the inside of the oil cap. Now this has me thinking - low coolant, oil cap mayonnaise - could this be a head gasket? Or could it be simply that the car has only been used for a few very short journeys in the past six months, and never really warmed up?

The car drives very well, there's no white smoke from the exhaust, the tickover is smooth.

Ever since we've had the car (from 2016) it has needed the occasional coolant top up, and looking on some Mini forums, that's actually not uncommon for Minis. Because the car hasn't been used, I've not really thought to check to be honest.

The car was last serviced by Mini last October and has done less than 300 miles since. Most of that will have been short trips of no more than 3 or 4 miles. The car has covered a total of 86,000 miles now.

Now the Mini isn't a bad car, but it's a far cry from the DIY-friendly old 1990's Volvos that I know best, and I'm really not sure what to make of it all. A new thermostat for example is a 3-hour job coming in at £120 plus labour at Mini! Which is quite a bit different from the £10 and ten minutes that I'm used to!

I'd welcome any thoughts and wisdom.

Cheers

Jack

In the past I have had a discharge of coolant when the system has a build up of pressure and discharges through the overflow. It can happen so that’s to be hoped.

[Father Ted]

If it were me I'd take it for a run and get it nice and hot.
Then, once it has cooled, check for the mayo again...it could be condensation as it's only had short runs. Then keep an eye on coolant level.
Nothing to loose in doing this. I wouldn't panic about head gasket just yet.

[eternal optimist]

Originally Posted by capt jack

My daughter has a 2008 Mini Cooper 1.6 auto. She loves it dearly, and has always had it serviced at Mini.

It's had very little use since before Christmas........

.....I did notice quite an accumulation of white gunk on the inside of the oil cap. Now this has me thinking - low coolant, oil cap mayonnaise - could this be a head gasket? Or could it be simply that the car has only been used for a few very short journeys in the past six months, and never really warmed up?.....

.....The car drives very well, there's no white smoke from the exhaust, the tickover is smooth......

The car was last serviced by Mini last October and has done less than 300 miles since. Most of that will have been short trips of no more than 3 or 4 miles. The car has covered a total of 86,000 miles now.....

....I'd welcome any thoughts and wisdom.

Cheers

Jack

No point worrying about the head gasket. Odds on it will be short journeys.

[ITSv40]

'er indoors has a '07 Mini Cooper that I service myself.

Bought 5 years ago with 50,000mls and now on 100,000mls. Superb little go-cart but not the easiest to work on. Absolutely love it and would have another if the need arose.

It had a bad coolant leak about 2 years go and I fitted a new pump, thermostat and coolant pipe going across the back of the block to the pump. Filled with genuine coolant and no obvious leaks, but it does loose a small amount of coolant and needs the tank topping up occasionally.

The mayo is most probably condensation due to short runs. Ours gets a regular 15 mile run when it gets used and no mayo, but it does drink oil as if it is going out of fashion - always has done and not got any worse in our ownership. Shell Helix ECT oil and changed every 7,000mls. Apparently they all have a drink problem and it is important to keep an eye on the level.

[Backhill1]

I might be wrong and stand to be corrected but i understand the 1.6 diesel in the bmw / mini is the same as the PSA / Volvo / ford unit where coolant loss issues are well documented.

Having being given my friends to get to the bottom of after many garages had told him head gasket or egr cooler i found the following.

Half the radiator was cold!

It was chocked causing an air lock and level fluctuations.

New radiator and a vent / coolant flush and he has had no problems since.

This was a v60 1.6 but im sure the same engine etc.

Might be a quick fix / check?

Good luck.

[capt jack]

Thanks All

It is a petrol engine, but yes, it does have a bit of an appetite for oil too, and again, I'm led to believe that this is normal. Looking carefully some of the bits (eg the thermostat housing) are stamped PSA, so possibly yes, it shares components with other makes and models.

Anyway, a top-up and a 10 mile spirited drive and the car does seem to be OK.

Definitely the lack of heat was caused by an air lock, which I got rid of by running and revving the engine with the coolant tank lid removed. Lots of bubbles and burps, and then all was well.

The thing is, my mechanicking is all otherwise done with old Volvos, and one look under the Mini's bonnet fills me with dread. Why does it have to be so complicated? Even changing a light bulb is a major knuckle-grazer!

Anyway, 'tis booked in for later this week and I'll ask them to do a pressure test on the cooling system.

Thanks to all for the comments.

Cheers

Jack

[ITSv40]

Originally Posted by capt jack

Thanks All

It is a petrol engine, but yes, it does have a bit of an appetite for oil too, and again, I'm led to believe that this is normal. Looking carefully some of the bits (eg the thermostat housing) are stamped PSA, so possibly yes, it shares components with other makes and models.

Anyway, a top-up and a 10 mile spirited drive and the car does seem to be OK.

Definitely the lack of heat was caused by an air lock, which I got rid of by running and revving the engine with the coolant tank lid removed. Lots of bubbles and burps, and then all was well.

The thing is, my mechanicking is all otherwise done with old Volvos, and one look under the Mini's bonnet fills me with dread. Why does it have to be so complicated? Even changing a light bulb is a major knuckle-grazer!

Anyway, 'tis booked in for later this week and I'll ask them to do a pressure test on the cooling system.

Thanks to all for the comments.

Cheers

Jack

Just for clarity our Cooper is petrol. They are PSA engines. I discovered recently that the front end can be put in to 'service mode'. Basically the whole of the bumper/radiator/crashbeam assembly is unbolted and pulled forward about 6 inches or so. This gives access to the front of the engine/bay. A neat little trick considering how compact everything is.

[37 RUBY]

Originally Posted by ITSv40

Just for clarity our Cooper is petrol. They are PSA engines. I discovered recently that the front end can be put in to 'service mode'. Basically the whole of the bumper/radiator/crashbeam assembly is unbolted and pulled forward about 6 inches or so. This gives access to the front of the engine/bay. A neat little trick considering how compact everything is.

The PSA engines are a darn sight better to maintain than the Mini Paceman of Mrs 37 Ruby, with its in-board, yes in-board timing chain on the BMW N47 diesel engine that can last as little as 40k miles. Engine out, gearbox out job.

[ITSv40]

Originally Posted by 37 RUBY

The PSA engines are a darn sight better to maintain than the Mini Paceman of Mrs 37 Ruby, with its in-board, yes in-board timing chain on the BMW N47 diesel engine that can last as little as 40k miles. Engine out, gearbox out job.

I'm sure that is the case, as each new model comes out it seems to be more complicated than its predecessor.

I have been surprised at how easy our Cooper is to work on. I recently had to change the heater blower motor - it had become noisy as they all do. The dash needed to be dismantled and each piece of trim is removed separately. It is a bit like a Rubic cube, so long as you know the sequence is quite straight forward. Very satisfying when everything was back together with no broken clips.