You just arrived at your destination and after parking; you notice some greenish liquid dripping under the front of your Mini Cooper onto the ground, most likely after you have just turned the engine off. All the parts of the engine are designed to work together to keep it safely operating to get you down the road. But like anything that is mechanical, certain parts will wear out over time and need to be replaced.

Engine Types

Mini Coopers use fuel burning engines. There are a few different engine types in Mini Coopers. They range from regular three cylinder normally carbureted engines to four cylinder turbo charged high performance engines. Many of these late model vehicles are fuel injected engines.  All of these engines need a cooling system to keep them at safe operating temperatures.

Anti-Freeze Coolant

Almost all cars have an internal combustion engine to provide power to move the vehicle. These fuel powered engines produce heat from gasoline, diesel fuel or natural gas being burned inside the engine. To help that engine remain within safe operating temperatures, engines have been designed to use a liquid cooling system to remove the heat generated from the engine. This is done with a few radiator hoses that are connected to the cooling radiator. The liquid used to transfer the heat from the engine is called Anti-freeze.  This liquid operates at high temperature and high pressure in the engine cooling system.

Air Conditioning

Most cars today have Air Conditioning to keep the interior of the vehicle cool. The AC system can contribute to the engine working harder and causing more heat. There is also an Alternator that keeps the battery charged so you can start the engine and it helps supply electrical power to all the other parts of your car. This also causes more engine heat and higher operating temperatures. All these components are very necessary for your car to operate safely and keep you comfortable while you are driving.

Thermostat

Another part of the cooling system is the Thermostat. This little heat sensitive valve controls the amount of water going through the radiator and the cooling system so that the engine operates at its designed peak performance.

Possible Sources Of Leaks

The cooling system areas that need to be inspected are the radiator hoses and all their connections. The hoses carry the coolant water to and from the radiator. There is also the water pump assembly that can develop leaks over time. As you can see, there are many areas on your Mini Cooper engine that could be the source for coolant leaks. Having a certified automotive technician do a cooling system inspection will assure that your Mini Cooper gets you down the road safely and at the right engine temperature.