Hi all,

I'm trying to locate a how to / instructions / video for replacing the thermostat and housing on a 2011 countryman All4 S. I've found lots of instructions and videos for older ones / the N14 engine, but nothing for the N18 / countryman all4.

Is this a reasonable DIY? The dealer wanted $400 in labor to do the job. Given Mini Dealership labor rates I guess that means it would take them 10-15 minutes!

Any tips would be appreciated.

 

mod mini has one for the n14, I'm guessing you've watched it already. seems doable, I was going to attempt it last weekend, but as soon as the part arrived the code went away and hasn't come back. P0587 I believe.
I do believe they are in the same place, the tricky part is getting the right PN for your car, as it has been changed and may require an additional "y" cable along with the purchace of the housing.

 

You will need the newest thermostat 11538674895 and the sensor 12518611289. Its pretty much the same as the N14 thermostat diy. The water pump, water pipe are the same.

https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2011-Cooper_Countryman-R60-S_ALL4-Hatchback-L4_1.6L_N18B16A/Engine/Cooling/Thermostat/

 

Hey all, I did the job this weekend, and I figured I'd close out this thread with a few tips from my experience.

1) There is a N18 specific video that I found here: It is a silent video but informative. As others have said above the procedure is very similar to that for the N14 engine, and there are lots of great videos for that version. The only real difference that I noticed between the N14 vids and this one is in the routing / attachment of the wiring harness over the thermostat housing, shown at about minute 1:28 in this video. Its not a major difference, but it is nice to see the exact setup that you will be dealing with.

2) If you value any of the following: your time, your sanity, or your knuckles; buy or borrow one of the spring hose clamp tools shown in this video at about 1:38. I never knew these things (flexible hose clamp pliers) existed, but now I cannot imagine doing this job without this tool! Many other threads comment on how tricky /difficult removing the hose clamps was ... this tool makes it manageable. I bought a cheap one at amazon: and they were adequate to the task. I'm sure a nice set from Snap-On or some such would be better and last longer, but these cheap ones got me through the job.

3) While we are on hose clamps ... do yourself a favor and just buy some of the regular screw / band type hose clamps to replace the spring clamps you take off. It will make reassembly (and any subsequent disassembly, if ever needed) much easier.

4) As other threads have indicated, getting the spring retainer back into groove on the plastic water pipe is the crux move on reassembly. I almost lost the thing when it went "sproing!" and landed somewhere in the engine compartment. Searching for it was "fun" quality time that I spent with myself by trying out new and exciting curse words (very therapeutic). After that I tied a piece of string to the clip before trying to pop it back on ... so if it tried to escape again at least it would be on a leash.

So, all in all, a manageable job that cost me a Saturday but saved me well over $500 in labor and inflated parts charges. I'd say that is a fair day's wages.

And one final thanks to those made suggestions.

 

Great video thanks for posting.
At 5:09 he is using vaseline on the Orings which is a no-no because it deteriorates rubber.
Instead I'd suggest something Dow-Corning 111 which is often used as a swimming pool Oring sealant

 

its actually not that complicated.... more of a pain bleeding the whole coolant system. the water pipe from the thermostat to water pump is the biggest pain. but removing all the intake minus the manifold makes things easier. and quite a few clips come off as well holding onto connectors

 

i attempted this yesterday (p0597) until i realized i needed the two pigtails for the sensors.....i thought id made sure my build (2/13) didn't need it, but i was wrong...

does one of those sensors kick the radiator fan on? in the six months ive had the car, ive not heard it come on, and with it staying consistently in the 90s i would have thought it would have turned on at least a couple times.

 

here are some tidbits from my nightmare of replacing the thermostat housing. it took me 3 days of yelling, cursing and crying...

watch the video. both of them, the mod mini one and the one shown above
drain the coolant first
take the "A" clip off last and put on first.
don't drop anything, it will disappear
do a lot of stretches before and after
stay hydrated
i did get the spring clip tool shown in the video, it was worth the 25 bucks, but i did replace all of them with hose clamps.
remember what you disconnected and ensure to reconnect them when your done

in short, everything that could go wrong, did, for me. lost the "A" clip, lost a bolt, small work space and lots of sharp corners. had it almost done 6 times and something would go wrong. plus i had parked the mini past the garage door, so i couldn't close the garage, until my my suggested we jack up the front and push it in...

either way, now its done.

 

Anyone who has done this care to share advice on getting the water pipe clip back in? I can’t get my hand in far enough and have had no luck with needle nose pliers of various sizes. It’s driving me crazy.

 

Im doing this also, what part did you get because i read 2/2013 is another part number. Ours was 03/18/2013 build

 

Do you mean which thermostat? I think the thermostat is the same but the new wiring adapters are different. My car is an 11/2012 build. The ECS Tuning website lists which wiring adapters you need based on build date. Other suppliers probably have something similar.

To update: I removed the intake manifold this evening and was able to get the water pipe clip in. Access was still tight but certainly better. And removing the manifold isn't difficult. Definitely the way to go on the N18, in my opinion.

 

While you’re in there consider doing the oil filter housing and the gasket as well.

 

Just completed the thermostat replacement on my 2013 R57 a few days ago.
thanks for all the hints and suggestions.

For the spring clamp on the water pipe, I used a large pair of hemostats that I acquired over the years. After getting the hose into the pipe, the clip slip down and locked everything in. Wasn't as bad as I feared.
I did have lots of trouble taking the sensors apart. I just never knew when to press on the clip or when to pry to release the clip.

All is back together and running well. With no codes being registered.

Bill

 

I just completed this job and I will say that this tip saved me a LOT of frustration. I dropped the clip a few times and was able to find it each time until the last. I spent probably a solid hour searching around the engine, from both above and below, trying to locate it, and almost gave up and thought i'd have to order the part. Eventually, luckily I found it, and only then tied a length of dental floss on it before attempting again. That leash helped me position the clip in place and saved me repeatedly from future drops.

Also, there is another video that was recently posted and is a great step-by-step walkthrough, except for the fact that he completely skips over the water pipe clip. I think his engine might have been missing that clip to begin with, since he mentioned at one point in the video that he thinks the housing may have been previously replaced. Here's the video:

 

Thanks for all the tips, guys!
I'm halfway through this job (replaced a sticky BOV while I was at it) and discovered that I've managed to break the end of that back coolant pipe. Now the A-clip won't hold the pipe in.
Am I stuck removing the intake manifold at this point to get that pipe out to replace it? Looks like it's got an O-ring at the opposite end but I can't see what holds the pipe on.
Any tips?

 

Just went through this on a 2011 R60 S All4. Don’t take chances with that pipe. It’s not expensive.

 

Is it just that centre bolt that holds it in place?
And it just clips into the water pump end?

 

It’s not screwed in, just held on both ends by the waterpump and thermostat housings. Pipe’s very light.
Make sure you oil the o-ring when you install it, and have the notch on the thermostat housing end of the pipe pointing down. Just match the old pipe and housing out of the car so you can see how to install it - and don’t forget the retaining clip on the thermostat housing side.

 

Thanks!
I found a quick-ship pipe off Amazon that seems well made. And I bought a cheap pair of long-reach hose clamp pliers for the reinstall...should have had those earlier as per previous comments here.

I busted a knuckle trying to get that pipe to let go, even with ViseGrips. No joy. Mind you, it's been in there for 10 years.

Gonna take the intake off enough to see what I'm doing...found the top five nuts, no problem. Where the hell is that "PITA 10mm underneath" that I've heard about? I can't find a diagram that shows me and my blind fingers can't find it either.
*EDIT found a proper diagram for the N18. Looks like a fun bolt to access.

 

On my 2011 R60 N18 the middle 13mm nut on the intake is lower than the other 4, but still accessible from the top. No 10mm fastener on the cross-pipe, just the 3 on the thermostat housing. I did have to loosen the intake for access, but I didn’t need to remove it. So maybe there is a lower 10mm bolt but I didn’t remove it (or it’s missing on my car). Once you have the thermostat housing off, just keep twisting and pulling the pipe back and forth from that end until it pops out of the water pump housing. The 3 mounting holes on the pipe appear to be for wiring, not fasteners to the engine.

 

So.. part #5 in realoem is not on my car / missing.

 

The first time I pulled the intake, I took that 10mm out and removed the entire manifold. The second time I just removed the top 5 nuts and tilted it back using that 10mm as a pivot. I gave up trying to get the bottom 8mm back on the bracket.
Without a mirror and lots of light, you would be hard pressed to find that bolt...once again German engineers designed an engine that has no access unless it's entirely removed from the car. Grrrr.
For reference, it's below the lower turbo inlet hose, about in the middle but further back than you'd think.

Also, that rear coolant pipe is a giant PITA. I used a tennis ball in the larger end to get enough force on it without risking breakage. And ended up replacing the O-ring with a slightly smaller one. No leaks...whew!

 

So I’ve replaced the part, but my check engine code is still appearing. What am I missing?

 

Hello,
my 2013 R60/N18 thermostat replacement is going slow but I'm closing in on it. I seem to have a couple of sensor plugs with no stray wires to plug into them (photos attached).

Something needs to be plugged in here, or does it?

This appears to be a sensor, but where does it go?
What am I missing?

 

I believe the first one is not used on later N18s. My son's 2011 Countryman S All4 had it disconnected as well. The 2nd one looks like your MAF connector for the intake, but I could be wrong.

Here's a pic of that part of the motor installed