My son just tried to install a Milltek catless downpipe on All4 today. Ran into problems, couldn’t get the original out with driveshaft in the way.
Were we missing something? Those two arms/hangers did not seem able to pass by the driveshaft.
Has anyone done high-flow or catless downpipe on F60 All4? Could not find anything on the net specific to All4. I’m guessing it may be possible (?) but requires some cutting welding of the two mounting arms?..so needs to be in a shop with welding/fabrication options?
I know there are All4 with non-stock downpipe…right? Any issues during the install, or were we rushing and completely missed the obvious.
Any help or guidance appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

Lots of views but no comments…please provide any information that you can. Still looking for a solution.

 

The driveshaft is the challenge on the All4 cars, both Countryman and Clubman. I don't have first hand experience, but I have seen the need to pull the cat pipe out the top, if you choose to not disconnect the driveshaft. The alternative would be to cut the old one, and find a cat pipe that has a mid joint, like this one:
https://www.evolutionracewerks.com/node/400

 

so is it so much difficult to remove it from underneath? planning to install DCE b48 200CELL .
Any photo of the problem it will be helpful , apparently they are a lot of videos diy for f56 jcw , i presume is quite different on countryman .
for sure the aftermarket it will be easier for installation as it is smaller and more flexible , the problem is the stock one is big.
again the quoted me a lot money to install it , plus the waiting list days .
generally is 2 clamps , and two oxygen sensors not that big deal, but the access is terrible ..i remember how much easier was first time i did that on my r56 s n18 engine

 

As Nik mentioned above, if you have an All4 the stock cat doesn’t won’t come out above or below without a) removing the driveshaft, or b) cutting it up. All the videos I have seen are fwd models and do not involve a driveshaft in the way. If not All4 then you should not have an issue. The location is tough for sure, I had N18 R60 previous and installing a new downpipe was easy in comparison.
Nik’s solution of a two-piece cat looks like a good one. I also found another where the two arms that make the cat so wide and get in the way were removable and can be bolted on after installation, which may also work. Let us know how you make out and good luck!

 

i presume the engine bay is the same for this F series platform engines , at least my previous clubie s and my current countryman f60 looks identical the same . i will focus remove it from the upper point of the engine bay , cause if you try it underneath there is no access due to transmission , maybe if you drop the subframe a little bit give more access , im not sure .
have a look this DIY , didn't try or remove anything from the lower area of the engine, apart from the lower clamp duct connection .

 

My son and I tried from the top with bottom access available as well. We reviewed that video prior to trying, plus maybe another one for F series. Would have had to cut off the two arms to get the original out, plus the new one wouldn’t have gone in without cutting and re-welding the arms, which wasn’t available to us at the time. Couldn’t commit to cutting things up in the driveway!
Other than the two piece cat shownabove, here is the other style I mentioned, with bolt-on arms, which should work?

 

ok mate , yes i can see the problem now , probably the engine bay is quite more stressed at f60 compare to the f56 of the video , so it is impossible to pass through the downpipe out cause of the hangers , yes that can be an issue , i haven't start it yet ,still wait the part .. yes those bolt on hangers can be an easy fix on the problem , but not at my case cause the downpipe ordered they are welded . good tip by the way thanks

 

Having been inside the engine bay for both F60 and F56, the F60 firewall side is MUCH tighter than the F56. Even to get the cat pipe out the top would require a lot more firewall items to be be removed… It might be possible, but not something I would look forward to accomplishing.

 

Is a new downpipe really necessary? I have Bootmod3 Stage 1 ecu tune on my JCW F60. BM3 recommends a more free-flowing downpipe for Stage 2 but is it really necessary? The turbo on the F60 is on the small side (41mm or so exducer?) and maybe the stock downpipe is not the bottleneck in the exhaust system? I’m not sure if F60 owners are running higher states of tune with the stock downpipe?

 

yep it is mate , i did dyno on my pre lci stage 1 , stock downpipe kept me a bit behind , at least 200 cell high flow cat will be a good step .. didn't expect that messy installation though to be fair !!

but i will give a try!!

 

I would like very much to hear how your install goes, please take lots of pics. It was tight in there but for sure the stock downpipe will come out the top without the hangars. I expect you will have to cut them off. We didn’t want to go further and get stuck if there was an issue with the replacement fitting, then we would be stuck. Small town and no exhaust/muffler shops.
I hope it all works out for you…eager to hear the result.

 

ok man yes will do , i'm not gonna spend days for that , don't care about the old one..just find a way to install the DCE cat , and then leave it
not even a chance to revert it back to stock, its a project car

i will use all my engineering skills on that , i used to remove aircraft engines on the field , don't want one MINI to pissed me off

 

so Lads , i received the downpipe , unfortunately it was exactly as North 60 described .
the process for it was quite easy and quick , i mean the access for the upper clamp and the stock catalyst it was around 30 minutes for me ,
just removed a few bits around engine bay , BUT! transmission block the stock downpipe for removal due to the hangers cant pass through the bay , the engine bay space it is quite enough to remove the main body of the stock down pipe , but its just stuck on the lower end of the downpipe , i did a small research around here at my city at the locals exhaust repair shops , they couldn't accept the job , so i will do a bit more research of exhaust repair shop , or i will return it back ,cause at the end of the day , if the installation cost will be more that the part , it is quite useless upgrade for me .

it is very annoying cause initially it looks very quick and enjoyable DIY , with minimum tools and even mechanical experience .
for sure the F56 and f54 without ALL 4 system i presume it will be peace of cake at least for me ..

 

Define “a bit”

 

just to mention the problem , non 4 all and 4all issue .