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Hi all, I'm not totally new to MINI but I am to this forum.
Our 2015 Mini Cooper is squirting coolant out of the middle of the radiator - as if it took a rock hit - which is very common here on these AZ freeways. How long do you think I should allot for a radiator replacement on this car? Weekend job possibly? I searched on NewTIS and didn't get a whole lot regarding actual replacement, but lots of good info otherwise. Has anyone here actually done this job? Thanks all. I will post some pictures when I get home.
Hi all, I'm not totally new to MINI but I am to this forum.
Our 2015 Mini Cooper is squirting coolant out of the middle of the radiator - as if it took a rock hit - which is very common here on these AZ freeways. How long do you think I should allot for a radiator replacement on this car? Weekend job possibly? I searched on NewTIS and didn't get a whole lot regarding actual replacement, but lots of good info otherwise. Has anyone here actually done this job? Thanks all. I will post some pictures when I get home.
Before you tackle this yourself, contact your insurance company.. Comprehensive coverage should cover this type of damage.
Depends on your deductible (oftentimes deductible is zero since "comp" claims are rare and many people never raise the deductible since savings on premium is that much).
Radiator for this car isn't an easy job if you haven't tinkered much with radiators on vehicles with small engine bay. I had just done mine after an engine swap, and I'll tell ya, you will need small hands and a bunch of parts will need to come off before you can even get to the radiator.
One other thing to be aware of: Check the color of your radiator, if it's a black radiator, you have the SULEV, to which when you hunt for a replacement, you will look for part #17117617638, it will come with a built-in Manganese coat sensor. If you order the wrong radiator, you will be missing a sensor to plug in with, to this, it'll throw a hidden code for EAC sensor (Environmental Air Catalyst).
If your radiator is plain aluminum, your replacement will be part #17117617635, no sensors involved.
Front bumper, upper cross beam, and a whole bunch of shrouds and brake air duct must come off. Then you can slide out the radiator fan, then separate the A/C condenser from the radiator (this part will be a pain in the butt to do. After this, you un-hook the coolant hoses and a plug from the radiator, then you can slide out the radiator (be aware that there are two 10mm bolts from the bottom side of the radiator legs to remove, these are attached to the intercooler. Total time it took for me is 2.5 hours to take off and put on the new one. I'm not a certified mechanic, but I tinker with cars for 20 years already.
I bet that book shop hours for that job are a lot more than the 2.5 hours it took you. Just for kicks I ran it through repairpal and they come up with $800-$1200 for that job. Nicely done!
Radiator for this car isn't an easy job if you haven't tinkered much with radiators on vehicles with small engine bay. I had just done mine after an engine swap, and I'll tell ya, you will need small hands and a bunch of parts will need to come off before you can even get to the radiator.
One other thing to be aware of: Check the color of your radiator, if it's a black radiator, you have the SULEV, to which when you hunt for a replacement, you will look for part #17117617638, it will come with a built-in Manganese coat sensor. If you order the wrong radiator, you will be missing a sensor to plug in with, to this, it'll throw a hidden code for EAC sensor (Environmental Air Catalyst).
If your radiator is plain aluminum, your replacement will be part #17117617635, no sensors involved.
Front bumper, upper cross beam, and a whole bunch of shrouds and brake air duct must come off. Then you can slide out the radiator fan, then separate the A/C condenser from the radiator (this part will be a pain in the butt to do. After this, you un-hook the coolant hoses and a plug from the radiator, then you can slide out the radiator (be aware that there are two 10mm bolts from the bottom side of the radiator legs to remove, these are attached to the intercooler. Total time it took for me is 2.5 hours to take off and put on the new one. I'm not a certified mechanic, but I tinker with cars for 20 years already.
Thanks for the info. I put in a couple hours last night and got to a good point I think. I'm doing things a little out of order, but now that I found the Radiator Replacement section in the NewTIS catalog, I'm feeling pretty good. The condenser was kind of a pain to disconnect and I was nervous about damaging the refrigerant lines because I do not want to disconnect those, despite what the manual says. Pictures to come.
...One other thing to be aware of: Check the color of your radiator, if it's a black radiator, you have the SULEV, to which when you hunt for a replacement, you will look for part #17117617638, it will come with a built-in Manganese coat sensor. If you order the wrong radiator, you will be missing a sensor to plug in with, to this, it'll throw a hidden code for EAC sensor (Environmental Air Catalyst).
If your radiator is plain aluminum, your replacement will be part #17117617635, no sensors involved....
Mine is a 1711-7617595. I found the exact replacement. Is $244 a good price?
Removal was about as difficult as I imagined. Getting to that bottom screw on the radiator's right side was the biggest pita tbh.
This is the where the rad is secured to the intercooler on the vehicle's right side - this screw was a pain to get to because of clearance issues, even with a 1/4 drive ratchet. The left side was no problem using a standard hand driver I left the R134 lines attacked simply because I didn't want to deal with recharging the system. However - if there was ever a time to work on the compressor, this is it. This is where the coolant was shooting out from Using wood blocks in an effort to keep the R134 lines unstrained
Mine is a 1711-7617595. I found the exact replacement. Is $244 a good price?
Removal was about as difficult as I imagined. Getting to that bottom screw on the radiator's right side was the biggest pita tbh.
$244 is not a bad price given how little aftermarket radiators are offered for these fairly new 3rd gen mini cooper. Common radiator price range from 120-180 bucks, but that's assuming the car's been out for a while and a whole bunch of competitors are making them. For our coopers, you almost find no other choice but OEM. When I did mine I had to buy that black one costing me about $350. So you're lucky relative to me in comparison.
To get to the bottom screw on the radiator, it's best if you remove the two bolts securing the wiper fluid bottle, then slightly dis-locate the bottle, turn it out of the way, then you'll have room to remove the brake air duct (if you so have that option), by now, you'll have enough room to deal with that bolt, I used a 10mm ractcheing wrench, because none of my socket drivers are thin enough to reach in to get that bolt.
Also, the spring clip securing the lower out-flow radiator hose gave me a lot of pain trying to get it out, then even harder to pull that hose off. But I managed finally. When i re-install the hose onto the new radiator, I upgraded the spring clip with a worm-gear clamp, making it equally secure and much easier to remove next time I need to deal with it.
Knowing how much they charge out there, DIY this job surely gave me pride and joy in tinkering with this car.
$244 is not a bad price given how little aftermarket radiators are offered for these fairly new 3rd gen mini cooper. Common radiator price range from 120-180 bucks, but that's assuming the car's been out for a while and a whole bunch of competitors are making them. For our coopers, you almost find no other choice but OEM. When I did mine I had to buy that black one costing me about $350. So you're lucky relative to me in comparison.
To get to the bottom screw on the radiator, it's best if you remove the two bolts securing the wiper fluid bottle, then slightly dis-locate the bottle, turn it out of the way, then you'll have room to remove the brake air duct (if you so have that option), by now, you'll have enough room to deal with that bolt, I used a 10mm ractcheing wrench, because none of my socket drivers are thin enough to reach in to get that bolt.
Also, the spring clip securing the lower out-flow radiator hose gave me a lot of pain trying to get it out, then even harder to pull that hose off. But I managed finally. When i re-install the hose onto the new radiator, I upgraded the spring clip with a worm-gear clamp, making it equally secure and much easier to remove next time I need to deal with it.
Knowing how much they charge out there, DIY this job surely gave me pride and joy in tinkering with this car.
The site that was charging $244 wanted another $40 in shipping and it would've taken 2 weeks to arrive. Called my local dealer and they have a couple in stock for $400 - so going that route tomorrow.
Moving the wiper fluid bottle is exactly what I did as well. I also loosened up a small metal brace AND slightly jacked up the intercooler with a woodblock. That was sketchy looking, but it worked and no harm done. I found a super slim 1/4 ratchet at my local HF that I think will work good for the install. Luckily I didn't have too much trouble getting that spring clip off - I used 11 inch straight pliers - but I like the idea of the worm gear clamp.
I posted pics, but I guess the mods haven't approved them yet.
Question, did you refill the coolant with a vacuum filler as described in the shop manual?
The site that was charging $244 wanted another $40 in shipping and it would've taken 2 weeks to arrive. Called my local dealer and they have a couple in stock for $400 - so going that route tomorrow.
Moving the wiper fluid bottle is exactly what I did as well. I also loosened up a small metal brace AND slightly jacked up the intercooler with a woodblock. That was sketchy looking, but it worked and no harm done. I found a super slim 1/4 ratchet at my local HF that I think will work good for the install. Luckily I didn't have too much trouble getting that spring clip off - I used 11 inch straight pliers - but I like the idea of the worm gear clamp.
I posted pics, but I guess the mods haven't approved them yet.
Question, did you refill the coolant with a vacuum filler as described in the shop manual?
I did refill the coolant both methods, both worked out fine for myself.
1) the vacuum filler method is definitely a much easier way to do it and have a peace of mind when I fill it up. ( I have the kit)
2) the old school method of filling it up, start the car, let it settle, then let it cool off and fill up more, and do this about 3 separate times, it'll stabilize it a good level. All the excess fluid will bleed off from the bleeding screw without an issue. This takes longer to do, but you won't need that vacuum kit.
I did refill the coolant both methods, both worked out fine for myself.
1) the vacuum filler method is definitely a much easier way to do it and have a peace of mind when I fill it up. ( I have the kit)
2) the old school method of filling it up, start the car, let it settle, then let it cool off and fill up more, and do this about 3 separate times, it'll stabilize it a good level. All the excess fluid will bleed off from the bleeding screw without an issue. This takes longer to do, but you won't need that vacuum kit.
That's good to hear . I was preparing to buy the vacuum tool and a 26 gallon compressor to do the job properly - but if I can water-can it, great. Funny thing is, I'd still come out ahead even after buying that equipment
You might still want to invest in the 26 gallon compressor anyways, it comes in handy to power your tools when dealing with nuts and bolts on little cars like these. Also, there will be a point during your ownership of the car where you'll need to do a walnut blast to clean the intake valves. Lots of improvements have been made to minimize this from happening, but it's still happening. It'll all turn out well cash-wise because these tools together costs less than if you would get the shops to do it for ya.
Quick update:
No issues with radiator installation. Easier to get it in, tbh. I used the old school method of bleeding the air out of the system which went easier and faster than I thought. Total cost of the job $495 - $455 OEM radiator and $40 for 2 jugs of G48. Dealer wanted $1100+.
That's some well saved money right there! It's what I've been doing all along. I realized a lot of people be buying these higher end German cars and the first few years of ownership their cars are generally in good shape. Then when the warranty runs out and the cars are starting to have these inevitable component failures, they start to dislike the car and only spend the minimum to fix the issues. The reason for that is because dealership price tag is simply way too high. It's car owners like ourselves with no fear to tinker who can maintain a perfect running car for years to come. It's also why when people ask me the proverbial questions such as "should I buy this car? or that car?", I always first ask, "do you plan to do the work on your own? Will you invest in some tools and hours to fix it if it breaks down?" If they aren't comfortable working with cars, I'd tell them to lease cars and ditch all the trouble.
I work on my own cars and others' on weekend garage basis, and so far, my cars are running smoothly in great shape even at 10-years age and more than 150k miles. Still runs like new.
That's some well saved money right there! It's what I've been doing all along. I realized a lot of people be buying these higher end German cars and the first few years of ownership their cars are generally in good shape. Then when the warranty runs out and the cars are starting to have these inevitable component failures, they start to dislike the car and only spend the minimum to fix the issues. The reason for that is because dealership price tag is simply way too high. It's car owners like ourselves with no fear to tinker who can maintain a perfect running car for years to come. It's also why when people ask me the proverbial questions such as "should I buy this car? or that car?", I always first ask, "do you plan to do the work on your own? Will you invest in some tools and hours to fix it if it breaks down?" If they aren't comfortable working with cars, I'd tell them to lease cars and ditch all the trouble.
I work on my own cars and others' on weekend garage basis, and so far, my cars are running smoothly in great shape even at 10-years age and more than 150k miles. Still runs like new.
