PenelopeG3- are you referring to the entire arm or the float itself as inicated by the arrow below:


MINI Fuel Pump and Filter Replacement Technical Article

 

Pelican,

I'm referring to one of the floats hanging off the driver side of the fuel filter. I can't figure out how to remove the assembly w/o breaking it so can't get a clean pic of the part hanging off the side of it. It does have a float type arm connected to a dark yellow piece of plastic like above and that is attached to a squarish piece of plastic that looks like it should clip into something. I just couldn't see well enough to figure out what it should clip into... :(

Thanks.

 

put it all together like the person posted with pics which was great to use. I followed al the instructions as well.But It didn't build pressure again..Any ideas?

 

I did the fuel filter not the fuel pump

 

Did you double check your work? There could of been a seal that got out of place in the reinstall ..lol

 

I checked them when I installed a few times..it was kinda a pain in the but job to do for the first time doing it ..LOL so I made sure they were good...
if I have to ill take it apart again if I really need to.. the only thing I didn't do was put the access panel back on

 

When I replaced the fuel filter I used the rubber seals (o rings) that came with the filter I noticed they were thicker but I tried them anyway. 1. it was really hard to screw the top back on. 2. When I finally got the lid screwed back on the car would never start on the first try, must had air leak. So I put on the old thinner o ring back on and the car started on the first try again, not to mention how easy it was to screw the lid back on.

 

hi
I just replaced my fuel filter as well. I also had a hard time with bigger O ring that came with my filter as well. When I took mine apart after the car not starting I notice the one that came with the filter was wider in diameter and it stretched out. So I too put the original one on as well. Then I pressurized it again and it started right up...So you are not alone on that. BOND06

 

So what's the secret to getting the cannister lid off? not the metal ring you tap off with the screw driver and hammer, but the top of the plastic cannister to access the filter? Mine would not twist off, I even used 2 sets of big azz channel lock pliers for more torque, and still nothing. It is left loosy/righty tighty? I'm not trying to turn the damn thing the wrong way am I?

Don't think there were any changes on this part over the years but I do have an '06 in case that matters.

 

hi,
It is left loosy/righty tighty...I had a really hard time getting mine of as well... A few choice words by any means..I i used a oil filter pliers to get a good grip on the bottom part and grab the top part with my hand..Mine put up a good fight, but i got it of.. It doesn't come apart in half either. So make sure your gripping it in the right places..You don't have to do anything with the metal ring either...once i got it loose i used a flat head screw driver to pry it apart a little then pulled it apart with my hands. So yah it's a pain but getting it together is much easier...Hope that helps you out...

 

How far does it turn, seems after reading through everthing it's only like a 1/2 inch then pry it apart...that sound right? I was gripping the bottom just below the metal ring, as it looks like based on the pictures it seperates just above the metal ring.

 

hi,
yah at least a half inch. I just turned and looked to see it was far enough. Not certain what forums you've seen...There are kinda like tabs on the cover flat skinny ones you can see easy then the fat ones that actually lock in the the bottom part and notch's in the bottom part. Which is kinda like the same concept as the thermostat cover. Have good lighting you can see try clicking on the image...scroll down there is a good pic of it...get them lined up then pull apart...Yah it was bucky for me as well...goo luck

 

Just did mine over the weekend. What worked for me getting the filter housing cap off was this:

If you look under the port where the fuel line attaches to the cap there's a large empty space that extends horizontally into the cap. Just find the largest screwdriver or hand tool that fits in there and use it as leverage to twist the cap. Remember that it only turns about an inch and then you have to pry the cap off vertically.

The filter housing will be full of fuel so be careful on how it's situated when you're close to getting the cap completely off.

 

I just finished my 2002 R53. I'd like to thank Eurothrasher for the brilliant write up and everyone else for their little tips. I ended up fashioning a little u bar that sat in the holes in the top of the cap in order to take it off with the help of some grips. Even so it was a two person job - one to hold the canister and my wife to turn the top. Putting it back together was much easier - I bought the OEM filter kit and all the o-rings fitted although the final gasket said diesel only which was a bit of a concern, but it seemed to fit ok and match the old one.

Priming was easy - I heard the pipe get pressurised on the first turn and there were no leaks.

Psychosomatically I would say it idles a bit better and starts easier, but I could be making that up. The old filter was totally black and filthy though so I'm glad I did it - 136000 miles and I have no idea if it was swapped previously ( I bought it at 123000). It did have a paper sticker seal across the canister that said 'K' on it. No idea if that means it's original or been swapped before.

Thanks again to all who posted - I couldn't have done it otherwise.

 

I thought everything was going perfectly smooth until I went to put the canister in the tank and then the locking ring...

The lid pushed on and it locked as expected (about 1" rotation). But, upon inserting the canister in the tank, I noticed the tab is slightly off where it needs to go, and it seems to be sitting up too high. There's a bit of resistance, but I can get the tab in that slot. However, I cannot get the locking ring to engage, I think because the canister is not seated lower...

Any thoughts? Here's a photo:

 

There's two possible issues I can think of having read this whole thread before I attempted mine (!):

1) If you used the 'non-OEM' cheaper kit, it is possible that the big o-ring seal is a bit bigger than old one. A lot of people noticed the one supplied in the cheaper kit is too thick and had to re-use the old one. When the o-ring is correct you should notice the canister lid went back on MUCH easier than when you took it off.

2) The big seal with the lip needs to be pushed down so that the bottom sits underneath the lip and the top is on top - you have to kind of feed it in place. That could also be your problem. Like this: [- if that makes sense in my dodgy text graphic.

Other than that I have no idea, hopefully someone else can chime in!

Good Luck,

Andy.

 

Andy, I really appreciate your input. I purchased an "OES" (Original Equipment Supplier) unit, so I'd like to think that I received the correct filter and rings; but you have me wondering. At 54 bucks, not exactly cheap...

Maybe I didn't tuck it as you described (#2). I bet that's it. I'll report back either way...

Thanks again.

 

Yes, I doubt it's the o-ring too if you got the 'OES' one.

Did you also check the big seal was the right way up? There's a 'this side down' notification on it which should point towards the fuel tank. Mine also said it was diesel only () but it seemed to fit ok.

Cheers,

Andy.

 

Yup, "This side down" is facing downward alright. It also reads "Diesel only", which is a little disconcerting...

Did you make use of both large seals? It was not evident where the other one was located...

 

As far as I understand it, the other gasket is for the fuel pump on the other side. I only used one of my two also.

 

I'll label it as such then, that it can be used for either (fuel pump or filter sides). Thanks again Andy.

 

As a matter of follow-up, it was indeed the perimeter seal not being completely tucked, and with that recessed and flush, all the way around... The metal ring now engages as it should and it snungs-up nicely.

That said, it's not starting. I disassembled everything, and the replacement filter is identical to the one I removed, even down to the markings. The canister lid was definitely at full lock (about an inch of movement). The 3 o-rings inside the canister are still situated as they should. I had run the car down low on gas to make this job less messy, so I then thought there is not sufficient fuel to get it primed. I just added a gallon, still no dice... Yes, I turned the ignition to the #2 position several times.

So, I'm now wondering if I might have botched-up something below the canister. The added fuel is registering on the gauge, so that seems to be working. And thought this would be a quick job with virtually no down-time, lol...

EDIT / ADD: Up and running. I added about 1/2 more gallon of gas. The damn tank was nearly empty when I started, I guess too much to it going easily...

 

Just a short note to thank the previous contributors to this very useful thread.

My son has an R56 Cooper S 2007 with 36K with the usual set of faults which we have been able to tackle ourselves with the help of excellent forums like this!

We are currently trying to get to the bottom of a rough idle issue and after changing the inlet MAP sensor,HPFP and now the tank filter hopefully we have now sorted it.....fingers crossed!
We purchased the Vaico kit but in the end reused the original tank seal and o rings as they didnt give a good enough fit.

One tip I would add is to temporarily disconnect the fuel feed pipe on the high pressure fuel pump when priming the system again.
Hold a jar underneath and with a rag or two handy have someone turn on the ignition but dont crank.
If all is well air and fuel will come through quite quickly and you will only lose a cupful.
If you dont see any fuel after a couple of tries then you either dont have the filter tank sealed correctly or a pipe has come adrift somewhere on the sender or pump side.
Reconnect the fuel feed pipe and the car should then fire up straight away!

 

Just completed the fuel filter change on my R53 and have some thoughts on this PITA project.

1. Read the entire process written by Eurothrasher carefully. Some of the instructions you may skim over will be the ones that screw you over, ie: the large gasket installation.

2. After loosening the cap from the filter base, use a Magic Marker and mark a line on the cap and the base to make it easier to line up correctly in re-assembly.

3. Lube the o-rings. The filter is a tight fit and the lube will help tremendously. I used o-ring lube I had for pool filter o-rings. (I remember a Health class teacher years ago saying not to use vaseline with rubber. Of course he wasn't referring to o-rings!)

4. When installing the filter, push it into the base first and then line up the cap with the marks made earlier. I have large hands and was able to grasp the base on both sides with my fingers and used the palms of both hands to push the cap onto the filter. I actually felt a snap when the o-rings seated. Then turn the cap to lock it to the base.

5. The large gasket has to be properly seated for the housing to sit back into the tank. If everything is lined up correctly, the housing will sit down into the tank with the tab in the correct location and the ring will be very easy to reinstall. If you are trying to hold the filter assembly down with one hand and start the ring with the other, something is not right.


I don't know why BMW thought they needed to make this such a labor intensive process. On all my past vehicles, including BMWs, changing the fuel filter is a ten minute job, including removing whatever shield is in the way!

Follow the instructions, take your time and enjoy the satisfaction you get when the car starts.

 

i did this an now i cannot get the car to start, no fuel pressure seems to be the issue! HELP!!!!