Here's the run down for a 2007 R56.

1 - Put the right front on a jackstand and remove the wheel.
2 - Remove the wheel liner.

• Remove the two torx screws in the wheel well towards the top.
• Remove the screw/push retainers from the wheel well and one underneath near the jack point. Simply unscrew them, holding the base part if it begins to spin, then pull the base part out of the hole.
• Remove the nut holding the liner on near the jack point.
• Unscrew the two silver screws under at the front holding a small plastic cover plate and the edge of the liner. The screws are captive and only require a 1/2 turn. Swing the plate back out of the way.
• Pull the liner out.

3 - Remove the coolant bottle cap.
4 - Use large pliers to pinch the right clamp from the bottom center coolant hose joint under the radiator and slide it left. Wiggle the hoses apart at the bottom edge and capture the coolant in a bin.
4 - Use a long flat blade screw driver to open the bleed screw just to the right (looking from the front) of the engine. Use a flashlight and look straight down, it's easy to see and get to. Do not remove it all the way, it is not captive.
5 - Use a socket or screwdriver to loosen the airtube clamp at the left rear of the engine bay and completely separate the tube form the plastic tube.
6 - Remove the 4 silver bolts at the ends of the engine bay brace, on the shock towers.
7 - Remove the 4 bolts holding each headlight assembly in, disconnect the harness to each by pinching and remove the assemblies.
8 - Remove the 4 torx bolts at the hood latches.
9 - Remove the black bolts along the sides of the brace.
10 - Remove the push retainer securing the washer bottle.
11 - Fold the brace up to the drivers side, bungee it to the headlight opening.
12 - Remove the upper grill trim strip by gently pulling it forward to snap off.
13 - Remove the upper grill assembly by pushing the small tabs along it's bottom toward the inside and pulling forward to snap off.
14 - Remove the A/C charge terminal from it's bracket with a flat blade screwdriver to open the fingers. Remove the torx screw and remove the bracket.
15 - Remove the torx screw 1/2 way down the radiator holding the plastic airtube to it.
16 - Use a small 2x4 or similar wood black, no larger than the bottom of the oil pan, to go between a floorjack and the oilpan. Jack it in place just putting a small amount of pressure on the engine.
17 - Move the plastic airtube to the side slightly and remove the 4 large bolts holding the engine to the motor mount bracket.
18 - Remove the large nut in the center of the motor mount and remove the bracket.
19 - Jack the engine up carefully, until the airbox has no clearance left to the body.
20 - Remove the ground wire and motor mount via it's 3 large bolts and the starter wire bracket with it's two bolts.
21 - If replacing the belt, use a large socket extension for leverage and place the small end in the side of the belt tensioner. Lever it up against the body and push in the lock pin with the spring around it at it's pivot point to secure it.
22 - Remove the pulley from the water pump via the three small bolts.
When you try and loosen or tighten these bolts the pump will want to turn. I used a pry bar but any long tool will work - wedge between two of the bolts or put pressure on one while removing each with a ratchet. They are low torque and remove very easily.
23 - The water pump is turned not by the belt but only by a pressure roller. It's just like a tension pulley and is moved via a small pull tab. The black part just to the front of the water pump is this tensioner. Use a needle nose pliers and grip the small plastic tab to it's bottom front, pulling it forward and down. It extends 2" looking like an oil dipstick. This moves the tensioner slightly allowing the pulley to be removed and installed. When reinstalling push the tab securely in to seal it's small o-rings.
24 - The pulley slides out between the frame and pump with a little coaxing. Slide it towards the back and come up. There is zero gap tolerance, only use an OEM pump. I tried aftermarket and the spindle shaft was slightly longer than OEM preventing the pulley from going on or off.
25 - Remove the pump via it's 5 small bolts.

• This is the only part that is a PITA.
• The top three bolts are easy, use a small 1/4" ratchet and they are no problem.
• The bottom two you will only be able to get 2-3 clicks per swing then it's finger tip only to get them in or out. I have large hands and it took a while.
• Remove the pump from the engine and spin it around 180 degrees, bringing it out at an angle like the pulley.
• It only goes in and out one way, and is a tight fit.
• When installing watch the gasket.

Install is the reverse, refill and bleed the system.

 

First of all, thanks to kaelaria for posting up this procedure. His write up is very detailed and easy to understand even without pictures to guide the user. Anyway, I changed my water pump using these instructions (with a detour here and there) and there were no surprises. I'm writing to reinforce what kaelaria said regarding the aftermarket pump that he and I used. I had already ordered my pump when I read about the impeller shaft being longer than the OEM pump thus making it impossible to get the pulley back onto the pump once it is mounted onto the engine block. I thought surely kaelaria just overlooked something and that I would figure a way to get that pulley on there. Alas, it was not to be! I tried jacking the engine back down to see if I could sneak the pulley on from the bottom and that was also a no-go. I was thinking that if I removed the motor mount bracket that is attached to the engine with those funky male torx head bolts that maybe I could angle the pulley in such a way that I could slip it by the shaft and be happy again. When I went to start loosening the first torx bolt, I found that it was torqued down tighter than I could un-torque it without doing damage to the bolt. In a rare and miraculous moment, I decided not to continue torquing to the point of no return as is my normal practice! Anyway, I have quit for the day, but tomorrow, I will take the pump back out and hack the end of the shaft off and then all should be OK. I am a little concerned about putting too much heat into the shaft while grinding which may damage the bearing and/or seals so I'll have to figure out a way to quench the shaft with water while I grind (or maybe saw) the end off of it. I'll report back here after I finish the hack job. Wish me luck!

Update: I took a grinder to the extra shaft hanging out and hacked the extra length off (slowly, so as not to put too much heat into the shaft), and all went back together without further cursing.

 

Good morning kaelaria and AutoDoc1955,

I recently noticed that my beloved Mini started leaking coolant on the ground. I just (literally) looked under the car and pinpointed the problem to be coming from the passenger side of engine. The coolant is leaking down the block so determining where is a little difficult. But given the side of the motor causing this I 'assume' water pump.

I am not quite ready to tear into this just yet but one thing I wanted to ask you both is if there is anything else that could be causing the leak besides the pump (hose, clamp, etc)?

The pump is a pricey one and that will put my repair on hold, if there is another component that might be causing the leak I will inspect tomorrow further.

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

-Matt

 

I know of nothing else on that side of the motor that might leak water unless maybe a blown head gasket, but you'd have some unusual noise and performance issues if that had happened. Bite the bullet and get a new water pump. And remember, if you go the aftermarket metal pump route and its shaft is longer than the OEM pump, grind off the end of the impeller shaft before you stick the water pump in. If you don't, you'll not be able to get the pulley back in!

 

Good afternoon AutoDoc1955,

Thank you for that input. Is the metal pump reliable? I have trust issues with non-OEM components that are as important as the water pump. Anyone have a link for a good metal pump? Safe to assume the OEM one has not been upgraded from plastic?

On a side note, is it the actual pump that fails or the gasket?

 

Am I reading the instructions correct? Is the work is to be done from the fender well side of motor or from the top of the motor?

 

I just realized I was loosing coolant from the water-pump area as well... Would love to know if it is just the gasket and not the pump itself...

 

If you're going to tear into it, you might as well replace the pump regardless. The time and effort it takes to get the pump removed is well worth the money for the pump please the security of knowing it's replaced and won't fail anytime soon.

 

+1

Agreed, if you are going to tear into it, just replace it.

Just as a heads up if you have not replaced your thermostat housing it will be following close behind.

And to answer your question, it is probably the pump that failed as a o-ring rarely fails.

 

Just used this D.I.Y to do the pump on my wife's 2007 MCS.

One tip... Don't be afraid of jacking the motor up. When kaelaria says jack it up until there is no space between the air box and the firewall do it and then give it one more jack. There is really NO SPACE between the motor and the frame!

All in all with this guide this is not a bad job to do but just a pain in the **** if you have big hands...

So... A BIG THANK YOU to KAELARIA FOR HELPING ME SAVE $1000 BUCKS!

 

Let me add more details to a R57 2008 water pump change. First. take the air box off and jack the motor till it will not go any further. Take the motor mount off the frame, 3 13 and 1 17, that gives you more room. I got a OEM (from France) pump with long shaft, get vice grips and bend frame back away from pully to get it over the longer shaft, it will work, just bend the frame towards the wheel well. Lastly.. you will have hell getting the pulley over the shaft because of the pressure from the bottom pulley that runs the water pump pulley.. We got ONE bolt in the pump and rotated the pump shaft till we could get pressure on the drive pulley below. and got the second bolt in. This took 3 hours for 3 bolts and TWO MEN to work on it.. with big pry bars.. and many attempts. This is NOT EASY, takes a lot of patience. Once you have all 3 pump bolts started,, FINGER TIGHT ONLY, Do not cross thread them.. USE FINGERS ONLY TO GET THEM in.. tighten them and you will pull the pulley onto the shaft. Another hint. while you are attempting to get pulley on shaft, make sure you have a tiny screwdriver in ONE hole of the pump shaft, to align it, it you dont you will never ever get the bolts lined up. This tiny screwdriver will be your savior when you try to start one, 2 and 3 bolts in the pump. OH. use LONGER #10 bolts to get it started and replace them with short original when you get the pulley on the pump shaft.. like 1/2 inch long #10 bolts. That was the key to the end.. it really took 3 hours to engineer the getting pulley on pump shaft, because of the pressure from the drive pulley below, it did NOT just slide on the pump.. NOT at all..keeping the screwdriver lined up and getting longer bolts started saved us. but it took 3 hours to engineer this ..

 

WARNING,, I got it all put back together. Started it up and the pump pulley destroyed itself. It just came apart, I must have damaged the rubber on the pulley and it just shredded just as soon as i started it. I will have to get a new one today and go thru this all over again. So be very careful with your pump pulley and do not damage the rubber on it. It will cause it to shred when you start it up. More to come after i get a new pulley
This should be easier, since i know what not to remove now.

 

It is your water pump shaft seal, mine started to drip. then after months it just ran out when i filled it. I am in the middle of pump change now. Ruined the pulley yesterday. now for another pulley today.

 

UPDATE, 8/20/13.. the pulley will fall out the bottom if you drop it... it hit the ground,, walla, did not need to have the hell getting from top.. very hard to get NEW pulley in..they rubber is a lot thicker.. took another 2 hours of patience..
Finished.. went for drive.. main belt shredded.. all of everything went out.. man what a week for disasters.. now to change the main belt tonight.

UPDATE 8/22/13
If you ever change the water pump.. change the water pump pulley.. 43.00 and the main serpentine belt 21.00 at Napa.. it will make your life a lot better from then on.. you have it all apart so change it all.. mine had 84,000 on it.. so it needed changing..
oh pull that tab all the way out about 4 inches to let it drop out so you can get the serpentine belt over the crankshaft pulley.. then push it all the way in and when you start it will go back to tight. It takes a BIG wrench to pull on the tensioner to get the pin in, and 2 men. one to pull the other to push the hold pin into the slot..
hope this helps anyone changing a water pump.. if you have any questions get to me. i did this 3 times. so i am good at it now.

 

So are there any torque specs for any of the bolts you remove and re-install? Or do you just tighten to approximately not going to fall out foot pounds? It would be nice to know that the engine mounts arent going to come loose as Im driving along.

 

HI all, I just did my pump and found it much easier when you go from the top as well as from the bottom. The pump drive wheel goes on easily from the bottom when you drop the engine. Also, I included this picture of the tensioner tab. On my 2008 clubman, the tensioner has a small slot cut into the metal (see center of picture) that allows it to "hook" onto the plastic holding it open. Leaving this open while installing the the water pump drive pulley will avoid ruining the rubber face of the pulley, and makes it easy (easier) to put the bolts back in since the pressure is now released.