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I need to do oil filter housing gaskets, vacuum pump, water pump and maybe even oil pan gasket. Car is due for an oil change relatively soon as well.
Do I need to *drain* coolant and oil to replace these gaskets? If I could just top them both off it would make more sense since I'm going to have to drain coolant completely for water pump and oil for pan gasket...
Thanks. This is extremely helpful. I just had the same malady. And the **** of this is that I replaced my turbo, cat, manifold... last November and had the engine naked down to the ports. And now to take all that crap off again is such a slap in the face.
but thanks for the pix and discussion. Did you say you had to take the rear heat shield off to get to two of the bolts on the housing? Did you disconnect the cat from the exhaust or simply find a way to support the cat. I don't recall if the heat shield attached to the block at the bottom. I am going to replace the aux water pump and thernostat while I'm down there. Extraa $200
Yes the rear heat shield has to come off. I removed the cat and down pipe completely. You will need the room to work. I had the heat shields off fairly quickly. The tricky part was getting the aux water pump and oil filter housing back on. I found it easier to install the housing and then install the aux pump onto the housing. The snag I ran into was one of the studs on the turbo came out with the nut and messed up the threads on the turbo mount. I had to get a tap and clean up the threads. I already replaced the thermostat housing and that was not difficult at all. It is nice not seeing the oil spots on the garage floor now!
Turbosix,
The oil filter housing has both coolant and oil running through it. When you remove the housing it is possible to get some coolant in the oil and oil in the coolant.
My recommendation is to do all this stuff at once. To replace the oil pan gasket, you need to remove the exhaust clamp, and that will be easier with the downpipe out of the way.
Have you replaced the thermostat yet? Since the coolant will be drained for the water pump, you should do the thermostat as well.
Turbosix,
The oil filter housing has both coolant and oil running through it. When you remove the housing it is possible to get some coolant in the oil and oil in the coolant.
My recommendation is to do all this stuff at once. To replace the oil pan gasket, you need to remove the exhaust clamp, and that will be easier with the downpipe out of the way.
Have you replaced the thermostat yet? Since the coolant will be drained for the water pump, you should do the thermostat as well.
Mike
thank you, i figured as much but wanted someone to confirm. i am pretty sure the plastic thermostat housing was already replaced but i'll have to have my wife check her service records.
and son of a bitcccchhhh i just got this from my local mini dealership:
I show an estimated arrival date of 4-6-2015 in Germany. Please note, this is a very vague estimate and is not a guarantee. If these items do become available in Germany, we might have them in the USA between May and June.
Did you end up replacing the thermostat housing? When I discovered coolant on the top of the transmission it was a crack in the thermostat housing. Not too difficult to replace. I bought mine from ECS Tuning.
Sorry for the huge delay in response. Yes, I did replace the thermostat. I actually had the dealership perform the job because it happened during the week and was freezing outside. I also didn't have another car to drive and getting a loaner is always a sweet deal from the dealer since I originally bought the car from them. They charged me $558.37 to be exact for part(s) and labor. After multiple pressure tests and cold start they found a crack in the housing and that was why it was all over the top of the transmission case.
I need to replace my turbo lines as the feed line is leaking on top of the turbo.
Figure while I'm replacing these, that I'll go ahead and do the oil filter housing and oil filter coolant housing while I'm there.
Anything else I should do? (I plan on ordering the super kit from Detroit)
Car is a '09 MCS Clubman that just turned 60k. To my knowledge, the primary water pump and thermostat have never been replaced. Aux pump was replaced under warranty or TSB whichever, prior to my ownership.
I need to replace my turbo lines as the feed line is leaking on top of the turbo.
Figure while I'm replacing these, that I'll go ahead and do the oil filter housing and oil filter coolant housing while I'm there.
Anything else I should do? (I plan on ordering the super kit from Detroit)
Car is a '09 MCS Clubman that just turned 60k. To my knowledge, the primary water pump and thermostat have never been replaced. Aux pump was replaced under warranty or TSB whichever, prior to my ownership.
The oil filter housing and coolant housing are one complete unit as the coolant reservoir/housing sits on top of the oil housing. Don't try and purchase them separately. Wherever you purchase it from it should show that it is a complete kit. I'd check the thermostat for the smallest cracks-possible leaks. If you don't need to do it now I'd wait, but in the next 20-30k you will need to replace it (that is if it fails or starts to leak- seems to go around the 70-90k mark from what I have read with other's postings). My thermostat went up around 84k.
Hadn't planned on the pump. Doing the turbo feed lines and most likely anything surrounding the same area that I'm at anyways.
I don't have any coolant leak issues except I think the expansion tank has a slight one.
you will need to do an oil change and drain all the coolant if you are doing the oil filter housing gaskets so it is a good time to do the pump as well. `
I need to replace my turbo lines as the feed line is leaking on top of the turbo.
Figure while I'm replacing these, that I'll go ahead and do the oil filter housing and oil filter coolant housing while I'm there.
Anything else I should do? (I plan on ordering the super kit from Detroit). Car is a '09 MCS Clubman that just turned 60k.
Good plan, good parts source.
Assume all exhaust clamps you touch a rusted beyond re-use, so order replacements.
In terms of oil leaks - you are hitting 2 out of 3 (the other is valve cover gasket seepage, and you can address it later, as necessary).
Originally Posted by broncobuddha
To my knowledge, the primary water pump and thermostat have never been replaced. Aux pump was replaced under warranty or TSB whichever, prior to my ownership.
In terms of coolant leaks - you may want to consider swapping out water pump (passenger side) and thermostat (driver side). Or you could tackle them later. Depends on your budget and time flexibility (this will add another $300+ and 4+ hours to the job).
"Old school" BMW maintenance calls for water pump change at around 60K miles...
The thermostat should be replaced, you have the coolant drained and some of the stuff out of the way.
Pull the screw out that holds the coolant reservoir to the radiator support, and look at the bottom of the tank. If you see any blue/green residue, or white lines in the corners, then it is leaking. Again, since the coolant is drained, you should replace that as well.
Good tip from 'a' above about the exhaust clamp, get a turbo gasket as well (not sure if these are included in the kit).
Only other thing that I can think of is if you craved an aftermarket downpipe, now is the time....
Oh trust me, I crave an aftermarket dp, but don't have the provisions (tune or tune capability) to deal with the code it will throw. I could live with the code provided it didn't put the car in limp mode or anything.
If I'm reading this correctly, the superkit comes with the dp gasket and clamp.
I'm tackling this on Saturday and have a question: since we have a non-S, I shouldn't have to drain the coolant because there isn't an oil cooler right?
I'm chompin at the bit to get this done so I stop seeing puddles of oil on the garage floor!
I'm tackling this on Saturday and have a question: since we have a non-S, I shouldn't have to drain the coolant because there isn't an oil cooler right?
I'm chompin at the bit to get this done so I stop seeing puddles of oil on the garage floor!
You are correct. That should make for a much easier job than the N14.
I'm tackling this on Saturday and have a question: since we have a non-S, I shouldn't have to drain the coolant because there isn't an oil cooler right?
I'm chompin at the bit to get this done so I stop seeing puddles of oil on the garage floor!
Yep, the NON-S does not have a heat exchanger/coolant side:
Thanks for all the input. I put the whole thing back together, clean and torqued and had the radiator flushed and the messy under belly steam cleaned and I'll be damned if there still isn't a drip of oil coming from either the filter or the cooler. What the hell is that? I cleaned all the surfaces, carefully bolted the pieces together. This isn't rocket science. I will take another look. A mechanic friend of mine looked at it and said it appears to be the oil cooler gaskets. From his POV.
Okay, so I tore back into the engine (service mode - easy), and it turns out that the return oil line is actually leaking. I didn't seat it fully, and the pressure caused oil to gush out. It appears that the seals on the filter assembly are sound, but it's hard to be certain because the oil from the return line cascaded down. However, the oil seemed to be superficial, rather than coming from the seams. During the replacement, Permatex Ultra rubber was applied to the seals (to compensate for the lopsided bolt placement), the bolts were seated in a cross-wise pattern, then torqued cross-wise, so the seals are likely evenly seated.
The question regarding torques is semi-answered, as I took a pic of the bolts, and judging from the vague markings, they're probably 8.8 grade, and therefore the torque intuition was correct. The Bentley manual torque tables suggested a max of 10 N·m for M6 bolts, and I backed them down to 11 N·m. Someone suggested in another thread the 25 N·m torque that's used for the support bracket bolt, but that's much too high.
At best, if bolts are 10.9 grade, the max torque is 14 N·m (10 ft-lb); if 8.8 grade bolts, the max torque is 10 N·m (7.4 ft-lb). Suggestions and feedback are welcome!
The first pic is the bolt at the base of the turbo oil return line (lower right corner), and the second pic is the bolt next to the turbo oil feed line.
Just an update I wanted to share. A year ago I noticed coolant leaking from the oil filter housing and dripping down onto the exhaust manifold just behind the downpipe exhaust clamp. Looking on this site I saw that it was a big job to replace the oil filter housing gasket so decided to try adding 1/2 of a container of K-seal to the coolant expansion tank. I followed the directions on the bottle and the leak sealed immediately and no more leaks or problems to report 1 year/6000 miles later. I never had a sign of an oil leak here as others have reported.
Hope this helps for Justa owners who find a coolant leak at this area.
I replaced the gaskets on my Mini last weekend...certainly not a walk in the park. I did not put it in service mode like I did when I replaced the turbo oil line a few years ago. It may have made the job easier, but I'm not sure if it would have made it any more fun.
I did the job in my driveway with the Mini on ramps, weather was great for being in July.
My biggest problem was removing the auxiliary water pump. You cannot see those two bolts to remove it from the oil filter assembly. I tried to remove the whole unit with the auxiliary water pump attached. I removed the first hose from the bottom, then the wiring connector, and while trying to remove the other hose, the d... plastic hose outlet part of the pump broke off. I couldn't believe it, I wasn't pushing on it very hard, the clamp is very difficult to get at.
Here is a Youtube link I found that shows an Auxiliary Water Pump being replaced, so it might help you see what you're up against:
Fortunately the local Mini dealer's parts department is open until 5pm on a Saturday's so $46 later I had a new auxiliary water pump and I got everything back together.
The other issue I had was once I had the unit off the car was that one of the bolts, that holds the oil cooler to the main assembly, was frozen and did not want to turn. The others came off relatively easily. I put the unit in a vise, soaked it good with PB Blaster, and was able to break it loose. I had to work it slowly back and forth and I was able to get it out. I was concerned about the bolt breaking but fortunately avoided that.
I found it to be a bear of a job, but now I'm glad it done.
My Mini has 105k miles on it and I believe I'm going to find out how many more miles I'll get out of the motor and original clutch!
I replaced the gaskets on my Mini last weekend...certainly not a walk in the park. I did not put it in service mode like I did when I replaced the turbo oil line a few years ago. It may have made the job easier, but I'm not sure if it would have made it any more fun.
I did the job in my driveway with the Mini on ramps, weather was great for being in July.
My biggest problem was removing the auxiliary water pump. You cannot see those two bolts to remove it from the oil filter assembly. I tried to remove the whole unit with the auxiliary water pump attached. I removed the first hose from the bottom, then the wiring connector, and while trying to remove the other hose, the d... plastic hose outlet part of the pump broke off. I couldn't believe it, I wasn't pushing on it very hard, the clamp is very difficult to get at.
Fortunately the local Mini dealer's parts department is open until 5pm on a Saturday's so $46 later I had a new auxiliary water pump and I got everything back together.
The other issue I had was once I had the unit off the car was that one of the bolts, that holds the oil cooler to the main assembly, was frozen and did not want to turn. The others came off relatively easily. I put the unit in a vise, soaked it good with PB Blaster, and was able to break it loose. I had to work it slowly back and forth and I was able to get it out. I was concerned about the bolt breaking but fortunately avoided that.
I found it to be a bear of a job, but now I'm glad it done.
My Mini has 105k miles on it and I believe I'm going to find out how many more miles I'll get out of the motor and original clutch!
Glad you got it fixed. Soaking things with PB Blaster for a bit help from rounding the bolt heads off later down the road.
I'm praying I got this right. No leaks so far I DONT THINK...need to drive a little more to be sure.
I did this same job this weekend. Actually it was done once before by the dealer and still the oil filter housing gaskets appeared to be leaking as I had the telltale oil on the front of the engine where it mates to the transaxle.
Its a major pain in the *** job 1st time around because of the tiny auxiliary water pump's two hidden bolts and the small bolts around the heat shields. Amazing # of bolts holding those 3 shields in place.
I have 4 recommendations.
1. Drain the motor oil before (and reuse) or do an oil change after the cooler and oil filter housing gaskets are installed. I had significant water in my oil pan! When I drained the engine oil water came out first. . Perhaps draining the coolant first will eliminate coolant from getting into the oil passages when you pull the oil filter housing free.
2. Somehow I didn't appear to contaminate the coolant with engine oil, but I'd consider flushing the cooling system after this job as well.
3 While your doing these gaskets also change the turbo oil feed and return lines! This job is a dirty f@cking mess. Do it all at once. I changed my turbo lines again even though they had been changed some 15-20k miles ago by the dealer because they installed old part #s that have been superseded multiple times. Once you're up in there, change everything. Trust me.
4. Be very careful with the Way Motor Works turbo oil line banjo bolts. They are much shorter than OEM and soft! I torqued as per their specs and one of them broke off in my engine block. I just about pooped myself. Luckily it came right out with an extractor.
Also, the Way Motor Works kit requires you to tighten the oil line TO THE BANJO BOLT without any torque specification. The OEM on the other hand unit is already fitted, you just need tighten the banjo bolt. This is a little annoying considering the very purpose of the new part is to prevent leaks and having to guess if you're tightening them enough is stress inducing. See pic. The nut isn't very clear in the pic..sorry. Also the line is not braided stainless as per their advertisement.
YES I KNOW, my valve cover gasket is leaking AGAIN. That was changed once before by the dealer. I'm going with FELPRO this time. F.U. Mini.
I think oil filter housing was leaking but I'm not 100% sure from where. I think it was from the most flattened /deformed gasket shown here at the bottom of the unit. Those were changed once but with old part #s:
Also while you're at it, CHECK YOUR TURBO COOLANT LINE on top of the turbo! Super easy to access. I had bits of plastic almost completely occluding the holes in the banjo bolts. Brown plastic bits. This car has only ever been touched by the dealer before I owned it. See here:
