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I’m not a regular “poster” on NAM, but the information I’ve found has been very helpful with my 06 R53.
This began after some damage to my radiator a few months ago. Putting the car in “service mode” wasn’t an issue. Found the radiator support section to have multiple cracks; not surprising for the age. Planning some additional upgrades while the car is in this position, While removing the airbox assembly, I came upon this unassuming hose with multiple connections. Followed the hose to the firewall and through towards the final connection at the brake booster. No problem! It’s the other end of the hose, not connected to anything, and “split” as if it broke or something.
I’ve included a couple pictures for reference. I think it’s a vacuum hose of some type, but could it connect at the charge pipe below? From my perspective above the intercooler, I couldn’t see where it could (or should) connect.
Any help would be appreciated! This is the upper connection to the air hose This is the lower connection that was just hanging loosely somewhere down below. This is the mystery.
YES! That has to be it. It ends at the same position on the brake booster. Now I have to investigate if the charge pipe is cracked or broken at the connection, and see about a replacement of this hose assembly. Maybe I can simply replace this section of hose?
I did search for the charge pipe itself; ridiculously expensive! LOL
Now I just have to get to it. I haven’t refilled the coolant system yet (luckily), so all that get uninstalled…again! HaHa
I guess I’ll just go ahead and do all the other items on the list now before the wife decides to sell it for parts! Thanks again!
I did search for the charge pipe itself; ridiculously expensive! LOL
I'm not all that familiar with Merritt Island area but if I recall - there''s a few salvage yards in the Orlando/Central Florida area. I often find charge pipes laying around canabalized R53. At a U-Pull It - A charge pipe may cost you as little $5. (Most of the time they have no idea - All they see is a plastic tube)....
Good luck!
good thing you found it now rather than later. Let us know how it turns out 🙏
Bit chilly here the next couple days, and I don’t have a protected space to work, so it may be a couple days before I start tearing things down again. If I think about it, I’ll post some progress pics as well. Thx!
good thing you found it now rather than later. Let us know how it turns out 🙏
Got everything disassembled (again) today. The charge pipe is intact; no cracks, etc…The connector where the hose split wasn’t damaged and still attached to the pipe. Will replace this section of hose and maybe add a small clamp (just in case) Since I’m so far into the tear down again, perhaps a good time to remove the SC for an oil service? I’ve owed the car for about 7 years now, and I have no idea of the service history from past owners. With 160k miles on the clock, I’m concerned about performing some preventative maintenance; any ideas? I’ve got new pulleys, the belt, belt tensioner (which is difficult to remove, I’ve heard), alternator. I’ve already got a new radiator and fan installed on a new front radiator bracket (mine was cracked in a couple places) I have a new water pump and new metal thermostat housing with thermostat. I suspect I’ll replace the various hoses too (vacuum and coolant) New radiator installed. New Fan installed. Throttle Body & Bypass Valve removed. Charge pipe removed. Hose connector still attached; nothing broken or cracked. Belt still hanging while I figure out how to lock the tensioner in place by myself! HaHa! Old Alternator removed.
Any additional areas of concern to be addressed, I would like to get some opinions! Thx!
looking good, sir. yes i would go for the sc service if you have the time now. its easy once your that far in.
the cooling system is always a good one. you dont want that to fail on you. new hoses and pump 👍
the crank position sensor oring and dipstick oring are right there too
So, I’m unfamiliar with the location of those particular o-rings as this is the furthest I’ve had the car apart. I have a friend in Daytona who is a MINI Tech. He opened his own shop a few years ago, and he’s always booked up. I figured I would start learning more about my own car! LOL
You Tube has become a great “tutorial source”
Thanks again for your continued input; much appreciated!
not a bad idea to do more work on your own. the csp sensor and dipstick on very close to each other on the front of the engine (or I should say the side nearest the radiator
TIS (part of inpa) and the Bentley manual are two good sources / references
not a bad idea to do more work on your own. the csp sensor and dipstick on very close to each other on the front of the engine (or I should say the side nearest the radiator
TIS (part of inpa) and the Bentley manual are two good sources / references
I did find where those items are (specifically the crank sensor). The dipstick tube is pretty obvious LOL
I was working all weekend, so I didn’t get a chance to pull the SC yet…Figured while all of this is apart, I’m gonna “clean up” the area from all the oil / grease / grime, etc.
Is there a good degreaser / solvent, short of brake cleaner, that would do a good job?
Personally, from someone who is constantly cleaning their engine bay - Ive found carb or brake cleaner flashes off too quickley to be workable for cleaning grime. I generally just buy a few cans of engine degrease, Purple Power or Simple Green from Wally world/Walmart and place a oil drain pan or plastic sheet to catch all and reuse the dripping mess. A nylon dish scrubber and maybe a few size chip brushes to get into the hard to reach areas.
If you have one and are mindful to stay away from electronics/ECU, I like to use a pressure washer if your Mini is in front end service mode.
BTW: I'm very happy to hear that your charge pipe is still in good shape and won't need replacing!
Personally, from someone who is constantly cleaning their engine bay - Ive found carb or brake cleaner flashes off too quickley to be workable for cleaning grime. I generally just buy a few cans of engine degrease, Purple Power or Simple Green from Wally world/Walmart and place a oil drain pan or plastic sheet to catch all and reuse the dripping mess. A nylon dish scrubber and maybe a few size chip brushes to get into the hard to reach areas.
If you have one and are mindful to stay away from electronics/ECU, I like to use a pressure washer if your Mini is in front end service mode.
I do have access to a pressure washer, and I think I can control the flow rate as well.
I’ve been in front end service mode for a couple weeks now; I keep finding things I want to do since I’m already “in the area” LOL
Didn’t really think about Purple Power or Simple Green; great idea! Thx!
Oh yeah, btw: If you like shiny things as much as I do - be careful using Simple Green or Purple Power full strength around Aluminum = **SC horns** - as it may oxidize and dull the finish. This should also be an important note around clear coated paint finishes!!!!
for engine cleaning I will use simple green. sometime if its really bad I'll get some of that engine degreaser in a can on the shelves at Walmart oreilly's etc
let it sit for 20 mins or so, brush it if you can and rinse. blow dry if you have air
I like to cover the ecu / fuse box and alternator if in the way
for engine cleaning I will use simple green. sometime if its really bad I'll get some of that engine degreaser in a can on the shelves at Walmart oreilly's etc
let it sit for 20 mins or so, brush it if you can and rinse. blow dry if you have air
I like to cover the ecu / fuse box and alternator if in the way
Got the SC / water pump removed today, also the belt; and although the belt isn’t in “bad shape”, I’m still replacing it when I get the new tensioner and pulleys reinstalled.
Found a bottle of “Industrial” Simple Green (in a spray bottle / already diluted)
Haven’t emptied the SC oil yet, but pulled the “air horn” to inspect the blades. I think they look alright (included some pics for opinions). There isn’t any scraping noises when turning the pulley; a little scoring on a couple of edges, but I suspect that’s pretty “normal” for 160k miles? As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have no history on how well the car was taken care of, so I’m jumping in the deep end and learning as I go! HaHa! Outside of the usual grime, seems to look pretty good. Water Pump removed. If you can zoom in, you can see the scoring on the blade. Too much shade…
I am no expert...
Rotors look pretty good for160k! Teflon coating looks great! Scoring on the "knife" edge is quite typical from what I've seen on both my Supercharger''s (my original 124k still on the car and my refurbished back-up). IMO; The darn thing looks new!
You can push and pull on the pulley and visually observe the rotors for any play. If you want; you can go one step further and slide a feeler blade between the inner body and rotor end to gauge how much gap/endplay it has. I don't recall the exact .000mm that is normal - As long as it spins freely without any decernable/unusual noise - I see absolutely no indication of scraping of the inner body where the end of the rotors meet - So wouldn't concern myself too much with the minutiae.
Interesting yours is marked/stamped "LSI 5"... There was a recent post regarding that particular "model".
Curious to know what the "LSI" denotes(?).
Any interest in going with a reduction pulley (15%, 16%, 17%) ? Now would be a great time to upgrade if you are so inclined!
Great job - Looking forward to reading your progress!
I am no expert...
Rotors look pretty good for160k! Teflon coating looks great! Scoring on the "knife" edge is quite typical from what I've seen on both my Supercharger''s (my original 124k still on the car and my refurbished back-up). IMO; The darn thing looks new!
You can push and pull on the pulley and visually observe the rotors for any play. If you want; you can go one step further and slide a feeler blade between the inner body and rotor end to gauge how much gap/endplay it has. I don't recall the exact .000mm that is normal - As long as it spins freely without any decernable/unusual noise - I see absolutely no indication of scraping of the inner body where the end of the rotors meet - So wouldn't concern myself too much with the minutiae.
Interesting yours is marked/stamped "LSI 5"... There was a recent post regarding that particular "model".
Curious to know what the "LSI" denotes(?).
Any interest in going with a reduction pulley (15%, 16%, 17%) ? Now would be a great time to upgrade if you are so inclined!
Great job - Looking forward to reading your progress!
Yea, the rotors move very smoothly, and there is no play whatsoever. I tried simply moving the pulley “up, down, back, forth” etc…Nothing! So that’s a good thing!
I am, most likely, gonna pull the old pulley in favor a 15% reduction one; just a little more “GO” since like I’ve been saying…I’m already there! HaHa!
I did have another thought, looking for additional info…
Tomorrow’s project is to remove the SC oil and clean up the SC itself. I wanna clean off the grime / oil, etc. I got some “industrial strength” Simple Green (diluted) and I’m gonna try it.
My friend (MINI Tech) loves brake fluid for almost everything! HaHa!
My question…
Once I empty the oil from the SC, would it make ANY SENSE to spray some brake fluid into the oil reservoirs to “clean” it out, let it dry, etc., or is it simply like changing the oil in your car? Empty the oil and then refill?
Something else I was thinking of…
Throttle Body
Bypass Valve
Should these be replaced?
The Bypass Valve has some play in the butterfly, and it’s fairly inexpensive; figured I would replace it. But, the Throttle Body may just need a thorough cleaning. It’s not sticky or anything, and I may simply be considering spending money that’s unnecessary.
Thoughts???
I’m a bit of a clean freak!
I may get some high temperature paint and spray the SC and air horns! HaHa!
Last edited by jcampbell6768; Mar 10, 2026 at 04:51 PM.
Reason: Additional Information
My question…
Once I empty the oil from the SC, would it make ANY SENSE to spray some brake fluid into the oil reservoirs to “clean” it out, let it dry, etc.
No, there are bearings in there and you don't want to dry them out. Just empty and refill.
If the BPV spring is weak I would replace it. As for the throttlbody, just cleaning it and it should be good 👍
No, there are bearings in there and you don't want to dry them out. Just empty and refill.
If the BPV spring is weak I would replace it. As for the throttlbody, just cleaning it and it should be good 👍
Thx for the response! I didn’t really think about the brake cleaner drying out the bearings…The BPV is a pretty cheap replacement too. Gonna tackle cleaning up the area while waiting on parts to arrive.
