Has anyone accomplished this feat...successfully...in under, oh, say three/four HOURS??

Replacing the lower hose was bad enough (NO room to work!), but the upper hose is REALLY BURIED (to the point of not even being visible on one end).

It appears that I may practically have to disassemble the front 1/2 of the engine/motor simply to change-out a radiator hose?!?

Help...please..................................

 

It is probably going to be easiest to remove your bumper cover/aluminum bumper carrier, Radiator, and Modular front end? You really get a good look at things when all of those items are out of the way, it is extremely easy to do work once all of those things are out of the way... I know it is a little work removing it all, but it shouldn't take very long to do it. Max an hour getting everything apart, and I'd imagine that the coolant hose should be really fast to swap out. The only issue you are going to run into is having to re-fill all of your coolant.

-Chase

 

Thanks for the reply Chase. The only thing that comes to mind at this point is:

Somebody has GOT to be kidding? "Easiest"? 'remove the bumper cover/aluminum bumper carrier, Radiator, and Modular front end' -- to access ONE simple radiator hose clamp???

Can anyone please possibly verify this procedure from a maintenance/repair manual? Please?

Please don't get me wrong - I do not mean to poo-poo Chase's procedure/suggestion here (on the contrary, I greatly appreciate the response and any help or suggestion[s]). It's just that this would "appear" to call for a different (more direct) process/procedure...no?

 

The manual usually states someting to the effect of...remove eng or put car into servicemode. A-Lot of things can be done by skipping this step....just try it...small hands, etc, you might be able to do. If you can great...if not, do it the recomended way.

 

Well, when looking at the engine, ('03 S, not sure what you have) I can see the end of the hose under a few wires. If you look at the right side of your intercooler cover, where the "S" is, then follow that back maybe four inches or so and look down, you will see the end of the hose and the clamp. Now, I didn't look too closely as to how the hose is connected up towards the front, but I do know that it looks like it may be tight getting it undone/out of the engine bay with the MFE still in place. Let me go take a couple of pictures really quick...

-Chase

 

okay, I'm back... this time with pictures.

Picture 1: Engine shot, just so that we are oriented.


Picture 2: Zeroing in on the location of the end of the hose. Area between Airbox, Oil Filler Cap, and Intercooler.


Picture 3: If you follow my pencil to its point, you will see the hose and one of the prongs on the clamp. I believe you can push the wires aside to compress the clamp, and possibly find a way to shimmy the hose off. It is tight quarters in there, so you may want to consider removing your airbox. This is far easier than removing the MFE, as you only have to remove the ECU and unclip the airbox inlet hose from the MFE. Still takes some time though, and I am not 100% sure if you will gain better access to the hose by removing the airbox.


Picture 4: This portion looks like it will be really tight getting this clamp off without removing the MFE and all the other parts on top of it.


Picture 5: This is where the hose takes a dive underneath the intercooler horns, complicated shape, may be difficult or impossible to shimmy the hose out without removing the MFE.


Any way, hope that this may help you somewhat.

-Chase

 

Wow - what a guy - thank you very much.

Mine too is an `03, however mine is a "non S" (layout is a bit different), and though the S looks tricky, the non-S looks even more tricky (though that's easy for me to say, as it is my problem that I'm looking at here .

It's almost 2AM here now (and dark...and"wet"...and about 30 degrees outside), but I'll try to take a couple pics in the morn.

Thanks again...

 

Lol, exactly what I was afraid of. I didn't notice any mention of a specific model and assumed it might be an S. I'll have a look though my bentley manual as well... I'm afraid your pressure release cap may be in the way...

-Chase

 

If I you plan on keeping your car a while, it might be worth getting silacone hoses....so you will never have to do it again.

 

The mother of all nightmares...has ended!

It wasn't really that bad (oh yes it was). Once I put the pieces together in my mind...between the photos you (Chase) were so kind to supply, and the pics in my Haynes manual...and standing there LOOKING at it long enough, I realized, sort of as you mentioned, the left (drivers side) end of the hose, and its clamp, was indeed directly below the pressure cap...but it was BURIED under the air cleaner box. I removed the air cleaner box (a rather herculean feat in and of itself!), and viola - there it was - a easily accessible from that point.

I do have some rather vital info (several bits actually) for anyone who might attempt this job.

1. Not only Crown MINI in Richmond, VA, but autohausaz.com as well, both sold me the opposite hose(s) that I requested from them. I think there is a 'semi-logical' excuse for them to have done that (will explain later).

Fortunately, as each supplier mistakenly covered the others mistake...all was well...or so I realized - after several VERY tense moments of screaming & cussing that would have embarrassed most sailors I've known. The point: eyeball these hoses carefully before you buy them. The lower hose and the one, longer upper hose look quite a bit alike.

As to the 'explanation" of wrong parts delivered, the only thing I can figure is, on the BMW technicians DVD that I ordered, when looking at the exploded view of the cooling system, it appears (from the diagram) that the hoses are reversed...that is, the upper hoses (of which there are two) "appear" to connect to the bottom of the radiator, and the bottom hose "appears" to connect to the top. That's just the way it was drawn. I would have thought they'd have picked-up on that by now (at least at the BMW/MINI parts counter) - but they clearly did not (I'd supply that drawing but it is on my other PC - this PC won't display it).

2. Eat a big serving of patience before you attempt this job. I've twisted a few wrenches in my day, but I have NEVER seen simple radiator hoses so tightly compacted under a "hood" (bonnet) before. Even installing the new hoses was very difficult. I don't have small hands, but I wouldn't exactly call them "big" either..."average" I'd say for someone 5'11" - 225lbs, but this job took me probably five to six hours spread-out over the course of three days. Actually though, once I "found" that one end of the upper hose, it all came-together rather quickly (had I known where that one end of the upper hose was, I probably would have saved an hour just STARING at the thing!).

The lower hose was, as well, (upper-end, connecting to the water pump), one tight, tight maam-a-jama!), as was working with the spring-clip (tabbed) hose clamps that the Germans apparently prefer to use - WHEW! I simply had no choice but to replace two of the more difficult to access clamps with the "standard" adjustable-type as I could NOT get my pliers (or channel locks) on them. There's just no reasonable amount of room to maneuver without taking all sorts of peripheral items out of the way...and I just hate when that "has to" happen.

I will attempt to send some pics of the job along with this post, but I gotta warn you on that too: my computer-tech skills are lacking even more than my mechanical-tech skills

Thanks again to all (though a couple of the suggestions proved to be rather ludicrous...including my own first assessment).- and a special thanks to Chase.

~*EDIT*~ sorry I don't know how to put captions to the pics as Chase did, so:
#1. Looking straight-down from the pressure cap, you can just barely make-out the white markings on the hose, and a portion of the clamp.
#2. A closer look - same angle as #1
#3. The black-plastic water flange/outlet after hose removal - from the left (drivers) side.

 

Thanks. I heard (read) about those after I bought these. I seriously doubt that I will keep this car for very long (for several reasons).

Don't get me wrong, it's provided me with probably the most fun (enjoyment...pleasure) that I've ever had on four wheels (only my motorcycle was more fun), but I have some physical problems which are likely going to keep me from keeping this car.

I like to work-on my vehicles (at least I used to!), and though the few other things that I've done to it (oil change, and a few other minor things) all went well-enough, I'm pushing 50, have had 4 sugeries on my spine, one badly crushed leg, and a broken foot that was never properly diagnosed (and hence "healed" incorrectly) all while I worked very physical-type jobs. As I still feel compelled to do most of my own auto maintenance & repair, this is more of a young mans car as far as I'm concerned. As well, I just can't afford the dealers labor rate.

Additionally, this car had spent six years up north (MD, PA & NY), and while it was cared for quite well (and had below average mileage), it has had more salt-exposure than I care to have for any long period of time.

I will definitely miss the pleasure (FUN!) of driving it - and will miss the HELL outta the MPG's, but I'm afraid it will have to go by next spring.

Here's a few extra pics. My "MOD" to the expansion tank (I really kinda like it!), and the weather I had today (28/30 degrees, damp as you can see - and "breezy" ...view looking east from the site of my "hose-job"