This was where I was reading about bleeding the brakes and the ABS.

 

Yes, I bought a couple of 1 liter cans, but I only used one can for all without doing the abs pump. The coolant tank should only take a few minutes and since it's such a common failure item you might as well do it since you're already refilling and bleeding the coolant.

It's probably better to mix the coolant before filling to make sure the ratio is correct.

 

Okay so before I order anything is this the Trans Filter? I found the redline so is 1 liter sufficient!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...1/IMG_6038.png

 

Im looking at this coolant tank. Only 4 reviews but they seem extremely happy,with the product

https://www.m7tuning.com/r50-r53-alu...lant-tank.html

 

I think that's a rebadged Canton tank which usually goes for less money. This one is supposed to be the best coolant tanks for the MINI. Unfortunately, the uncoated tank is out of stock right now.:
https://www.greeneperformance.com/pr...ant=1134257823

​​​​​​​

 

Good to know, just clicked thru the step by step guide on replacing the coolant tank and I think I might have a go. It looks simple enough that even I can do it. I'll keep an eye on the tank to,see when it comes back in stock. I can't believe BMW are still allowed to,selll that other piece of,crap. I've been thru two in 4 yrs and refuse to,purchase another.

 

Hi London1 - if you have any parts questions or need tech help please do not hesitate to shoot me a PM as I'd be more than happy to assist you with your projects.

 

I am so happy to read, you have decided to keep your Mini! And he will take care of you and bring you to your happy place, once he is maintained well!

I have an 06 Mini S JCW and it is needing some neglected maintenance. Once I have this one brought to shape, I plan on keeping it, until me or it dies!
I searched many months, almost a year to find her. She has good bones and just needs to completed. I have done many things to her already, with a few more needed.
My plan is to have it mostly done for the June 24th Mini Mania event in Nevada City, Ca.

06 Mini S jcw


Chrono package


Itsme Wayne' 06 S jcw


Itsme Wayne's jcw

 

Name me one car over 10 years old that doesn't periodically need brakes, rotors, oil changes, tires and wheel alignments? Those are all wear & tear parts.

Granted, brakes and tires don't last as long as some other cars on MINI's but that's only because they're higher performance. I replace worn parts as soon as they under perform because I don't want my car sliding off the road and wrapped around a concrete barrier anytime.

 

In relation to the coolant tank if I am replacing that they mentioned replacing the thermostat. So should both be done in one go as we are going to try to replace the coolant tank in the next two weeks. I'm trying to figure out when we start taking the coolant tank apart if the thermostat parts should be done then also. Is it JUST the thermostat housing or the housing and another thermostat part I need.

 

I love it! she looks just like mine but with a few different things on the inside. I originally wanted that color blue but when I came across him in electric blue fell in love. I just wanted to thank everyone on here for helping me and once I sort out all the parts & different fluids/measurements I'll put my order in. I feel a bit better now knowing that everything I'm doing is the right parts/fluids that my mini needs. It is so overwhelming with all the parts and things you need to check but I'm going to do my best!

 

The coolant tank replacement is pretty straight forward and shouldn't take too much of your time. I would inspect the thermostat and housing for corrosion and leakage. If the thermostat is leaking as mentioned already and you're going to be tackling items in the cooling system along with it then yes, I would replace both. How bad is the leak? Is it seeping or is it dripping coolant? If it's a seep you might get away with some time, but I personally like to replace things when they show it is time. How much do you want to tackle right now? You can do a good amount of things when doing the thermostat. I recommend you check out the following tech articles to see what all is involved and to see what else can be done:

Thermostat: http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...eplacement.htm
Coolant tank: http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...eplacement.htm

 

I emailed Colin and he updated the inventory so it should be here in 3 days time. I don't want any issues w the coolant tank!

 

I don't want to put this order in w pelican until I know it's right. What transmission fluid and how much do I get. Do I buy the BMW transmission filter or another brand? If I'm replacing the coolant housing is it 6 liters of coolant I need? I'm getting the BMW coolant. Has anyone tried the metal thermostat housings? This will be my third plastic one so I'm Thinking about the metals ones - 2 plastic ones in fours years so I don't want to do it again In 2 yrs. I'm looking at this one:

http://www.rockauto.com/m/mobilecatalog.php

 

Glad that you are keeping it. You will never find a car that will put a smile on your face as much a MINI does.

Recently had head work done to mine because of a burnt out valve. Did my wheel bearings last week, and doing the ball joints this weekend. Will have to do my coolant tank in the near future. Plus regular oil changes, serpentine belt, etc. MINI's are high maintenance, but well worth it.

 

The fluid you need to use is JWS 3309 or Toyota Type-IV. It's the same as the MINI brand transmission fluid, but way cheaper, about $7.00/quart. You can get it at any auto parts store.

The transmission holds 6.6 quarts, but it will only drain about 4 quarts, so that's how much you need to get.

 

The fluid should be JWS3309 spec. MINI branded fluid is expensive so most people get fluid from the Toyota dealer. It's about $25/L vs $8/L. I've also seen Aisin branded fluid on sale for around $14/L. Aisin is the manufacturer of the transmission and it should take at least 4L with a filter change. The trans capacity is 6L.

Checking the fluid level is tricky since the fluid temp must be within a certain temp range in order to obtain the correct level. Not sure right what the range is right now, but 100F is what is usually recommended.

I would go with a genuine MINI filter and gasket, but other brands are a lot cheaper. There are a couple of good Youtube videos to get some info from. I can post links later this weekend.

 

I found the genuine mini filter but I can only find the mini pan gasket? Do I need to replace the pan gasket also? Thanks!

 

That's what I said!

Though the prices you quoted are higher than I've seen it.

 

Yep, what DneprDave said.

I came back to an in progress reply and didn't see his post. It's not easy to get the pan off so I would definitely use a new gasket. I found the stuff on ECS Tuning's site, but Pelican probably can get the factory gasket, too.

 

When should the transmission oil be changed. I'm going to have to replace some other stuff first but don't want to overlook this.

 

It depends on who you talk to, and what conditions your car is driven in. MINI says it's lifetime . VW used to say the same thing, but issued a technical bulletin changing their recommendation to 40K. More conservative people recommend 25K.

I probably would stick to 40K, or less. The trans is really expensive if it needs to be replaced.

 

Even Toyota says their transmission fluid is "lifetime," but when we had, let's say, an FJ come in and it had 100k miles we would recommend a fluid change. I, personally, don't believe in a "lifetime" fluid. Many companies state this now-a-day. We recommend about every 50k miles for fluid changes, personally I do about every 30k. Our Automatic R53 article here has some great info: http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...uid_Change.htm.

For fluid, Aisin brand here is a great choice and is equivalent to JWS 3309 and is decently priced: http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg1.htm#item0

 

I recommend every 30 to 40K miles maximum. The oil will not be bad, but contaminants in the oil are wearing parts out sooner than later.
I would want to get this done as soon as possible.

 

I have someone that is going to swap out the oil on it and I'm also going to have him replace the Thermostat housing/Gasket w an after mark one. I bought a bunch of stuff from Pelican and am going to attempt to change my Coolant tank (bought the one off Greene Performance) Change the Worm Clamps on my power steering hoses and also for some reason when I took the cap off my power steering tank my o ring was missing so I'm hoping that is the leak they saw. TBH I've been looking under the car and around the parts and don't see any leaks period. I'm still going to do the coolant tank and other things as they will need to be replaced anyways. I just hit 29k so I might have him do it in another month or two as I don't want to chuck too much stuff at him. I only drive about 20 miles a day.