Brought my '04 R53 in to a local BMW/Mini garage to have the oil filter housing gasket replaced = $600.
Much less of an oil leak now but still leaks oil from that general area. To rule out potential areas - I successfully replaced the Valve cover gasket myself = No oil leaking from the VC.
I NOW suspect the oil cooler is leaking.
At that time; Had I known about the location of the oil cooler + since I didn't ask; the mechanic didn't take the opportunity to replace the the oil cooler O rings during the time of the OFH gasket replacement.

I am going to replace the oil cooler O rings myself.
Question: Is it possible to unbolt the Oil Cooler from the housing and replace the O rings Without having to remove the two hoses?
If so; Is leaving the hoses attached problematic?
I also read that these hoses should be replaced if doing a cooler O ring replacement. My hoses are in good shape. Not too soft/swelled and Not brittle.

Any other tips would be welcomed.

Thanx!

 

While you don't "have to"....
Remove the hoses.
You have to drain the coolant anyway, and it makes the overall job much less of a pain to not have the hoses fighting you.

One of these makes hose clamp removal much easier:

https://www.autozone.com/wrenches-pl...ers/607069_0_0

 

Thanx for that!
It is definitely a cramped space. So cramped, I almost forgot about those darn spring clamps. The tool will come in handy.
I had the coolant system flushed about 8k mi ago. Will I have to drain all the coolant and/or bleed again?

 

No, you don't "Have to", honestly it's just something I've done more for the convenience of not having to deal with the hoses being connected in that cramped space, and to have the ability to pull the cooler completely out, to make sure all the mating surfaces are clean.

I guess it won't hurt to at least try and do the job with the hoses connected and coolant full, you may be able to simply slip the O-Rings in place. But be prepared to possibly do the job twice because of another leak.

 

When I replaced my oil cooler gaskets I could not find a torque spec for the bolts. So I just made them tight.

maybe someone else has found a torque value.

 

I've replaced my oil cooler o-rings without removing the hoses. It added a small amount of difficulty, but it wasn't too challenging. If dealing with coolant doesn't interest you, leave the hoses in place.