When it comes time to doing brakes we have a Tech Article that may be of help if needed. (Article for Pads, Article for Rotors)

We also have a great amount of other tech articles here and here that may help assist you with any other DIY work for your Mini. We also provide great pricing for parts here.

-Luccia

 

Before it gets cold here in Colorado I want to replace this pump. The Mini part is about $300 online. A little more searching I come up with a Pierburg pump for about half that price.

Who is Pierburg? Is it the same quality item? Does anyone have any experience?

Having had the whole system apart in the recent past I fully understand that i probably should have replaced the thing while it was completely exposed. Thankfully I don't follow my own advice...

DR

 

Pierburg is the OEM manufacturer for the vacuum pump for the Mini, for the higher price you get a nice geiune Mini sticker and an atractive Mini box. The Pierburg vacuum pump is far cheaper and is the same vacuum pump with the same part number. Mini doesn't manufacturer parts, they get everyone else to do that for them just like all manufacturers do.

 

Correct, Pierburg is the OEM supplier part 11-66-7-556-919 here for $128 and is in stock. We also have a vacuum pump DIY here that can help you with the replacement.

 

Correct.

Yep , one is from MINI ( made by Pierburg ) and the other is from Pierburg direct. We also have a new lower price.


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/11667556919/

 

Nice job TurboSix! Thanks much for this info. I know putting these posts together is a lot of work and its appreciated!

Did your pump leak oil down the bell housing where the tranny and engine mate up, as well?

I have 146k miles on my r56 N14 and Im pretty sure this is my latest oil leak. I already have the $3.50 gasket in hand. Not sure if this leak warrants changing the entire pump as I have no other symptoms other than the leak.

There is a video on the subject as well BTW:

 

ENGINE - KNOCKING NOISE FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT

SI M 11 02 08

July 2008

Technical Service
SUBJECT

Knocking Noise from Vacuum Pump

MODEL
R55 (Cooper Clubman S) with N14 engine
R56 (Cooper S) with N14 engine

SITUATION
The customer complains of a knocking noise from the engine compartment. The noise is considerably louder when the engine hood is opened.

CAUSE
The mechanical vacuum pump creates a knocking noise when in operation. The noise should be considered normal.

PROCEDURE
To verify the source of the noise, disconnect the vacuum hose from the mechanical vacuum pump; this eliminates the knocking noise of the pump.
This is not a failure of the mechanical vacuum pump, but rather the component's characteristic. Do not replace any parts.

 

ENGINE - VACUUM PUMP KNOCKING NOISES (NORMAL)
SI M 11 02 08

April 2009
Technical Service
This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI M11 02 08 dated July 2008.

Knocking Noise from Vacuum Pump

MODEL
R55 (Cooper Clubman S) with [NEW] N12 and N14 engine
R56 (Cooper S) with [NEW] N12 and N14 engine
[NEW] R57 (Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible) with N12 and N14 engine

SITUATION

The customer complains of a knocking noise from the engine compartment. The noise is considerably louder when the engine hood is opened.

CAUSE

The mechanical vacuum pump creates a knocking noise when in operation. The noise should be considered normal.

PROCEDURE

To verify the source of the noise, disconnect the vacuum hose from the mechanical vacuum pump; this eliminates the knocking noise of the pump.

This is not a failure of the mechanical vacuum pump, but rather the component's characteristic. Do not replace any parts.

 

Instructions from manual:

2 bolts torque specs : 10 Nm






Reassemble.

 

I installed a new vacuum pump today. Mine was leaking badly at 144k miles. Oil was pooling up on the top of the engine and transaxle and spraying onto electrical connectors. Upon removal the reason why was obvious. The o-ring was hard and brittle and broke into pieces in my hand.

The pump looked fine otherwise but with so many miles I decided to change it.









Couple of tips:

1- I found it easier to remove the banjo bolt from the coolant line into the turbo because that hard line has a small bracket integrated into it that bolts against the vacuum pump. By removing the banjo bolt you can shift that bracket away from the engine block enough to more easily fit the new pump in.

Some coolant will spill out...maybe one cup.

Banjo bolt torque spec = 35nm (DON'T LOSE THE COPPER O-RINGS!)

Check the banjo bolt to make sure the channel inside it is clear of debris. I keep finding brown plastic pieces in there which are partially occluding flow of coolant.

2- Also, there is an electrical harness under the pump which is covered by some flexible shielding. That shielding was broken leaving wires exposed. You might want to wrap it in some electrical tape and small zip ties while you have the pump out.



Other than that, the job is pretty straightforward as noted above by others.

 

Nice job, funny the covering was rubbing. Mine was not like that when I last looked. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

If the vacuum pump leaking is the only problem with the unit, I've had good luck taking the pump apart, cleaning it thoroughly, reassembling it with a skim coat of black RTV on the mating halves of the pump as well as the face of the head where the pump mounts.

Months later none of the cars that I've done this to have come back for leaks.

As for the harness being chafed, I've seen many car with that issue.

The worst vacuum pump I've ever seen was actually seized due to oil starvation and broke the cam bolt on the exhaust cam and threw the timing chain.

 

If only Mini designed a fail-safe that if enough force is applied to the end of the keyed camshaft had a quick release mechanism.

 

hmmm....so maybe I changed mine unnecessarily?....but 144k miles is a lot of miles.

Note to all: If you follow my instructions which include disconnecting the turbo coolant line, check the banjo bolt to make sure the channel inside it is clear of debris. I keep finding brown plastic pieces in there which are partially occluding flow of coolant.

 

Quite possibly, yes.

We always recommend finding a qualified indie shop that can better diagnose your problem before calling someone who is just an online retailer.

For example; a quick call to us at Detroit Tuned could have saved you a few hundred dollars, as we have only seen one failed vacuum pump but all others have been fixed by disassembling them and resealing them with RTV.

The coagulated coolant in the banjos is a good point, I've had to soak quite a few banjos in mineral spirits to break up the buildup.

 

Well, after only a few days with the new pump, I can say that I'm happy I changed it. The car was making a major racket when started, each and every time. I assumed it was something inside the exhaust or something in one of the "structural exhaust heat shields" with 59 bolts holding them in place (the doors on my Toyota are thinner), but alas it was the POS vacuum pump making that enormous racket. No more racket.

Mr. Detroit Tuned, it wasnt coagulated coolant, it was pieces of brown plastic in the banjo bolt.

 

just saw you posted in this thread Lex! glad you got your vac pump leak resolved.

 

So then I would guess it could be normal that after an oil change the vac pump might make some noise until oil is flowing and fully pressurized again? When I replaced all my turbo lines and filter housing gaskets with the DT Super Kit, and did a full oil and filter change, there was a bunch of clatter from that area that shortly went away and hasn't returned, but I was worried for a while. No sign of any oil leak at all now. Now all I have to worry about with 50k miles on my '08 MCCS is the HPFP, water pump, water tube, and cleaning my intake valve stems...

 

I think I found what it is here is what Detroit Tuned had to say:

MINI Cooper S N14 Valve Cover. This is a new OEM Valve cover direct from MINI in the lastest and greatest design that is currently in their system. This cover fails at the PCV valve system that is build into the valve cover and can not be replaced. This is due to extreme heat in the engine bay as well lack of oil changes due to MINI's extended oil service interval. You will hear a sucking sound from the back of the valve cover on really bad leaks that have triggered a check engine light, but normally you see a large amount of oil off the back of the valve cover. By fixing this you should see better MPG cause the car is working correctly.

 

I thinks thats reasonable. I mean its dry metal on metal until oil gets in there.

 

You must fill the oil filter with oil before installing it. That's a huge mistake if you don't. It puts your vacuum pump hpfp and turbo at risk if you start the engine with a dry filter.

 

While I did that for years on cars with screw on filters, that's practically impossible on the Mini or BMW with the cartridge design and tipped filter housing... Plus, how big of a "huge mistake" can it be.....by design, the filter housing and turbo lines all drain back to the oil sump when you turn the car off. So everytime you start the car, the lines and filter area have to refill. The only areas that go emptied of oil when I did the gasket and line changes, that normally does have oil in it were the captive volumes in the oil cooler and housing check valve areas. Very small amounts.


The turbo bearing is a bath, so it sits in oil at start up until flow is established, after less than a second. All parts depend on the residual film of the synthetic oil until flow is established, for that matter. While filling the filter typically reduced valve tap in old cars that used Dino oil by a second or two, it really is more an old wives tale that can't hurt now that everything is synthetic oil based. Startup of the engine has always been when the most wear occurs, and I always wondered why a simple auxiliary electric oil pump was never used to provide pressure before start up until the regular oil pumps took over. Any pressure would be better than none.


So now that I think of it, my question really doesn't make sense, unless because I had the parts out and drain plug out for a few days, that more oil than normal drained out. At any rate, it hasn't done it again, and it all sounds normal now. Actually, better than it always has. I went to LiquiMoly HiTech 5W-40 and it's the first oil I've ever used in this car that actually made things sound 'better". I previously used the Mini oil (Castrol), then went to approved Mobil 1 5w-30, then Castrol Edge 5w-40, now LiquiMoly. When it was wifes seldom driven DD, she averaged less than 4k a year, and I did yearly oil and filter changes. Every oil port I've opened and looked at is shiny new, including the turbo inlet and outlet ports and lines. The oil is still dark brown vs black when I drain it.


Also, does the HPFP actually use engine oil?

 

That's a bit dramatic.

You think the mechanics at mini prefill the filter housing?

 

How long is the life expectancy on a vacuum pump per change?

 

How long is the life expectancy on a vacuum pump per change?