Hey Fellas,

Took my r56 Mcs into the shop to get rotors and brakes done and while I was in there, we noticed there was a leak coming from the exhaust flange connected to the backside of the turbo. The tech, mini specialist, said he had never seen anything like that before. The kicker, the exhaust only seems to leak below 1500 RPM. Under load there doesn't seem to be a leak and little to no performance issues. The only reason we noticed it, to be fair, is that the hood was open and we were revving the engine to check the motor mounts. There was too much play in the mounts so I replace the lower engine mount. All clamps and seals are solid and the mount definitely needed to be replaced but there seems to be a leak coming from between the turbo and the exhaust flange on the backside.

Has anyone come across anything like this? Total repair estimate for a brand new mini turbo is just under 2k so I was hoping someone out there had run across this. I can take some pictures to show you what is going on.

Thanks in advance!

 

I'm assuming what you mean is that the turbo housing is cracked near the flange?
If so an experienced welder should be able to patch it up for you easily. Much cheaper than a new turbo.

 

Is it leaking in the blue or red circled areas?

 

Mechanic tried to tighten the connection at the blue circle - noticed improvement but not a perfect fit yet

 

That is the housing clamp. If the turbo is leaking there, you got bigger problems...

 

Mechanic I use in town for MINI/BMW/Merc quoted me $1000 for new turbo and $1400 for JCW new turbo - with warranty. They did a great job getting me a deal on upgraded rotors and ceramic pads and new lines. They are good guys, and specialize in these cars, and I find them reasonable in price...

Install is about $500 for either - including all hardware, random clamps, etc

So all in $1500-2000 for a brand new turbo and warrantied install.

I can do it myself. I do almost all the mechanical work on all my cars, but never a turbo so I am... hesitant. Don't know if it I'm $500 hesitant considering its a weekend install for a bum like me. Plus no parts or labor warranty...

Thoughts? Ideas? I am getting a scangauge so I can monitor temps and boost but other than the carbon build up the car runs great. Accidentally hit 100 the night I brought her home on the highway trying to merge around traffic. Literally, just merged over, looked down ... 101. Oh well.

 

You're not rebuilding the turbo, so the job is just the same as replacing any other part, really. The trick is that the Mini needs to be partially dismantled to reach that area...

 

Get the turbo here:

You have a 2009 MINI Cooper JCW N14? https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2009-.../Turbocharger/


Save you some there and then you need the install kit. Borg warner is OEM JCW. If you can find someone to DIY you might save some more money.

 

If you have the tools and the time, definitely do it yourself. It is pretty easy job and can be done in a few hours. I've replaced turbos without putting the car in front end service mode, and while it is doable, I'd rather put it in service mode. In my experience it is not necessary to remove the exhaust manifold with the turbo, you can get to the four nuts that secure the turbo pretty easily with a flex head ratcheting wrench. You'll want to replace the oil feed line, and all banjo bolts and washers with new. The turbo to exhaust manifold gasket should also be replaced. You'll also need to drain the oil and coolant before starting. Like I said, easy job, a few hours tops.

 

I Agree with most with Scotty except a "few hours tops" lol probably Scotty has done it a few times. It probably took me 5-6 hours. But yes overall it is a fairly easy job. No need to remove the exhaust manifold. And you definitely need the flex wrench for that 4th nut!

I did mine recently for the first time and did not put into service mode, I found there was no need.. While I was there I replaced the downpipe, the oil filter housing gaskets, oil send and return lines, added the turbo blanket, and other odds and ends. Consider the same when doing your work. As for the downpipe you should have it serviced or replace it.

Turbos there is JMTC and MarioKart. I got mine from JMTC but both guys are reputable and you will not need to spend $1,400.

Just do it!

 

Have you taken the heat shield off to see if its coming out of the downpipe to turbine housing flange?

If you do replace the turbo, don't cheap out. Buy cheap you will buy it twice, there's a reason why they are hundreds of dollars less. Either go OEM, like a stock S turbo, a JCW turbo, or the 41mm borg warner. As for aftermarket, and the only that's made from a brand new turbo, is the X46 from prototype-r, even comes with a warranty.

 

Wow okay so I'm really glad I asked and I am really thankful to you all for your input.

I have replaced head gaskets and awd axels and such where the parts I was taking off were bent or broken so I think, given the location of the turbo, this could be done in my garage...

As for the turbo itself, I agree that while I'm there, I should be replacing or upgrading a few other parts.

From what I gather I should look at the down pipe add a heat blanket or wrapped insulation, but what else should I be looking at. If I'm not going to pay for the mechanics parts and labor I might as well use that money on better (and more) parts for my install. Yes?

 

I got my stock MCS 2013 n18 turbo leaking from the housing clamp, same as yours.. once I had manic stage 2 tune, wastegate cracked and I replaced the turbine housing, since then been running only on the JCW software upgrade and it has been leaking for awhile (not after the housing replacement)
I replaced the turbo with the upgraded borgwarner airwerks 41mm and went for a custom tune, fixed it... I tried tightening as you and firstly I thought it was a downpipe leak, well..