Hello there,

I own a 2006 Mini Cooper S. Recently I detected a fluid leak and at the same time noticed some overheating. I took it in and I was told that I need a new water pump and that coolant is leaking. I have a couple of questions that I hope someone can answer asap.

1) How do they know that the Water pump itself is leaking and not a seal?

2) I was told that in order to replace the water pump almost the entire contents of the engine area has to be removed to access the pump and replace it. Obviously, a lot of labour charges there. They estimated a full days work. Is this accurate?

This is not a Mini Dealer, but a place that works on BMWs, Minis and Mercedes.

Thanks!
Mary Lynn

 

If they've done it before it shouldn't be a full day. I would think 4-5 hours max. And it only involves removing everything from the bumper to the front of the engine, nothing more.

 

Are you sure it's the pump? Let me ask you this...how does the car sound at idle? Any chattering? I'm not saying it's not the pump, but these things are notorious for having the thermostat housing/ gaskets go out before the waterpump goes. What ever the case, it is an involved job. See if there are any independent MINI mechanics around where are. The dealership will charge you an arm and a leg.

 

I can see them charging you for around 6 hours. While they have it off have them change the oil in both sides of the super charger. Not sure where you are sourcing your pump from but fcpgroton.com has them for around 130.00

 

Have you checked the coolant level??
Sometimes a leak around the thermostat gasket or the coolant tank leaks...when the coolant runs low...it will overheat...even though the pump is fine.
Any odd sounds?
Chain dragging accompanied by a high pitch sound?
Does the Radiator fan come on at all? Or does it just overheat.
How fast does it overheat? Just when stopped, Ok when moving...or just in a few minutes regardless?
If it is overheating...
1) DO NOT DRIVE IT...unless you are 100% certain you can do so without it overheating. Continuing to drive it, and letting it overheat could cause a head-gasket failure...$$$$

2) you cannot diagnose a car over the phone/internet...it is a guess...

Since a water pump on a MINI is so $$$$ (due to labor, and the chances it is something else), it pays to have somebody not just throw parts at it.

If it is just the seal on the water-pump going...it DOES need to be replaced...when coolant starts dripping out the weep hole, the seal is failing internally, and when it goes.......

The troubling thing is about half the above questions, depending on how you answer them will result in something OTHER THAN A WATER-PUMP getting fixed.....it may be fine....

It could be the SC (chains dragging sounds...the gears in in can fail, resulting in the pump not operating), but rarely a water leak....
The seal going bad, and leaking out the weep hole...this time you get a leak, but no overheating....

If the thermostat goes bad, or the gasket on it leaks....it will cause overheating from the bad thermostats, or low fluid....

If the tank is leaking, overheating can result when fluid is low....

IF the fuse for the radiator fan is blown (due to a stuck PS fan on any unmodified pre mid 2005 MINI)the car will overheat when not moving, rapidly, but be ok when moving....and any of the abouve could cause the leak....

So it is not so simple....
but most of the other possibilities are far cheaper than a water pump...except for the SC gears anyway...and most of the other possibilities are a QUICK EASY FIX IF the mechanic looks for them!!
Most mechanics are usually good, and will look for the simple stuff first, but on MINI's...the gasket on the Thermostat and water tank leaks, and the SC problem are special, along with the fan issue...so the shop MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH Mini's to catch and fix them on the first try!!

Due to scheduling, etc, a full day would be the appropriate time to have the car in the shop...it could be a 4-5 hr job...but maybe more...it does need to be put in service mode...
I would also consider getting the SC lube re-filled...
The labor is 90% done...2 places to add lube...the water pump PTO housing and the snout.

 

As mentioned earlier, the '05-'06's were known to have bad thermostat housings that leaked. Also as mentioned earlier, a water pump is very difficult to time consuming to replace. it involves removing a lot of the upper engine hardware and pulling the supercharger as the water pump is attached to it.

I just had my thermostat housing replaced because of a leak. This type of leak will be towards the middle/rear of the engine and the leak can vary between a tablespoon to several tablespoons a day. Mine varied in the amount it leaked, but I just kept adding water until I could replace the housing.

Before figuring out that it was the theromstat housing leak, I was quoted ~$500 to do the this and I was quoted >~$1000 for a water pump (an 8 hour job).

The MINI service guy indicated that the MINI is one of the most difficult engines to work on as there is no room and almost everything requires engine hardware to be removed to work on the engine.

Where is your leak coming from and how much are you coolant are you losing?

 

How much to replace the thermostat housing? $500?

 

At the dealer maybe!!
As easy as changing a thermostat...hech maybe simpler!!! No old gasket to clean off, just use a new thermostat and one hose clamp!! I think the housing is like $50 ish, add a thermostat....an hours labor and a couple cups of coolant...easy job at home!!! Might take as long as changing the oil!!