Definitely do DT line, unless you are a fan of repeating this exercise every ~50K miles.
Here is the trick that I wish I knew before I did my turbo line replacement. It took me ~8 hours of wrenching w/out this trick, with multiple beer and swearing breaks. With the following trick, I could probably cut it to ~4 if I ever have to do this again. Book rate is either 5 or 5.5 hours.

The trick is to buy more space in the engine bay for removing heat shields and down pipe by putting radiator in the "service position":

HTH,
a

P.S.: I haven't had to do the t-stat replacement yet, though it can't be far with 53K miles under the belt. I've read it takes ~3 hours to do - how long did it take you to do yours ?

 

Ah sweet! ty afadeev. The tstat housing replacement took me 5 hours.. As i did not have hose clamp pliers. That's one tip. The other main problem was tryng not to break the cheesy little plastic snap-ins for the wiring harness plastic housing. Here's the how-to thread that i referred to: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...hermostat.html

 

The worst part with the oil line replacement is removing the heat shields and downpipe. There are several bolts that are in tight places. Have a selection of extensions and extensions, and some patience, and you won't have a problem.

There is a good chance that you will find your oil filter housing leaking as well. This is right next to the turbo oil line, and about 30 minutes to change at the same time. If you have an S, you will need to drain the coolant again because there is an oil cooler on the filter housing.

And make sure that you get a new exhaust clamp, they are no fun if they are rusted up.

Also a prime time to put on an aftermarket downpipe, if you are so inclined.....

Have fun,
Mike

 

+1 good advice above. I posted here a page back for the oil line and has the links for the thermostat and such. I found for the removing the heat shield that mounts to the engine and the lower bracket brace for the turbo, a really short " stubby " 10mm box end wrench works great for reaching that top nut and the ones on the heat shield all around.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...leaking-5.html

 

I've done both recently and I'd say they are pretty equal as far as PITAness is concerned. The oil line requires a bit more effort but is not as fiddly as the thermostat. ++ on the DT flex line kit and putting the front bumper/radiator in the "service position". I removed everything in the standard position, but my big hands took such a beating, I moved the front into the service position for the install. BIG difference. The most satisfying part was successfully completing the job after the dealer service Rep told me I wouldn't be able to do it myself.

Jon in SC

 

Waiting on my parts from DT to take on the task myself. Meanwhile i found this really nice how-to: http://dotwei.blogspot.com/2013/06/2...turbo-oil.html

 

+1 on the radiator service position. I had to replace the oil filter housing/cooler/block gaskets, and it was best to work everything possible in one shot over winter break. Replaced the turbo oil lines (WMW), turbo diverter valve (WMW), exhaust gaskets (manifold and downpipes), oil change, coolant flush, engine torque arm bushings, and hood heatshield. Pulling out the front bumper was relatively easy (except for the wheel trim clips, and sticky support rails!), and definitely worth the extra 30 minutes to save 120. Driven over 1000 miles since then, all systems go. Saved the $2200+ MINI of _____ quoted me, while upgrading performance and doing some preemptive repairs.

 

Motoring, your posts have REALLY helped me out! I got my DP out and am calling it a night. Thanks! Now I have to decide if I'm going to use this as an opportunity to put on some performance parts and get a tune. DECISIONS DECISIONS!

 

If anyone needs a turbo feed line replaced and you don't want to do it yourself, or you dont want to pay ridiculous dealer prices, feel free to send me a PM. I am a certified master technician for MINI, looking for side work. Currently in Seattle WA, but moving back to So Cal in mid Feb. I didn't read much on this thread, but for those of you that do tackle this job on your own, please be very careful to not strip out the 3 bolts/ studs that hold on the cat, and also make sure the feed line is centered and torqued to spec. There is nothing worse than putting it all back together and having a new one leak lol.

 

I've finished my repair over the course of several small sessions and am waiting on the new DP and FMIC to come in the mail to finish the rebuild.

I don't like how both DT and WMW replacement line have fittings that have to be tightened to an unspecified torque. I just tightened them until the line started to move under the torque and figured "good enough" but would have felt better about it if the line was pre-tightened to the proper 'tightness'. Fingers crossed I guess. I figure I did a better job than someone who would look at my car as just "a job". I'm using torque wrenches on almost everything but I'm putting the heat shield bolts back on to "that ought to do it" tight.

I was planning to buy some anti-seeze for the frame rail bolts, but not sure where else it would be necessary. Anyone use anti-seeze anywhere else?

Thanks again Motoring!

 

Ian,

The torque specs are published below as 22 ft.lbs.:
https://store-zhkcqkob.mybigcommerce...0TOL%20INS.pdf

I did not use any anti-seeze (not sure how it would behave in turbo-hot environment), no leaks after 5K miles.

a

 

The banjo bolt against the block and turbo is 22ft.lbs. there is no rating for the fittings on the cable and DT's instructions say, 'tight but not too tight. This is where is comes in handy to have mechanic experience.' I'm sure it's fine, but better to KNOW it's fine. When I'm at 5K and have no oil residue I'll feel good too!

 

I used the Permatex 81343 anti-seize on just about every nut and bolt for the entire turbocharger assembly, DP, aux coolant pump, oil filter assembly, and subframe rail bolts (service position). It's a wise precaution, and can endure temperatures as high as 871°C (1600°F). I've dealt with aircraft hardware that seized to more than 400 ft-lbs of break-torque, all because someone didn't apply the proper anti-seize and sealant on a critical component. The anti-seize acts as a inhibitor for galling and corrosion, and new hardware from MINI isn't cheap, mostly because of shipping. You have to use it on the exhaust manifold nuts & O² sensors, but my MINI got a.s. on anything that gets very hot (except the oil/coolant banjo bolts). Torqued to spec, car has been running beautifully.

I bought the WMW oil line kit, but thankfully stumbled upon the DT instructions BEFORE the car was reassembled, and tightened those compression fittings. Aircraft experience comes in handy here, as it's the same with anodized aluminum hydraulic fittings, which are very soft and easily damaged. Simple: tighten to 15° past tight (your basic open-end wrench is usually offset by 15°, and is self-intuitive), double-check for radial/axial play, and call it GOOD.

Monkey-torquing is for amateurs; professionals do things in moderation.

 

All finished! Drove it on the highway for 30 miles and appears good! No drone from the new downpipe either. And surprisingly, no CEL even after hard acceleration. Will probably get it on the drive home from work.

 

I also posted this in the main r56 forum because I'm not sure if it will get buried in this thread. I just went through all the steps and ran into a big problem when I started the car.


2007 Mini Cooper S with ~80k had a leaky turbo oil line for the past year - just enough to get one drop of oil the garage floor each day. It recently got worse to where there would be a little smoke so I decided to replace the turbo oil line. I got the feed line, exhaust clamp and gasket from detroit tuned. I'm not sure if I messed up somewhere or something unique happened. I took my time and thought everything was going to be fine...


I started the car, seemed ok for the first 10-15 seconds. I started backing the car of the ramps and heard a squirting sounds. I got out of the car and saw oil gushing from the downpipe. I turned off the car immediately and oil continued to drain from the downpipe through the v-clamp joint. There wasnt that much new oil around the top turbo line connection Did the turbo fail? Did the oil feed line fail? I'm assuming I'm going to at least have to replace the cat now - anything else, where do I go from here?

Here are some pics.

 

Whoops, cant attach pics twice. Here's the original upload. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...from-here.html

 

Turns out i completely missed the step to tighten the fittings on the oil line. I was so focused on the banjo bolts and crush washers that I never acknowledged the fittings. Time to take everything back apart At least nothing is broken.

 

Hi guys, sorry to revive an old thread but I think I have been finally hit with the leaking turbo oil feed line problem! Some background info about my car is in order first: This is an 07 R56 that currently has almost 80K miles on it with the original turbo oil feed line. I have been reading on here that the average expected lifespan of the turbo oil feed line is about 40K to 50K miles, and my current mileage on this pipe is significantly higher than that. Not sure if my religious oil changes at every 3K miles has anything to do with delaying this dreaded leak for a while!

I only have a small amount of oil around the banjo bolt area at this time. There does not seem to be much oil underneath the area where the pipe goes into the fitting next to the banjo bolt. So I am trying to diagnose whether the leak is coming from the O-ring inside the pipe or if it might actually be from the crush washers on the banjo bolt.

What is the main telltale sign of a bad O-ring? Significant back and forth play in the pipe?

Has anyone ever seen leaking crush washers on the banjo bolt?

 

Bad line = Leakage on the pipe itself , drip down the line towards the engine, residue on the crimp part, residue on the turbo connection. Bad crush washer = residue on on the turbo , it does not happen as much.

My link is above on parts and how to.

Thanks

 

I think this is a thread that'll never get old so long as folks continue to own Mini's Can you throw up some pics for us to look at? I've never seen or heard of the leak coming from the crush washer at the banjo bolt. If you have a torque wrench, check to see that it's torqued to spec (22 ft lbs). If it's short of 22, tighten it up and see if that fixes it. 9.5 times out of 10 though it's going to be your feed line. You've just been luck to make it as far as you have. Putting some pics up will help us give you the answer your looking for.

 

Thanks for the tips, guys! I will try to get some pics soon. Unfortunately, I had wiped up the leak area a bit to clean things up so I may need to wait a few days for it to develop again.

 

I noticed mine starting to weep (the line not the banjo bolt) and after I cleaned up the are and moved the pipe in and out a bit the leak got worse so I would caution you to not disturb the leak until you had parts in hand to make the repair.

 

As was stated, don't fiddle with the line much if you don't have the parts on hand, as that is the feed line and is under pressure.

Don't waste your time or money on the stock line that hasn't been refined in any way.

We offer a braided stainless steel line to remedy the issue from ever happening again: turbo oil line super kit

I would recommend going with our "super kit" as it comes with the always failed oil feed line replacement as well as the downpipe to turbo gasket that is always failed and falls apart on removal. Depending on where in country you live the elements may or may not have attacked the downpipe clamp, so there is one of those included in the kit as well, everything you need to make sure once the job is done, there shouldn't be any more reason for leak.

Nick
Detroit Tuned

 

Another thing is to check if you have any leakage at the oil filter housing-to-engine block. This will show up as a leak down the front of the engine, right over the downpipe (mine was actually dripping on the downpipe).

Also want to see what kind of condition your downpipe-to-exhaust clamp is in (mine was rusty from winter driving), and this is the perfect time to upgrade to a different downpipe (if you are so inclined).

Have fun,
Mike

 

Yesterday I noticed that my turbo oil feed line where it's crimped at the neck moves in & out, side to side play with no leakage. Is the oil feed line to turbo supposed to have any play (at the neck)? My 2015 Countryman S oil feed line also has in & out side to side play around the neck or crimped area.

Not the banjo bolt though.

Appreciated!