So, I am still doing battle with my thermostat housing.... I believe the water tube is leaking.

I tear it all down again and pull the water tube - the only problem is I can't get it out. It hangs on the transmission linkages. I am NOT taking that apart.

First question: Can the tube clear the linkage if I just keep working at it? Is it just a puzzle, or will the tube really not come all the way out?

Second question: How will I know if I have the tube fully seated in the water pump housing?

I know everyone has jobs and stuff, but if anyone has answers now's the time - my little tater is apart in my driveway

As always, thanks for any help!

 

What year and model and I'll check with our tech expert. In the meantime, here's a video that may or may not help, depending on what you are working on . . .


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Thank you very much for the reply.

I am working on a 2007 Mini. I am now an expert at removing and replacing the thermostat housing and can do it in less than a 1/2 an hour, or an hour with a full coolant flush.

The problem is that when I pulled the housing off the first time it pulled out the water tube. When I replaced it I thought ti was seated, but of course it wasn't. I pulled it a second time and tried to seat it and still, no luck.

I was going to pull it to be sure the end was intact - I just had the water pump replaced under warranty and they replaced the water tube so I am pretty sure it is not brittle, but I pushed pretty hard!

Today I decided to try and lay the intake manifold back and just look at the whole mess - and the last 8 hours has been spent looking for the mystery 10mm bolt under the manifold! I have read thread after thread and back and forth to the driveway, but no luck.

Needless to say, I am just a little cheesed off right this second. This 3 hour job has been a 3 day ordeal. I am not an expert, but I have turned my share of wrenches over the years and this is making me feel stupid.

So, my question has turned to the manifold...

 

Try to jack up the car and remove the pass wheel you will see under the intake manifold or you will have a better view of it, i have done it that way and it works.

 

Thanks... believe it or not I just pulled the tire and I still don't see it. I feel like an idiot. It is getting stormy and dark here so I guess I'll tackle it again in the morning. I do see and "L" bracket that is attached to the block and the manifold, but the picture shows a different bracket. Do I have to remove everything to get at the bolt?

Thanks very much for the help... I polluted the forum with a few threads about this and the thermostat housing. The housing side turned out to be a piece of cake. The water pump side, not so much.

Thanks...thanks...thanks

 

Although I am embarrassed beyond belief, I will post this in the interest of preventing someone else from making the same, stupid mistake. I know better too....

The manifold for my car, a Mini Cooper (not an S) is not the same as the Mini Cooper S. The "L" bracket I have been looking at all day long is actually the part that needs removed. Why I didn't just remove it is beyond me.

See http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=11_3952

Here's the picture of the non-S manifold.

I'm going to go change my screen name now....

 

Are you sure its the linkage on mine theres a plastic wire harness tie that attaches to the manifold which can be preyed off with a flats screwdriver just get a flashlight and stick your head down there. When I changed my water pipe no matter how hard I tried to shove it in to that hole behind the water pump it wouldn't seat properly. So I just used the thermostat housing to push it in when I did up the bolts worked perfect & no leaks.

 

At this point I'm not sure about anything - but I'll let you know after the sun comes up.

It is definitely leaking at the water pipe. I can see it dripping from that point. What I can't see is what the end of the pipe looks like so it is possible I damaged it trying to push it in place.

 

Would this diagram help?

http://new.minimania.com/part/G2NME1...t-Hose--O-ring

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It did, but I saw it a while ago

Still appreciate it!

I finally got the bolt removed today - it is the correct bolt and my initial issue was that I was looking in the wrong place based on the "S" pictures. It only took a ratchet, a lead pipe and some major contortions to break it loose. Someone went crazy last time the torqued that bolt on!

Now, I am looking at the water tube and it appears to be fully seated. I am not sure if the leak is from the pipe or the water pump, but the pump was replaced at the end of April. I do not really want to tackle the water pump but I am happy at this point to remove and replace the water tube, if that is the issue.

I do know that it leaks when I jack up the passenger side of the car. Not sure what that means. I am going to pull the thermostat housing again tomorrow and pull the tube to see if the o-ring is damaged.

Any thoughts? This is my only car so I'd really like it back on the road sooner rather than later

 

I actually see that connector but I can't get it disconnected... any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

I finally got everything apart and the water tube removed. A lot of the plastic from the collar towards the water pump is missing - basically the groove that retains the o-ring. So that is my leak. It is also why it never felt like it actually seated when I tried to push it back into place, the o-ring was seated, just not attached to the water tube.

My concern at this point is where did all those pieces of plastic go? The o-ring was still seated so I used a pick to remove it and a shop vac over the water pump opening to try and remove any debris, but nothing...

I am putting it back together and hoping for the best.

 

Hi everyone!

Finally finished up the job. it was the water tube leaking. Supposedly it was replaced when the water pump was done in April, but I seriously doubt that.

I've attached a couple of pictures. The o-ring and plastic remains are what I fished out of the water pump housing and you can see the end of the tube is destroyed. No wonder it was leaking.

A couple of thoughts:

I would never do the thermostat housing again without unbolting the intake manifold. It is six bolts and it is no problem removing the passenger wheel to get at the lower bolt. It took me a ratchet and a pipe for leverage to remove it, but I suspect it was gorilla'd on the last time it was off. I know most how-to's don't mention this so user's choice I guess.

Removing the manifold gives unrestricted access to the water tube and if nothing else, it was easier for me to unbolt the manifold than to try and put that stupid clip on blind (I missed it last time BYW - it felt seated but when I had the manifold unbolted it was nowhere near the grooves.)

When replacing the water tube I put lube on the entire space of the water pump housing and a little bit on the o-ring. I recommend silicone grease - I know I use it for SCUBA diving because vaseline etc. can break down the o-rings, but there are mixed notions out there.

A racquetball ball is the perfect size for the thermostat side of the water tube. It fits in the opening and gives a large area to push on with the right hand while I used my left hand to guide and twist the water pump side of the tube.

I used Pentosin Pentofrost NF coolant. I used BMW the first time through, but after it leaked out I removed the rest and was unwilling to drive the hour and a half to get more. The Pentosin lists Mini compatibility and it's blue. It is also available in store at O'Reilly 90 second from my house. Works for me.

To drain the system I removed the radiator hose on the coolant tank side and use a shop vac to drain the system. Unscrewing the bleeder screw made it drain more quickly, even with the cap off the coolant tank.

I ended up draining my system 5 times. Originally I drained it and filled it with water and Prestone flush - someone had used Dex-Cool in it. I then flushed it with water twice. I finally filled it with 50/50 BMW - which promptly leaked right out. After replacing the water tube I flushed it with water again finally filled it with 50/50 Pentosin.

Careful of brittle stuff - when removing the manifold the PVC hose snapped - totally brittle. I simply snaked a hose inside the old one and used shrink wrap to seal it. It is not perfect but I don't really have $80 for the hose and I am not in the mood to remove the manifold to replace it when it gets here. SO far no CEL and it is basically a breather so it should be fine.

The hose clamps are a major PITA but if you are using regular pliers the easiest way to get a grip is to use the serrated "bottle cap opener" part of the blades keeps the clamps from slipping. Still one of the most annoying parts of the job for me - YMMV.

When replacing the manifold screw all the nuts on finger tight then torque to 11 ft/lbs. I don't have a torque wrench so I went with snug. Same thing for the thermostat housing bolts.

Finally, I can't remember what the actual procedure is, but I forgot to unscrew the bleeder screw the first time I filled the system and it won't fill properly, at least it won't for me. Unscrewing that bleeder screw while turning on the heat etc. allowed it to fill quickly and fully without major air in the system.

Thanks everyone for the help - the hardest thing is doing it the first time when you are unsure exactly what to unclip and unbolt. The thermostat housing itself is easy peasy lemon squeezy and the manifold is even easier IMHO.

 

I know you have a non-S but while you had the intake manifold off, did you inspect your intake valves?

 

Great info, glad to hear you finally got it solved. Thanks for sharing the steps involved.

For those thinking of tackling a similar situation, here's a list of parts and coolants you will likely need:

http://new.minimania.com/Search_Results/coolant/Parts

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.

 

I took a quick peek - I didn't see anything out of the ordinary - no coking or buildup to speak of...so that looks like one thing I don't have to worry about.

 

Thanks for the help and the part!

 

well, this story never seems to end...

I got 100 happy, trouble free miles before the CEL came on again.

Code P0128 and a new one, P112B

The first is the same one that began this adventure, the second is Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor 1 Minimum Temperature Implausible.

Sweet, 'cause I can't get enough time in and under this beast in the Florida sun and heat >:\

I have checked the connections and checked for leaks. All seem fine. I have plenty of heat. I have tried bleeding it on a flat surface, uphill and downhill. No air.

I am at my wit's end, any thoughts are appreciated. I am thinking about a new thread, but I have a bunch in here already and I am new enough I don't want to commit a forum faux pas. Any thoughts on that as well would be appreciated

 

For anyone who may read this post, I found the problem (I think, who knows with this beast )

The connector that goes on the temperature sensor is brittle and broken internally. I pulled it off and noticed it was loose and a simple tug pulled it apart. It was not actually connected tightly even though the housing was in place.

So, does anyone know where to pick up these connectors?

Here is a picture of the connector (PelicanParts picture - and if you have the connecter I'll take one) I know they say it sometimes comes loose, but the blue rubber piece is missing and hard black pieces came out when I pulled it off the sensor.

 

Do you mean the actual electrical connector on the harness, that plugs in to the temperature sensor on the thermostat? That broke apart? That is really odd!

 

Yep... the connector on the harness. It just fell apart.

Edit:

I think this is the connector. I ordered one, so in a week we'll see...

https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2007-...2B16A/ES31710/