Hi,

Many years ago I learned with another car that you were supposed to get the water pump replaced at about 100,000 miles and get the timing belt replaced at the same time because they were located in the same area.

When that car developed a stalling problem that could not be fixed, I got a second hand 2003 mini cooper almost 5 years ago when it had about 118,000 miles on it. While it ran okay, the person that traded it in let a lot of things go to be replaced by the new owner (both window motors, radiator and compressor).

The other day I was listening to Car Talk and they had given advice to a caller about making sure they got their water pump and timing belt replaced because it would go out at the worst possible time. I had completely forgotten about doing this on my previous car, and I now have almost 145,000 on my mini cooper. Because the previous owner let all of those other items go, I'm sure they did not get the water pump replaced, either. I am assuming this is going to be an expensive fix and because I have a non-mini mechanic who works on my car, I should get the part ordered soon. Are there any other major parts like this that should be replaced before they die on their own?

My sweetheart died unexpectedly in January of this year and I have been having a really hard time getting over his death and so many things have become a worry for me now. Thank you all for your help.

 

There are many things that can and should be replaced around 100K miles on a Mini Cooper S. The water pump isn't one of them. The problem with the water pump - or coolant pump, correctly stated - is whether or not there's still oil on the drive gears. The water pump is driven by and attaches to the end of the supercharger. It's turned by internal gears, and if, over time, the oil has leaked or dissipated from those gears you'll likely have a lot of wear and the pump will eventually stop turning. There are DIYs about checking and filling the oil for the coolant pump.

The Mini doesn't have a timing belt - it has a timing chain, and it's hidden inside the front (passenger fender side) of the engine - but it does have a couple of plastic chain guides that can wear out or break. Labor can be expensive unless you can DIY it, so don't worry about the guides unless you start having timing problems.

However, the Mini does have a drive belt (you can see it) that should be replaced around 100K miles, along with the belt tensioner that holds it tight.

A lot of the rubber suspension bushings, ball joints and struts (and strut bushings) are probably worn somewhat, or worn out completely. You can spend a bunch of money having these replaced because once you have it taken apart it makes no sense to not do all of it. You should make sure the spark plugs are fresh and the plug wires get replaced. At the very least you should make sure the coolant has been flushed and refilled properly (every two years is recommended) with the absolutely correct coolant for your model year. Also, have the brake fluid flushed and replaced every two years. Most people disregard this maintenance, but you don't want to screw around with brakes. The fluid will absorb moisture over time, which not only compresses (brake fluid does not) and makes your brakes spongy, but also leads to corrosion inside the brake lines.

Other than the drive belt ($20ish) and tensioner (under $100) as long as you're not having immediate problems, most of these maintenance things can be done as you can afford them, or if they fail. But like anything with 100K-mile cars, you never know when something's going to break.

 

According to her other posts, monica117 has a base Cooper (R50),
which has a conventional belt driven water pump and no supercharger.
Water pumps don't last forever.
I replaced my water pump prophylactically when I swapped the transmission in my
2003 Cooper a couple years ago. How much life did it have left in it?
I'll never know, but I'm probably good for many more years now.
I also replaced the hoses in the vicinity of the water pump while it was
in service mode. Hoses don't last forever, either. I also have a spare of
the other hoses that I didn't replace.

 

Thank you for your replies filmy and cristo. Unfortunately I am not a DIY person and rely on my my mechanic. I recently discovered that I was almost completely out of oil. I had an oil change done last July and had a few hundred more miles to drive before it would be 5,000 miles since the oil change. I never saw oil under the car, so I guess I must be burning it, but I don't see or smell smoke. So it took 9 months to lose 5 quarts of oil....I'm not sure if this is a common problem in an older mini or not, and if this is considered a bad leak or not.

 

Well okay then. I take it all back.

 

I am going to move this to the Problems/Issues subforum/folder.

On your oil leak, what type of driveway you have; concrete, stone/dirt or blacktop (asphalt)? I ask for when parking on blacktop (asphalt) you can have a leak and not really notice it. The key is to look at the bottom of the car. You also learned some very important information and that is to check you fluid levels as many are not that difficult to do. Oil, brake fluid and coolant are not that difficult to check and do not forget your air pressure as well. Years ago the gas station attendant checked the oil at every fill up. I do check my oil every time I fill up and will do the brake fluid every other fill up. The coolant you check when the engine is cold, DO NOT check when the engine is hot.

On water pump, if you do not know the maintenance history of the car, as it appears with what you have, I would ask the mechanic that you have work on the car. For me, if the mechanic cannot tell if the pump was replaced, I would. I would also ask him to check the drive belt. If the belt is cracked, replace it

 

Hi r53coop, I'm not sure why a thread gets moved to a different folder - can you explain that? I don't mind, I just want to understand. I think my driveway is asphalt -it's gray and has a rocky look to it. I will be better at checking my oil going forward. This is the first time this has happened. I guess it would be considered a slow leak since it took 9 months to lose it? Still, that is a lot of oil. I do know where to check the coolant, but not the brake fluid. Is there a diagram of where to look for it, and also what kind of brake fluid I need to put in there. I do know how to check the air pressure in the tires. One last question - so some mini models have a water pump and others have a coolant pump? Did I understand that from the other posts I read above? Thank you for all of your help. As I mentioned I have just been overwhelmed with life lately and I'm trying to keep on top of things that I can.

 

Monica, first of all, sorry for your loss. If I were to check out, I'd want to be sure that my wife knew what needed maintenance and either how to do it or where to get it done. Coolant pump and water pump are one and the same. Not being flippant but, have you got an owner's manual? If so, please refer to it because it will tell you what needs to be checked, where it's located, specifications for fluids, etc. If you don't have one, go on eBay or to your dealer and buy one. When you find the brake hydraulic reservoir, remember that this fluid eats paint. Be very careful, even with one drip. Rinse with water immediately or isopropyl alcohol. The reservoir is marked with a max and min fill line. Use only DOT 4 brake fluid if you need to add some. Brake fluid will tend to go down a little when the brake pads wear down so, if low, get your brakes inspected. Brake pads should be changed when the pad material thickness is less than the brake backing plate thickness. Don't wait for the brake warning light to come on.
You might want to check with your local VoTech school. They may have a class you might like to attend to learn more about car maintenance. They may also offer to perform work on your car to give students a chance to practice what they learn.
Rest assured, there's a whole bunch of us here who are glad to be of assistance.

 

NC Trackrat, I do have a owner's manual, and while I have looked at it many times for other things, I never noticed this section you are talking about. I will look again...thank you!

 

Anything that addresses a problem or an issue with the car goes into the Stock Problems/Issues folder and that applies to the R50, R52 and R53.

The coolant fill tank is the white/orange-ish plastic tank with the black cap in the very middle of the engine compartment on the firewall (the backwall of the engine bay that serves as the front wall of the interior where you sit). When cold, the tank should be about half full.

On the oil, you are very lucky you did not blow the engine, somebody may be looking down on you. Keep checking the oil as you may have both a leak and some issues with the rings of the piston. I would have a mechanic do a compression test. If the results are not good you might consider selling/trading the car.

 

My MINI loses a quart of oil about every 2000 miles (~100K miles on odometer now),
and it's not uncommon to lose a little more than that, so getting very low after 5000 miles
is not unusual if you don't check the level in between.
If you have a leak, you'd probably see a film of oil on the bottom of the oil pan.
The o-ring to the crankshaft position sensor is the most common cause of this,
followed by the oil pan gasket, then other sources like the crankshaft seal,
oil filter housing mount gasket, etc.

 

Common oil leaks on Minis around or over 100k miles are: valve cover gasket, camshaft position sensor o-ring (sensor that plugs into the top half of the motor; cylinder head), crankshaft position o-ring (sensor that plugs into the bottom half of the engine; engine block) and the oil pan gasket underneath.

I have the valve cover left to replace (being lazy) and my oil consumption has all but disappeared. what I used to lose (seeping out) compared to what I lose today (if anything) is minimal. Im at 120k now...

O-rings are cheap but the cost comes from paying someone to dig the sensor out and swap o-rings while attempting to clean things up.