First post. Don't kill me......I just came back from the Mini dealer to get the oil changed. The dealer said that the oil filter gasket needs to be replaced as there is slight oil and coolant leaking. Then they told me it would be $975.00 to fix. I like to conquer wrenching. Can anyone assist is a step by step guide or video to accomplish this? The tech said that the complete front end needs to come off etc. BTW, I have searched the internet for assistance. All I came up with was the R56 turbo. Thanks in advance.

 

If you found a procedure for the R56, then it will be the same for the R55.

 

Procedure is the same for all of the turbo cars, and slightly different for the non turbo cars.

On the non turbo the exhaust manifold won't come off without moving the core support forward, so you can yes, take off the front end of the car, or you can loosen the crush tubes and a few other fasteners and slide the whole core support a few inches forward to get you the clearance you need.

There are people who have fought around the exhaust manifold, but I'm a man who likes to be comfortable while working, so the extra hour or so to get the manifold out of the way is well worth it.

 

Bought a 2009 Mini Non-turbo last week and have been fighting all the dreaded oil leaks that come with this car. I think I have found one of the culprits. It looks like one of the timing chain guide fasteners is leaking. Can anyone tell me if I can remove this and replace one at a time without affecting the timing. Or can I back it out enough to replace the O-Ring on it, without affecting the timing . Thanks.

 

Meant to post this in another discussion. Admin can/should delete