So, I was trying to replace my thermostat and was working on getting all of the hoses removed (BMW, thanks for making a normally simple procedure stupidly difficult). I got to the hose at the bottom and pulled on it and it felt like the hose came off from the other end. I checked it out and sure enough, the hose (or pipe?) came out from whatever piece it was attached to. Question is: What exactly is it that it connects to? And what kind of repair is it? What can I expect?
Also, when I took out the air box, it was full of seeds. I heard that Minis had squirrel turbos, but I didn't think that was actually true! lol

 

Yup you broke the water pump pipe. But don't feel bad as they get brittle over time and it's easy to do. that is why we replace the water pump pipe every time we do a thermostat.
There is an oring and the end of the pipe still stuck in there, but you can pull it out. Here is the pipe you need
https://www.waymotorworks.com/water-...9-r60-r61.html

 

It looks like it just presses into the water pump. Is that right? Are there any other parts I should consider replacing since I'll have everything out of the way?

 

Yes, the pipe will just press in --- the oring provides a sort of "snap-in" feature, and it might not be easy to remove the broken piece.

For future reference, here's links to an illustrated parts list and a set of repair procedures, both similar to what the dealers use.
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/select
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/
Both need the last seven characters of your VIN for best results.

 

Just lube the oring with silicone or coolant and it will slide into the back of the water pump. And then just replace it, not much else to replace at the same time as we normally just do it with the thermostat

 

I got it all replaced now. Thanks for the tips. I got stuck for about an hour and a half trying to figure out how to fit the water pipe correctly between the water pump and the thermostat. Then I took the old ones and played around with them and saw that there is a little notch on the water pipe that fits with the thermostat. Once I figured that out, it started making more sense. Replaced all the clamps with screw-on clamps. Filled and bled the system and took it for a drive.
Coolant got up to 221F and held there when not accelerating. Can anyone confirm that's what it is supposed to do? The old T-stat would get up to 221F and drop to 210F and cycle up and down. Now it only drops when I accelerate, which I assume is normal, but would like that verified, as well.