'10 R55 Clubman S. I have developed a coolant leak that is steady drip on passenger side, around the water pump area. As soon as I add water it leaks out. Does that sound like a water pump issue? or something else. I can not really see where the leak is, but it appears to be right around the water pump. Car has 60k on it. Thanks!

 

@AzBluesman1962 When you say " As soon as I add water it leaks out. ", do you mean the water leaks out when the car is not running?

 

Yes......Like its a hose leak or o ring

 

 

+1 waterpump, the plastic ones crack at the bottom on the outside of that housing, mine did. New ones are metal outside and some have the metal impeller.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...8-no-heat.html

 

Thank you

 

I had the same problem and it turned out to be the water pipe.

 

I'm in the middle of restoring a 2008 clubby S. When I was removing the pump, thermostat and connecting pipe (shown above) the pipe disintegrated at the o-ring. This is caused by the engine running so hot. There was evidence of it leaking for a while. I replaced everything new so I'm good for another 75 to 100 thousand.

 

Yeah really the only two things over there are the water pump and the coolant pipe. It's one or the other. They're both common failures. Just replace both and be done with it.

 

+1 to this.. Just replace them both. You should be able to do the whole job for less than $200.

 

Same issue. For the past few weeks I’ve been losing coolant (noticed the reservoir has been empty each week when I check fluids) but I could not find a leak anywhere, and there were no drips. This morning I noticed the coolant was actively dripping from the passenger side, but I have not gone up inside to see where it is coming from. Based on what I have read it seems like the only explanation would be the water pipe. The water pump was replaced about two years ago (21k so far)and it is the new aluminum version. Logically it seems like the only explanation would be the water pipe. I know they tend to have issues with breaking down over time and the O-ring sometimes shears off. Unfortunately I just underwent surgery and I am not able to get up underneath the car for another several weeks but I wanted to get any feedback from members of the community. Does the assumption that it could only be the water pipe sound accurate? I know that theoretically it could be the water pump, but it does not seem likely since it was replaced by a mini master mechanic 21,000 miles ago

 

If it's the water pipe on the passenger end, you can visually check that by removing the intake manifold and look at the joint directly for signs of that leakage. Normally if there's a leak there, it's likely due to the O-ring failure. There are a few different sorts I've seen through the forum members' info. The aluminum water pipe is the first time I've ever heard of it, so that I'm not sure. But aluminum is a very malleable metal, so even with harsh oxidation due to heat cycling, I see less chance of it being an issue in comparison to the plastic pipe. Nonetheless, plastic or aluminum, they are all jointed to the water pump housing with a rubber O-ring, that O-ring is very prone to failure due to oxidation/brittleness.

For water pump to exhibit a leak, it's normally due to the failed gasket. I've yet to see the driveshaft seal of the water pump leaking on the mini's. And if this is the culprit, you'll see white trace of residue all around the timing side of the water pump assembly area. To see this, you'll need to remove the fender liner and really get under there with a flashlight to check it. You'll probably best get better visuals if you also manage to remove the drive belt, the friction pulley, and the passenger side mounting bracket/assembly to get full visibility.

Unfortunately with our mini's, it's a small engine bay, and everything is in the way of each component you want to check.