11 replies to this topic

[Beats]

Ok, it's been one thing after another recently. With the dark evenings, busy at work and home, i'm getting less and less time to tinker with the Mini and its quickly becoming non viable as a daily driver. It's off the road at the moment with a split by pass hose, how the hell do you relace it without taking the head or water pump off? I'm close to selling up i'm that peed off.

[lrostoke]

Easiest is take the water pump off if you are fitting a proper replacement, but you can buy expanding byepass hoses which you should be able to get inplace without stripping the engine..

http://www.minispare....aspx?pid=36718

only snag is they don't seem to last that long, we replaced one 12 month ago, and have just fitted a new water pump and noticed the byepass was looking a bit frail already, so while we had the pump off with replaced with a better silicone hose.

[miniboo]

you have to get one of the concertina types if you want to do it without taking the head off.

[Jammy]

You'll be lucky if the concertina ones last a few months really, they really are crud.

The water pump is only 4 bolts and 1 gasket. Should be quite easy to replace with the water pump unbolted.

[mk3 Cooper S]

Yes use the concertina type with plenty of grease on the head/waterpump.

[dklawson]

Buy a length of 1/2" diameter heater hose, not the accordion hose. Buy a pair of Jubilee clips that will fit around the hose.

Drain a bit of coolant out of the car so the coolant level is below the bypass. Remove the grille to gain access to the water pump area. Remove the belt if it will help you get in there better. Cut the old bypass hose out, remove the old hose clamps and anything left of the hose. Use sandpaper to clean up the bypass nipples on the head and pump.

Trim a length of the heater hose to just slightly shorter than the gap between the head and the top of the pump. Fold the short length of hose in half and hold it bent into a "V" using mole-grips. Put a little non-hardening gasket sealant on the nipples and smear a tiny bit on the entrance to each end of the folded hose.

Use the mole-grips to push the folded hose up against the two nipples and as you push, slowly open the grips to release the hose. Continue poking and prodding until the hose is seated. Now open the Jubilee clips so they can be wrapped around the hose, closed, then tightened.

It's a pain but it can be quicker than pulling the pump and it's better than the accordion hose.

[romblu89]

as soon as i bought my mini my by pass hose was all rotten....i tried removing it for about a month always trying new things....useless. The only thing that i've managed to do was fitting a new pipe a using some chemical metal....i left it this way for quite a while....then decide to refurb my engine...removed the pipe that i had done and i couldn;t beleive how easy it was to remove the old bypass bolt....just used a chisel and broke it into half.....then bought a new stainless steel one from ebay......really happy with it...hehe



sorry for the useless post.....thought it was about the bypass bolt.....:/

Edited by romblu89, 10 March 2008 - 09:03 PM.

[liirge]

Those Concertina ones, they really dont have a great track record i know friends who've had tehm split on several occasions.
The thing is, it's sometimes the last place you look, when checking for leaks, most people assume its a head gasket when water leaks from that area, or a broken water pump!
So it maybe worth doing the job properly with a decent hose\
Regards
And dont give up on your MINI!

[lukeb854]

i know this post is old however my by pass hose has just gone today and it looks like im going to have to replace it, would the easiest way of doing this be taking out the radiator and then the water pump? however i would then have to replace the gasket of the water pump right? :) cheers guys

[Spud_133]

I'd take the rad and water pump off, and for longevity I'd replace the gasket of the pump! I've gone for a silicone hose, again for longevity

[Spitz]

Wow...a four year old post.

A new water pump really is fairly cheap, so why not replace IT at the same time replacing the bypass hose....
( and yes...you would need to replace the pump gasket if removing the pump anyway )

Pull the rad out...easy peasy. If financially viable, maybe replace rad hoses while at it.
When you pull the rad up/out, you can leave the bottom rad hose attached. ( when reinstalling make sure you orientate the :screw" head so you can get at it insitu later if need be )

When reinstalling the fan, don't forget to install the spacer between pully and fan, and make sure the fan is on the right way....smooth side to engine.

I use a little gasket sealant to help hold the gasket in place when manuevering the pump into place , while also trying to make sure the bypass hose is going on. ( I find it easier to have it attached to pump first instead of head )

[lukeb854]

wow cheers guys! well funds are low at the moment and i dont plan on having this engine for long:) so i have brought a silicone hose and a new gasket and ill be fitting them Friday most probably thank you for the fast response though means a lot!