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Video: How To Install Thermostat Housing for Gen2 MINI Cooper S

Watch Our MINI Expert Install Thermostat Housing for MINI Cooper S (Gen2 Models)


In this video, we demonstrate the steps in removing and replacing the thermostat housing on a Gen 2 MINI Cooper S. Note that this housing fits more than just the vehicle shown in the video - for a full list of vehicles that it fits see:
MINI Cooper Thermostat Housing Application Chart

  


The unit used here is the G2NME1125E, which is an aftermarket version of the OEM type which has had sketchy availability within the last year or so:

Transcript:


Hi guys its Brendan from Mini Mania and today we are again at Ryan GMW down in Auburn, CA. We are going to do a thermostat housing swap out on this Cooper S over here. It's already had a water pump replaced, but we are going to replace the thermostat housing as well. So if you want to know how to do that follow along.

This is a thermostat housing, and like I said this Cooper S already had it's water pump replaced. But we are going to replace this, we sell a lot of these thermostat housings and we are going to show you how you can do it yourself.

So you are just removing all of the intact right now? Yeah. Cover off the air box, that normally just has those rubber pins or whatever you want to call them. One screw right there behind, and there is one screw right down in there. There is the screw that you have to remove, that's what it looks like without the airbox gone, marking the connector to where this thing goes back. Yeah this one has to intersect with that, they will plug in on the wrong one and then you will have coolant problems, temperature faults. Getting close, so basically any electrical connection that is keeping that harness tied down secured needs to be undone and removed so be careful and mark where everything gets plugged in and you can do that with paint pens, you can do that with toenail polish, you can do that with whatever will work. Get a pen that actually works. Get a pen that paints. This is basically a remote house clamp wrench operated by a cable, you can lock it in place, these are made by KDTools, this comes with a bunch of adapters. Very cool. This is a same effect, hand held, its sometimes hard to reach in. So you can take, that one just doesn't fit. So I take this one from over here, clip it onto that house clamp, that's pretty tight. Oh yeah, I can see that.

As far as draining fluid from the car, you only need, we only did a water pump on this car so we had to drain all of the fluid anyway. But you can put a catch pan, it's going to continue draining and making a big fat mess, the water pump was just off and there is still residual coolant in here in the heater core, so it's almost impossible to get that empty before you attack it. Just so you can see that was the hose right there that was removed from there and yeah its a tight fit to be able to get your hand down in there. Even this hose is almost impossible, that is buried. Yeah it sure is. It's right under the high pressure pump. That's pretty cool, that's a nice tool. That's a nice tool to have. About $150. If you do a lot of them or just do one and don't want to take all day. That was the hose that was removed. There's another one. We'll use these this time, you can see you can access and get down in there like that, that one's not so bad. They will self clamp like that, kind of like a blessing and a curse. Yeah, they will at least stay on the hose, but they will spring off eventually, they stay loaded on that tang, they will bite you so be very careful.

So you just removed, I just pulled the thermostat because I can't get this hose out, that clip goes to the coolant pipe that runs to the water pump, we're going to be doing that hose too so you can see where it goes and what it does and why it fails. That should be all she wrote other than the spot of house I couldn't reach. Still can't reach. It's buried. It has a million different connections to it. The book says that this pays two hours. That's a lot of work for two hours. Without your handy-dandy tool. You can spend a lot of time taking things apart. If you were doing it with hand tools it would take a little bit longer. Just be methodical.