Question on Serpentine Belt Replacement

Mini Cooper S with Turbo, October 2006 R56/R57 possible but with mechanical tensioner under air pipe.



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[Nick at Pelican Parts]

ON the second gen MINIs, the tensioner is a bit harder to work with, without the special tool that is. With the engine lock carrier moved forward, you should be able to get at it with a wrench. You have to detach the duct at the throttle housing and at the radiator support. Then remove it from the support that runs next to the cylinder head.

- Nick

[P911sjp]

Hi Nick

Thanks for the response.

I have since put the new belt on and to be honest I have discovered i need not have stripped down as much as I had. I followed the thread to remove the water pump where items were needed to be removed.

If you ignor the need for a special BMW tool the job requires virtually no spanners at all.

I would WD 40 the tensioner slider a little to aid its movement.

I found that if you take off , off headlight UK offside (USA nearside), wheel, after jacking up and axel standing the car, wheel liner and the small quater panel which covers the pully wheels , use a jack (best a trolley jack) with a long thin tube which you place under the tensioner wheel which you can easily see and just get a thin tube between engine and belt as its in situ. ( I found the best items was a couple of extension bars from a socket set and a plug spanner for as much stability as possible.

Jack up carefully and the tensioner will move upwards. Use a screw driver to push the tensioner pin over rotate it to lock the tensioner. Let jack down Hey ho belt now loose. Pull tag on waterpump out (see previous threads on this) about two/three inches and the belt can be removed.

New belt on, tag on water pump in, re jack the tensioner gently to release the pin and slide the pin out, again a screw driver would do it or some long nosed pliers gently lower the jack, watching that the belt locates correctly, tensioner now set push back the waterpump tag, jobs a good un !!!!.

Hardest part was putting the liner back.

No need to touch the top part of the engine apart from removal of headlight. The bonnet lock panel and turbo air pipe can stay as can all the associated gubbins that comes with it.

Hope this helps someone somewhere.

Steve
Kent
UK