R56 water pipe stuck on

This article is good
Except you do not mention that the difficult removal of the thermostat from the water pipe from the water pump to the thermostat can dislodge the pipe from the water pump end and damage the pipe and O-ring. After a successful thermostat remove and replace I had a leak at the water pump end and had to remove the thermostat again to remove the water pipe. I have ordered the pipe and any suggestions on installation of the water pipe would be welcome. Thanks for the great articles and pictures even seasoned mechanics benefit from precise instructions and good pictures. I can take pictures of the damaged pipe if you need them to amend your tech article.

__________________
This post was auto-generated based upon a question asked on our tech article page here: MINI Cooper R56 Turbocharged Engine Thermostat Replacement (2007-2011) | Pelican Parts DIY Maintenance Article

[Nick at Pelican Parts]

The thermostat should not difficult to remove. Unless someone used an adhesive when installing the one you are trying to remove. I would like to see photos of the themrostat side of pipe.

- Nick

[AdmiralThrawn]

I think throwing up a warning in the article would be a great idea. I also experienced this exact problem when I did the thermostat on mine. I bought my car new and only the dealership ever worked on it outside of myself (warranty work). So unless the dealership added an adhesive, the pipe was likely broken trying to get the thermostat dislodged or trying to get it back in. Perhaps the pipe dislodged from the water pump side, got squeezed it the wrong position and then broke when trying to tighten down the thermostat.

If I remember correctly getting the new water pipe back in place wasn't too hard (outside of having to basically re-do the thermostat job). The problem is it's hidden from the top view. I might have lined it up to the water pipe from underneath while someone else lined up the thermostat side. I wish I could remember exactly to try to help you out.

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

It's definitely not a simple task to just replace the water pipe alone and people typically will replace this item when doing the water pump/thermostat. It's pretty tough to work in that area for the pipe as space is very limited. The water pump side is just simply stuck onto the water pump and not attached in anyway. There is a metal clip from the thermostat side, which should be removed before attempting to remove. Red arrow below. It's not uncommon for the water pipe to break, 3rd picture below, as the plastic gets brittle over time. It could be that the water pipe was "baked" on to the water pump side due to heat.

R56 Water Pipe & Parts

More info on its replacement in this Pelican thread here: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/bmw-mini/941467-r56-coolant-thermostat-water-pipe-replacement.html.