1st Gen R50 Cooper Please Help! How to replace Oil Filter Housing

Thank you for this info! I really appreciate the replies.

I'm currently using this video as a general guide, though it only shows replacement of the gasket.



I have a few other questions about this job, if you or anyone else can shed some light-

1. Would I be wise to drain all the oil out of the car before changing the housing? Or would laying some towels out suffice?

2. Am I likely to have to replace the hoses, or to need any additional tools to disconnect/reconnect the hoses leading to the housing?

3. To get the housing out, would I need to remove anything else? If so, what would be the easiest thing to remove to get to it? In the video I referenced, it looks like I should be able to pull it up from the top, but I could be wrong.


And lastly, if anyone has a link to buy the PDF of the Bentley manual, or has an old one they want to get rid of, definitely shoot me a message!

 

Hey update! Scratch all that from my previous post. I wound up just going for it.

1. Didn't drain the oil. It didn't leak very much.

2. Didn't have to futz with any coolant hoses at all on my base model 03 R50. Just unscrewed the 3 bolts (this took hours) and unhooked the pressure sensor.

3. I just pulled the housing out through the top.

I wound up having the best luck getting all the bolts out from the top. I attempted to get it out from the bottom, but the axle was in the way and I couldn't reach around the subframe.

Also I ordered the Bentley manual today so that should make future repairs easier.

Thanks fellas