I need to change the transmission fluid on my wife's 2016 R60 Mini Countryman and I have a question. How do you remove the one Torx Bolt on the transmission oil pan? Its the one that you can't get a wrench or socket on because the sub-frame is in the way? I have a couple ideas but I would like to know how you pros do it at the dealers or specialty shops.

I know the fluid is supposed to be a "Lifetime fill", but the "lifetime" is usually that of the warranty. The dealer even wanted to do it, but at $1600, I'll pass.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Found this on utoob, most of the new vehicles, they suck the oil out through the dipstick/fill tube and most any jiffy lube or independent location will have the proper equipment.

HRK, thanks for responding.

I have looked at this video. He is only doing a partial drain and refill. He doesn't drop the pan. I want to drain the automatic transmission fluid, drop the transmission pan, clean it and replace the filter and fluid. There is no dipstick on this design. AT fluid goes in the same hole it comes out.

Like I said, the dealer wanted $1600 to do this job. Of course there is one bolt that you can't remove without some "trick". I need to know what that is.

No guarantees, but I may be able to suggest something. I'm a mechanic, but not on MINIs (they are rare here in The Land of Broke-ass Rednecks) and have not done this. Of the few I have seen, quite frankly, almost everything is a huge pain in the ass.

How close is the pan bolt to this crossmember? Can you post a picture of what you're up against? What I'm thinking is a quarter-inch ratchet with as thin of a head as possible and a short Torx bit, or possibly to undo a transmission mount, jack up the transmission end enough to get the bolt out, set it back down and undo the rest of the bolts. Even if you're successful in this, there may still not be enough clearance to get the pan out past the filter and valve body It is conceivable that the entire engine and transmission might have to be unfastened and lifted - or the car put on a lift, the engine/trans suspended and the crossmember unbolted and lowered - and that may be in large part where that dealership quote is coming from.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

quote:

Originally posted by bob ramberg:
The dealer even wanted to do it, but at $1600, I'll pass.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Yeah, there’s a reason why it’s that much and it’s not just the dealer ripping you off. They have to disassemble half the damn car to do anything anymore.

I had a Mini Cooper S at one time for a few years, I do not miss the $150 oil changes. At all.

A lot of the internet warriors are suggesting dropping the front subframe about an inch. There is only an inch clearance as it is. not enough to get a torx socket in there let alone
a ratchet and socket. Maybe a allen wrench type of torx, with a 90 degree bend, might work. If they use a regular hex head bolt, you could put a box end wrench on it.

Yes, for anything major, you have to take the front of the car off. Unbelievable.

Pay for a day subscription here https://www.bmwtis.com/#/login

Download all you can onto a thumb drive or your hard drive and make copies as you need them.

I do not have experience with this site. Audi uses Erwin and that is what all the Audi folks are doing.

Money well spent as it will tell you exactly what the techs know and go about repairs.

Not a mini mechanic. Can you Suck it out with a pump via the dipstick tube or fill possibly. Or a torx bit in an open end wrench maybe.

Jimmy - There is no dipstick. You fill and drain from the same hole. Besides, I need to drop the pan, that is the whole issue.

Petr - Thanks, I'll check it out. I have a BMW too, so bonus!

quote:

Originally posted by bob ramberg:
A lot of the internet warriors are suggesting dropping the front subframe about an inch. There is only an inch clearance as it is. not enough to get a torx socket in there let alone
a ratchet and socket. Maybe a allen wrench type of torx, with a 90 degree bend, might work. If they use a regular hex head bolt, you could put a box end wrench on it.

Yes, for anything major, you have to take the front of the car off. Unbelievable.

I have a mini but have not done this. If space is an inch and a Tory is needed - I have bits that fit and you put a wrench around the base and then a pipe - then move. Have had to do similar on cars and boat. 1” is a lot of space to work with as long as the bolt has room to back fully out. Suggestion - but YouTube is your friend here.

Thanks Scott. I have been Googling everything I can find on this issue. I'm going to see if I can find a 2 piece torx socket and remove the bit. It should be short enough and I should be able to put a small wrench on it.

Did you get a chance to check out the manuals? The site doesn't let me snoop around without a subscription.

No, not yet. On my list though.

Is there room for the bolt to come all the way out? Or will it hit the frame before it clears

If there is room for it to clear then Use a cutoff wheel and cut the torx small enough to fit and use a ratcheting box wrench to back it out. Just make sure you either have a reversible wrench or pull it off before it gets stuck between the transmission and frame
Then use your fingers or channel lock pliers to gently complete turning it

So what, if anything, did you come up with?

For low clearance tools, Chapman is where I'd look. They make all sorts that are really short and fit into tight spaces.
Bonus points for everything is made in USA.
Look through these and see if you see one that will work.

https://chapmanmfg.com/collect.../which-set-is-for-me

How about this:



How are you going to torque it when it comes time to re-install. I'm not sure about the mini's, but my car's transmission pan bolts take very little torque and if I were doing them by feel, I guarantee I would over torque them. I had to get a 1/4 inch torque ratchet specifically for the job.

All my experience was working on my own original real Minis - not these BMW Knock-offs. However, they suffered from the same lack of clearance on the subframes. We used to loosen or remove the engine mount on one side, and either jack or lift the engine with a crane sufficiently to get the clearance we needed. Normally, an inch or two was easily obtained.

If you've never worked on a transverse engine with integral transmission in an area the size of a large milk crate consider yourself fortunate!