MINI Cooper R56 Radiator Replacement

Automobile radiators are made out of a core of linked narrow passages connected via two side tanks.

The core is metal and made of stacked layers, pressed and soldered together to form channels. Traditionally, radiators were made of brass or copper cores and attached to brass side tanks. Radiators in today's MINI R56 vehicles are made of aluminum cores attached to aluminum side tanks. This keeps cost down and saves weight.

In automobiles with a liquid-cooled engine, a radiator is connected to passages in the engine where liquid coolant is pumped through via a water pump. This liquid is a mixture of water and glycol (to prevent freezing).

The radiator cools the engine by transferring the heat from the fluid inside the engine to the outside air. Radiators are also used to cool transmission and power steering fluids.

When a radiator begins to fail, you'll notice that the car tends to overheat at high engine speed, such as driving on the highway. When you accelerate, the engine temperature will rise, when you idle the engine it will return to normal range. Now, this is not always indicative of a failing radiator, but a good starting point. Of course there are also leaks that occur at the fin or fin joining areas to the side tanks. Best bet is to pressure test the cooling system to find the source of the leak.

You will have to place the radiator support in the service position to replace the radiator. Inspect both radiator hoses and replace them if necessary. Check for dry rot, swelling or splitting.

In this article, I'll go over the steps involved with replacing the radiator on MINI r56 models. Be sure to work with a cool engine and confirm the cooling system lacks pressure before opening the cooling system.

Remember that your car may have been serviced before and had parts replaced with different size fasteners used in the replacement. The sizes of the nuts and bolts we give may be different from what you have so be prepared with different size sockets and wrenches.

Protect your eyes, hands and body from fluids, dust and debris while working on your vehicle. If you're working with the electrical system, disconnect the battery before beginning. Always catch fluids in appropriate containers and properly dispose of any fluid waste. Recycle parts, packaging and fluids when possible. Never work on your vehicle if you feel the task is beyond your ability.

Our vehicle may vary slightly from yours as models do change and evolve, as they grow older. If something seems different, let us know and share your info to help other users. Do you have questions or want to add to the article? Leave a comment below. When leaving a comment, please leave your vehicle information.