I just did this job this weekend. I dropped the subframe to replace all the power steering lines, both inner/outer tie rods, the steer rack bushing (with PowerFlex), the RH axle, front sway bar bushings (PowerFlex), control arm bushings (PowerFlex), control arm ball joints and Bilstein coilovers. I did it on a lift and it took me 2 full days to get it all done. I cannot imagine doing all that from floor jacks. Beers to you sir!
Not too bad for a 50 year old with two questionable shoulders (one surgically repaired twice) two bad knees and a bad back (broke that too - snowboarding down from the continental divide in Colorado). Sloped driveway? Get some wheel chocks. My Mini is up on four jack stands - Winter storage to prevent flat spots on the tires. I got the transmission jack at Harbor Freight. Worth the money as it made it far easier to safely remove.
A little optimistic starting with a ratchet! but the mid-torque Milwaukee was what undid my subframe bolts with ease. Amazing tools really worth the money. In the RHD cars the steering UJ is easily reached topside from the engine bay. When I did this my car was in Front End Service Mode, (for the 'big' service and a SC oil change) which provides a little more access to the suspension and some extra light. When (notice not 'if', its a Mini afterall) I do this again, I would suck the fluid out of the PS reservoir before to lessen the risk of spillage. The subframe is remarkably rust free and your steering rack does not appear to be leaking.
I was very fortunate in that the only power steering leak was a weeping of the low pressure supply line. I blame that weep on the OEM factory installed pinch style clamps. I changed that line with new and installed the clamps that tighten with a screwdriver (often referred to as a work clamp). Yes these might put too much pressure on the joint when tightened down but they leak less. Someone on the R53 boards suggested I change the reservoir as it has a “filter” screen. I don’t know this as fact but I did remove as much fluid as I could from the system before I started. Lets face it it was all going to drop on the floor when I changed the low pressure line anyway. My subframe has ZERO rust, I am so fortunate in that. The car came from a part of the US (Seattle) where the winters are like the UK Autumn. It is rainy but not cold, rare snow and zero salt put down on the roads. I cleaned it up and while it was out and apart I applied a cheap “Ceramic” coating which helps shed water and dirt. The ratchet was wishful thinking and a double check to make sure I had the correct socket size. The thing that was difficult on the removal and reinstall was getting the steering column detached and reattached. Such a tight space on the US model and I assume just as tight a space on the UK version.
@@raftonpounder6696 that is what I have read and witnessed in UK based RU-vid how to videos. It wasn’t awful but mostly my own inexperience and larger hands when struggling for access. A number of US based owners have told me they needed to go back in and tighten the steering u joint again as it wasn’t tight after reinstall. I am glad I avoided that.
Possible? It might be. Is it the best practice? No. It would have to come out in pieces, which is fine, however the access to the complete rack you have by dropping the subframe is preferred. I went back and looked at high resolution images I took of the complete assembly out of the R53 - everything is a bit on top of each other. To get it all out the power steering pump has to be disassembled and come out to gain clear access to the rack bolts. You may also need to remove the front sway-bar bracket to gain access to the other rack bolts. If you had a lift it would be easier but when all was said the done t would be far easier to drop the entire subframe, do what need to be done and bolt it all back in. What I didn’t include in this video is while I had the subframe out of the car I changed all ball joints and both complete tie rod sway bar bushings (for Powerflex poly bushings) and the lower control arm bushings (also Powerflex poly bushings). The car had less than 42,000 mikes on it but I had the time and the budget so I went ahead and swapped out all wear parts including a weeping power steering line.
@@billcunningham8485 thanks Bill. I have to replace my rack, unfortunately I just had the shop do a full bushing replace for me about a month ago because I didn't have the strength to get the ball joints off... feels like I'm undoing some work lol... hopefully it will be easier this time around
@@florescentshadow8386 if they dropped the rack it will help a ton. If you have access to an impact gun like the Milwaukee I used it makes life so much easier. Mine is thr M18 version but I think the M12 might be powerful enough to break things loose.
There are quite a few things you need to remove first. I would strongly suggest you study with the master… Mod Mini. His videos are very good. Here is his subframe removal video which I followed to make this time-lapse video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lrtq4qFT4Tc.html
@@tylerwagner1806 well - the positive is you will have a fresh clutch when you are done. I see a transmission jack in your future. The one i used in the video broke while shooting the video. Sadly I was outside the warranty period. www.harborfreight.com/search?q=transmission%20jack
@@tylerwagner1806 is your transmission a manual or automatic? If its a manual - you should really change the clutch when you pull the transmission. It is right there and depending on miles might he ready for a change. If its an automatic - reply with the symptoms the car / transmission is showing. The automatics often had a bad valvebody which would lead many transmission shops to misdiagnose the symptoms as a failed transmission when what it needed was a valvebody replacement for 1/3 the cost and FAR less labor - basically you drop the transmission pan and swap out the valvebody which is an electronic part inside the transmission and replace the fluid and filter.
