Scavenger

Hey all, been a little while... this Thanksgiving morning, I plugged my scanner in and took a drive. I wanted to check that my radiator fan was working properly. I determined that it does seem to be working fine. I wasn't sure whether my 1st stage had failed again, but it appears it has not. I think the fact that the weather is cooler and my new CSF radiator is so good, the coolant temp is staying below 200, more like in the low 190's. So, the first stage doesn't kick in until something over 200, I don't remember precisely what. Anyway, this is good news! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I realize this is an old thread, but I'm curious what you decided to do! I think I would have contact Pelican Parts about replacing your struts, as a set, with a comparable replacement. As said above, your JCW setup really is nice out of the box.

I installed KW V1's on my 2006 about 8 years ago. After trying aftermarket springs with the stock struts, it was a huge improvement in ride quality while getting a nice lowering. Killed all that evil wheel gap! They've been great until the last year or two, they've been noisy, so I do think there is certainly a life expectancy to coil-overs. The nice thing is that KW provides a lifetime warranty, you can ship them back and they'll rebuild them, you only pay shipping. The obvious downside is that the car isn't driveable with the suspension removed! I've considered buying cheapshit struts to install in the interim, but not sure the time and labor is worth it. Oh, and as mentioned above, I also have adjustable lower control arms in the rear to account for the ride height change. After getting the coil-overs installed, I took a conservative approach to alignment to reduce excess camber in the rear, and actually removed my Ireland Engineering camber plates from the front. The result was a nice ride height, a decent ride, but without the running and silly tire wear that can come from "half-assing" a lowering spring install.

Hey everyone! Hope all's well. Sunday, I replaced the Timing Chain Tensioner in my 2006 MINI Cooper S. It's a small, inexpensive part. It is important though for high mileage. I'm trying to be careful that I don't let the ol' butt dyno trick me into thinking it was some sort of miracle, but I really think the car is running a little better now. The main issue that seems to be solved is a slight hesitancy on acceleration. I'll need a few more days of driving, particularly with the AC on to know for sure. Happy Motoring!

I think I failed to mention that a few months ago, I finally got a new windshield! Oh what a relief! I can see where I am going again!

Over the past couple weeks, B.A. began smelling really gassy. At least I thought it was him, and after sniffing under the hood and underneath and around the garage and the lawnmower, wasn't really sure until... a few days ago, I had him running in the garage (door open of course) while I was data logging on my OBDII device. My mom says it seriously smells like gas all over the house! That's when I found a puddle of gas under the right side rear (under the gas tank!). So, of course, I started researching, and I removed the rear seat and access cover to the fuel filter to discover that there definitely was a gas leak. I did a bit more research and diagnosis and finally found the cause and solution. The sad thing is that until I got this fixed, B.A. was banished from the garage and had to survive the brutal cold and elements out in the driveway!!! Anyway, What I found was that the o-rings for the gas line connection were gone. I was able to purchase some new ones though and install them. No more leak, problem solved! B.A. is welcome in the garage again! Also, seems to be running much better too since lack of fuel pressure can have terrible effects on an engine! Officially, MINI doesn't sell these and the only option is to replace the entire fuel filter housing, which includes the sending unit and regulator and since it sits in the tank, is a real messy pain in the a** to replace. AND it costs north of $200. I purchased a few cheap tools and new o-rings for slightly less than 10 dollars and was able to replace them without even removing the housing from the tank. Owning a "classic first gen" is becoming quite an adventure!

Quick update, I finished up my work on B.A. back in the Spring. Two things related to cooling system: CSF aluminum radiator Dorman fan control resistor I haven't done a writeup on them yet, but after installing both, coolant temps are staying where they should (~191 F), both fan stages are working as intended. I can use the air conditioning again!!!!!!

I just ordered some parts. SIGH... if you don't know, some first-gens suffer from a problem where the first stage radiator cooling fan fails. Mine had failed and I drove for a long time with it that way, then finally, over the last winter, I tore the front end off my MINI to repair a bunch of stuff, including the failed fan. It worked for a few months, but seems to have failed again. So, I just ordered some parts necessary for the fix. I'm going to hopefully make a more robust repair this time! Has anyone else with a first gen been through this? UPDATE: Well, false alarm. parts returned! The parts I installed were fine, it was just me being over-protective. After monitoring with my scangauge for a while and some voltage and relay tests, I realized all was working fine. So... YAY!

I just finished a 6 month restoration process on my 2006 R53. The sites that were most useful for me were: OUTMOTORING PELICAN PARTS Seattle MINI / Morristown MINI I purchased one item from ebay and some from Amazon, but those ones above were the best MINI-specific sources.

YEP! and today, he got a new windshield!

I don't have any video. There are several on Youtube already which were what I went by in making my decision.

This morning I had a mod done! Now my MINI is back together and running nicely, I had the resonator removed. There is some back story on this actually. When B.A. was young, he was upgraded with the DINAN kit for R53's which included an exhaust. The exhaust sounded good and popped a lot which was cool, but pretty soon the tips rusted!! also, it droned quite loudly too. So, because of the rust I had it replaced with an OEM JCW exhaust which is still on it now and works fine. The JCW is very mundane compared to the DINAN. The DINAN was almost ridiculous at times. It had no resonator, only a single muffler. On the other hand, the JCW has one resonator and two mufflers. So, as a compromise solution, I had the resonator removed - leaving the two mufflers. IT SOUNDS GLORIOUS!! The sound is more agressive and the pops are back, but without the obnoxiousness and drone!!

Today, I took my MINI out on a shakedown cruise. The report: NO CODES, NO LEAKS, NO OVERHEATING! I believe all was successful. After getting all the intake related parts I mentioned eariy put back on, I replaced the A/C compressor clutch and installed a new aftermarket radiator from CSF. It has been fun but I'm glad to have this phase of restoration complete and B.A. all put back together.

Today, well yesterday technically since it's after midnight.... I replaced the A/C Compressor Clutch and coil. I will try to update with pictures soon, but the power wire (which activates the AC), had lost all of it's insulation. Once I removed the old coil - it looked like crap! So, I installed a new set. The day before, I installed a BUNCH of new stuff... supercharger intake tube MAP sensor hose Brake booster vacuum hose (with non-return valve) gaskets for all above I was hoping to be farther along by now, but I discovered one of the radiator hoses had a little tear in it, so a new one should arrive on Friday. Of course, tomorrow, I plan to rinse the new radiator and also clean the A/C condenser. I'd hate to put that dirty old thing back onto a brand new radiator! So, Friday, when the hose gets here, I can finally reassemble the front end... AND... give B.A. a start! I wouldn't be surprised if he needs a jump since he hasn't run for a few weeks! more to come....

It looks like you should find a power socket on the passenger side in the rear.

Today, I replaced the Crankshaft Position Sensor o-ring seal. It is a common oil leak point on R53s. I also started reassembling the front end radiator support with the new radiator to check fitment.

Today I received my new radiator support. So, I transferred the fog lights, horns, and bonnet seal from the old broken one. Oh yeah, I previously mentioned that I would re-seat some vacuum lines... well, that didn't go well. They were seized and the connections to the supercharger inlet pipe broke. There's a theme here! plastic parts suck! Anyway, I ordered a new supercharger inlet pipe, MAP sensor vacuum line, and brake booster vacuum supply line. So, once all of that arrives, I'll get it installed, and hopefully by that time, the new radiator will have arrived and I can install it, fill it with coolant and get back on the road! Oh, there is one more small item... I noticed that the power wire to the AC compressor clutch has lost all of its insulation. This isn't good, technically, it still works though. I put some heat shrink tube over it, but I didn't like how that came out. So, it turns out, that the clutch can be replaced without having to replace the entire compressor. ergo, I ordered a new compressor clutch. This is a good thing to know as the clutch is less that $100 whereas compressors can run close to $500!!!

Today, I'm planning to clean up and re-seat the supercharger input tube. Now that I have it in service mode, I got a closer look and it appears that the vacuum line to the MAP sensor is not securely connected. I hope this explains the intermittent P1498. So, I'll clean everything and reinstall, making sure everything is tight and seated properly. I really hope this is it as it beats throwing expensive parts at a problem. P.S. You can see the new passenger side engine mount, looks nice! I'm waiting on the replacement radiator support AND a new radiator. The OEM radiator seems OK, but it's very dirty and 16 yrs old. So, I bought an aftermarket radiator (CSF) that I hope will handle the NC heat better, along with having both fan stages functioning again!

Today, I removed the entire front of B.A.. I found that the radiator support was broken in several places, so I ordered a new one. So, I went ahead and pulled the old one. I needed to replace the fan control resistor device anyway, so I also did that. When to go OEM and when not to... I think I posted earlier about this, but, for the radiator support, again I stuck to OEM. The reason is that this is an essential structural support. While there are aftermarket units much cheaper, most reviews state that they are using thinner/cheaper plastic and are flimsy. It needs to hold the radiator, fan, front bumper, fog lights, and a few other things, so don't skimp here!

Today I... Replaced the passenger side engine mount removed Alta tensioner stop that was bent out of shape fixed light in passenger side sun visor replaced a few missing or broken clips for wheel well liners.

UPDATE: Well, I was mistaken about the radiator fan. The 1st stage has failed. It has probably been this way for a while. This happened once before many years ago. Basically, the OEM component that controls the stages fails after a while. So, after 2 failures, I'll be going aftermarket - the part is the Dorman 902-706 Radiator Fan Relay Kit. Since, this repair requires "front-end service mode", I'll take the opportunity to do several other things. Firstly, replace the radiator with a nice CSF aluminum radiator. I'll also replace all the foam surrounds, since after 16 years, they've all disintegrated. The right side engine mount has also failed (another OEM part), so I'll be replacing it. I'm sticking with OEM though (this will be #3 or #4!) because as nice as some of the aftermarkets might be, they a) are very expensive b) introduce a lot more vibration into the passenger compartment. At this point, I'll inspect several other things and consider whether anything needs service or replacement. Possibilities are: Supercharger oil service, inspect water pump drive gears. Check thermostat housing, possibly replace thermostat. Inspect crankshaft damper (another known-to-fail OEM part), I'm now on #2. If this needs replacing, then I will definitely go aftermarket. The first time it failed was NOT fun! I don't want to go through that again. So, an ATI Super Damper will go on instead. inspect idler pulley, and pulleys on A/C compressor and alternator. Belt tensioner was replaced not long ago, so I'm not too concerned about it. However, I have one of the Alta tensioner stops on it, and it's all bent out of shape and not even working right, so I'm just going to remove it. What a POS. check/replace crankshaft position sensor o-ring seal - another common oil leakage point. inspect vacuum lines and "profile" gasket for the supercharger inlet pipe. I have a spare gasket JIC. It seems like a lot, but if I want to keep enjoying the car, it needs to be done!

Well, I've done quite a lot of work recently on B.A. I've come to the conclusion that he needs a new radiator. NC heat is quite a bit more common that NoVA heat .. HAHA One thing that I noticed is that the foam seal that surrounds the radiator has disintegrated. I tested the 2-stage fan and both seem to be working, but it doesn't take long for the 2nd stage to come on... in the NC hear especially when I'm using the A/C. So, I am considering ordering a new radiator and foam surround. I suppose this sort of stuff is to be expected at the age/mileage. Sometimes I wish I could turn the clock back! Happy motoring.

I've got this issue that is driving me a bit crazy. My R53 exhibits a power loss after driving for a while. I've tried to isolate circumstances, such as AC on or off, temperature, etc. The thing that makes it so difficult to troubleshoot is that I'm not getting any codes. I've considered several things, from slipping clutch to failing throttle body or throttle position sensor. Here's where my thinking is now, but I need some help remembering. Recently, I remembered that I had my crank pulley/damper replaced many years ago, and was trying to remember what the symptoms were that led to it, it does seem like I had codes/lights at the time. The pulley was replaced with OEM. So, I'm wondering whether it could be failing again but not yet at the point of throwing codes. If it is indeed the culprit, I'll be going aftermarket this time! So, can anyone help me remember what the symptoms that were felt leading up to this pulley failing?

Well, I didn't go.... BUT, I am hoping to make it to MOTD2022! I've discussed it with my wife and she seems to be OK, my daughter will be 11 by then and I think she'll like it. So...if this GD pandemic ends and I actually make a call to Fontana, maybe we can meet up with my old DCMM club!!

On this topic.... I bought one of these Portable Power Bank jump starters at Costco: https://www.costco.com/type-s-12v-jump-starter-%26-8000mah-portable-power-bank.product.100681300.html well, it worked great this winter, I couldn't get B.A. to start after sitting a while, but I connected this thing, and he started right up. I was skeptical when I bought it, but it proved itself. Kind of a nice to have item, just thought I'd mention it.