What did you do to your Mini today?

[Scavenger]

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!

Edited May 19, 2021 by Scavenger

[1975_mini]

On 5/19/2021 at 9:57 AM, Mav said:

The day before yesterday I tried to install a custom fan system for my subwoofer (it overheats if I am out for a while jamming) and blew a fuse.

Yesterday I finally identified the fuse near the battery and replaced it myself. Boy that was a learning experience for me! Now im going to tackle a way to have a fan turn on when my sub turns on so I can keep it way cool.

Are you running and amp, it should have a signal wire running to the head unit that turn the amp on when the head unit is on. 

If not the jack in the boot is wired to the ignition (at least in gen2) that would be a good source to pickup power that would power the fan with the ignition.

[Mav]

17 minutes ago, 1975_mini said:

Are you running and amp, it should have a signal wire running to the head unit that turn the amp on when the head unit is on. 

If not the jack in the boot is wired to the ignition (at least in gen2) that would be a good source to pickup power that would power the fan with the ignition.

Its an all in one powered subwoofer. So the amp is built into the housing for it. I have Ground, Remote, and 12V constant to work with. The Rem doesnt put out quite enough power for a 12V Brushless PC fan. When checking it with my multimeter it has about 3V or so. Im picking up some smaller 3V fans and Im going to see if I can just hook them up to my REM and ground so they would turn on only when my car is on. My mini is gen 3 too, not sure how different it is.

[Scavenger]

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!

 

Edited May 21, 2021 by Scavenger
picture

[Scavenger]

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!!!

[Mav]

Yesterday I decided to open up my air intake box and inspect it. The dealership replaced my filter recently but I wanted to give the whole thing a look over to gain the experience of opening it. I was very surprised to find it full of dirt and small debris in the bottom! so I cleaned it out completely and reseated the filter. Im slowly becoming more comfortable getting into my engine and learning my own maintenance.

[1975_mini]

On 5/26/2021 at 10:08 AM, Mav said:

Yesterday I decided to open up my air intake box and inspect it. The dealership replaced my filter recently but I wanted to give the whole thing a look over to gain the experience of opening it. I was very surprised to find it full of dirt and small debris in the bottom! so I cleaned it out completely and reseated the filter. Im slowly becoming more comfortable getting into my engine and learning my own maintenance.

It should be in the bottom, that means the filter is stopping it. The air flow is pulled into the bottom of the box, and flows up through the filter and then out the top pipe to the engine. Still good the clean out any debris as fine gravel can prematurely wear the filter or larger debris like leaves can obstruct air flow. 

[Coopah]

Tinted my side markers.  $6.99 for the film, 20 minutes of my time, and a hair dryer.

[twakefield]

50 minutes ago, Coopah said:

Tinted my side markers.  $6.99 for the film, 20 minutes of my time, and a hair dryer.

Looks great!

[Scavenger]

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.

[Scavenger]

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....

Edited June 3, 2021 by Scavenger
added bullets

[Mother nature]

Hi, Today I had to glue the interior plastic casing around my sunroof because it fell out while I was driving!! Glad I was on a country road with no traffic!! 

[Mav]

2 minutes ago, Mother nature said:

Hi, Today I had to glue the interior plastic casing around my sunroof because it fell out while I was driving!! Glad I was on a country road with no traffic!! 

That sounds absolutely terrifying to happen while driving!

[Scavenger]

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.

[Mav]

On 6/5/2021 at 7:44 PM, Scavenger said:

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.

I hope to have the tools and know-how to be able to work on my mini like that, awesome that you replaced so much and your shakedown went well! Great work!

[Mav]

Yesterday I took out my intake ducting and installed a Dinan sports tuner! Got one cheap from a guy in alexandria so it was exciting to add that little oomph. Unfortunately the dinan app doesnt work with the latest few versions of android but I had my buddy help me out in setting the right mode for use with her Iphone. 

I did notice that taking the ducting off  its broken into 3 little sections where it connects to the intake box. One of those is almost completely blocked off (but has a sliver open at the top) Is there any reason for this? Or could I just cut it out to fully open that "lane" for more consistent airflow? 

[BendersMINI]

Been a couple of weeks now, but added the NM-Engineering Power Module. Tucked in behind the air box. There’s a surprisingly noticeable (and welcome) difference measured on the butt-dynometer…

Also, the de-chrome mentioned a while back continues to move along. Various trim bits, belt line, and smoked the stock side marker lights… though LED replacements are inbound.

Count me as another very happy customer of NV Coatings. (EVO Gray powder coating)

[Scavenger]

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!!

[Mav]

4 hours ago, Scavenger said:

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!!

Any chance you got some video of it? I had the VCP exhaust put on my base mini and the low tones it has now are amazing. Not overly loud but when I punch it, it just sings!

[Scavenger]

2 hours ago, Mav said:

Any chance you got some video of it? I had the VCP exhaust put on my base mini and the low tones it has now are amazing. Not overly loud but when I punch it, it just sings!

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

[TGGRRR (Ali)]

It sounds like B.A. is singing a happy song

[Scavenger]

1 hour ago, TGGRRR (Ali) said:

It sounds like B.A. is singing a happy song

YEP! and today, he got a new windshield! 

[Mav]

Over the weekend I decided to have some clear vinyl applied to my headlights! (It proved too difficult to do myself). Most people tint lights to match a darkened sporty theme but I went with a totally different future hex approach! What is everyone's thoughts? I plan on doing my taillights soon and possibly the DRL and Rally. And if you're wondering there is no change in my brightness when driving at night.

[Chris_V]

Spent the weekend finishing up my new painted ghost stripes after removing the deteriorating stock vinyl.

 

 

Edited July 20, 2021 by Chris_V

[Coopah]

Wow!  That looks awesome!