1st Gen R53 Cooper S Ok I'm stupid and need help!!

Can't help you but fingers crossed. If you work on a car eventually you'll get where you're at -hope it's something simple on the clutch.

 

Not stupid...

Bleeding the slave on the MINI can be tricky... Did you compress the slave cylinder plunger, if not you'll still have a bubble in there..

Agranger has a step by step in the library...

Read this thread for some pointers..http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/starting-line/22433-help-r53-s-slave-cylinder-replacement-bleeding.html

Now catch that rabbit and grill it...

 

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bGvv2VUP_8"]Hossenfeffer! - YouTube[/ame]

 

I hate to even say the name, but for the pulley, I like the alta tool that clamps around the pulley. Can't recomend anything else from them.

 

I don't, I found it difficult to use when the SC is in the car, the one from Craven Speed is much more user friendly IMHO.

 

For a pulley that is stuck, the tools that clamp around the pulley work well.

 

We had to heat my pulley with MAP gas to get it to budge... also using the wrap around style puller.

 

The low-profile craven puller MIGHT fit...are you 100% sure it is a stock s and not a JCW..very few JCW pullers are around....
BUT if you bent the pulley on the car....it most likely will not...
The puller is AN EXACT NEGATIVE of the factory pulley....
The craven wil still need a pretty good portion of the pulley to be 100% normal shaped...
If you distorted it...
IMO time to cut it off...
As for bleeding...have not done it (thank god), but have heard many folks who left it compressed overnight...then did it again....
One thing that MIGHT be worth trying...
Dot4 is pretty thin...dot3 is thicker...maybe use dot3 for the bleed...then run some dot4 when done...thicker fluid, might move the bubbles better....just reaching here...but might be worth it if you have a bottle on the shelf....

 

Whew....I read your thread title and figured it was a twelve step program for stupidity, and maybe we were all in line for a discount or something.

 

It took me and Wellzy a couple of hours of trying to get my slave bled completely. And he knew what he was doing. It's a nightmare. You need to hold it at the right orientation, and tap on it with a wrench or something, while doing the stomp method. And have the proper tool to compress it. I hope I never have to screw with it again. Geesh.

 

I've been in your spot with my build. I had a clutch pedal that just wasn't right. I bled it a 1000 times, replaced it twice, and nothing seemed to work. It turned out it was a bad through out bearing. Hoping that isn't the case with yours, there is something that seems to really help:

Take a board and rod and wedge it between the seat and pedal to full depress the clutch pedal. Leave it depressed for 12-24 hours. This makes my clutch remarkable more firm every time I do it.


As for the pulley--they are a pain. I had to pull a JCW pulley of my replacement supercharger. I ended up cutting it off with a cut off wheel and a dremmel. It is a time consuming process, but it does work.

-bj

 

I've also found that C4 works in a pinch...as long as his insurance is current...

 

when I did my pulley on the SC I actually pulled the SC off of the car and had to use a press with a S!@# ton or pressure on it to remove the pulley after I did the same as you and bent the pulley. If you do cut it off just careful not to nick the shaft. as that may make for an ill fitting 15% pulley. (or which ever you are using)

P.S if you do pull it off it's a good time to freshen the oil in the reservoirs to keep the SC working for years to come. I did this at 85K and they were almost empty.

 

MSC02 where are you located? I have a craven puller sitting on my shelf my friend has been trying to sell (might be able to make you a good deal). What clutch did you put in? I did my friends last weekend with a Valeo and had to pressure bleed it twice, first time was a dead pedal, second time still soft ish but engaging (I remember my valeo broke in and got firmer).