McFly's MINI Adventure

Discussion in 'Car Builds, Projects, Idea's Experiments' started by McFly, Jul 23, 2013.

  1. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    So I find it appropriate to make my own thread covering the repair and upgrading of my '04 MCS. To start if off, some photos of how it currently sits.

    IMG_5843_zps89acc2e8.jpg IMG_5844_zpsb89e9aca.jpg IMG_5846_zps66ecd8da.jpg


    I just put some used tires on the rear that are not the same size as the fronts just to get by for now but I am going to spare my embarresment and not show those willingly. The right rear had a flat spot from skidding and belts showing.

    Anyways what has been done

    - replaced alternator
    - replaced starter
    - M7 strut tower with anti mushrooming plates
    - 17x8 Harmann wheels ( BF Goodwrench somethings up front.. Conti's on the rear until I get spare cash to get matching)
    - 2% M7 underdrive pulley(original failed)
    - swapped head unit(showed CD ERROR)
    - completely cleaned the interior and cleaned/conditioned the leather
    - polished headlights to get rid of the oxidation


    What needs to be done or I'd like to do

    - clutch
    - shocks/struts
    - super charger (have it on my bench and a 15% pulley coming)
    - replace the MFE with a non broken one
    - aluminum skid plate
    - plugs and wires (plugs and wires will be done with the SC swap and the pulley)
    - 15% pulley
    - tint (legal darkness)
    - polish the paint( ghosting evident from vinyl stripes)
    - replace some trim
    - plasti dip the wheels
    - replace gaskets for the usual leaks
    - coolant flush
    - power steering lines and flush
    - catch can
    - cold air intake
    - replace rear tires to match front
    - replace tail lamps
    - aero grill (maybe matching aero bumper)


    Anyways, I can keep going but thats where I currently sit. Its kind of nice having a big after market. Coming from 30+ year old mercedes diesels, its really nice since we didn't really have one.

    I ordered the Valeo single mass flywheel conversion kit since I am afraid my flywheel might be a bit worn out from the 164k miles on it and the slipping clutch. I need to order the rest of the bits to do that job and figure out the clutch alignment tool as well as hopefully get someone that knows what they are doing to help me with it if at all possible. I'll take you to Disney World if you come over and help!
     
  2. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    :cornut: Welcome to MA and good luck refurbishing/upgrading your R53. Her external appearance is great.:Thumbsup:

    Jason
     
  3. rum4

    rum4 Club Coordinator
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    Welcome to m/a
     
  4. eMINIparts

    eMINIparts Well-Known Member
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    Mar 13, 2012
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    Welcome to the coolest MINI forum on the net....:cool:

    We want to see updates...
     
  5. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Welcome, McFly!

    Yes, updates please.....:Thumbsup:
     
  6. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    I will keep this thread pretty well updated.

    I do hope I can get a local MINI owner that has done the clutch to maybe help me do this other than myself and a clueless friend doing this.

    stopped by harbor freight and bought an engine support beam.

    Now I just need to figure out how to keep the clutch slave compressed while I have it unbolted from the transmission, tips?
     
  7. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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  8. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Don't worry about the clutch slave, it'll be fine. Just unbolt it from the transmission and leave it hang from it's hose, then reverse it on reassembly.

    Good luck with your project, it's a lot of work, but I think if you use the Valeo clutch you'll find it will be worth it.
     
  9. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    Really, I was wondering why pelican didn't mention the slave. I now only need to solve locking the flywheel and how the SMF is balanced.

    I have a cordless electric impact but its a craftsman non lithium ion gun and its been rather dissapointing.

    oh, one more thing. Can I use zerex g-05 in place of the MINI/BMW coolant? I use G05 for my Mercedes since its the exact same stuff as the Mercedes coolant.
     
  10. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    If it's good enough for Mercedes........:D

    You only need to lock the flywheel to torque it back on again, stick a bolt back into one of the holes where the bellhousing bolts up and use a prybar/big ass screwdriver or the like into the teeth of the flywheel to hold it.

    It will be a 2 man job unless you can figure out a way to clamp it down so it won't move or pop out of the teeth.

    A good impact wrench will help things along considerably.

    SMF?

    Oh, you guys and your abbreviations......

    It only goes on one way, so unless you're going to tear the engine down and have everything balanced together, don't worry about it...... bolt it on and go.

    Pelican is a good site, but it started out and still is primarily a Porsche site, they're fairly new at this MINI stuff.
     
  11. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    #11 McFly, Jul 25, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2013
    Sorry, Single Mass Flywheel. I ordered the valeo kit since my original Dual Mass Flywheel is probably in need of some loving.



    The flywheel arrived today but man does the packing suck from Valeo. Thankfully the clutch disc and flywheel face look ok. It came with a clutch alignment tool and a sticker to notify the next person that the car has a non OEM flywheel. The warranty card was shredded from the crappy packing. I've got a friend helping me drop the subframe tomorrow and hopefully someone will be with me Saturday while I do the rest of the job and bolt it back up.



    Once I start my new job in two weeks and can save up for some things and stash money away I might invest in a nice electric impact wrench since I have no room for air tools yet. My garage only has one 110v outlet pair that I can use!



    I think I am going to hit up lowes for a PVC pipe thats the same diameter as the rear main seal so I can tap it in easily.



    Almost forgot, I need two quarts of transmission fluid, I cannot seem to find Redline MTL locally so I was wondering what I can use in its place. The shifting in this car is rather laborious, I need to lube the ends of the cables but the fluid is probably needing to be changed. I do need to find out if I have a limited slip differential.
     
  12. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    subframe is almost out. The control arm ball joints are stuck to the spindles and I think I will need to run to lowes first thing tomorrow and get a cold chisel to break them free.

    soaking them overnight in PB Blaster
     
  13. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Yeah, it's funny how on some cars they just drop out and on others they can be stuck good. Be careful getting them crooked, they will bind up, if you use the cold chisel do a little on each side till it comes out.

    I don't know what to tell you on trans fluid, but if you look in your owner's manual it will give you a number of choices and the spec on the fluid.
     
  14. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Beat them from the side with a heavy hammer a.k.a. BFH and they will pop apart.
     
  15. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    Yeaaaaaah I did that for about 30 minutes eah side with a 3lb mini sledge and nothing


    It's going to my mechanic I use for things I cannot do. $860 for labor. Ughhhhh
     
  16. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Without knowing your specific situation, I'm always surprised by the level of difficulty of projects people are willing to attempt with very little in the way of tools, knowledge or experience on our cars.

    I see guys ready to pull their supercharger, with only a screwdriver, a hammer and a DIY they copied from the net....then they get angry and upset because they have to pay someone to fix what they messed up.

    This is NOT meant as an indictment of McFly here or anyone else, but as ol squinty said "A man's got to know his limitations" :D

    Sometimes it's better to call in the pro's and get a chance to enjoy your car rather than fight with it.

    I have a good friend in Dallas who has one of the very first '02 Cooper
    S that came to the US, it has 100K on it and he loves the car so we spent a week working on it, replacing all those known and typical things that fail or wear out on a MINI in the hopes that he can keep it another 10 years and another 100K at least. He is certainly a competent mechanic, tho it's not how he makes his living. One of the things we did was replace the clutch, and while not physically hard (we rented a lift at the local DIY place, which was a huge asset!) it was a complex procedure, and in conjunction with all the other things we did, it took us almost a whole week of 8-5 labor on a lift in a shop with the correct tools. Now imagine trying to do that on the floor of a garage with a minimal tool set. It can be done, but sometimes it can be overwhelming, and it's good to know when to say "when"!

    Hope this turns out well.

    BTW, when we finished assembling my friends '02, he turned the key, it started immediately (surprise #1) and we drove it straight to the alignment shop. After that, he immediately left KC for Dallas, and arrived 9 hours later with absolutely no issues and has been loving his car again every day since. That's the way it's supposed to be....

    This was taken 30 sec after we closed the hood and started it for the first time as he drove it out of the DIY shop....

    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H3N2EElBPE&list=TLike2K4JEHEs"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H3N2EElBPE&list=TLike2K4JEHEs[/ame]

    We did the following to it:
    New clutch
    new lower control arm bushings and sway bar bushings
    new ball joints
    new power steering pump and hoses
    R&R supercharger to change the oil
    new water pump and thermostat
    new 16% pulley
    new crank damper
    new tensioner
    new shift cables
    replaced all 4 axle boots
    replaced intermediate shaft bearing
    replaced the crank sensor o-ring

    and this is how far we had the car stripped down to get all of this done....
     

    Attached Files:

  17. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    only thing I needed to go out and buy was a 3lb mini sledge. I have ratchets, sockets, torx/etorx...etc galore.

    Sadly the snag I got caught on cannot be dealt with in my garage. I jumped up and down on the control arm, tried to figure out how to press it out(couldn't), and almost put a propane torch on the thing but did not go through since it would melt the boot.

    sigh, I really was not expecting to have to send it to a mechanic. I hope the supercharger is not a ridiculous job. I never had to send my Diesel Merceds out.. I did everything on it. Pulling the transmission to change out the clutch on one of those was a cake walk. I guess this is expected and I knew I should not have bought this car.. I knew it.My girlfriend keeps reminding me
     
  18. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Why should you have not bought this car? Because it needed work? Very few 100K + cars out there that don't need work....

    About the only way to avoid that is to buy a new one.

    It's not always about the tools, but having a deep toolbox is always an asset. I've got three, each full of stuff and I still find I need the odd this or that on a project.

    Every car has it's quirks and foibles, it's always a learning process. For me the MINI's largest learning curve is how much stuff you have to remove to get to the thing you're trying to work on!

    Don't be discouraged, once you get it back and start driving again all the hard work and $$$ spent will be worth it. The MINI is the most rewarding and involving car to drive that you'll ever own.
     
  19. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    Tell that to my girlfriend.......
     
  20. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Nope, you picked her......

    :devil:
     

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