1st Gen R53 Cooper S My 2005 R53 Daily Driver build thread

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by fishmonger, Sep 24, 2017.

  1. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Yes Dave is right! That’s the belt I have on the R53. You will need the belt tensioner tool for it. I was Abel to do it my self but it was not fun.
     
  2. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    Hmm - it seemed more or less impossible, even if I pushed that damper a little further. Not sure, no helper around for a while.

    Before I do anything else, I'll measure that damper diameter and compare with the stock unit from the other car I have in a bin, because that 535 belt almost needed the same process you are describing to get on the idler pulley. And the 15% plus ATI stock size setup was a lot easier to do by myself with the same size belt and that pulley is larger.
     
  3. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    I like the block of wood helperfor the tensioner tool. One other trick I discovered while trying to chang the belt on the side of the road without the tensioner tool is to loosen th fulcrum bolt a turn or two. Not only does it give you more bolt to grab a hold of, it puts the bolt closer to the frame rail, so the tool has less room to slip by (like the function of your block of wood).
     
  4. myles2go

    myles2go Active Member

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    That damper looks like the previous owner spent some time looking through the junk yard until he found something that fit.
     
  5. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    That is what I am thinking. Going to get an ATI soon (maybe now), but I need to figure out what kind of puller to use on this thing. Measured it and it is larger than the OEM. My rough math tells me it's an extra 3mm of belt that is needed to get around that damper.

    I'll have a helper tonight to try the belt one more time. Looking at the tensioner now and with the 535 belt, the first pin plus about 1/10" of the pin strip are showing, so it's pretty tight.

    So instead of the engine I focused on the interior again. The door speaker foam protectors/baffles have been waiting to be installed. Not the greatest fit in the door, but with some improvising, I got the first one in. the second one will go in faster.

    [​IMG]
    sealing those door woofers

    Plus I went looking for that console plug - found a few almonds in there and other crud that must have made it through the hole. Never had that console off. Maybe a good time to source that alcantara parking brake boot.

    [​IMG]
    inside the console

    Without the Bentely manual, I would have never pulled as hard as I had to to get that console off. Wow. Levers and pull to get it to pop up in the back. Front wasn't bad.
     
  6. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    I have a ATI damper and 17% pulley. I said many a bad word before I got my belt on. It’s Fun!
     
  7. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    532 belts are a Pita but it’s worth it.
     
  8. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    Minor interior detail that I think fell through the cracks and wasn't posted a few weeks ago when I did it. I did this to all my cars. The red car from Florida had no foam at all, as anything foam on that car seems to have disintegrated in that climate (headliner, seat cushions, etc). The other cars are just dirty, like probably all Minis out there that have seen a few miles.

    AC filter material from Amazon or some home improvement store, screw driver and trim removal tools, get that rear interior trim below the hatch out of the car, rip the cruddy foam off, and hot glue a new set into its place. Car looks 10 years newer.

    [​IMG]
    new and old vent filter
     
  9. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    The e-brake boot comes off the top (without removing the console) very easily. Just squeeze the long oval plastic frame that holds the base of the pleather in place and it pulls up. Invert the pleather by pulling the oval over the brake handle to expose the ziptie that holds the boot to the handle and poof... it comes right off.

    But really... any time is a good time for a cool mod! :D

    Do you have a link to where you got that foam material? Rufus looks pretty sad back there too!
     
  10. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    got my foam on Amazon - http://a.co/9FGkzw4 - probably can find it at a Home Depot or similar store for about the same amount. There is enough in there to do about 8 cars :)

    I removed the console mostly to get things cleaned up in there. Remember, this is the car with the mega Starbucks spill and various food resources located in remote places. Also was hoping to find the original console cover deep inside, but no such luck. I did retrieve the one I dumped in there, though :D

    Interesting part on mine is that there was no zip tie. or I am looking in the wrong place. My lock cover on the tip of the hand brake is also worn - need to replaint, wrap, or replace. Silver paint on it all scratched up.
     
  11. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    So last night I went back to the belt. Rigged up the belt tool to be bomb proof on the bolt (unscrewed that bolt until combined with the wood plank, the tool was locked on the bolt. I then pushed the tensioner to absolute full extension and with helper got the belt started around the pulley. Then a plastic hammer moved it all the way on. The second hole on the tensioner is showing but it is not completely compressed, so I guess that is the ideal condition, plus it's a new tensioner.

    Later I just finished up my speaker baffle on the driver's side, reinstalled the center console after cleaning and started thinking how to best do the resistor fan mod. Turns out the original resistor is toast, just on the backside where you can't see it. Was going to cut it out anyway. Still don't have all the parts to finish that.
     
  12. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Thanks for the Amazon link to the filter material. It's on the way!

    The zip tie is under the pleather of the e-brake boot, tightened around the base of the e-brake handle (the hand grip that your fingers wrap around). It holds the boot to the handle. If you look at the base of the handle (farthest away from the button), you will see a deep groove that is maybe 1/2" inch wide... that's where the zip-tie goes.

    See this video, about 4 min in.

    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJlMzHICf2k"]How to remove and replace the emergency brake / handbrake cover and leather on a Mini Cooper - YouTube[/ame]
     
  13. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    yeah, I found it as I rolled it up. I assume the gear shift boot has a similar zip tie up near the top, as each of my cars has a slightly different boot height. Noticed that as all three cars have the JCW carbon shifter now, and each install had a slightly different level of difficulty to insert the final locking piece of plastic, as the boot is more or less in the way. And they don't always slide, probably based on how tight the zip tie is.

    regarding the video - the top cap comes off real easy if you take a rag around it to protect the rubber part, then some large pliers and press down on both sides where these clips are while pulling on it. Took me 5 seconds to remove.
     
  14. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    Last night I started on the fan resistor mod. This time I tried to improve on my recent jobs done to the other cars, and after last night, I think I will redo the other cars. Mainly because it takes some rather hefty wiring to be up to the current flow the OEM wires are sized for. It is a safety issue, as thin wires will heat up over time. I'm sure the OEM wires are oversized for the requirements, but it still is an area not to mess with. One way to bypass this whole problem is to just buy a new fan resistor from Rock Auto and swap it out in place where Mini placed it, but you will be replacing it within a year or two again. Those parts are $23 and require you to splice into the wiring right on top of the radiator, an area I would not want to have exposed to moisture, plus it is difficult to fit any sort of wire nut on 10 gauge wires up there.

    My old method was to cut the dead resistor off the mounting posts (dremel) and twist a pair of wires onto each contact, then solder and cover in liquid electric tape. I then ran those wires in a tube shroud to the same place where the OEM plug is located, where I added my own 2 pole waterproof connector. It is that run of wiring I think I undersized, and it is rather long compared to my new solution. The Second OEM wire is a 12 gauge from what I could tell with the stripping tool, while I always used 14awg. This time I also ordered 14awg, which prompted me to look for a solution to keep that cable run as short as possible.

    Two options - mount the resistor close to the OEM location, or tap into the OEM wires at the connector not where the resistor was located. The first option would require a resistor that has excellent cooling by itself, as there is no decent heat sink surface to mount the type that is commonly available. It looks like it has good cooling, but the specs clearly ask that it is mounted on a larger metal surface. So option 2 it is - and that requires to tap into a wire you really don't want to cut... I figured if I screw it up, I'll just buy a new fan unit. So that's what this job describes.

    The basic concept of the mod is to re-locate the resistor to a metal surface that can aid the resistor in staying cool. I prefer to put it on the aluminum bumper on the driver's side, connected via a waterproof plug to the wire I tap into the fan wiring. It is electrically in the exact same place if you run wires from the two red leads to wherever you want the resistor to be housed as if you mounted it in the OEM location. That is where the OEM resistor bridges the two red wires coming from the plug.

    Here we go - first the OEM resistor has to go - in my case it looked intact from the front of the fan shroud. Remove the rear cap with an 8mm socket or wrench

    [​IMG]

    and look, this one was failed like all the others, just on the back side you don't see until you remove it

    [​IMG]

    Here you see the way it is connected to the red wires. Fat red wire (main positive) on left, 12awg on right. Blue goes to the fan and is basically still the fat red wire, just an extension, while black goes to the plug. We leave that small diode (?) alone. It also bridges the two red wires where it is mounted

    [​IMG]


    The resistor is welded to metal tabs - not easy to remove. My big cutting pliers didn't do anything there.

    [​IMG]

    Out comes the dremel tool. Easy cuts, 2 minutes later the dead resistor is gone.

    [​IMG]

    Now to the splicing job. Here is where I peeled back the electrical tape and exposed the two red wires near the OEM connector

    [​IMG]

    My own super flexible silicone wires to extend the circuit - if you want to avoid the splice, get 12awg and connect that where the original resistor was mounted, run it all the way along the OEM wires to the plug, then do the same thing I am doing with my splice.

    [​IMG]

    snip... leave enough room in both directions to slide some heat shrink on before re-connecting. The main reason for the full cut is the heat shrink tubing. Otherwise one could probably get the wires exposed without cutting them, but then how do you properly water protect it?

    [​IMG]

    reconnect the wires, and add the leads to the splice connector. These are now three way connections. Solder to secure, then the heat shrink and electrical tape to finish it off

    [​IMG]

    Soldered twisted connections. This takes a while with these fat leads, because the solder really should flow right through all the strands, so it all needs to be heated through. Make sure the heat shrink is as far away as possible. or it will shrink on the wires before you can slide it over the connection

    [​IMG]

    small heat shrink tubing moved in place for the heat gun. Again, protect the big tubing (black on left) from heat so it will still fit over.

    [​IMG]

    shrunk onto the wire

    [​IMG]

    now the larger heat shrink goes over both wires

    [​IMG]

    Electrical tape finishes it off from where the old stuff was peeled back (I also cut the plastic OEM tubing back so I could get my heat shrink staged far enough away from the solder points.

    next up the connector half that goes on the new lead we have now spliced in. This is the type I am using, plus protective loom

    [​IMG]

    Get these buggers connected, stuff the gray gaskets on them and push them into the proper end of the connector half you want on the car side of the setup. I put the female on this end as it is larger and harder to route to the bumper than the male end

    [​IMG]

    all done and taped up

    [​IMG]

    up next the other half - first I need to get the car partially assembled to do that. I may get to it later tonight
     
  15. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    Part 2 of the resistor mod. The bumper had to go on the car to see where the best spot for the mount would be.

    Used the opportunity to give the radiator another good rinse - garden hose clamped to it and let her rip

    [​IMG]

    I got to use a new tool to reconnect the clamp on the air intake - looks like a good idea, but it doesn't work and I still had to use normal pliers. Perhaps it works better on the non-removable clamps

    [​IMG]

    The other two cars have the resistor above the crush tubes on the aluminum bumper, but it's difficult to get to the screws there. So this time I was looking for a new spot. Vertically mounted, the curvature of the bumper isn't really that big of a deal for heat sink contact, so I decided to go inside the bumper next to the radiator. Seen from the top here while taped to the location I had in mind:

    [​IMG]

    With that sorted out, I had to prep the holes in the bumper to work with sheet metal screws I saved from some other project. Soldered the wires to the resistor and put heat shrink over the ends first.

    [​IMG]

    once it was all set to be mounted, the heat sink grease from the last computer build came into play

    [​IMG]

    all installed. I spent more time getting those super flexible wires into the plastic loom than all the other steps combined! Needed to use a bicycle shifter cable housing to pull these through. Dip stick was too short :)

    [​IMG]

    A quick temporary bumper install showed me the length needed - cut the wires and loom to size and mounted the mail part of the waterproof connector. All ready to install at that point

    [​IMG]

    Here is where the connectors meet, next to the OEM radiator connector. The yellow zip tie is sacrificial and needs to get cut and replaced next time the radiator comes off.

    [​IMG]

    here you can see where the wire runs to get behind the bumper, right along the outside temp sensor that goes through that opening. Also visible some blue and red wiring from the HID ballasts on the fog lights.

    [​IMG]

    That completed the fan resistor mod. We'll see if it works once there's coolant in the engine again.
     
  16. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    As I was ready to install the bumper, I remembered I had a black JCW honeycomb grill on the shelf... So I ripped off the OEM parts and spent the next hour removing glue from the bumper. Goo Gone and heat gun and a lot of patience

    [​IMG]

    taped up the bumper and painted the now visible blue surface flat black

    [​IMG]

    same on the hood. removal here is easier, but assembly really is a pain. save your OEM "nuts" because what they ship with the grills just won't work, at least my hardware was useless.

    [​IMG]

    It's worth the hassle, though - now I need to get the black out for the lower bumper to match the gloss!

    [​IMG]

    quick test of the HID fogs - the wires can be flipped, so it's always a 50/50 chance with this kit that you are on the wrong polarity. I got it right this time on both sides

    [​IMG]

    The 6000k bulbs I bought are more blue than the OEM low beams, though. Not by much. The photo doesn't show the difference very well
     
  17. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    And the day wasn't over - one more job to do: that brake fluid reservoir looked disgusting to me. Even though pads and rotors are recent replacements, I wasn't so sure about the brake fluid... sucked the icky stuff out of the reservoir first and it looked like they got this at Starbucks

    [​IMG]

    Then the power bleeder got set up - 20 minutes later, I had clear ATE Typ 200 coming out of the last bleeder screw

    [​IMG]

    Made a mess removing the bleeder, but that meant some more cleaning under the hood. Next time I need to completely depressurize the bottle I guess :)

    next the coolant goes back in, then install passenger seat, stud conversion and wheel spacers. Then the car goes back on the ground so we can visit a muffler shop for that cracked resonator. Had a chat with them on Saturday and the photos are not enough for them. Want to see the car before they can tell me what needs to happen.

    I ordered a new scan tool that can reset my air bag code and do all sorts of other nifty BMW things. Should get here this week.
     
  18. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Thanks for the fan resistor write-up! I'm probably going to just do the replacement in the stock location for Rufus (and will investigate a way to make future replacements easier), but it is hella-cool to see a new approach.
     
  19. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    Rockauto sells two resistor modules, one labeled as "upgrade". Thing is, they both require soldering/reconnecting the stock wiring right at the resistor board location. Not something I'd want to do.

    I'd just get a whole new fan unit with resistor if I didn't want to mess around with external resistors. The external resistor won't fail (as easily) as the likely constantly overheating OEM solution resistors. The interesting part is that the entire housing of that module is empty. There's nothing in a space designed to house something. My guess is there was a totally different solution originally and they went with this cheap alternative in production.
     
  20. Dave.0

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