1st Gen "How To" Replacing The Crank Pulley

Pulley1.JPG
The crank pulley on an R53 takes power from the crank and supplies it to the serpentine belt, in turn feeding the alternator, AC compressor and...
By agranger · Jan 18, 2018 ·
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  1. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #1 agranger, Oct 29, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 30, 2011
    About a week ago I was about 6 blocks from home when my AC started blowing warm, moist air. 3 blocks after that, I noticed the battery/charge light come on and I started getting nervous. Right as I pulled into the driveway, steam started rising from the cowel vents as coolant boiled over, out of the expansion tank and onto the engine heat shield. I shut the engine off quickly and raised the bonnet to let things cool off.

    Before I could walk into the house I had guessed 'bad crank pulley'. It's one of those things that seems to go wrong on R53 cars when they get around 80k and I'm at 6 years and 72k miles.

    When things were cool, I put the front right corner up on a jack stand, removed the wheel, the fender liner and serpentine belt. I could turn the outter ring of the crank pulley without even moving the crank, confirming my guess. I called Way at Way Motorworks and had him send me the parts.

    Since I already had a how-to on replacing the serpentine belt, it's only a handful of additional steps to pull/replace the crank pulley, so here's a new article.

    Please use this thread for discussion purposes.

    The how-to is located here: How To :: R53 Crank Pulley Replacement
     
  2. AliceCooper

    AliceCooper Club Coordinator

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    Did you use a ATI ?
     
  3. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    Article is now published.

    Can be found HERE

    Thanks to agranger for yet another great How To item.
     
  4. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Yep. Nathan released the article into production this morning, so you can see the pulley and a link to Way's page in the how-to (which is now properly linked in the 1st post)
     
  5. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    Nice article, Aaron.
     
  6. Nitrominis

    Nitrominis Banned

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    ^^^^^^^^

    What he said! :Thumbsup:
     
  7. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    I don't have a R53, but I still enjoyed your DIY instructions. Nice work on your write-up...:Thumbsup:
     
  8. AliceCooper

    AliceCooper Club Coordinator

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    Excellent job as usual :cornut:
     
  9. quikmni

    quikmni Moderator

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    Thanks for posting the How To. The crank pulley is the next job for my GP.
     
  10. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    I already had the belt replacement article... adding the pulley removal and replacement was pretty easy. I couldn't resist.

    Glad you guys like it. Hope it helps.
     
  11. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    :Thumbsup:

    And another one to add to my library!
     
  12. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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  13. CrazyIvan

    CrazyIvan New Member

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    That's exactly how I installed my M7 pulley. 20 minutes in the oven then slip it on and torque it down.
     
  14. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #14 agranger, Apr 5, 2012
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2012
    Mine spent more like 5-6 minutes, tops, on the stove top. I didn't want to get it too hot as I wasn't sure of the temperature it was to be heated to. Mine gave a bit of resistance, but it pulled smoothly on using the bolt provided in the pulley kit and I could easily feel when the pulley was fully seated. When the OP on that last pulley heated it to 250, he/she said that it slipped right on by hand until it bottomed out (final install position).

    I just added this new bit of info to the how-to article. Automotive mechanic crowd-sourcing!
     
  15. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    If you're going to slip it on by hand, make sure you're wearing gloves. =)

    Thanks for consolidating all the info. I was rooting around the engine and discovered the seal leaking, so I'm going to pull my ATI pulley and replace the seal. I've learned that dirt doesn't naturally stick to an engine; it's usually the sign of an oil leak.
     
  16. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    #16 BThayer23, Apr 23, 2012
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2012
    I've had the front of my car apart for a few weeks now, and in the course of rooting around I discovered the crank pulley seal was leaking. I didn't take any pictures, but I figured I'd share my notes here, because removal of the ATI pulley is a little different than the stock pulley.

    First off, I discovered the leak because the area around the pulley was filthy. The side of the timing case was covered in that dirt/oil sludge. It was all under the idler pulley, too.

    To remove the pulley, you'll need the following items:
    5/16" 12pt socket (mine is 1/4" drive, so I needed a 1/4" to 3/8" drive socket, too)
    harmonic balancer puller (aka 3-bolt puller)
    3x 4.5" 5/16-18 bolts (usually comes with the puller)
    3/8" drive torque wrench
    Blue loctite (#242, removable)
    New center bolt (recommended)
    New crank pulley gasket, MINI part # 11 11 1 485 171
    Small screw driver
    Hammer
    block of wood

    Loosen the center bolt with an impact gun or figure out a way to hold the pulley still. You can brace a big screwdriver on the three 12pt bolts, too. My ATI pulley came with a different bolt with a big Allen head and a washer. I saved the bolt and here, screwed it into the pulley hand tight. The tip of the puller seats better on this bolt than the stock one. If you're using the stock bolt, loosen the bolt several turns but not all the way.

    Remove the three 12pt bolts (don't touch the 6 torx flat head bolts). Line up your puller and screw in the longer bolts. I had to rotate the pulley a bit so the puller didn't hit the unit body on the way out. Twist the center screw on the puller and start to pull the pulley off. At some point, the pulley will hit the center bolt. Back the center screw off and loosen the bolt a bit more. Repeat till the pulley comes off.

    To remove the old seal, take a small screwdriver and a hammer. The rubber gasket has a couple metal rings inside, so you want to bend the outer ring into a pac-man shape so you can pry it out. Hammer the edge of the gasket, being careful not to score the timing case. Pry out the gasket carefully. Coat the center of the seal with a bit of bearing grease and start it in by hand. Here, you can tap it in gently with a 1/4" drive extension and small hammer, working it in slowly and evenly by tapping in a star pattern. I had a 12pt 30mm axle nut socket for a BMW rear axle that worked perfectly as a drift. Slow and steady, tap tap tap around the socket, until the gasket is flush with the timing case. Wipe off any excess grease and dirt.

    To reinstall the pulley, heat per above directions. I turned the oven to 250*F and baked the pulley for about 10-15 min. My oven thermometer pegged the pulley at about 150*F. With gloves, it went on the tip of the crank shaft but didn't slide on. I had a helper use a hammer and a block of wood to seat the pulley better. Then I put a couple washers on the stock crank pulley bolt and drove it on with an impact gun. Remove the bolt, remove the washers, add blue (removable) loctite, and screw back in. Use the three long bolts, a big screwdriver, and a helper to hold the pulley while you torque the bolt to 85 ft-lbs. Wait for the pulley to cool (an hour or two, or lunch and a beer), and drive the three original 12pt bolts back in with a dab of blue loctite. Brace the pulley and torque each bolt to 30 ft-lbs.


    Thanks to my dad, who insists this is the same way to do it on a Chevy small block, and to Dan Zipkin at Flow MINI.
     
  17. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #17 agranger, Apr 24, 2012
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2012
    That's cool. Had I known it was that easy to replace the seal, I probably would have done it if needed it or not when I replaced the pulley. Very nice.
     
  18. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks. When I removed the pulley, mine was very clearly dripping oil down the timing case cover - I wish I had taken a picture. If it looks dry, don't even bother.
     
  19. Ernesto

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    Here is what mine looked like on a 2002 Cooper before the seal was replaced..

    [​IMG]
     
  20. andyroo

    andyroo New Member
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    So, i think i've made a terrible mistake. While getting ready to remove the OEM damper, I snapped one of the 3 puller bolts off inside the OEM damper. Lets not talk about how....the hardware was used and in awful condition, but mostly I absent-mindedly went a little too far. :(

    Anyway. There's maybe 1/8th of an inch hanging out, and if i can find some vice grips I might be able to get it out. But in the meantime, is there anything else I can do? I just need to get this damn OEM pulley off! I don't think 2 out of 3 bolts would get it off...would it? I'm afraid I'd just break the other 2 bolts.

    Oh and I do have 1 back up bolt to use to replace the broken one...as long as I can get it out.

    Halp!
     

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