Thanks for the attention you’re giving this, really appreciate it.
Believe it or not, I’m the original owner of this R53. Ordered it to spec and picked it up about six weeks later on Memorial Day weekend of 2004. Two years ago I was prepared to part with it as I decided to go one year older and bought an 03 BMW 540. But my son, who was just turning 16, surprised me by wanting to learn to drive a manual before I sold it. Of course we did that, he proved to be a natural, and there was no parting with it at that point. He was 2 when we bought it and it’s his car now. Pretty cool outcome.
So now we’re learning some mechanical basics (and a bit beyond basic) and having a good time working on it to keep it in good shape for as long as we can.
I think I replaced those damn bushings (at a shop) almost exactly every 35,000 miles lol... and finally wised up and had Poweflexes put in the last time. Thankfully I don’t even remember now when that was but they’re good to go.
Just had my preferred mechanic put new front axles on. I didn’t feel like we had the time to learn that right now. The misfire and EVAP leak codes have been going on but the shop was so busy we just took the car back to troubleshoot on our own rather than leaving it there for another few days/weeks and hundreds of dollars at least while they hunted this down.
I guess I’m kicking myself now because I did not replace the pulley when everything was off for the supercharger service. It looked visually good and normal, like new really, but I didn’t have its age on my radar as a need to replace. Not like I’ll never pull the bumper off again so I can put that on the list.
Ok if you’re still with me, here’s the latest on my original post. Lot of good news - it’s running so well. My son drove it a few times with no rough idling and so have I. I cleared the codes and for the first time in this saga they both actually cleared - for a bit. The SES and ASC lights went off after clearing codes, but the ASC light came back on. Checked codes, and the cylinder 2 misfire code is back. No SES and no code for EVAP leak so that’s half the battle down maybe.
Now I need to figure out the misfire. Worried about bigger problems either causing it or to be caused by it - like a bad cat maybe? I replaced both oxygen sensors a year ago due to rich running codes and that solved the codes. Then we had a cracked exhaust manifold that we had replaced. Like I mentioned earlier today, I have a brand new plug in cylinder 2 and the others are about 8 months old and visually in good shape after pulling them to inspect last night.
Now I’m thinking I may as well replace the wiring harness and probably the coil pack. Of that clears it up, great, if not they’re original and may as well be replaced (cars has 152,000 not 149,000 like I said before. I’m losing miles same as I’m losing track of time it seems).
I have never done a compression test but seems easy to do, can get a tester kit at harbor freight for 50 bucks, seems worth it what with the big old BMW V8 wanting my attention too. That would at least tell me if I should be planning for much bigger issues (piston rings or damaged cylinder or even head gasket even though we don’t have those symptoms really).
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Plug wires and ignition coils just arrived from FCP so I’ll get those in this weekend. Fingers crossed it solves the misfire, then I can narrow down to the vacuum leak. Who knows.
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Completely agree with the “while you’re in there philosophy.” I have a lot of research and planning to do next to map it all out and decide on what all those extras should be.
My mechanic basically said exactly what you did. It’s a big job but not incredibly hard, possible to DIY with patience and being organized about all my parts, documenting as I go.
I will be back with a new post to start build thread when we get started. It’s super cold here for the foreseeable, I’m hoping my mechanic can tell me it’s okay to drive a bit longer before digging in. I’d love to give it a few weeks to a month for slightly milder temps out in the garage. But if that could threaten to do additional damage I’ll just suck it up and be cold.
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Ran okay today, both codes present. Yesterday it bogged down once in low revs after cold start. My son was driving, he shut the car off, started up again and it was okay after that.
Plug wires and ignition coil shipped today. I also replaced the purge solenoid valve (correct name?) the little canister right in front of the engine on the passenger side that takes one minute to swap out. I’d hoped it was the culprit but that changed nothing.
I’m definitely in “throw parts at it” mode which I don’t love, but on the other hand I am replacing parts that have 150,000 miles on them.
You mentioned fuel filter in one of your replies. Thinking that I should consider that as well. But really, I think I have to bite the bullet and set aside the time to pull the bumper and slide the radiator out so I can get eyes on all the vacuum lines. I’m worried about those two rigid ones that go to those red ring connectors, right above the thermostat. I had a hard time getting to reconnect when I was in there. Concerned that maybe I never did all the way.
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If the new coil and wires does not solve the problem, do a compression test. Low compression in that cylinder will cause a misfire and that in turn will cause the DSC light to come on.
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Pretty certain I won’t be throwing any power upgrades at it. High miles on the little lump as you mentioned, plus it is my son’s daily driver, not mine... can’t say I possess the world’s most conservative impulse control, but at 44 compared to his 18, I wouldn’t feel great about the extra juice being under his foot instead of mine.
FCP is my go-to for everything on the mini and my 540. I’ll probably comparison shop a bit more than usual for this job though, so the kinks you’ve both shared so far are helpful. I’ve looked at Detroit Tuned pulleys before, and I’ve bought some accessories from Out Motoring in the past. I’ll be stocking up on several things this time around.
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Those 16 plug looking things are new valve seal, you'll want to get those to your machine shop if they are reinstalling the valves and springs.
Careful this is a slippery slope. There are lots of maintenance jobs that are just a little more work to get done. This is also one of those jobs where one thing will lead to another either by choice or encountered problems. If you're following the mod mini video you won't be putting the car into service mode and you won't need all the gaskets in that kit because your not pulling the supercharger to service this, but you could. You also won't have access to the crank sensor and dipstick tube that like to leak oil, but if you're doing the supercharger then this is a great opportunity and then you might want to look at the water pump. The timing chain can stretch, but they rarely fail and if it hasn't been a problem you may want to leave it. Note also that as the chain stretches the sprockets also wear, and badly worn sprockets will prematurely wear a new chain if they are not replaced with it. The cam sprocket is easy to change but the one on the crank is pressed on. If you are going to do the timing chain then this is a good opportunity to change the crank damper. I recommend the PRW damper over the ATI. Lower cost, works better, and never needs to be rebuilt because there is no rubber. It is very common for the parts of the chain guides to have broken off and fallen into the oil pan. There is a screen on the oil pickup and these pieces can get stuck in the screen and restrict flow. This is a reason to pull the oil pan to clean it out and replace the gasket. Then you might find the rear seal has been leaking and your this far so time for a new clutch and rear seal. Did I mention coolant lines and the plastic couplers, thermostat and housing? You'll want to replace the thermostat and perhaps the housing. Inspect the coolant hoses and plastic couplers. Hoses get soft over time and the plastic couplers get brittle. Camshaft? Check it and the rockers for wear. Removing the head does give better access to the oil filter housing and cooler so inspect for leaks and replace the gaskets.-
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I did since figure out that the kit includes the valve seals and I’ve sorted it out with the shop I’m going to use that I’ll supply those.
I’ve decided that I will in fact put the car in front end service mode. I plan to replace the crankshaft position sensor o-ring and it will be easier to get to that way. I don’t want to pull the supercharger if I can help it. I just had it out in May of 2020 and filled it with fresh oil, replacing the green gasket and the block gasket at that time.
I’m going to put on a 15% reduction pulley to replace the still-original. Thanks for the recommendation on the PRW damper over the ATI. I have been uncertain on that front so far but PRW will be my solution.
I’m going to replace the idler tensioner and pulley too. And of course the belt even though I just put it on last May but I don’t think I should reuse that with all the new pulleys.
I hear you on timing chain. Now I’m not sure. I planned on replacing the chain, both guides and the tensioner. But you make a good point. Thing is the car has always - and I mean from when it was only about two years old - had an on-again-off-again rattle on cold startups that has always sounded like the chain flapping into the guides. The one time the oil pan was off, years ago, my mechanic didn’t see any guide bits in there. My BMW had this rattle too and I replaced the tensioner and that solved it. Possibly that’s all that’s going on with the Mini but at that point I can’t help but think I should pull all of it and start with new parts. They all have 152,000 miles on them. And I would learn how to time an engine to somewhat become prepared for the inevitable timing job on my 540 in the future.
I also already plan to replace the oil pan gasket and the oil filter housing gasket.
The car will be laid up for at least a week or two, easily two full weekends but probably three. Machine shops in my area are slammed right now. Best choice is a guy with a three week lead time. He thinks he’ll be more caught up by the time I get my head to him but still, i don’t expect it back to me with a day or anything. So I’ll be able to take my time, being patient and tackling one of these jobs at a time with no rush or time pressure. Given that scenario, I want to take full a day and do as much of the hard-to-reach jobs as I can while it’s so thoroughly dismantled.
I’ll probably start my build thread here soon and in my first post I’ll include a link to the spreadsheet I’m building of all my parts and prices and sources for ordering. I don’t plan on ordering everything until later this week/next week.
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I did the timing chain because new guides and tensioner only temporarily fixed the chain noise. I did not replace the old sprockets and everything has been fine.
Timing this engine is easy when your are putting on a new timing chain, just line up the marks on the chain with the ones on the sprockets and your done. The cam timing tool makes this really easy because it puts the crank and cam in the correct position when disassembling and the cam in the right spot when reassembling. Note: All the pistons will be centered in the cylinders at this position and the mark on the crank sprocket will point towards the front of the car. Make sure it is this way when reinstalling the head.-
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My brand new Bentley manual arrived today so that and YouTube are my best friends for the foreseeable future.
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I put the original IC boots back on today and it ran smoothly right away. ASC light is gone, SES still on but I was in a time crunch and didn’t hook up the reader to clear it and see. Will do that tonight.
I put in four new NGK double platinum plugs last May, and replaced cylinder 2’s plug with an identical new NGK last night. And like I said in the original post, I believe I’ve eliminated the oil leak that I had, there’s no fresh oil in that plug well since replacing the valve cover gasket ten days ago. And luckily there was no sign of coolant in any of the plug holes to begin with (so I’m ruling out head gasket I hope?)
Good advice on fuel filter. It is original. Forgot to state mileage... 149,000. As you say, definitely seems a safe bet to replace the fuel filter whether it’s causing any of this or not.
I’m really optimistic about this all being down to the dumb Alta boots. My next step will be to get eyes on every vacuum line and connector, but that requires front end service mode all over again to really see everything (unless maybe a borescope could get under enough stuff to let me see the hidden lines).
Stock and original supercharger pulley. I had the supercharger out last spring, replaced its oil and green gasket, and replaced the serpentine belt. No issues since then until this leak and misfire started. Errors were greatly intermittent at first with no change in drivability - first error appeared four months ago which when I type it looks ridiculous, like I willfully ignored this... just didn’t know where to start until I had worse symptoms, and the possibly related oil leak from the valve cover kicked it all into gear. And now the misfire and vacuum leak is noticeable problem.
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A few things to add to your list. When you did the belt if you did not replace the tensioner pulley and idler pulley at that mileage it is a must. Make sure and take a good look at the rubber on the crank pulley if it is getting cracks in it I would replace it. You don’t want it to fail. If you have not had the lower a-arm bushings replaced I don’t have to see the car to know they are bad. They go bad around 35k. I would replace them with PowerFlex bushings they will last the life of the car.
I am glad it sounds like the boots helped. Nothing better than an R53.
How long have you had the car?-
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At any rate, both of our codes are back after one day of clean living. Misfire and EVAP leak. Car is running well though but I figure that’s temporary too. Clearly those intercooler boots must have been a major source of a vacuum leak, and now that it’s well sealed there, the leak is just getting through the next weakest link.
The misfire code came back first and the evap leak was a few hours later in the next startup yesterday. They’re both present at startup today.
Next order of business is new plug wires and ignition coil, was going to do that anyway. Hoping to solve the misfire with that but then I’ll have the vacuum leak to track down still.
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As @00Mini said replacing parts at the age of your car is not bad.-
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Well I would like to say its not hard but it really depends on your level of knowledge and skill. I have never had to do a valve job on a R53 but I have done a lot of other cars. If you take your time and make sure you get the timing right you'll be fine. Two things I would suggest.
1 Get a Bentley manual
https://www.partsgeek.com/ns159tq-mini-cooper-paper-repair-manual.html?gb=pp&cid=28884375&aid=4168799307&kid=1100003047982&msclkid=168476bdd79e1dfcb49216a1622b17ff&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping(BSC)&utm_term=1100003047982&utm_content=Ad+group+#1&
2 be ready to do extra work. If you're digging this deep don't cheep out. Replace any worn parts like timing chain, guid
and tensioner. You don't want to do this and then have to go back in.
But I think you should go full physco!
get a RMW big valve head, its under 3K
http://store-revolutionmini-com.3dcartstores.com/RMW-Big-Valve-Head-wcore-charge-added_p_76.html
or even better get a RMW full stroker motor its only 10K Its only money.
We will be here to help if you need it. Also consider doing a build thread with pictures as you go.
Here is some of the places I like getting parts. Their good people.
https://www.detroittuned.com
https://www.outmotoring.com
for used parts
https://www.allmagautoparts.com
Good luck!-
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