1st Gen R53 Cooper S I NEED HELP!!

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by willdoe, Aug 12, 2013.

  1. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    Stick a quality battery charger on it and see what happens.
     
  2. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    By the way... all sorts of strange electrical things happen when the battery on an R50/53 is low on juice. I had always planned to replace mine every 4 years proactively, but they never lasted that long in the Texas heat.

    Looking forward to hearing the rest of the story!
     
  3. willdoe

    willdoe New Member

    Aug 12, 2013
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    BOMB SHELL!!! its not locked up!!!! we rocked it in gear and the pulleys all spun. no strange noises. we changed the oil and there was no metal shaveings it just looked like it was never changed.it was real dark though. no water or nothing. so im looking at the ignition system.
     
  4. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Now your just toying with us. :biggrin5: Get a new battery. R53's like good clean power.
    I hope it cranks up with out much work.
    Good luck :Thumbsup:
     
  5. RallyMini370

    RallyMini370 Well-Known Member

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    worth about $4000+ in parts haha nice looking car for what you paid. I thought my Mini at $4900 was a steal.
     
  6. eMINIparts

    eMINIparts Well-Known Member
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    You stole that car for that price....I think everyone on here has that secret fantasy of finding a MINI that wont start for a low price , only to find out it just needs a battery.

    Good for you sir.....:cornut:
     
  7. willdoe

    willdoe New Member

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    thanks guys!! so heres another update. so got a newer battery in it from my friends WRX and it had a stronger click. so my thought it the starter could be locked up.... of course mini put the starter in the worst place. this is probably the hardest car ive ever worked on haha. i tried the hit it with a hammer trick and i couldnt swing it.

    im gonna try to pull the manifolds out and i guess pull the starter out.
     
  8. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Hard to work on? What? There's all sorts of room under the bonnet.

    You may want to get a Bentley manual. I put it off for a long time, now that I have one I wish I had got it sooner.
     
  9. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    No need to pull the manifolds.
    Remove the heat shields and remove it from the block and it will come out from the top using some creative twisting

    I know this because that is what I did when I bought my MINI that had a seized alternator and dead starter for....3k
     
  10. willdoe

    willdoe New Member

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    ok so HUGE UPDATE!!!! ITS NOT LOCKED UP!!! LIKE AT ALL!!!! i had gotten in it and outta bordem tried it and the starter spun!!! but its not running.... so after it turned over we checked the plugs and they had never been changed... do i got 4 new ones and put them in and tried it. nothing. so i changed the ignition coil. nothing. pulled the plugs, motor has great compression. we didnt actually test it . but it blows your fingers outta the cylinders. it does how ever look like there is water in the cylinders.... so we think it was runn really hot and over heated! HOPEFULLY the heads not warped. were gonna compression test it tommorow, and leak test it. and maybe pull the head and take a look. hopefully nothing rusty or wet. but it did look like water weas in the cylinders and theree was no coolant when i first got.
     
  11. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    Water in the cylinders is never good. Hopefully it was t hydro locked and bent rods.
     
  12. willdoe

    willdoe New Member

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    heads off! water in the 3rd cylinder. cylinder walls have a little surface rust. pistons look decent. they all spin. timeing chain looks fine no play. so im think head gasket. it was pretty old and grimey looking.
     
  13. AliceCooper

    AliceCooper Club Coordinator

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    Take the head to a machine shop and get it pressure tested, hopefully its a blown gasket but I am not so sure. Notice any water in oil when you changed it? Any way you slice it you stole the car for 1k, worse comes to worse put one of Ways new motors in it for 4 or 5 k.
     
  14. willdoe

    willdoe New Member

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    when i drained the oil it didnt look like there was any water. but when we took off the valve cover there looked like some water in the oil. there was no coolant in it when i picked it up ...
     
  15. willdoe

    willdoe New Member

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  16. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    Could it be a flood damaged car?
     
  17. willdoe

    willdoe New Member

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    nope. my cousin drove it and it jsut died he said. so thats all i had to go. the more i dig though. the more i find
     
  18. AliceCooper

    AliceCooper Club Coordinator

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  19. McFly

    McFly New Member

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    If the oil looks like a milkshake then ou have problems
     
  20. willdoe

    willdoe New Member

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    it didnt look like a milkshake. it was a little milky. there wasnt a ton of water in it. it was just enough to discolor it. im trying to find an engine shop that will pressure test the head.
     

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