1st Gen JCW Most liked posts in thread: Refreshing Rufus - 2005 MCS JCW

I'd suggest cracking open the chain tensioner bolt BEFORE removing the motor mounts. Or its better to do that -- hella torque on that bolt (especially if it never been changed before). From my POV, the key to these jobs is removing the engine bracket for the simple fact you'll have less interference with parts in your way trying to get r done (it has to be removed for the chain tensioner R&R anyway). Then pulley tensioner is the much easier to deal with. +1 on the technic mount. Its super nice!

 

It's great to see you got this done! I don't remember touching he injectors or fuel line, but good job.

 

Great info. I had forgotten about modMini's headgasket video. I kept searching and always found the chain tensioner video, never this one.

The tensioner itself is best removed when you drop the subframe and pull the axles - totally open access. I could kick myself for not doing the tensioner on the dark silver car last summer when that side of the engine was all open and exposed.

Thing is, some of that rattle I am hearing in my cars is coming from the transmission, not the timing chain. Easy test and very repeatable on my daily driver: cold start, let clutch out fast, there's the knocking/rattle sound. Then push the clutch back in and release very slowly, noise is gone. I read about this on NAM but never got an explanation as to what is behind that noise, but it is something very common to those cars I understand. Higher mileage manual transmission R53s seem to have that noise depending on how you release the clutch. It is only audible when the transmission is un neutral and you release the clutch quickly, at least in 2 of my cars. The 32k mile car doesn't do it (yet).

 

I sure hope that's all it is - "easy" fix compared to anything else

But why would the throw out bearing make noise if you release the clutch fast and then make no noise when you move your foot back a little slower? Same condition - it's spinning on the shaft in the same place. I don't have a link, but others have shown that it's not always clutch related. Maybe I'll record the sound. Easy to replicate on my blue car.

 

88k on the one that makes the most noise, 100k on the other that sounds similar, but not as loud and not as often. Sounds louder/worse when the transmission is cold.

 

neat red springs. Not what Colin was selling 2 years ago (blue) or you went mega special custom.

 

Looks familiar, but as Fishmonger said, the swift springs used to be blue. Make sure you check that the top nuts on the rears are tight before installing.

 

They are Swift springs they color them different for different spring rates. Excellent choice !

 

Love my Greene coilovers!!!

 

glad you got a chance to inhale some high octane

Fuel pump in my daily driver is on the to-do list for next summer. The other two cars, when I turn the key, have a very clearly audible pump putting pressure on the line. The Electric Blue car does not. Hear nothing. It works, but no sound. Wonder what I will find in there, given the non-Mini harmonic balancer the "mechanic husband" of the original owner put in, I may just have some non-Mini fuel pump in there as well.