1st Gen R53 Cooper S Steering rack Boots Busted

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by mini_racer, Mar 24, 2010.

  1. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

    May 4, 2009
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    I have taken a good long look at the area and everything looks great, including the Lower control arm bushing mounts. Everything is painted as it should be, etc., etc.

    With heat from a torch, the any paint would have immediately been burned off. So, I am not discounting the possibility that the dealership has a hand in this, I still can't figure out how that may have happened.

    And yes, the driver's side bellows is much more damaged and distorted than the passenger side.

    Time to order the repair kits I suppose, I think it is just the boots and the clamps. I'll take more pics as I go, but I think the kits have to be ordered so I will not have them in hand for a while.
     
  2. Eric@Helix

    Eric@Helix New Member
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    I like Metalman's idea. Most of the painted surfaces (sway, subframe) down there are powerdercoated and would not burn off very easily. Certainly a rubber bellows would burn-n-melt well before the powerdercoating would start to bubble. I know because I have cut, torched, and welded parts of swaybars to make trophies.
     
  3. Eric@Helix

    Eric@Helix New Member
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    BTW, when you pull the tie rods to replace the boots, carefully mark the jam nuts and threaded rod ends so that you don't screw up the alignment.:Thumbsup:
     
  4. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    Sure the bellows would get damaged before a powder coated surface would get damaged, but IF there was any heat used it would not be directed at the bellows at all. I certainly would hope that any possible inadvertent damage caused by the dealership would not be malicious.......

    I will take some good pics after I get them off, but in truth, I am not sure this mystery can be solved as the car was out of my hands for some warranty work.
     
  5. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    Good advice, I plan to take the disassembly slow enough to ensure I can get it back together in exactly the same position. I think you are correct, if I do it right, I will not screw up the alignment. Thanks.......
     
  6. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    2 repair kits ordered and shipped to my door for $57, not too bad.

    Now I wait impatiently as they must be ordered, received by the dealership, then shipped to me. I am guessing 10 days, Ugh! I will definitely make sure to NOT drive my car in wet weather.

    Oh and I spoke to a couple of different dealerships and this is definitely not a common failure, I am so glad my car is 'special'. :incazzato:
     
  7. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Just curious, do you have the special crimping tool to set the clamps in place?
     
  8. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    No I do not, and not sure I could use it even if I did have it, as there are some space limitations. I dunno, maybe you don't need much space with the proper tool.

    I might have to opt for something more pedestrian, like a common stainless worm gear clamp.
     
  9. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    After some shipping issues, I finally have the repair kits in hand. I must say that I was very surprised to realize the boots/bellows are actually plastic, I was expecting rubber. I am also not sure what to do with the small tube of lube that came in the kit, I would expect it will become apparent once the old boots are off. Anyway, they look like this:
    [​IMG]

    I will be digging-in to the project in the next few days.
     
  10. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    I just did the boots on my E36 and the clamps looked very similar to yours. You can use some diagonal cutting pliers to crimp the clamps, the steel's malleable enough.
     
  11. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the clamp tip. I will be taking it apart later today. So let's see what I can figure out as an assignable cause for the damage.
     
  12. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    I'm guessing you won't find anything. Somehow I feel a torch was used to free up the fasteners so they could be removed. And some careless mechanic wasn't paying attention and the boots were the recipient of hot blow by gasses.:frown2: Good luck with the change out and let us know what you find.
     
  13. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    Well, job finally complete. I did not really have any problems, just needed a little bit of time and priority to get to it.

    The passenger side boot looked a little worse up close and personal. So, here are two pics of that same passenger side boot.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    All was normal under the boot, completely clean with no corrosion, yeah. The repair kits came with some lube so I just lubed up anything moving. So, that means the ball/socket joint on each end, and the actual toothed rack on the Driver's side.

    It went back together fine, just make sure you do not over tighten the clamps, also you should lightly lube under where the boot ends get clamped. You want to ensure the boot can spin freely, as this is required for toe alignment purposes.

    Here is the pass side all buttoned up, nice and perfect:
    [​IMG]

    The Driver's side boot looked absolutely chewed up upon revomal, it almost tore in two as it was being removed.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Also, no debris or corrosion on the Driver's side, whew! Plenty more to lube on this side given the rack is accessible. All buttoned up:
    [​IMG]
    Also in this pic you can see the tape I used for alignment, with the tape and the measurement on how far to screw into the tie rod, I am quite certain I have maintained toe adjustment. So I can skip the alignment shop.

    In the final failure analysis, the only evidence remaining that I can point to as a contributing factor are the clamps, they were all at least a little too tight. This would not allow the boot to freely spin around the rack arm as toe adjustments are being made. Actually, on the Driver's side the clamps were much more than a little tight, and that boot was the worst.

    Still, I believe there was some sort of mechanical damage. Also, it does not appear that there is any thermal damage of any kind.

    While I will never know definitively.........the repair is done, and as far as I am concerned the case is closed.
     
  14. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Hmmmm, pretty strange damage. Nice repair to the boots.

    I can't get over how clean the underside of your MINI is for a 2006, must be the Texas weather.
     
  15. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    #35 mini_racer, Apr 21, 2010
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2010
    Thanks and yeah, I like it clean, and it takes too much time to keep it that way.
     
  16. BigYakAttack

    BigYakAttack New Member

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    I realize this post is a few months old, but I had a similar looking failure, although the reason was apparent. The seal was leaking on the driver's side, and filled the boot with fluid. It would appear that the boot sagged in the middle because of the weight of the fluid, and began rubbing on the rack, probably getting pinched at the minor diameter of the boot, and of course only on the top side of the boot. Once it wore through some of the fluid came out, so it became apparent something was wrong. The leak was slow, so until then we were topping up the PS fluid periodically and thinking a small amount of loss was normal/tolerable.
    The passenger side was also leaking and partially filled the boot, but for reasons unknown it hadn't worn through (yet).
    So, another "possible" explanation for your failure...is it possible that the Texas heat was enough to soften the boots to the point where they sagged and came in contact with the rack?
     
  17. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    My rack was and is still is in good condition with no leaks. And it certainly was not a thermal issue as nothing was melted and there just wasn't any heat damage, it was all mechanical damage. My best guess is still that it was incurred during a warranty visit at the dealership.

    Today all is well with my steering rack boots and the rack itself. After plenty of extreme track time driving, a few road trips, and normal street driving it looks and feels just like the day I installed the new boots.
     

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