Pic's from M/T R56S valves at 27k R56S valves at 58k (one after cleaning) Comments; The 27k car had slight hesitation with half throttle acceleration, while the 58k had a massive flat spot and major hesitation with all throttle positions.
:cornut: Seafoam! Seafoam! Seafoam! every 3kmi and NOT just in the gas tank which by passes the intake valves. Also an O.C.C. keeps all of that carp off of the intake valves in the first place. Jason
Chuck, I'm not getting any CELs', maybe the only thing I'm getting is a case of paranoia. I have to stop reading these threads. Nevertheless, thanks for putting my mind at ease, for now :cornut:
Once I'm done with the warrenty, I will be doing that. I also have the BSH OCC, but not their boost-tap (well I actually do have that, but it's somewhere in my basement). I just wish there was a dual-OCC option
:cornut: (just me) I did this while in warranty and Mini of Dallas never even blinked. They called over the other techs and said,"Hey! Look at this. Pretty cool huh?" My OCC is the BSH with BSH boost tap that I got on sale from our very own Defenders Of Speed(GOOD PEOPLE) right here on MA. People have done work on dual OCCs. Check the threads on OCCs here on MA. The main problem with dual OCC is that they require space that's unavailable under our bonnets. BSH OCC with Boost Tap catches every thing and still lets the PCV system work properly(on Margi 08 R56 MCS/JCWm there are 2 avenues of PCV. 1 direct from the crank case to the head and 2 from the crank case through the head to the turbo intake). Margi's BSH system has been on now >20kmi and at 48kmi she blew a head gasket which allowed me to see the intake valves, clean as a whistle. Every ~200mi, I empty her OCC of 2-3oz Blow By Dinosaur Snow that won't get to her intake valves. Jason
Here is a good thread from the BMW forum on the walnut cleaning process. Be aware, there are two "suction" tools. If you intend to go this route, get the MINI specific tool. [ame=http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682116]REVIEW: Cleaning of intake valves with BMW walnut shell blasting tool - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum - E90Post.com[/ame] Similar process, just a different engine.....
:cornut: The smart a$$ answer would be,"they put a new one in and trashed the old one.":lol: This however is MA and we don't tolerate that so:cornut:............. They couldn't identify the cause. They checked the head for warping,negative. Coincidental or not, they found that the 2 temp thermostat was out and replaced it. 1 kmi later(just over the 50kmi warranty) the water pump went out, replaced it. Now 15kmi later, all okay. Jason
OK..OK I read most of this... BUT.. IF you dont go to the chemical... are the Head being removed and then dis assembled and the carbon cleaned?? Is this what a lot are getting done?? Just aSKING................. Thumper
If chemical.... Do you mean the Seafoam or similar method???? That doesn't seem to touch the "baked on" hard carbon buildup on the valves. If it's under warranty and the dealer has the "walnut" kit, the lower cost, quicker method is the walnut blast with the head left on the engine. Seems to be a two hour or so job to perform. The pulling of the head requires more labor which equates to more expense. Especially if a replacement head gasket, head bolts antifreeze etc, etc, etc, gets replaced. The pulling of the head would allow all the carbon to be removed. The walnut method probably leaves a very small amount around the edge of the valves and maybe directly behind the valve stem, since the wand and the walnut particle size limits 100% removal. Boils down to a cost trade off. What is not totally clear..... BMW/MINI has progressively improved the design of the PCV system. Are any of these improvements having any noticeable reduction in carbon buildup? For the average R56S owner.... I suspect the "walnut" method, with leaving the head intact, will suffice.....
As stated before: I had mine done at 60k miles with only mild build-up. I didn't notice any issues before. Afterwards I have see a 2mpg improvement in mileage and better throttle response. Jason, I'm glad you are happy with the Seafoam treatment but I have yet to see any documented evidence that shows it really works in STOPPING build-up. If you have the time I'd love to get some pictures of what your valves look like. Until then I'm not willing to say that Seafoam is the "cure". It certainly helps though. As above the "chemical treatment" doesn't show any real signs of absolute removal of the carbon build-up. The cleaning process requires that the intake manifold be removed and the intake and back-sides of the valves are cleaned manually or with the BMW walnut method. The head does not need to be removed.
:cornut:I guess that(as usual) my fingers can't type what my mind is trying to say. I use Seafoam and have the BSH OCC with BSH tap. Some thousands of miles after installing/beginning 3kmi use THEN, she had her head gasket changed and at that time was when I saw CLEAN intake valves/stems. If I had had a camera phone at that time then, I could have shown photos but, I didn't and I can't. There, clear as mud? SEAFOAM and OCC(Not Seafoam OR OCC) are PREVENTATIVE and not THERAPEUTIC!!!!!!!!!!! Jason
Sorry for the delay, the dealer only said the valves were very black. The dealer also did a software update that he said would help reduce (not eliminate) the carbon buildup. Last week a local mechanic suggested (as several here have) that I start using a "Seafoam" equivalent every 3000 miles. Edit: I would also like to add that my oil consumption is way down from what it was. I don't know why and neither did the local mechanic. I wish I thought of asking to see the valve condition.
Info update: My Dad has a 2008 MCSa. He just got his intake cleaned by the same dealer that did mine. They took pics (which I am waiting on). According to the tech they valves were all about a 7 on thier scale. My Dad has a short commute to work (5.2 miles) and doesn't get the car up to temp for extended periods of time. No track days and no autocrosses either. After two tanks for gas he is telling me that he has a 4-5 mpg improvement in gas mileage and the oil consumption issue he was seeing is much better. He was adding a half quart every 3k miles. Hasn't seen the level drop yet but it's too early to make a final call on that.
I keep seeing R56, is this not as big of an issue with the R55??? N12 and N14 engines no matter what the body are going to be DI and similar issues right? I read the PCV location can make a difference, but I just want to clarify that I need to be concerned about this as well and not ignore it on my '08 Clubman S.