Hi NAM, my first post on here and I wanted to introduce myself and our Mini.
First off, what a great site... an amazing resourse you've built!!!

I'm based out of North Vancouver, BC and just recently purchased my first MCS. Being a long time fan of the original Coopers, I was thrilled back in the early 2000's to see the re-release and swore I'd own one... an 03-04 car was actually one of my "lottery cars".

At age 40, I've yet to own a new vehicle and after a very recent trip to the dealership to see the F56 I just couldn't justify the purchase. Even without considering the huge price tag, I much prefer the short body lines and lack of technology in some of the older R53s. For me they're just a little bit closer to their original counterparts. Also, I come from a hotrod and muscle car family so being able to wrench on at least half of the car without a degree was very important.

With the substantial amount of upgrades and bolt ons available for this generation I was confident I could turn a "gently used" R53 into a fun reliable driver for both my wife and I to play around in. I wanted to find something in decent shape that didn't look like it'd been tortured for 10+ years.

In early May I set out with a tight budget of 7K and started into the AutoTrader and Craigslist. After seeing about 4 other cars that varied in shape, I stumbled across an add for an original (unmodified) car and it just happened to be in BRGreen. A few test drives, a handshake and a little more cash than I had budgeted for and we were the new owners.

PADDY's a 2003 Mini Cooper S with 160,000K. The body was in reasonable condition with a few small scratches. The plastic trim around the car was a bit of a different story. I don't think one piece of trim had made it through life without a scar or without being held on with only one clip. But most importantly the engine, transmission and most of the important stuff checked out.

Thought after a quick hello I'd share my progress with the forum. I know you Mini vets will have loads of knowledge and advise to share. Promise to search the site before I ask too many noob questions (at least I'll try)

I look forward to hanging out and sharing the build with you guys,
Kev

 

My first morning out, I started up Cypress Mtn. in the rain to see how it handles in real BC weather, half way up it got even better, snow. Any car I buy this is the first thing I do... get it into poor conditions and see what happens (especially under braking). So far it's a hell of allot safer than the Jeep (just sold my lifted XJ). Actually the first car I've ever owned that when you lock it up it keeps straight instead of pointing towards a ditch.



After I got back down the mountain safe and a good thrashing down the coast, I spent the day cleaning. Peeled off the stick on door protectors (pet peeve of mine) and removed the boxing stickers off the hatch window. It cleaned up pretty good and there are very few marks in the paint. Read a little bit out of the manuals and did some reading on the forums, mostly on resetting the ECU.



Not a dark tint guy at all and this stuff was hit with window cleaner at one time... gone!

 

Did a little searching on the wheels, I believe they're an 06 Bridge wheel. They've got a fairly good set of Bridgestone Potenza GO19 Grid all seasons on them, tires and wheels aren't as much concern as some of my other list items.



Still needs a polish but the factory stripes are history. Fixed the front flares (hood/fenders) today and coaxed the crooked smile out of it. A few small adjustments and persuasion from the hood latch to the bumper but it's close and most of the seams are consistent now. Next was fixing the balance of the front flares Where they've separated from the bumper). I think the previous owner tangled with the odd curb

 

Shortening the link between a boy and his car?

Only a few things that bug me about the car, one of which I had hoped to kill on my lunch break a month back. I've never owned anything without a mechanical throttle. This "fly by wire" setup (electronic throttle control) is bananas. The delay in this car from the factory is leaves allot to be desired IMO. Who the hell supercharges a car and has a throttle delay like this I thought? After some reading, I was dying to eliminate it so I ordered this gizmo.



Problem solved? Well, not eliminated but almost... After an afternoon of playing around though, I wasn't really happy with the change. Performance mode seemed violent, not a good violent, more like a weak link on the car would let go if I was to get on it again.

Now this is where things changed and to this day I can't tell if it was a coincidence or a result of this plug in (I can't honestly see how) The day this was plugged in and it was given a good beating the car stopped making boost. At this point I wasn't sure if the supercharger wasen't making any, or if it was leaking out. I spent the afternoon thinking I blew it up or something but there were no engine lights, no codes, it just started running different. My pal Chris told me to unplug and go out for a test before jumping to any conclusions...
Still no boost!

I ended up shipping the Sprint Booster back and investing the $300 into some other performance parts I wanted instead.

 

To break my concentration a little I decided to continue with a few cosmetic projects while I waited for an appointment at the Mini dealership.
The tail lights were hazy so I picked up a restoration kit...





Passenger side came out great, the drivers side, not so good. There's a split in the seal which I've learned was a recal item. Just waiting to order a replacement with a few other lens items.

I had a grand vision for a bit of a Euro look on the car so I ordered a tint kit for the headlights... Now I know why we pay pros to tint. I wasted kit, unfortunately I just couldn't get rid of every bubble and it wasn't even close to being optically clear. I think I'll leave it to the pros next round. Managed to have enough left over for my front markers and some for my driving fog lights to come. Now considering just running yellow bulbs and keeping the headlights clear, I don't think the tint is legal here on your main lights anyways.

 

As much as I wanted to dig into the first of the performance upgrades I live in a condo at the moment. I was iffy on getting this thing apart in the underground and shearing off a bolt or having to purchase a pully remover for just this car. I decided to take it to our local Mini dealership this round. Aside from boring maintenance stuff like brake system and coolant flush (twice for coolant), power steering pump fan, the first of my performance upgrades are pretty standard but exciting, none the less. New plugs, wires, coil pack and supercharger pully reduction. I expected to see some good results from this but was not real impressed when it left the dealership (not to mention it was 8hrs getting the crank pully off the car) it was just as slow, possibly slower than when I dopped it off.



I took the mechanic for a drive, the service guy took it out and both claimed this is how they go. Like I said I was born and raised around performance cars, I know the difference between a N/A car and something that's blown.
I asked if it could be leaking boost and perhaps it was a faulty bypass valve or an intercooler leak. They claimed if there's no engine lights on, if it isn't broke don't fix it.

I left a little choked, with no boost still but the supercharger sure sounds like it's doing the work. At the lights on the way home the idle didn't seem right so I stopped in at my buddies. We pulled the plugs out and not one had a similar gap... pretty sure they didn't check and just tossed them in. The idle smoothed but of course this was not the main issue.

Reading loads on here trying to help troubleshoot and got further into the Bypass Valves, the "yoyo" and most importantly the loss of boost through the butterfly misalignment and the weak spring. Ordered a Detroit Tuned Bypass Valve... more on this in a bit.

 

Instead of pouting about the car (well I pouted a little) I dove into a lunchtime project a few days later, installed my Madness Motorworks cold air kit. Also upgraded the cowl/firewall panel so it now has the 6" hole to draw in cool cowl air.



My new exhaust followed, went with the Alta Cat Back. I liked the simpler design and read some good reviews. Even better it was about $300 cheaper than my second choice from Borla.





Don't have a pic after we cleaned up under the car, this was the test fit to get the tips straight. I pulled off any extra heat shield from the drivers side and after checking there was no rust, I undercoated the back end before the exhaust was installed.



On the way home I was pretty nervous for my wife to hear how loud the car was... actually VERY nervous as we tossed the old setup out so there was no turning back. I was pleasently surprised to hear her say "that sounds amazing" when I walked in the condo. Ended up most of the piercing sound was bouncing around inside the hatch.



Installed a trunk kit from B-Quiet (B-Quiet Ultimate) at a fraction of the cost of Dynamat and no roofing tar smell like some of the affordable Hardware chain solutions.
I absolutely love the way the car sounds now!

 

Okay, this brings us to today...
Installed the Detroit Tuned Bypass Valve



After hearing this valve flap around when driving down the road feathering the throttle, even hearing air squeeking out when the driver's window was open, I was sure this would be the answer. Well, it stopped both the valve flapping and that air leak sound but STILL NO BOOST.

While it was appart we checked the throttle body, vacuum lines, intercooler boots and everything looked fine. You can even hear the supercharger working from low RPM all the way to about 5500RPM, NO BOOST!

Unfortunately at my buddy's place there's not allot of computer diagnostics, we're a little stuck at this point and plenty pissed. I reluctantly made an appointment at Mini next week to see if they can diagnose the problem.

I'm hoping it's not the Supercharger but it seems strange there doesn't seem to be any more leaks. Reading more tonight they're labeled as "wear items" and are estimated at a life of 100,000miles.
Unfortunately I have no boost gauge and am looking at buying one shortly regardless of the outcome. I'd like to keep an eye on it.

Can't wait to get it working and tuned so I can really enjoy it.
Thanks for reading so far guys and I'm open to any advise if this looks like a familiar issue.

I'm going to go read some more now!

 

Nice work. Thanks for letting us in on it.

 

Nice Job!

I Like The Exhaust.
I Want To Put One To My R53 I Well Later.

Also What Is The Name Of The Cleaner You Use
To Clean Yours Taillights.

Thanks N' Advance.

 

I felt the exact same way when I got mine put on --because they used the wrong belt -- did you get a shorter belt when you had them install it? If they put the stock belt on -- its too big. If it is slipping you would be making the same boost at low RPMs and then less boost because its slipping at high RPMS. 8 hours of labor at the mini dealer for the pulley? Yikes -- that probably cost more than the car itself???

If you have 15% pulley or not - but the one listed below is the correct sized belt for that...ALSO - on the spark plugs -- did you go one colder? Most people recommend the NGK BKR7EQUP with a reduction pulley.

You will need a belt tensioner tool to get the old belt off and the new belt on.

Belt: Gates K060535
Plugs: NGK BKR7EQUP

 

should also check your tensioner. if that went bad for some reason (blown shock) the SC belt will slip = no boost.

the car should throw codes if there is a leak usually. you may need to ask for a pressure / leak test from mini. theyll pump smoke into the system, look for leaks. you can also reset your ECU, clear out all the old data points. this may revive your system as well.

 

its easy enough to install a boost gauge, took me 30 min to put mine in, 25$ from harbor frieght and i just needed to get 8 ft of vacuum tube, since the kit only came with 6 and that didnt reach the point i wanted =)

 

Thanks for watchin!
I think you'll like the Alta exhaust, be sure you know it's a touch louder than I expected. It sounds super going through the canyons, city and tunnels at night though.

The headlight restoration kit I used was
http://www.simoniz.ca/en/headlight_restoration.php
Found it on sale for just over $10 so I thought I'd try it. There are much better kits out there though.

I did get a shorter belt with the kit, I trust they installed the belt I supplied. I'll get them to cross reference the number you supplied. I payed them the 3.5hrs they quoted for the job, not the 12 it took them... that would have sucked for sure. To be honest I'm not positive on the plugs as they were supplied in the upgrade package (in image above) I'll also get those looked at. The upgrade package I had assumed was a matched set, probably careless on my part to assume. If they're wrong I'll swap them out for your suggested set.
Thanks for these suggestions, we've been racking our brains.

The issue was present before I had the pully, coil pack, belt, wires and plugs installed. So while I'll of course get these double checked I suspect there's something else.

We will for sure, I haden't thought of that yet and not sure if my pal Brian checked yesterday... belt size wouldn't matter at all if this was the case right! That leak test is what I'm hoping for Wednesday morning. I didn't realize it would throw a code for sure if there's a leak.

Each time I make a change to the car I reset the ECU from the speedo (not unhooking the battery) and I go out and drive the car for about 30 min based on the instructions in the "ULTIMATE R53 Newbie DIY" thread.

Thanks for the great ideas getting this sorted out. I pray it's something simple like a tensioner and not a worn out supercharger. I have no history on the car to tell me if it's the original with 160,000km on it or a replacement.

I'm a little surprised that two Mini service employees can drive the car and they can't tell from their experience whether it makes boost or not. I would hope that folks that specialize in these cars would not only notice but diagnose the issue effeciently. Hoping this was a one off experience.

I've read through the boost gauge DIY and have installed some stuff similar before. I'm confident I can get one set up too. I'm a little picky when I build stuff so I'm going to order one of the matching Autometer gauges and an pod for beside my tach with my next parts order.

All boosted cars should have proper gauges IMO.
Our minds play tricks on us, having proper visuals are crucial.

Again, thanks guys for your quick response and participation!
I'll keep you guys posted and if any other ideas pop up I'd love to hear them. There's way more components on these compared to the old muscle cars so I'm soaking in the knowledge as I go.
Kev

 

Yeah I was back to pouting yesterday after we didn't get my boost issue sorted. What's better to cheer a guy up than some looks good parts. One of my new favorite shops, OutMotoring hooked me up with a box of stuff last week so I picked something easy first.

I was very tempted to do the more common Aero Grille and black the car out but both my wife and I agreed we'd stick to the classic chrome to make it as similar to the originals as possible. Chrome grille now and when budget allows (after my mechanical expense eases up) there will be 4 driving lights added just above the bumper, tinted yellow of course.



We have a long weekend up here so I have 4 days to play with the car. The project is interior, while the dash and seats are in good shape there's a bunch of wear. Judging by the scratches around the drivers door handle (outside) and both sides on the inside this was lady owned at one point. It looks like fingernails were gouged into almost every surface. I'm not sure how shifter/handbrake boots get torn but they are. Our Mini wasn't ordered with a console (or maybe wasn't available in the early models) but long drives warrant one for both of us.

I've got a few upgrades planned for the long weekend including my favorite shifter **** ever, new console, leather boots, and the Outmotoring armrest.
More pics on the way!

 

if you have an android phone, you can get a cheapy bluetooth obd dongle from ebay for like $13 or so, and get the torque app for like $5. this will provide the ECUs reading of boost (or lack there of) in your mini.

my manual boost gauge only reads slightly higher than the ECU i think, so it will be close enough for you to simply determine if you even have boost.

get the BT dongle from either a friend (borrow) if possible, or order from a seller located in the states and youll get it quickly (days) vs weeks from the china. torque is awesome bc you can get actual numbers from all kinds of other systems on the car, like coolant, rpm, load, fuel, timing, ect.

i think you should see anywhere from 14-16? psi at WOT if everything is working correctly.

 

FYI at WOT I see around 13-14 psi on my scan gauge with a 15% pulley.

Curious when you say no boost..how do you know? Are you looking for a kick in the pants surge? Supercharged cars don't do that.. Power delivery is very linear given it's belt driven. If you are looking for snap your neck speed - same thing minis are quick...they aren't fast (subtle difference).

do you hear the supercharger whining? You should be hearing it pretty well given the mods you have...

Only other thought I have is the boots on the inter cooler. Mine are fine but maybe yours are worn or leaking. Have your wife give it a rev while you stand in front of the car...imagine you would hear that much of a leak.


Post up a video...iPhone or whatever when you are on it in motion...

As for matched set..pulley, spark plugs, belt etc..should be fine. I'm assuming you just got the "power pack" from a vendor here.

Tensioner..if it's truly shot..easy enough to check. Go outside and look to see how many holes are visible...search belt replacement and there should be a picture describing this. If you can't find one I'll take a picture for you in the morning. I doubt the dealer wouldn't notice this BUT if it's a newer dealer they may not have experience with an R53. Even the newest R53 was sold >8 years ago.

Supercharger failure is common but usually it's the bearings that get killed..and you hear that. The death rattle at idle and pretty quick overheating.

What kind of MILES/ gallon are you getting? No boost but RPMs you would be running super rich...although likely ECU would adapt and pull back fuel?? Not sure.

 

I do run a Samsung, nice idea.
For that price I'll have to try it for sure. I do want to run a boost gauge in the car, but this would make a great first step before I can get at the real one. The torque app won't let you make adjustments, only view results right?Someone mentioned a few days back that the programers have boost diagnostic stuff included aswell and allows you to adjust the ECU to compensate for individual mods... gotta do some more reading on those too.
Thanks for this!

 

Yes I agree, with me just saying "no boost" can be a little misleading. What I should say is for the most part the car makes little power. It runs like a N/A car for the most part. One of the reasons I thought the Bypass Valve was the issue is that every now and then you can feel it pull like the supercharger's working a little, this varies through the RPM range and could happen in any given gear.
Although I'm new to the mini scene I do completely understand the "pull" from supercharged, blown and turbo cars.

The first day I owned this car and drove it aggressively it would pull strong from about 3000RPM on until I'd shift it about 5500 - 6000RPM. The car was littleraly as fast before doing all of the upgrades than it is now.

I guess it's better said that it for the most part it runs like it's making no boost. It does not "pull" like a supercharged car.

The supercharger gave out a nice whine stock, once the pully set went on, even more. After installing the cold air kit it sounded even better. After we installed the exhaust of course you hear that more but... yes I can hear it working and the whine sounds consistant. (higher the RPM, the more whine)

Watching some videos of like modified cars, they really get a nice scream out of them... i'm not sure if this is as loud.

I'll try and capture some video once the interior's back together today.

Yes, I did purchase the upgrades as a "power pack" from Alta so I'm assuming it was a matched set. Ignition & SC Pulley Pack
However as I mentioned early in the thread this has been an issue from the day I installed the "Sprint Booster" (the very first performance mod) I know this is probably a strange coincidence but should almost eliminate the later mods.

We did check the boots on the intercooler twice now too, we checked the tube into the bypass valve and it looks sound. No aparent vacuum leaks either.

I'll reference the tensioner pic and check it today, thanks for the tip.

All I hear from the supercharger is whine, no grinding, no clicking, no bearing noise and it runs at a consistant temp so I assume the PTO portion and Water Pump function properly. I'd be absolutely thrilled to hear the Supercharger is still good as I'm nervous about having to deal with the replacemnet cost.

Miliage is not bad but has declined some since this issue popped up.

Again, thanks so much guys for taking the time to give me some ideas.
I still absolutely love the car and can't wait till it runs how it should.
I'm going to go down and get the interior back together and will try and get some audio/video under power.

 

It's Wear.
But I Don't Want To Said.
Something Is Wrong With You
Supercharged.

I Have The Same of You Have But
Mines The Exhaust. N'

I'm Boosting Almost 15lbs.
N' You Can Feeling When They Pulls......

W/ The Exhaust You Suppose to Be
Boosting Like 16lbs Easy!

I Hope This Help To Resolve You Problem.
Good Luck!

 

I know some people don't see major difference when replacing the pulley unless the ecu is reset and get used to the new mods. In my case, I could tell the difference right away with my 15%.

If you had a vacuum leak, it would most likely throw a code. It would run lean and throw a code as well if the intercooler boots had a hole in them. Mine would barely run and turned the exhaust manifold cherry red from simply sitting in the driveway. If you don't have a boost gauge, you should get one and it would be easier to tell if you are in the usual 15 psi range with the pulley. A slipping belt could cause a boost loss, so is a faulty bpv. Since you've replaced the bpv, that should be one less area to worry about.

As for the drive-by wire thing, I never really found it to be such a big issue. I work in a Toyota dealer and pretty much all models since 06 switched to this and they are a lot lazier than on the Minis.

 

I don't know what the procedure is for installing the sprint booster but are you absolutely certain all the plugs are back in and tight? I think it's just the one plug under the gas pedal...unclip and reseat it just to be sure. It can't hurt if you said this happened right after the sprint booster I would start there.

 

I think I'm reading...
It's wear, but I don't want to say it's something wrong with your Supercharger.
I have the same stuff you have but mine's without performance exhaust and it makes 15lbs of boost. You can definately feel when it pulls.
Am I close?

Funny you should mention this...
We installed the new Bypass Valve yesterday, reset the ECU and took it for a drive. As you've read, without any noticable results. We also ran a can of Seafoam through the car (in three parts as instructed, gas, oil, vacuum intake)
I drove it home without the ASC off and again, nothing seriously notable in performance increase. Let me note again, I run 94 octane consistantly.

After getting the interior buttoned back up this morning I needed to run out to vacuum the carpets. I thought, while I'm out I'll go and put a few kilometers on it. Switched off the ASC again and headed down the highway, 25km of fairly agressive lane changes in 4, 5 & 6th gear. Followed by a 10km drive up one of our local mountains (we're talking steep inclines). I'd keep stopping and starting and got on it pretty good. I did start to feel it make a little more power. Now at the top we have huge overflow parking lots, enough to hit 140km before having to get slowed down again. Being up that high I know air density's greatly different but it's safe as there's no one around to kill but myself. Temps were around 10 degrees C so at least it was sucking in some cool crisp air. A few slow rolling starts from first to fourth running it through the RPM range, shifting around 6200RPM and the car started making a little more power each time. Standing at an idle afterwards it did it's usual rough idle for a second, usually takes a blip of the throttle and it smooths right out... and it did.

With a little hope I headed back down into the warmer air, another 20km burn down the highway and into the twisty corners along the coast. 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears the car showed some noticable increases in power, and definately more throttle response.

Now, I still don't feel it makes as much power or torque that it should but it showed enough increase to make me think (and your mention of letting the ECU catch up). Did the bypass valve fail, forcing the ECU to compensate and have it run like hell. After month of adding upgrades, resetting the ECU each time and still with it leaking boost out the valve. Would this let everything carbon up, plug up injectors and so on?

I noticed it also smelled it was burning cleaner today and after returning home from torturing it, the exhaust tips aren't all black, relatively clean.

Could the combination of running it long enough for the ECU to make changes and the Seafoam treatment in the fuel, case and the decarbonizing from yesterday be making the difference. I know this doesn't completely have to do with my suspected loss of boost issue, I know that needs to be looked at aswell.

Of course I'll be doing something to monitor boost asap, just running through my options.

Thanks for your post!!

It'll only take a few minutes to check, I'll do this when I check out the tensioner. Another good suggestion sir

 

Some of this morning's interior progress...
Started with this



Upgraded console and armrest from Outmotoring, thanks Aaron for the help getting me sorted.
Color matched mirror controls, handbrake handle, cup holder, shifter boot, hazard and dimmer trim.



Installed with new suede shifter and handbrake boots.



Couldn't resist scooping up one of the Sneed BillyClub shifters. Eliminates the reach, way easier to find gears in a hurry and most importantly adds a touch of U.K. to a Mini that's way too German!



Staring at these little unmatched trim bits no longer!

 

Take this with some humility but the internet and texting is destroying the English language...haha