Hello NAM!
My name is Oliver, and this is my 2007 Cooper S. I've had it about 4 years and put on about 6,000 miles, but it's starting to show its age (158,000 on the clock as of now) and I'm mid engine rebuild to give it some new life. Joined the forum to find some more answers to the questions I've been having along the way.

FAQ's about the car:

1. Why the Gulf livery?
   It had it when I bought it; original owner also owned a Porsche shop and would park it out front on weekdays and track it on weekends. It's had the wrap for at least 10 years and doesn't look as good as it does in this photo anymore, but my high school self thought it was pretty cool and it's a big reason why I bought the car in the first place. Planning on re-wrapping it with a more subtle Gulf livery when I have the money.
2. Is it a manual?
   Yep! I learned to drive stick in this thing and to this day have only stalled it three times 😁
3. Why did you pull the engine?
   It has had a misfire-on-startup and rough idle for a while that has been gradually getting worse, combined with poor compression in one cylinder, a lean condition and high fuel trims, and oil burning on throttle. It finally got to the point where it was very sluggish and had a persistent misfire that would not go away where I made the (probably excessive) decision to pull the whole thing out and inspect where it's at. I am a lifelong tinkerer, and while daunting the idea of pulling the engine apart also had a certain appeal. So far I have discovered that my turbo is pretty toast and is probably the source of my oil burning problems (oil in intake post catch-can and a scary amount of axial play in the compressor), as well as perhaps my compression issues as my intake valves are nasty despite being walnut blasted 10,000 miles ago. Taking the opportunity to put in some nicer mechanical components where I can afford to and overall have more confidence that the engine is in good shape for another several thousand miles.

A little bit about me:

• I'm a mechanical engineering student and Brakes Associate Engineer for RIT Racing, a highly-ranked Formula SAE team in upstate New York. I've designed two brake pedals and am currently working on brake rotor and floater design.
• The car stays in California (it's on Bilstein shocks and doesn't have the ground clearance for a Rochester winter).
• While the original owner tracked the car, I never have because I've been too concerned about its reliability. Maybe after this whole engine job I might finally be bold enough to take it to a track.

Some questions I'm hoping to get answered as of now:

1. Has anyone on here had any luck with rebuilt HPFP's? Discovered this place on the internet a while back and saving $600-700 seems very appealing. Mine as far as I know is the original pump, and I know these things tend to be a wear item so I figured I would replace it while I'm in here.
2. Should I be completely replacing injectors, or is a more thorough cleaning enough? My gut says buy new, because I'm also fairly certain the ones in it are original and they've had to stand up to a lot of oil in the combustion chamber, but wasn't sure.
3. Should I be replacing the VANOS solenoid? Same story as the above components. Brand recommendations appreciated if so.
4. Oil pump? Same story. Car has already had the timing chain guide done once because the old one failed and broke chunks off into the feeder.
5. Anything else I should do while I have the engine out? Hoping I don't have to do this again for a LONG time.

Any and all responses appreciated, thank you!

 

Cool! I am a fan of the wrap. I think it looks very cool. And, when I saw RIT I got excited! My office is right around the corner. Too bad the car is staying out west for now.

If your plan is to keep the car running for a while, I would get a new HPFP and skip the rebuild. From what I've seen, the rebuilds can be hit or miss for reliability. They could either last a few months or a few years. Save the hassle and get one of the PSA branded pumps from FCP Euro.

A new VANOS solenoid would be a good idea too. I purchase a Beck/Arnley solenoid from RockAuto for my old Clubman. It lasted 5+ years without issue:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...t=12910&jsn=17

Since you are pulling the engine, I assume you'll be rebuilding the head. Make sure you get quality valve seats installed, and replace the stem seals. Get all new turbo oil supply and drain lines. I would look into a replacement valve cover, too. The PCV system is internal to the cover, and can get funky and not work right. New clutch kit? If the previous owner tracked the car, does it have an LSD? Perfect time to install one is when the gearbox is loose. I'm sure I could think of some more...

Sounds like a fun project!

 

Thanks! And no way! There are a lot more Minis out there than I expected, I bet a JCW Countryman is great all year up there.

Good to know about the pumps, I had a feeling that might be the case. Probably also better to have a real deal warranty and not have to pay exclusively with PayPal.

Sounds good, I'll check that out.

Yes, I need to take the head to a machinist regardless because I have a bad spark plug thread. Perhaps I'll get a quote for new valve seats and stem seals as well to see if it's in my budget, but I might just suck it up anyway since I've already gotten this far.

Turbo oil lines, valve cover, PCV breather, and clutch are all very new, replaced when I first got the car. I did the valve cover and PCV breather hose, mechanic did the turbo oil lines and clutch while he was in there doing the heat exchanger gasket. I don't know if it has an LSD, but I feel like that's something I would notice from everyday driving. Probably not in my budget right now unfortunately, but we'll see.

Thanks again for the info!