Here's the news straight from Ralph Schomp MINI here in Denver. After hearing Tim tell me the story he was given about three cars being in the shop with pullies and ECUs that had blown motors, I went over first thing Tuesday morning to figure out what the true story was, and to investigate Tim's issue further to find out the culprit.

First, I'll lay out the truth about all three cars:

Car 1

This car was driven into a "puddle" to the point of the number one cylinder having water in it. After it had been removed from the "puddle", the owner tried to drive it with the non-compressible water in the #1 giving the piston a little more resistance than the rod was willing to take. The rod decided an easier path was to depart from the piston and go through the side of the case!

This car did not have a reduction pulley of any sort on it, or an ECU.

Here is an impressive pic of that car's motor:


Note the rust from the water in the cylinder.


Take a look straight down from the #1 cylinder - that's a hole!

Car 2

This car was brought in by the customer at an earlier time for pinging. The customer was using 85 octane fuel. He was asked to drain the fuel and replace it with 91 octane. The customer said he would run it until the tank needed to be refilled and then start using 91. Apparently, he didn't.

This lead to a catastrophic failure of the head gasket between #1 and #2 cylinder. I saw the gasket yesterday, but they had sent it to BMW earlier in the day today, so I didn't get a picture of it. Here is the car, and a picture of the pulley on the supercharger. The head was warped and had to be replaced.

This car did not have a pulley or ECU.




That's the stock black supercharger pulley if you are not familiar with what one looks like.

Car 3

This was Tim's car. What was discovered between putting the car on the rack yesterday and talking it over today with the owner, myself, the Schomp mechanic and the Schomp service manager is that the car was run without oil completely. After doing the pulley install, the oil and coolant levels were checked and were fine. The owner was there for the install and witnessed this as well. That was at 3800 miles or there about. Between then and 10,000 miles, cars don't burn 4+ quarts of oil without a sign of either a leak or some serious blue smoke - neither of which are present on this car. The car had never had the oil changed.

The car can be started and will idle, but above idle, there is a serious and unmistakable rod knock. That prompted Tim to call, and the first thing I asked him to do was check the oil. He immediately discovered that even after 3 (!) quarts, the car still needed more oil. The car was brought to the dealer.

After our conversations today, Tim returned to his house which has a rock and dirt driveway to discover that someone had actually drained the oil from his car the night before (the car made it 12-15 miles with no oil before developing a rod knock). Insurance is now involved and the car will most likely be covered due to vadalism (someone must not like the way Tim drives!).

This car does have a pulley, but no ECU. The service manager and mechanic both agreed that the problem was not with the modifications (pulley, intake and exhaust), but rather the fact that it was driven with no oil!


I hope this clears up some of the rumors that have been tossed around at this point. I still have yet to have issues with any of the cars I have done (about 180 now), and the service manager told us that of the cars they have done (using the Mania taper bore pulley), they have not had any problems.

If anyone has any questions at all about the pulley (or any other) modification, please don't hesitate to call for the bare bones, no nonsense truth about the pros and cons.

Randy
720-841-1002

 

Thank you very much for investigating Randy! You're a hero once again. :smile:

I'm stupified from the hydro-lock case, woah!

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Outstanding work Randy.
Hereforth to be known as Inspector RandyBMC.

I'll have to admit I was getting kinda nervous reading about all the trouble and about Tim's mysterious oil loss.
That vandal was downright sneaky to drain the oil onto a dirt driveway. Slick move but it did not fool the inspector.
Randy, Do you want to live in my town and snub out some bad guys for me?
Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!

 

And I promise not to drive through any "puddles" that are deeper than 50".
And I promise not to use 85 octane gas, which I wouldn't have any idea where to buy it.
And I promise to check my oil before it got low by 4 quarts.
And I promise to call RandyBMC before I have to pay for a total engine rebuild due to some stupid error I made.

And that is a damned big hole in the engine block of car 1. Was this guy going fishing in his car?

 

Thanks, Randy, for keeping us current and being a voice of reason in all of this. They typical pulley mod is not enough to be breaking engines in a wholesale fashion like some would like us to believe. Many have put much more into their modifications without problems.

As for me, pulley mods are in the cards for later this year. I can't wait!

I have a number of little and not quite so little mods either done, in the works or on tap. I'm curious as to what the dealer is gonna say when I take the car in for it's 'free' scheduled check and some programming done.

Thanks again!

 

Way cool report, Randy! Woo hoo! Mods here I come (as soon as I have a couple grand to spare anyway hee hee!)

 

Randy,
Good to hear your report. I look forward to meeting you and having you install my Pully in Phoenix!

Cheers,
Ryan

 

thats always the irony behind most of these horror stories you here about blown engines and such. Most of the time when someone checks it out it is usually some serious operator error or an unfortunate situation like tims. So to everyone who whines about getting there warranties voided because of mods, take notice! It very much like my family whining and complaining when I decided to get my skydiving license. They all said, why risk death for the sake of being an adrenaline junkie, but when you do the research and realize that the odds of you dying from skydiving are so small in comparison to going outside and walking your dog (let's think about how many pedestrians get killed each year from being hit by cars). Hell, even without mods, you are always going to run into the dealership/car mfg, trying to blame their problems on you. A friend of mine just finished litigation with Mercedes Benz USA when it came to replacing his entire engine on his bone stock ML320. Turns out when the car was in for it's 10k mile service they never ended up changing the oil and to top it all off, when the car was brought in a few months later for random problems (welcome to owning a mercedes) they didn't even see or acknowledge that the engine's oil was completely shot (chunks of debris, black as all getup, low level of oil, ect. ect. ect.). After these facts were made public, MBUSA quietly replaced the engine and dropped all allegations of owner negligence. Not to say that my friend wasn't completely guilty of being an *** and not checking his oil EVERY time he fills up. So please, stop whining! If we were talking about putting a 200hp shot of nitrous on our coopers that would be one thing, but exhaust, pulleys, ecu's, and air filters, please give me a break. These are the exact things that BMW are doing to their own cars and covering them under factory warranties (JC Works) Sorry, I just had to vent, you can only hear that same lame *** excuse about warranties so many times before you explode! If you don't like the thought of a faster car with minimal risk, then get the hell out of the PERFORMANCE MODIFICATION forums! Now that that's out of the way, I hope everyone had a pleasant labor day weekend, and no I haven't forgotten about posting my video, right now and a very nice MCO member is setting up to host the video for all to see. I'll keep you posted

Blake

 

VERY WELL DONE,RANDY....DAMN,YOU'RE GOOD!!!!!

 

Wait!!

If the vandal drained the oil and there was none in the car when it drove off then would there not be an engine check dash light that would be on ? Or maybe an oil check light or something. Then the driver would have to figure out that something was bad about the condition of the oil before driving it without oil? and damaging the engine.

So what happened? We don't have an oil pressure gauge- what do we have?

 

Good question, and one neither I nor the service advisor could answer. There was definitely no oil in the car, but there was no light either (and we do have one right on the speedo - take a look when your key is in the on position).

It is apparently only as good as the run flat light

_________________

CLICK THE SIG PIC!

This ain't no Disco

 

>>
>>
>> I still have yet to have issues with any of the cars I have done (about 180 now), and the service manager told us that of the cars they have done (using the Mania taper bore pulley), they have not had any problems.
>>


great job as always randy, and thank you. i have a question, does this dealer install pulleys as well like you mentioned above?

if so, do they cover their "mania taper bore pulley" under the warranty?


sorry if this is a dumb question, but i know 0 about pulleys

 

>>VERY WELL DONE,RANDY....DAMN,YOU'RE GOOD!!!!! <<

 

You "bad" Randy.
It's allways such a kick to hear the truth :smile:
Gave me shivers !! lol

It was also very funny to see that Mini1600 's FIRST and only post
was to attempt to 'dis you, and that he felt the need to create a fake
handle to do it from.

"Whew" .. that's all.

 

WHO WAS THAT GUY????

 

>>great job as always randy, and thank you. i have a question, does this dealer install pulleys as well like you mentioned above?
>>
>>if so, do they cover their "mania taper bore pulley" under the warranty?
>>
>>
>>sorry if this is a dumb question, but i know 0 about pulleys

They do install the Mania pulley, but I believe the warranty is the same as if anyone had done it - and the same as the warranty I give. If the part fails, it is replaced at no charge, as long as a certified installation center did the work, for one year.

Hope that helps!

Randy

 

thank you very much randy for your prompt response.
i thought maybe if the dealer did the pulley, they would warranty it longer, but obviously not.
i have 2400 miles on my car in about 7.5 months of ownership. it is pretty much my wekend cruising car, i havent yet taken it much north of 4K rpm, so i will hold of on the pulley.
however i was thinking of purchasing the sway bar and the front strut bar from you. i noticed with the bmp bar, ,i need the bmp intake since it doesnt clear. however i wnated the alta intake, so i am a bit confused which front strut bar to use. and as far as the rear sway bar goes, i drive a bit on the twisties, however not very fast, and the curent setup (stock) is perfect for me. however i wnat to add, and not sure between the 19mm or the 22 mm sway bars you offer. how does one decide which to get? thanks for all your help in advance.

 

just thought i'd share a not so cute story about MINIs and driving through "puddles."

for those of you who live in Hawaii, at high tide, there is a "HUGE PUDDLE" of water in front of Ron's Auto Parts in Mapunapuna (Ahua St.). i see cars driving through the puddle daily. a friend of mine works for a rental car agency that has MINI coopers. he drove one of them through the "puddle" and halfway through it, the car stopped running...they had to push the car out...the water had totally blown the engine....needless to say, the poor MINI with the broken engine was sent to the auto auction. i thought about purchasing it and doing an engine transplant of some sort....but thinking about it was as far as i got...hehehe.

lesson learned: never drive a MINI through large puddles :smile:

(and yes, my friend got in a little bit of trouble but didnt lose his job :smile:

 

>>thank you very much randy for your prompt response.
>>i thought maybe if the dealer did the pulley, they would warranty it longer, but obviously not.
>>i have 2400 miles on my car in about 7.5 months of ownership. it is pretty much my wekend cruising car, i havent yet taken it much north of 4K rpm, so i will hold of on the pulley.
>>however i was thinking of purchasing the sway bar and the front strut bar from you. i noticed with the bmp bar, ,i need the bmp intake since it doesnt clear. however i wnated the alta intake, so i am a bit confused which front strut bar to use. and as far as the rear sway bar goes, i drive a bit on the twisties, however not very fast, and the curent setup (stock) is perfect for me. however i wnat to add, and not sure between the 19mm or the 22 mm sway bars you offer. how does one decide which to get? thanks for all your help in advance.

I have most of my upgrades from RandyBMC. I have some thoughts on your upgrades planned. I routinely drive way above 4000 rpm. Best fun is 4000 to 6000 rpm in my opinion. My MCS is literally flying and I don't even have the pulley and ECU yet. I do have a Madness intake, throttlebody upgrade and Quicksilver exhaust.

I have the madness 2 hole swaybar (the newest one has three holes). It's very good and I set it to firmest along with H-sport springs and H-sport adjustable rear control arms x 2. The car corners very well for me. I added the BMP front tower strut brace but you don't need it since most people agree that the MINI is very stiff already. Save your money and use it for something else. I did keep the madness intake so you could use the alta intake but you would need to cut a notch in the Stainless steel intake box to allow the strut bar to fit. The other bad thing about the strut bar is that it can get very very hot in the engine compartment and the strut bar is very hot as a result and will sit right next to the air filter. I plan to minimize this heat by upgrading my header and doing a wrap to contain the heat.

You can call RandyBMC and talk to him about these options. For the rear swaybar you don't necessarily want to get the biggest bar but rather the bar that matches the rest of your components and for the way you drive. It is possible to have a setting which is too stiff which causes the rear inside wheel to loose contact with the ground on hard turns. Having an adjustable bar is nice because you can do changes and see how things fit.

 

>>just thought i'd add my 2cents about MINIs and driving through "puddles."
>>
>>for those of you who live in Hawaii, at high tide, there is a "HUGE PUDDLE" of water in front of Ron's Auto Parts in Mapunapuna (Ahua St.). i see cars driving through the puddle daily. a friend of mine works for a rental car agency that has MINI coopers. he drove one of them through the "puddle" and halfway through it, the car stopped running...they had to push the car out...the water had totally blown the engine....needless to say, the poor MINI with the broken engine was sent to the auto auction. i thought about purchasing it and doing an engine transplant of some sort....but thinking about it was as far as i got...hehehe.
>>
>>lesson learned: never drive a MINI through large puddles :smile:
>>
>>(and yes, my friend got in a little bit of trouble but didnt lose his job :smile:

I have played in this puddle many times. I once got my 91 Dodge Caravan and tried to plow through a 10" deep puddle at this very same intersection just for the car wash and spray effect at speed. Surprise when I managed to stall out my engine much to the dismay of my 16 year old daughter who is learning how to drive. I needed help pushing the car out of the intersection. I open the hood and find that one of the spark plug wires has worked itself loose. I pop it back on and start up my car. This is too much excitement for me and my old car. I have much more respect for that puddle and go around it when I can now. The puddle is huge like 45 feet across- more like a small lake. In the last 6 months I have not had to face the puddle with my MCS. I usually drive there a few times per month. My MINI is afraid of puddles I fear.

 

I have actually gotten a chance to see the first 2 motors Randy is talking about...and I even saw the gasket before it was sent back to BMW. Very impressive damage indeed. Special thanks to Ralph Schomps service manager for letting me hang out while they install new brake lines, pads, rotors, and a new exhaust header on another members ride...and letting me look around the shop at the bad things that can happen when people are not so nice to their cars.

Randy, thanks for posting the full stories...I had heard the one about the Puddle...but we never got around to the one with the blown gasket. While there, I also saw a MCS with a wheel that was pounded. From what I was told...there is more damage than just the destroyed wheel. I guess accidents can happen...but hopefully poeple will learn from these stories and the info...and but a kawbawsh on the rumor mill.

Cheers
jon

 

>>for those of you who live in Hawaii, at high tide, there is a "HUGE PUDDLE" of water in front of Ron's Auto Parts in Mapunapuna (Ahua St.). i see cars driving through the puddle daily. a friend of mine works for a rental car agency that has MINI coopers. he drove one of them through the "puddle" and halfway through it, the car stopped running...they had to push the car out...the water had totally blown the engine....needless to say, the poor MINI with the broken engine was sent to the auto auction. i thought about purchasing it and doing an engine transplant of some sort....but thinking about it was as far as i got...hehehe.

===>>> I saw that ridiculous puddle about a month ago & I said, "Heck no!". Turned around & went around quite a ways to head toward town. What's up with that one intersection :evil: ?? Saw an ad today about them. That just doesn't sit well with me , mini-t. Really cool of you!

Bye

 

Hay guys is the water a problem because it gets into the PowerStearing fan thing?
or are we talking water that is so deep its 1/2 way up your tire's? how deep,
sometimes an inch or inch and 1/2 are common, I dont want this to happen to me.

 

Randy,
You are the Man!
Thanks from all of us pulley guys, we appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to investigate this issue.
I am very plesed to hear our experts review of the Facts.
Keep up the good work and again I believe I speak for all of us Mini owners, Thanks Randy, Your friend in N.C. Mike

 

>>Car 2
>>
>>This car was brought in by the customer at an earlier time for pinging. The customer was using 85 octane fuel. He was asked to drain the fuel and replace it with 91 octane. The customer said he would run it until the tank needed to be refilled and then start using 91. Apparently, he didn't.
>>
>>This lead to a catastrophic failure of the head gasket between #1 and #2 cylinder.

I don't know what else the owner of this car could have expected to happen.


I'm also curious about Draxar's question - how deep of a puddle does it take to cause catostrophic engine failure on the MINI?