Does anyone know if there is a how-to on the faster method for making the pulley upgrade?

Thanks
Jim

 

Sorry jim. From what I've seen both methods are intensive and in the 4-6 hour range.

 

randy is working on it, i gave a breif one ill see if i can find the thread

 

Give us a call @ the shop and we will give you the run down.

 

here are the results of Caddman's discovery:

pages 5 and 6:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...p;pagenumber=5

 

Thanks for the information guys. :smile: From reading the thread jlm posted, it seems that the quick change may not be the best way to go since you may end up damaging the engine in the process.

Chris
Thanks also for the information. I dont want to waste your valuable time if this is not a viable alternative to the complete teardown. Do you feel that it is? Also, I just read a thread posted by Cooperspeed who stated "Mini Mania has a new tool that allows you to remove the pulley with out taking your car apart." It appears at:

http://new.minimania.com/NewMiniSear...MiniDetail=Yes

Is this also a possible alternative? I have a lift in my garage so I'm not opposed to a complete tear down but I'd also like the possibility of re-installing the original pulley in the event of warranty work by Mini.

Thanks
Jim

 

Hi Jim,

I am not sure how you think you would damage the engine in the process of a pulley change? Could you explain it in a little more detail. I do feel that this method is much better than putting the car in service mode and removing the supercharger, but to each his own. I do LOVE the P&D puller for this job, but keep in mind that you will not be able to re use the stock pulley that you take off with any of the pullers. At this point MINI lists the whole S/C as one part #, including the pulley. The Minimania pulller looks like a pain to use, who wants metal shavings in that area anyway. Give us a call if you have any other questions.

 

Hello Chris

Thanks again for the info! jlm, the member who provided the quick-change write up seemed to indicate that problems could arise from lifting the engine 6 inches and also in removing/fitting the pulley because of limited access. I didn't realize you couldn't purchase the stock pulley alone from Mini (hopefully you will be able to in the future. Or possibly, an aftermarket supplier will supply the original size pulley so that it appears stock. :smile:

Thanks again
Jim
>>Hi Jim,
>>
>>I am not sure how you think you would damage the engine in the process of a pulley change? Could you explain it in a little more detail. I do feel that this method is much better than putting the car in service mode and removing the supercharger, but to each his own. I do LOVE the P&D puller for this job, but keep in mind that you will not be able to re use the stock pulley that you take off with any of the pullers. At this point MINI lists the whole S/C as one part #, including the pulley. The Minimania pulller looks like a pain to use, who wants metal shavings in that area anyway. Give us a call if you have any other questions.

 

Jim,

I'll be doing the install using the lifting method in the next week or so. I'll do a full write up with pics to show how it's done. As far as engine damage, Chris and Eric at Helix have used this method several times now, and I trust their judgement.

That said, I'll definitely be monitoring connections, etc. very closely while I'm raising the motor. If there is anything in particular that needs special consideration, I'll show it in the how-to.

There are several advantages other than the time it takes to do the lift method rather than pulling the front off. You don't lose the coolant, you don't pull the fuel rail, etc.

Stay tuned...

 

Mini Mania just came out with a new tool. It is $300. Check it out.

 

CooperSpeed,

You will still need to gain access to the pulley to use this tool. It is the same procedure, just uses a different method of removing the pulley itself. I also provide the tool for a core charge that is refunded when it's returned (which makes it free). The tool requires a standard crow's foot puller and works beautifully without having to drill or cut the stock pulley.

Hope that helps clear things up a bit.

Randy

 

regarding my install details:

Some mechanical jobs are more difficult than others and some are riskier, as far as damaging the person car or ending up with an un-safe car (brake work comes to mind). I think Randy's how-to's are a great service; my only concern is that they can make a difficult job appear easier than it is and could get you in over your head. Keep in mind that some of us have been working on motors and cars for many, many years and we tend to take a few things for granted and may not mention things like not using a vise grip or adjustable wrench, or trying to remove a torqx fastener with a flat blade.

The last thing I would want to do is give the impression that the pulley change is easy and without risk. The method in discussion was arrived at by experiment; I was the second person to write about it, and really had no problems, but I was being painstakingly careful. By now the method has been used many times with no problems, but it is considerably more difficult and riskier than changing coilovers or a rear sway bar.

If you don't pay close attention when jacking the car, you could pinch a cable or mash the power steering fan, rip out a radiator hose, although a reasonably careful person would be checking for this sort of thing. If you try to cowboy the pulley off by cutting or drilling it , make sure you don't FU the blower. Make sure you don't crush your fingers when releasing the belt tension. Make sure you don't hammer the new pulley on thereby damaging the 14,000 rpm bearings.

 

Very true John. We have done a good many of these already, and we have found there are more than a few tricks to doing it right. The belt tension tool is a must for this job. As you pointed out, a "how to" does tend to jump over some of the fine points to doing this in a correct fashion. There is a very fine line between putting the shaft on in the right spot and having it on a hair too far and the belt will rub on a bolt on the side of the motor. You will not notice that you have gone too far until you put it all back together and get some tension back on the belt.

res0zvle@verizon.net
I now understand what jlm and you were talking about when you quoted him about possible damage during this job. John's points that he rises in the above post are worth a second reading.

 

Thanks for the assistance guys. I know what everyone is saying as far as tech write-ups. I've performed many upgrades over the years (mostly Porsches) and always encounter some differences between the write-up and the actual task. I am a little concerned about not being able to go back to the original pulley without purchasing the entire supercharger (in the event of a warranty claim). I'll have to look into it further.

Thanks again
Jim

 

Yeah it does Randy, thanks. I think I would want to keep the stock pulley just in case.

 

>>Yeah it does Randy, thanks. I think I would want to keep the stock pulley just in case.>>>


But unfortunately Cooperspeed, the stock pulley will no longer be useable!

 

Jlm (and probably Randy) have pointed out that Jlm's design allows you to return to the stock size (by changing sleeves) without having to go through the full disassembly/reassembly.

Of course, the original pulley will still be useful to replace a bad wheel on your luggage, or as a coaster, but little else

Jeff

 

We just put happy faces on them and hang them on the wall in the shop.

 

Friedduck
I must have missed the post about being able to change back to the original diameter pulley by changing sleeves. Can you please point me to the pulley retailer?

Thanks
Jim
>>Jlm (and probably Randy) have pointed out that Jlm's design allows you to return to the stock size (by changing sleeves) without having to go through the full disassembly/reassembly.
>>
>>Of course, the original pulley will still be useful to replace a bad wheel on your luggage, or as a coaster, but little else
>>
>>Jeff

 

We carry the OEM size pulley, it bolts on to the S/C sleave that is put on with the reduction pulley.