I was FINALLY able to get an impact wrench to take on my crank pulley repair. Got a Craftsman 8 amp electric impact wrench and made easy work out of getting the 15mm bolt out. Put the pulley puller onto the crank pulley and ended up snapping one of the M6 bolts. Ran out to Lowe's and bought new bolts and a bolt extractor tool. Got the snapped bolt out and started cranking on the puller... My pulley was pretty seized on there... Got really hard to crank the center bolt until I heard POP! ... Snapped another one of the M6 bolts and about took off my fingernail on my pinky in the process (it's a nice shade of black and blue right now). Got another new bolt and gave it a third try and this time around the puller did its job and got the old stock pulley off the Mini. Then installing the new PRW pulley was a snap.

My Cooper S is running strong and the biggest thing I notice was the gear shifts seem MUCH smoother now and a lot of the engine vibrations are gone. Don't believe there was any performance increase other than that this is a superior product over stock and longevity. I'm still hesitant to be happy because this car has been one thing to the next, but for now I am happy to have my Bernie back on the road with an upgrade. Next is to complete repairs on my front end damage and then I'll be looking at picking up the WMW Ignition package.

 

Conceded defeat in fighting oil leaks. I hate this car. I had a 30 year old Toyota and a 20 year old Honda that held oil a lot better.

 

Posts like this make me scared for the future of my 65k mile 2004 R53. Granted a lot of the seals and gaskets were replaced when the PO had the supercharger replaced ~10k miles ago.

I'm cautiously confident.

 

If it's not engine oil, coolant it will be water leaking through the sunroof drains, third brake light or hatch handle.

I'm pretty much over this car and as of today I put it up for sale.

 

Crossing my fingers.

 

Keep your wallet on a chain

 

Got some bosses welded onto my intercooler for thermocouples. Made a vent gauge holder last week for my eBay dual temp gauge.

Will install it all tomorrow and start collecting data.

Edit:


James

 

British cars are supposed to leak oil!

Don't get your shorts in a bunch over it, they are only marking their territory.

 

Thanks for the orders.

 

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Ordered a set of metal guide bushings for the calipers at all four corners. They should be arriving today sometime so that I can install them this weekend.

I don't understand why you would think that a rubber bushing would be the way to go in this location? But after I pull out all the rubber and place in the metal bushings, I am hoping that the braking feel improves.

 

The metal ones gets stuck unless you rip them apart and lube them very few months.

 

Put on my headlight and tail light black trim rings. So much better for my taste (I'm not a huge fan of chrome). Got a set of Zippee Shades for my birthday. So much nicer to come out to a car that's a lot cooler after sitting in the sun for 12 hours a day.

Tomorrow I'm having my XXR 530 wheels mounted. Pics to come after that's done tomorrow.

 

Really? Even with anti-seize being applied? Will have to check this out.

 

Yup I thunk there's a note that they recommend removing and cleaning, lubing the pins every year.

 

Good to know. Thanks!

 

Applied my side panel stripes.

 

I like it!

 

That's pretty clean, nice choice!

 

Anytime, you guys rock. I had an issue with a coolant package leaking and the online chat person said they are shipping a new one. Thank you!

 

Great, glad we could help.

 

Nice sales pitch. Is that how you worded it in the ad?

 

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Sadly, that is a wise decision. I recall taking my MINI into the stealership once and asked them to confirm my ignition coil had died. After 4 hours of playing with the car, they told me I needed a new cylinder head.

Before getting ready to pick the car up to get a second opinion, the "Master Tech" walked over to my MINI and slapped on one of their test ignition coils and he fired right up and purred like a kitten. They let him sit on the machine for a while looking for a hiccup but nothing. After 5-6 hours, I received a call back and was told they had great news! Its not the cylinder head, it was the ignition coil.

Which is why I brought the car in to be checked in the first place.

My experience has been hit or miss since 2005. But I am still expected to pay full price when getting work done. Another big reason I am taking the time to learn him now to avoid going back.

 

Alright, so on Friday I got a Riss Racing DP installed and wanted to update you guys on the new sound. So far with the muffler delete and DP it has been less than half the cost of a brand new exhaust. I'm in love with how the car sounds right now and I've been getting compliments all weekend wherever I go. I don't think I've heard any aftermarket exhaust for the Clubman that sound anything like this. I'd also like to add that after about 200 miles I did get the CEL and yes I did miss 3rd gear in the tunnel -.-

Let me know what you guys think!