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JCW GarageInterested in John Cooper Works (JCW) parts for your 1st Generation MINI? This is where JCW upgrades and accessories for the Cooper (R50), Cabrio (R52), and Cooper S (R53) MINIs are discussed.
Sounds like the major work is behind you and you’re just ironing out the smaller details. Hopefully the weather improves and you can get her back on the road and fully tested.
Sounds like the major work is behind you and you’re just ironing out the smaller details. Hopefully the weather improves and you can get her back on the road and fully tested.
Yea, the larger issues are basically done......it's just in 'fine tuning" mode now.......I really need to get this back on the road and get the emission trip counters completed so I can get my license plates & tabs......then it's time for a good run to see what it really does
Update: 3-19-19
I got the lighter socket and the amber luminous ring finally installed today......as I was putting the console & the vertical plastic pieces back on, one of the little blue threaded nuts broke off inside next to the radio......this is the plastic nut that the two torx screws go into that hold the vertical plastic pieces on from the console to the dash......looks like another trip to the dealer is in order......guess I'll get all 4 just to be safe......and Bella likes going down to the MINI dealer because she gets lots of attention and treats.....
Putting that console and that little plastic cubby tray under the heater controls back in took a bit of doing.....
I did notice that after I got that luminous ring in for the lighter socket that there was no light bulb to attach to it for illumination.....so I guess the little light under the heater controls is what lights up that socket & area?? My '04 R53 has a light bulb & socket that attaches to the amber ring under the console....
Still waiting for the beveled washers......They are in the US, just not sure where
Went back down to the MINI dealer today and ordered some more small parts that I found were missing from the car
I needed the little blue plastic nuts that the vertical dash column torx screws tighten into
Ordered the glove box AC hose and the little diffuser **** for the AC hose that fits inside the glove box......
The local MINI dealer called me today to say the little plastic nuts, the AC diffuser & hose for the glove box came in......I went down & picked them up
Now I have to probably remove the shifter console and those two dash plastic down pipe covers to get at the plastic nuts for the Torx screws......I'll also have to remove the glove box to install the AC hose and diffuser **** inside the glove box......not looking forward to either task
Probably won't get back to the car until maybe later next week......I have found another doctor in another pain facility and will be getting injections on Thursday, the 28th....then on Friday, I have an appointment to see my regular doctor, depending on how I feel dictates whether I will go there or not.
My beveled washers still have not arrived, but they are here in the US.....I think Memphis Tennessee was the last place that tracking said they were at.....
Got my beveled washers today in the mail..... supposed to be a good day tomorrow, so I'll try to get these washers installed so the lower ball joint nut sits flat against the washer and not at an angle.
If all goes well, I need to put some miles and time on it so all the trip monitors are complete so I can get the new license plates and tabs.
Went out and installed the beveled washer for the lower ball joint stud so the nut will sit flush and not at an angle. The lower control arm got ground off by the road when the wheel came off during a test drive a while back. New wheel hub and lower ball joint are also on the car already
Rechecked all the lug bolts with my torque wrench, plugged my Snap-On scanner into the OBD II port to see what ECU monitors have not been completed yet.....there were a couple, so I took the car out for another test drive to get the monitors to complete. Went on about a 10 mile drive, some freeway, some city roads.....got back home and checked to see if the monitors completed, and they did, now I can go down through emissions and get my tabs & new plates for the car. I did remember to turn off the DSC before I drove the car so the ABS would not kick in.....I have different tire sizes front & rear, which will be next on the list to get after the new plates.
I still have the "gear clash" when shifting into 4th gear from either direction, not sure what I'm going to do about it at this point. Still disappointed in the power (or lack of) of this JCW engine. It just doesn't "pull" like my '04 R53 does.
Maybe this R52 is heavier than my R53, maybe the 15% pulley on the R53 is making all the difference, maybe I'm expecting too much from the JCW engine, I don't know
I'll go to the DMV tomorrow, then I need to get the AC hose for the glove box installed, and the blue plastic nuts for the vertical plastic columns under the dash installed as well.....seems like the little small things are going to take the longest at times
Gave the car a much needed bath, letting it sit in the sun to dry.....
Hi Bryan,
Glad to see you got it back on the road. Try calling B&R Auto wreckers and get a replacement lower A arm. It won't break the bank.
It sounds to me that the fourth gear syncro may be toast.
This has been quite a trip, but you hung in there and got it drivable again. It will take up some road time to get it all sorted out now, so don't give up! It is almost completed!
It was a ton of work and it was good to see you go through this task. I know it was a pain in the butt at times, but the vert season is about on us now!
Congrats on a good job!
Keep us posted!
Wayne.....I'm not gonna worry about the lower control arm at this point.....there's no real load or stress on the area that I put the beveled washer on.....it's just there to make the lower nut sit flat and not at an angle. The ball joint stud sits in the control arm like it should....and it's not going to pop out
It's been an interesting build for sure....more things wrong than I anticipated, but it was a "used" car.....very well used
I talked with a couple transmission shops up here about the 4th gear issue, both said that I would be better off finding a good used unit instead of repairing the one I have.....I tend to agree with them.....I just don't have the energy to swap out the transmission in the car at this point....had I known about the trans noise while I had the drivetrain out, I would have found another trans at that point......oh well
The car drove good, steered straight, tires are hard & square, clutch is working good, brakes are seating in.....
I'm not done with it yet......tires and alignment is next, or when the funds dictate they can get done.....fix the little interior things as stated in my above post.....then try and enjoy the car when we can.....I still have to get busy on the Daytona for the trip to Alabama this October.....the little MINI took a lot of my $$ away from that project
Appreciate all the help you and others have given.....
Went through emissions this morning, passed with no problems.......I double checked my trip monitors before leaving this morning just to make sure. New plates and tabs were $114.....stopped off at the local MINI dealer and asked what size tires came on the car originally, I told them I doubt they were 15" tires as the sticker says on the door jamb because I had the JCW package and I didn't think the 15" wheels would clear the front brakes......she took my VIN and came back with 205-45-17 is what the car came with......so now I get to go tire shopping.....
Got the AC hose and diffuser **** installed for the glove box.....got the little blue plastic nuts installed for the two plastic columns and cup holder for under the dash to the shifter console.....that was an adventure to install those.....
Put the rest of the interior pieces back together and called it a day
I have an appointment at MINI dealer on Wednesday for the replacement of the passenger seat air bag mat that was a recall and never done....I don't have any air bag light, and the service guy said that there may not be a light, but the recall needs to be done anyway.....so Bella and myself will spend a few hours at the dealer for that repair.....I wonder what kind of a laundry list I will get when they return the car to me.......
The only things I cannot get to work are the homelink garage door opener system in the rear view mirror and the "lock - unlock feature" on the key fob......I suspect a bad circuit board or receiver in the mirror.....I can't even program the garage door opener to the car
Quote:..she took my VIN and came back with 205-45-17 is what the car came with......so now I get to go tire shopping.....End quote
Hi Bryan,
Yes, that is right, but I use 215-47-17s on my car and the little bit wider tire, does not impead steering, power, or braking, but it looks great and really grips the road. I am not sure of the rules of Washington, but here anything goes! It gives an aggressive feel and look. It handles like on rails and I can go into corners faster, than the 205s. Little differences sometimes impress!
Just a thought!
Well, life just kicked me square in the head a few days ago. My little 11 year old Corgi named Bella was killed Monday night, April 1st, 2019. I'm not going to go into all the details here, I'm still numb over all of this....we were walking at the trail like we have for the last 5 years....we came home, went to lay down in bed, and around 8pm that night, she started feeling bad. At 11pm that night, she could not hold her head up by herself. We rushed to the hospital, and by then she was a vegetable.....at 1:30am I had to make the decision to let her go...she was never going to recover from being poisoned
The doctors are pretty sure it was some sort of drugs that she found and ingested. Her intestines were being ripped apart from the inside out. Her entire system was shut down.
I'm a total wreck over this.....
I know this may not be the correct forum section to post this, but It's my thread and I was not going to start another.....
So sorry to read this. I only got to meet Bella once, but I could tell immediately she was a sweet dog. I'm so sorry. Dogs are so special, and it hurts so much when they go.
Been almost 3 weeks since Bella has been gone.....I'm still a wreck over this....thanks all for the thoughts guys
Update: 4-19-2019
I went to our local Discount Tire store yesterday to price tires for the R52......I told the sales guy that I didn't want the most expensive tire, yet I didn't want the cheapest tires out there either. I told him that we still are not sure what we are going to do with the car as of yet.....we will probably keep it though the summer and enjoy it, and then make a decision in the fall as to keep it or not. I do have the cream 66 Charger & the 73 Pontiac convertible on the market, but that's another story
The sales guy understood what I was saying about the R52 and came up with a set of 4 tires, 205-45-17's mounted & balanced for $350......figured that was a pretty good deal.....I asked the MINI dealer and they wanted just over $200 per tire.....
So, tires are next on the list, the tires on the car now are hard and square.....I did jack up the car yesterday and spun each wheel to make sure I didn't have a bent rim, all rims spun true
Hi Bryan,
I use Falken 215. 45 17 on mine for the summer. They are quick wear tires, but they grip the road well for the summer months! They cost me about $225 installed.(for all 4!)
I get a pretty good deal with a local guy.
Last edited by ItsmeWayne; 04-20-2019 at 08:03 PM.
Hi Bryan,
I use Falken 215. 45 17 on mine for the summer. They are quick wear tires, but they grip the road well for the summer months! They cost me about $225 installed.
I get a pretty good deal with a local guy.
Wayne....how far "off" is your speedometer? Have you checked it with a GPS to see if it's accurate? I have 205-40-17's on my R53 and the speedometer is 3mph off......
I want the speedo to be as accurate as possible in the R52 if I can
I got my hand held magnetic camber gauge yesterday to check and adjust camber on the convertible's front tires....I have those SPC adjusting plates at the top of the front struts. I also made myself a "toe stick" to get the toe in set as well.
I went out to the car this morning to look at the rear suspension....I put my camber gauge on the rear and each one measures -3 degrees camber....that's a little too much for me. I figured I was gonna have to purchase a pair of the adjustable lower control arms like I had to for my R53.......so I looked under the car and it turns out that there are adjustable outer eccentric bolts at both lower control arms....I just hope that there's enough adjustment to bring it back to specs. Hoping that will save me from buying new lower control arms. I can't do any adjustments until I get the new tires anyway
Let me know how accurate your speedo is with the 215's on it Wayne
Hi Bryan,
The speedo is set to be off at the 55mph speed (a federal thing) slower is accurate and higher accurate (within reason)
Since the 205. 45.17s are stock. The 215. 45. 17 read the same. (since sidewalls are the same size as stock) (just a wee bit wider at around a 1/2 inch)
Also I have never tried it, but was told you can calibrate for accuracy! (programming function)
The 215s are a little wider and seem to give it better handling than the stock 205s did.
To me it fills the wheel wells nicer, with no hitting lock to lock. It is an aggressive look! (not that a JCW drive would want that! LOL)
The 3* camber on the back is stock. You could reduce it a little for streeting, as it is a bit excessive!
My '04 R53 has the 205-40-17's on all four wheels......my speedo is off by 3mph....I asked the dealer shortly after I got the car if the calibration could be set to the smaller tire, he said no....now, is that the actual truth, or did he just say that because they didn't want to do it?? I don't know.....
When it's tire time for the hardtop, I'll get the stock tire back on it
My '04 R53 has the 205-40-17's on all four wheels......my speedo is off by 3mph....I asked the dealer shortly after I got the car if the calibration could be set to the smaller tire, he said no....now, is that the actual truth, or did he just say that because they didn't want to do it?? I don't know.....
Bryan
I wouldn't believe our dealer if he told me it was raining and I was soaking wet when I walked in.
03-17-2019, 05:32 PM
