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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.
Bryan (I'm getting too old for this anymore....)
I keep telling myself this too at 68, but I guess we are lushes for punishment! But we also love the reward these little go carts give us, when they are sorted out!
The engine & trans are out of the car.....went and bought a little dolly from Harbor Freight to set them on after I got them out. I need to get the oil coolers, & oil filter housings off both engines and take them up to the shop and run them through the hot water washing machine. Then use the best of each piece on the new engine.
Need to separate the trans and pull the clutch & flywheel from the bad engine and inspect them......I have a new clutch assembly here that I bought, but I'm not sure if the clutch in the car was new or not......
Making progress......did the supercharger service, new water pump installed......got it all installed on the engine, along with the throttle body and that side of the intake system......ran into another snag, noticed a large rubbed area on the upper radiator hose......looked even closer and it's rubbed through to the middle cords on the hose......I have another hose on order and will either pick it up tonight or tomorrow......
Was hoping to get this fired off today, but maybe this weekend if I have the time
Went out and did a little work on the R52 this morning......had to install the two special shoulder bolts that hold the throttle body bracket to the transmission housing, also installed the new upper radiator hose, plugs, and a new plug wire set......
I still have the radiator resistor to install, and then mount the radiator core support onto the front of the car......but I really wanted to hear this wrecking yard engine run......so I fired it off real quick to see if it was quiet or not......fired right off, but ran like crap.....not much throttle response when I pushed the gas pedal, plus it wouldn't idle when I let off the gas pedal. Went into the house and got my scanner, plugged it in, checked for codes, had a few in there for the engine and one was for throttle potentiometer fault.....plus there were other codes in other chassis & body areas, probably because I had the battery disconnected for a long time during this engine install......(and yea, my convertible top doesn't work again along with my NAV screen showing my location, but that is something to look at later) Cleared all the codes, reset the ECM, and fired off the engine again.....ran nice & smooth, no valve train noise like the OE engine, and have nice throttle response.
But, I have a noise in the clutch area when the clutch is out, like a rattle noise, sounds like a throw-out bearing, It goes away when clutch is pushed in....never made this noise with the old clutch & throw-out bearing, and the trans has new synthetic fluid. The flywheel is the same one, (dual mass), that was on the dead engine, never made this rattle noise then either, all I had was valve train noise and metal shavings in the oil which is why I got this wrecking yard engine.
I think I'm gonna need a clutch slave cylinder, I have fluid in the bellows down there, so that is next on my list of items to get, install, and then see what happens.......I really don't want to pull this drivetrain back out again, not sure if I can wrestle the trans out by itself or not with the car on jack stands in the garage......so, I'm done for the day until I figure out my next step
Not sure how much more of this I can take......I'm almost to the point of raising the white flag and throwing in the towel on this car.....but the wife really has her heart set on driving this car around I think.......
I need a nap, got a headache, and my back is killing me.......
Got my new clutch slave cylinder today, might try to get it installed this weekend. I went to Lowe's and got a couple long bolts and nuts, I have a few pieces of scrap metal here that I need to make a slave cylinder depression tool for aid in bleeding the system. I'm not going to pay the $25+ for the one on eBay
Got a couple of NASCAR races at Talladega speedway and a couple football games to watch as well....... not sure how much I'm gonna get done on the R52 JCW this weekend, we'll see
Making progress......I got my new slave cylinder bled with my home-made cylinder compressor and installed. I got my new radiator cooling fan resistor all wired up and installed also. Put the radiator all back in, filled with new coolant, and fired off the "new" engine.......I had my scanner hooked up to the OBD II port to monitor coolant temp......I let the engine run until the cooling fan cycled on & off three times......each time the fan turned on at 222*F......engine is nice and quiet....no smoke out the tail pipe.....no abnormal noises......no "check engine" light.....so I'm happy with the engine at this point.....
Now I can concentrate on the other items that don't work or need attention:
The NAV system and convertible top don't work again....NAV screen just says "MINI" and the top is stuck in the "down" position....I have tried all of the reset procedures that I could find in this forum and on the web......so far, it's still not working, the power windows work, and I cycled those 3 times and the top is still stuck in the "down" position.......so I'll try and do more research
The rear brakes need work, either e-brake cables are froze, or the calipers are, or both......should be easy fix (I hope)
The radio still has no "noise from the speakers.....I still suspect a bad HK Amp that's under the seat.....
Air bag system has a fault code for passenger seat, dealer will take care of that when I can get the car to them
No clue.....the convertible top & the NAV system had worked before I sent the engine ECU and the EWS to RPM Motorsports for repair......I had the battery disconnected the entire time, got the units back, installed them, connected the battery, and the engine finally started....the EWS was out of sync, I don't think the convertible top or the NAV system has anything to do with the EWS or the ECU......
Great progress Bryan! I am sure it is some minor issue with the NAV and Top. The NAV was not good when they were new! But they seem to work most of the time. I think the gauges are the better option! (being a gauge freak myself)
In time, you will get that all sorted!
I am so happy for you, that the new engine is a winner and you can move on to buttoning it all back together. A great project with a great reward on completion! Even with a few sleepless nights!
Keep up the good work!
Wow what a roller coaster read throughout this whole thread!
.....
Pssst
I'll use the blue injectors that came with the car in the engine that has all the metal flakes in the oil......I'll take the blue injectors out of the wrecking yard engine up to the shop I used to work at and run them through the injector cleaning machine and save them here at the house, either for trading stock, use in my R53, or just sell them outright to recoup some of my $$ spent on this car
I'm in the market for JCW injectors if you're thinking about selling. If so, PM me
Wow what a roller coaster read throughout this whole thread!
.....
Pssst
I'm in the market for JCW injectors if you're thinking about selling. If so, PM me
Yea, it's been quite the project from the start, and I don't think it's gonna get any better anytime soon. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the JCW injectors just yet. I still want to take them up to the shop and run them through the flow bench machine to see if they are good, then if they check out, I'll run them through the cleaner cycle and bag them up.
Quick update: 10-17-2018
Pulled the NAV CD unit out from under the drivers seat, the CD is 2006-02 version, it can be ejected and re-inserted back into the player, the power light is lit, but still no map on the dash screen.......
Pulled the H/K Amp out from under the passenger seat, lots of corrosion on the harness plug & pins.....I cleaned them up, but it still does not make "noise" out of the speakers.....I kinda figured it was dead
I got the convertible top up today, but not with the buttons above the mirror....had to release the catches and unscrew the brass fitting in the hydraulic pump motor, then pulled the top up by hand to where the roof rails were almost touching the windshield header....then I jumped the rear hydraulic motor from the battery and worked it up & down, then jumped the center sunroof motor to lock the side rail catches and run the top completely closed....did all the reset tips to try and get the top top to work, still nothing...so I disconnected the battery for the night and will start fresh tomorrow
Great progress Bryan! I am sure it is some minor issue with the NAV and Top. The NAV was not good when they were new! But they seem to work most of the time. I think the gauges are the better option! (being a gauge freak myself)
In time, you will get that all sorted!
Wayne.....trust me, I wish I didn't have the NAV unit....I am kind of a gauge freak myself......if there was a way to just swap the Chrono pack in place of the NAV screen, I would.,....but somehow I don't think is just that easy of a swap.....
Definitely not easy or cheap since the VIN, mileage and other car specific data are coded into the center cluster and can't be changed. Everything I've read has said a brand new chrono pack, NAV, or speedo is required for any retrofits along with a way to code it.
I've been looking into this option to display an app like Torque or Dash Command on the screen, but the components for the video interface are hard to find and I'm not sure about their quality. Also not sure if you need to go through some routine to get the gauges to display everytime you start the car.
My speedometer and tachometer are on my steering column, the center dash houses the NAV unit, I don't think any ecu info is needed for this. I do like the torque pro gauge in the screen, but I would spend more time looking at that instead of the road
The column instrument(s) are controlled by the main unit in the center whether NAV, speedo, or chrono. If changed to a used chrono, or any other used center cluster, your mileage will read from the donor car and the idiot lights on the speedo and tach may not light up correctly depending on the configuration of the donor. I believe the lights can be corrected with coding, but the mileage cannot.
Although the mileage is also recorded on at least one other module in the car, the mileage is read from the center cluster. This mismatch might eventually trigger the tampered mileage indicator on the odometer.
Well that's a ****-poor design if you ask me......kinda puts a stop to people wanting to add options to their car if they wanted to.....or swapping out bad parts for good ones of the same design......I put a ralley gauge cluster in my Pontiac, I put factory AC, power windows, power locks, overhead console with temp & compass in my Dakota....no issues at all, everything just went right in and worked
I went out today and connected the battery back up in the R52 from sitting overnight disconnected......car started fine, ran fine, still no NAV map on my screen and still no convertible top operation at all......I connected my scanner to the OBD II port and went through some menus......I can get data from the engine, I can make the dash lights go on & off, I can make the dash LED lights and needles operate, but I get a "no communication" message on the scanner when I access the NAV and both of the convertible top modules......it's just strange that they worked before I pulled the drivetrain out......I'm sure I got all the power wires back in place.....I checked both top fuses, they are good & have power to them......I'm kinda at a loss here.....wondering if I should call RPM Motorsports and talk with them about this....both these items worked before I sent the modules to them for diagnosis & repair.....I just don't see these two items having anything to do with the engine ECU or the immobilizer unit.....but with these little quirky cars, I guess anything is possible
No progress made on the NAV & the convertible top not working on the R52 after engine install.....I have a call into RPM Motorsports to see if they can help......I have tried all the "reset" procedures that I could find......I'm thinking the BCM is bad.....
Might not get back to work on the car anytime soon.....I'm due for another round of Cortisone injections in my lower back on the 29th....then it's no working one the cars for a while......when I do get to working on the cars, I need to pause on the MINI and get busy on the Daytona for our cross country trip to Alabama next October
Went out to pull the BCM out of the car if I needed to send it off to have it checked. Pulled the passenger side lower kick panel trim piece off and folded the carpet back to get access to the BCM module......I found lots of moisture under the carpet and padding insulation.....also found a terminal block under there that has many wires broken off from moisture & corrosion.....it's not a "grounding" block to the body, just a connection point for all these wires. I could not save the terminal block, so I cut the remaining 4 wires from the block, and then cut all the wires back far enough to where there was no corrosion in any of the wires. I then stripped all the insulation on each wire off about 1", then twisted all the wires together and soldered the entire end of the wires.
So I reconnected the battery, and now the NAV system, convertible top, and the key in ignition chime all work like they should. Did not have to do any "top reset procedures" at all.......
The HK Amp is still not working, it may be dead as I suspected.....not sure what I'm gonna do about that, maybe just bypass the amp if I can
Most of the interior is out of the car trying to figure out all these issues, still might have to do e-brake cables, so I will wait and do those before the interior goes back in, easy to get to the cables under the brake handle for now.....I have a box fan in there trying to dry out the floor & carpet
Pictures below of what I found and how I fixed it, still need to cover the soldered end with rubber hose and tape
Went out to pull the BCM out of the car if I needed to send it off to have it checked. Pulled the passenger side lower kick panel trim piece off and folded the carpet back to get access to the BCM module......I found lots of moisture under the carpet and padding insulation.....also found a terminal block under there that has many wires broken off from moisture & corrosion.....it's not a "grounding" block to the body, just a connection point for all these wires. I could not save the terminal block, so I cut the remaining 4 wires from the block, and then cut all the wires back far enough to where there was no corrosion in any of the wires. I then stripped all the insulation on each wire off about 1", then twisted all the wires together and soldered the entire end of the wires.
So I reconnected the battery, and now the NAV system, convertible top, and the key in ignition chime all work like they should. Did not have to do any "top reset procedures" at all.......
The HK Amp is still not working, it may be dead as I suspected.....not sure what I'm gonna do about that, maybe just bypass the amp if I can
Most of the interior is out of the car trying to figure out all these issues, still might have to do e-brake cables, so I will wait and do those before the interior goes back in, easy to get to the cables under the brake handle for now.....I have a box fan in there trying to dry out the floor & carpet
Pictures below of what I found and how I fixed it, still need to cover the soldered end with rubber hose and tape
Bryan
Wow Bryan, That sure was an ugly mess, but you were on top of it and a fix that will be better than the original way it was done!
Any luck with the NAV system yet? Is it drive-able now?
Keep us posted! I still Love your white Charger. It is so sweet!
Wayne.....the NAV system shows my location now, along with the "chime" when I hold the key next to the ignition switch, or leave the key in the switch when I open the door......so fixing all of those wires cured those "no working" items also
I'm sure the NAV system will work if I take it out and drive it.....which is still gonna be down the road a bit....I've got almost the entire interior out of the car and stored in the house in searching for these last "issues" with items not working since the engine install......my next task is to get after the brakes, rear cables & calipers, pads, and I got the front JCW caliper rebuild kits to do yet......
Progress on the car is going to slow down a bit over the next month or so.....I'm getting another round of Cortisone injections in my lower back in a few days to try and ease the pain.....so I'm gonna be a couch potato for a few weeks
Still have my box fan in the car pointed at the passenger side floorboard trying to dry out the car. I have the carpet pulled back and held with a bungee cord so the fan will get the bottom of the carpet pad and the floorboard.
After fixing the wires under the carpet to where they are all connected to each other as they were in the original connector, my NAV system, convertible top, and ignition key chime now work again as stated above in my last "update" post.....
I also found out today that the rear parking distance sensors and alarm are also working as they should......I put the trans in reverse and walked behind the car, got a loud "buzz" from the passenger compartment......which is probably good, seeing as my wife likes to back into garbage cans on trash pick-up day
Had my Cortisone shots in my back yesterday.....moving kinda slow....and sore.....anyway, went out and covered up all my soldered K-bus wires that I put back together from the water corrosion and neatly tucked them up next to the body harness under the carpet on the passenger side.....put the HK Amp back in it's housing that is under the seat, plugged it all back in, still no noise from any speakers......pretty sure the amp is dead now
Took out the center e-brake console.....interesting that I have a "tire pressure reset switch" in the console, but no wires going to it....wondering why....
I also backed off the e-brake cable nut and checked the cables for slack....both rear cables move freely, so it's my rear calipers that are frozen and not releasing.....time for new calipers.....I checked my local parts stores here....$122 for each caliper, and that does not include the brake pads either.....wasn't expecting that price.....
Had my Cortisone shots in my back yesterday.....moving kinda slow....and sore.....anyway, went out and covered up all my soldered K-bus wires that I put back together from the water corrosion and neatly tucked them up next to the body harness under the carpet on the passenger side.....put the HK Amp back in it's housing that is under the seat, plugged it all back in, still no noise from any speakers......pretty sure the amp is dead now
Took out the center e-brake console.....interesting that I have a "tire pressure reset switch" in the console, but no wires going to it....wondering why....
I also backed off the e-brake cable nut and checked the cables for slack....both rear cables move freely, so it's my rear calipers that are frozen and not releasing.....time for new calipers.....I checked my local parts stores here....$122 for each caliper, and that does not include the brake pads either.....wasn't expecting that price.....
Where are ya'll getting your brake parts from?
Gotta go lay down with my heating pad.....
Bryan
All that maybe wrong with the rear calipers is they were not turned back enough to clear the new brake pads. If they are new pads, the pucks need to be wound all the way back.
09-19-2018, 07:18 AM
