Hi all!

New to the Mini's and as happy as a person has the right to be with my 2007 MCSa. Chili red with white top/stripes in case you were wondering.

So I just bought this thing about 1 month ago with 32k on it. After 6 months of looking, this car was by far the cleanest and most reasonable priced.

Anyway, I have spent the last couple of weeks reading about the various probs these cars are known for. I have to laugh about the timing chain issue. My 2006 BMW K1200R had a similar issue. (BMW thing?) The fix with it was to replace the hydraulic tensioner with a simple mechanical one.

So after reading about the OCC, it seems this is a way to slow the buildup. I want to add the BSH can with the block off.

If I understand correctly, the US passenger side PCV hose works when turbo not boosting and the other works when under boost.

My question is this, if the passenger side is blocked off and the catch can is put on the other line, how does the system vent when not boosting? Would blocking off the passenger side cause any pressure build up at idle?

Forgive if this has been discussed and i missed it.

Thanks,

Bill

 

There are several threads on this, check in the 'modifications/drivetrain' section. Basically, there is an actuated valve in the cam cover that directs the PCV flow from one side to another. I don't remember the details enough to accurately describe what happens under what conditions, but it works. I've had mine for over a year, and have had no concerns.

Enjoy your MCSa. Confirm that the timing chain, auxilary water pump, and battery have been changed. The water pump is a 2012 recall, the timing chain is a historic problem, especially on 07's and 08's. There are several threads that indicate that a weak battery makes some weird things happen, and yours is now 5 years old.

Keep an eye on the oil changes, I assume that there has been one per year for your car, but the turbo oil line can get plugged. My motor is pretty dirty, I have done oil changes ever 5k, and am slowly getting my motor clean.

I had a chili red/white MINI, this is a wonderful color combination. Enjoy the car.

Mike

 

mbw, Marvel Mystery Oil is great for clearing passages and keeping lifters and hydraulic parts operating smoothy. I use it in both of my cars, the other one is 20 yrs old now and has 187K miles. It sits for months at a time and has a few ticking lifters because of its age (and because it has 24 of them) at cold start but very quickly settles down afterwards. Good stuff. I use it in the oil and gas.

 

The cover now vents 100% through the driver side PCV port. With the passenger PCV plug and blocked, the evacuated air from the valve cover (pulled by negative pressure differential - vacuum!) is directed through the catch can where the air is cooled to condense and fluid vapor. After leaving the catch can, the air is sucked into the inlet side of the turbocharger.

- Erik