Hello,
I am looking at buying a r53 with 136k miles. I wanted to check my must do list to make it reliable and safe. This is what I have so far.

Suspension; add reinforcement plats to underside of strut towers. And checks.

Body; general rust repair and checks.

Engine;
Supercharger oil change,
Coolant change, (any suggested types or brand)
Cooling fans resistor repair,
Confirm power steering pump recall replacement,
Timing chain ?? Tensioner, or when should the entire chain be replaced, what's the interval?
Oil pan gasket, obviously leaking mess under there.
brake fluid flush.
Surpitine belt replace.

Anything else I should check or change when I have it that far down. It has a misfire on cylinder 2 that comes and goes. I'm going to do plugs and wires, but sounds a like a valve spring issue some have reported. Maybe replace the supercharger gaskets and do an inspection of the top of valves while I'm down there.
Thanks
Ed

 

I wouldn't do the SC oil change, but some do. Do if you are in there for another reason because it is a pain.
Coolant, yes any quality brand.
Don't know how much of a problem fan resistor is, I never had trouble.
Maybe change the PS fluid.
Timing chain needs no maintenance, there is no interval.
Changing the serpentine belt tensioner is a good idea. A new Gates one is about $80.
Whoa! I just read that it has a misfire. Why buy this one? Move on to one with no miss. It might be old plugs, wires and coil pak, but why risk it? Seriously let the current owner cure the miss before you buy it.
If you do buy it you will want to change the air filter and cabin air filter as well.

 

Aspen,
I want to do the pan gasket and also want to ensure the supercharger is good for a long time. I will most likely put another 100k on it.
Good to know about the timing chain, I knowme tensioner is 30$ and easily replaced from the outside. So ill throw that in.
I fancy myself pretty handy with cars, no mechanic but I know two. I have built a couple studebakers so tearing into a misfire issue doesn't scare me. Because it comes and goes I can rule out major mechanical malfunction. I'm betting sticking or gummed up valve. I made an offer based on the repairs and if they accept the price will be worth the work. Plus because of the miles I will put on it when done the car will be valueless except for someone to race it.

Fan resistor, I heard about engine fires, in fact the last one I looked at had a fire. I have read get the ps pump replaced and check the fans out. I heard installing a resisor in the fan circuit will help the situation. I will do more research before I actually do anything here. I have a lift so putting it up and pulling the fan isn't an issue.
Ed

 

Ed, before you do the oil pan gasket look REALLY hard where the oil is coming from. Mine appeared to be the oil pan also but it ended up being the o-ring on the oil dip stick tube. I have been told that this is more common than the oil pan gasket. Also the PS failure you are experiencing is covered under the MINI recall for 13 years or 150,000 miles.

 

I am no mechanic but from what I've read here and on lots of other threads one of your first purchases after acquiring the MINI should be a copy of the Bentley service manual. Based on hearsay, it should answer a lot of questions. The W11 engine and Getrag gear box, both near bullet proof, should be the least of your worries.

 

Good call on the o ring. And the part is also cheaper. I'll have to get to rewiring my lift in case I get the car.
I get a manual for every car. Sometimes you just need torque specs or help getting started with a disassembly. I'm assuming the Bentley is similar to a Haynes or chiton? Just the book of choice for a mini?
Ed

 

Bentley is the way to go. That was my first purchase after the MINI. R53Matt may still have a Bentley manual for sale in the Marketplace. Search Bentley in the Marketplace and he should come up

 

Only use MINI coolant in these engines...

 

Good tip on the manual. I'll contact him if I do strike a deal on the mini.

I do have a hard time beleiving mini coolant is the only stuff that works. Now granted it shouldn't be a constant thing to add, but the closest dealer is over an hour drive. I would prefer to minimize my trips.
Ed

 

You can always have it shipped. I remember reading a thread on NAM that the additives in the other coolants cause a problem in the radiator but I cannot recall what it was.

 

Im sure any normal coolant is fine. I highly doubt this mini you are looking at has only had mini coolant anyway.

Some people dont seem to like it, but I've found the Haynes manual to be more than adequate for any job I've done so far. With the internet you hardly even need a manual anymore.

If you buy it, im not really sure it would be worth it to add oil to the sc. I did mine because it was really loud and needed to be rebuilt. It's not that hard to do, just takes a lot of time to do something that might be fine. Better to be proactive though I guess.

Same thing applies to the fan resistor, if it isn't broken....

Hopefully you are getting it for a good price. With the issues that car is having, sounds like you'll be putting a good amount of money into it.

 

The block and head are different materials.
The Mini coolant is designed & used to compensate for that.
Other coolant will eventually muck up your system. You change it every few years, what's the big deal in using the right stuff? It's not expensive, and it doesn't cost a premium over regular stuff.

There are plenty of threads on here about it. Take the advice as you will.
There are plenty of vendors that will ship parts directly to your door for less than the cost from the dealer (the parts are even from a dealer).


The Bentley manual (and Pelican's tech articles) are the de-facto standard for repairs on the car, you can also get the BMW TIS for even more (but it's difficult to use). The Bentley is worth it's weight in gold. Compare the two side by side and you'll see what we have all learned.

Also, take the time and do the SuperCharger oil. At that mileage, and the amount of work you're already doing, you'll get a better idea of how to work on the car, and be happier knowing that you have bought your water pump some more time (change the wp too).

 

Almost every modern car on the road has an aluminum head and steel block, just like our minis. There is nothing different about our engines or radiators.

For any car, any decent antifreeze is fine. I use distilled water too, since my well water has all kinds of minerals and stuff that cant be good for the car

 

Another pretty common oil leak is from the crank position sensor. It is high up on the front of block behind the rad. Hard to get to but the o-ring is only a few bucks. Might as well do that while you are in there.

 

You didn't say what year you are looking at but the later models especially convertibles have a shroud around the PS pump fan that channels fresh air and keeps road debris from getting to the fan. You could always retro fit that.

 

Hello
It's a 2006 s hardtop.
Just keep in mind I dont HAVE to do all of this. All I have to do is fix the miss fire and fix the rust. The rest is to protect and make reliable. So collect parts and dig in. For instance. The supercharger is not making a wine noise. Better off replacing oil. Things I figure are due over 100k.
So for a trouble free 06 mcs I figure 5-6k is a good price? My offer is taking into consideration the work required.

Thanks
Ed

 

If it hasn't been said already, budget for some control arm bushing replacements. You'll need them!