All,

I have a 2011 R56 MCS with an N18 engine that had the #3 and 4 pistons fail and need to swap the engine. My options are to go with:

- New Mini crate motor for $5,900 (on sale now!) with a 2 year warranty
- Lowish mileage (50-70k) used motor for $2k

If I went with the low mileage engine I would replace all the typical stuff - timing chain, water pump, etc. I would save $3,400 with the used motor which is significant. I would have to drop $7kish all in on the new motor which is an awful lot to spend on a 7 year old mini with 115k miles, but with a new motor it would be nice not to have to worry for a couple years.

Any thoughts?

 

was it tuned?

 

No. Just neglected.

 

How long do you intend to keep it? If I blew the engine in my R55 (79,000 miles) and it was beyond repair, I'd probably aim at replacing it with a new one because I intend to keep it indefinitely (I have invested in a ton of mods) because I enjoy the car and the cost to replace it with another fun car would be at least as much. On the other hand, if I couldn't afford a new engine, I'd take my time and search for a used N18 that had been cared for. Best of luck...glad you're planning on keeping it.

BTW, I really enjoyed driving my '86 944 (non-turbo)...really a pleasure on the highway and for track days....easy on the eyes, too.

 

when you say fail, what exactly failed? bearings? rods? cracked? holes in the wall? bent valves?

Before you go either rout of new or replacement, I think you should remove the head and inspect the damages. with a better assessment of the damage, you can channel your money towards rebuilding or buy used or new.

where are you located?

 

get A hold of the lohen guys !

 

I'm in Cleveland. The engine failed at start up. MAde horrible rumbling/shacking for 10 seconds then seized. Although after towing and outside temp warmed up the engine will rotate. I had a Mini tech do the diagnosis. Poor compression in 3 & 4. Removed valve cover to inspect springs, etc - all looks good. Used a borescope to inspect all the valves for 3&4 and they all looked good seated fine. Bores were lightly scored but not too bad. No evidence on tops of pistons of the valves hitting the pistons. But leakdown showed 90% leakage - barely any resistance. All the air was going into crankcase - no air going through airbox, exhaust or expansion tank. Tech said he sees piston skirt failures on the N18 engines. Need to drop the oil pan to verify 100%, but plenty of evidence that it is a catastrophic failure.

 

I will most likely keep it for at least 2-3 years if I put an engine in it. I enjoy driving it and would be nice to have a fresh motor and not to worry.

And great to hear about the 944. Pretty timeless car. I bought an '87 20 years ago, started as a street car, then went dual purpose street track until I bought/built a dedicated racecar then it went back to a street car, And my 17 yr old just bought an '88 NA. Strong cult following - just like the Mini!

 

They look like they have nice crate motors - wish they were in the US!

 

If the damage did not go beyond the pistons, why not replace pistons and you're done? Only N14 has skirt issues. I have yet to hear about N18 piston issues other than yours today.

 

At that point I am into a full rebuild - I'm not going to just put new pistons in without having the cylinder walls cleaned up, and I don't have the time to tackle that.

 

We're just exploring the options. Personally, I would rebuild it. At the end, it all goes back to your time and budget with how to proceed. Check car-part.com for inventory and be advised not all N18 are the same. Some have continental HPFP and others have Bosch.

 

Well even at $5-$7K its nice to know you can have piece of mind. Plus you know what you have put into your mini making it the way you want it. Once my cars are paid for then its a keeper for me. I tell myself to get this level of enjoyment I would have to spend 3 times the amount in repair money to just get that level of satisfaction in a newer vehicle. And even then its still a used vehicle.

 

I appreciate the feedback. I have actually thought of getting a new motor and then rebuilding and selling the existing one when I have time to help defray the cost.

I just put a new HPFP on my motor maybe 15k miles ago so would swap that over.

 

I think the whole head is different and the DME is wired slightly differently. Check newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/ for wiring.

And another member had trouble when he used the new design N18. He had to return it and wait for 1st gen N18 to be available.

 

I would buy a low miles used motor and swap it in. Then I would take my time and rebuild the old motor. That would get you back on the road the quickest and you could build the other engine into a hot rod.

 

Hah! I am trying to resist the urge to build a hot rod! My racecar is a big enough money pit - I don't need another car to spend money on go fast parts.

Skip

 

You could go rebuild with supertech/arp/performance parts as long as the case and the head block is fine, maybe bore it out a hair on the cylinder.