Long story short and it has been a very long time since I have posted here but I hope there may be some insight and perhaps some knowledge...I bought my new Mini Cooper base way back in 2013 from the dealer.

To say it was driven "Spirited" for the last 11 years is a bit of understatement. Ran amazing (best car ever), and never let me down until now. 125k on the clock and the other day while driving up to Bear Mountain (SoCal) it had a massive

engine issue, misfire into limp mode and I had to get it towed back to LA. (AAA rules!) My local mechanic and friend says #2 cylinder has no compression and I need a new or rebuilt motor.

Has anyone dealt with this issue? I did some searching but I am looking for some opinions and ideas.

Question 1 - does anyone know of a Mini friendly mechanic in the LA area. I really want someone who knows Mini engines to have a look at it for a second opionion.

Question 2- who has swapped engines with either a rebuilt or used, and what was your opinion of the process, as well as cost ideas?

Question 3 -is it even worth the cost on a 2013 Mini ?

My Mini and I have had some great times, and this was about to be my sons car so it was a bit of shock to hear the engine may be dead.

Mini Gurus please respond!

 

To say it needs a rebuild to new engine is a bit of a jump without proper diagnostics. If you have no compression on cylinder 2, a leak down test is in order; you need to know where the air is flowing.

I picked up a used 2012 justa in Tallahassee about 3 year ago, with the same issue you're having; It had a hole in one of the exhaust valves that I discovered during a leak-down test.


I took the head off; replaced all the stuff that you'd normally replace when you have the cylinder head off, took the head to Pro Comp Machine in Milton, FL, and reassembled the car. I later sold the car to a friend that wanted it for a pull-behind (RV), and it's still running great today.



2 things you need to be aware of if you need valve work: 1. Replace all the valves! If you attempt to grind them, there won't be enough margin left and you'll have a burn through. 2. Replace all the valve seats, or you'll be pulling the head off again very soon. The deeper SBI valve seats with a .010" press fit won't fall out like the factory seats. Your machine shop can source the parts needed for rebuilding the cylinder head.



SBI part numbers.



And remember, when it comes to MINIs (and just about everything else....)