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I went to visit a buddy who owns a shop/towing company and we were chatting about my track R53 and he mentioned he had one that he wants to get out of his lot. Long story short, I left with a free 2006 JCW 6MT in BRG/Cordoba. Besides the bad tint and fender dent in the hood, the car is in nice shape but had a no-crank/no-start condition. Here are some pics as it sat when I picked it up.
As received:
- Dead battery, no idea on mileage, dash lights, codes, nothing.
- Sat outside for 2+ years in his tow lot so it was filthy
- Interior looked ok.
- Spare SC in the back for some reason
- New EWS in the backseat still virginized in box.
I'll continue the updates in the next couple posts over the last month or so of having it home and what I've done as I have time this evening.
So I got the car home and started diagnosing the no-crank/no-start.
I started with a battery and getting the car turned on. Found out it had 113k miles and a full Christmas tree of lights on the dash. Confirmed the no crank and weird electrical behavior. I started with the BC1 and EWS as those seemed like the most likely culprits. I confirmed the BC1 was good through some multimeter work and the EWS was not. Using the bypass test between pins 1 and 2 of the EWS, the car cranked but didn't fire...this was good news. Next step was ruling out the k-line. Did some probing with key on and off and got acceptable voltages so the k-line was ruled out. This narrowed down my diagnosis to most likely being a bad EWS. Got that sorted out and the car fired up! Success!
About this time, my wife piped up and asked what the plan for the car was. I hadn't thought about it much. Fix it and drive it? Fix it and sell it? I already had a track R53 so I didn't need this for track work. Then she said she likes it and "would drive it to work and around town". Well, that settled it then. Although her manual skills were rusty, she said she'd brush up so she could drive it and I agreed. So now this car will be getting properly sorted so that my wife can drive it around and occasionally with our kids. In all reality, we'll both drive it since my racecar isn't kid friendly. I'm secretly glad we have another R53 that we can run around town in!
Now that I knew it ran, I did a compression test which was excellent, and fired up INPA to figure out why the Christmas tree was on the dash. Turns out the lights were all lit up due to the extremely low battery voltage in the car last time it ran. I reset all the codes and none returned which was another big win. Only lights left on the dash were TPMS (Easy fix), and the brake pad light. I haven't had it in the air yet to confirm if this is a sensor issue or truly low pads but they'll get replaced anyways so it's a somewhat moot point.
I took it for a slow drive around the neighborhood yesterday to confirm everything worked. With the old gas in it, I only did a very brief drive. Clutch felt good, trans shifted well, motor idled smoothly, I was happy. I gave it a quick bath to start knocking off the krud. I detailed in a past life so I'll probably do a quick paint correction and interior clean up to get it looked good again. It needs a chemical decon and clay BAD! The interior is in good shape but badly needs a deep clean.
I ordered my first batch of baseline parts last night.
- New fluids (brake, oil, coolant, PS fluid)
- New filters/wipers - consumables
- New plugs, wires --> I have a good OEM ignitor I'll replace the MSD with.
- New PS reservoir and Coolant expansion tank
- New hood and trunk lift supports
- New clips to reattach the passenger fender trim
This is where I'll start. Next step is to put the car in the air and see what else needs to be addressed mechanically. I'm sure I'll have more to do but after getting it in the air.
Some other interior items I noted but haven't looked into yet.
- Sunroof controls don't work. Could be a fuse, control switch, etc. TBD.
- Only some speakers work. The car was in the shop getting worked on with door panels off so this could be as easy as unplugged speakers or maybe an amp issue. TBD.
Did a ~10 mile shakedown drive tonight to Cookout for a milkshake (IYKYK). I drained the old gas and filled it up with fresh gas and took it for a fairly easy shakedown. It pulls strong to redline! Overall, I'm happy/surprised it drives so well. Obvious things I noted are that it needs tires as these are flat-spotted and are ~9 years old so they'll get replaced. I have my eye on the new Kumho Ecsta Sport's.
Otherwise, I'm still waiting on parts to come in and then I'll really start getting it ready for daily duty.
Did some more work to it today and cleaned up whatever sugary beverage exploded all over it from the downtube mounted cupholder...
1. Replaced the radio with another spare I had out of a previous parts car I had for my track car. Radio now works with all speakers and sub! Huge win here! I'm thinking the exploded beverage leaked into the radio and shorted something out as the previous radio would go in and out and change volume with electrical load.
2. Replaced the HVAC control with a spare out of the previously stated parts car. No more sticky controls.
3. Replaced the switch panel with a spare from the parts car so no more sticky controls and this one has rear fogs so I'll see if I can enable it with NCSExpert and find a rear fog light.
4. Put a new coil in and got rid of the MSD one along with new NGK wires. New plugs are on the way.
5. Replaced the broken dipstick handle with a new dipstick.
6. Gave the interior a good cleaning and vacuuming and put in the rubber mats from the parts car.
I have always been iffy on 2 tone seats but I do like these!
Originally Posted by phone_cover
That's a great get, but the color combo is incredibly good looking!
Thanks! I’ve always liked BRG and wanted something in this color. I’m excited to get it detailed and see it really shine.
Originally Posted by NC TRACKRAT
Congratulations! Wife scored a great Christmas present. Hope she appreciates your mechanical ability.
Thanks, Stan! She is excited about it and does appreciate my mechanical ability, even though it means hours in the garage. I’m pulling the body right now off of my 6.0 excursion to do heads and BP it. Lots of time will be spent in the coming days. We had our first driving lesson in the mini the other day for her. She did great!
Got front brakes done yesterday. Rears will get done in the coming days. With First Brands going out of business, finding the rotors I like is borderline impossible so went with some Raybestos R-line rotors and semi-metallic pads. This won't be a track car so it doesn't need anything aggressive and the wife will appreciate the performance of these.
Title should get here in the next few weeks then I'll be able to plate it and start driving it and see what else it needs to be a reliable 3rd daily for the wife and I to share.
Got the rear brakes done as well as a new air filter. Slowly crossing items off the list as I have time. Busy times nowadays with an infant and toddler.
After too long, I finally got the title for the car after the DMV processed the mechanic lien paperwork. It got plated today and I took it for the first real drive. Did 60 miles on the highway. Overall, the car runs great. It still has some old gas in it so I'll evaluate further once I burn through this tank. I put new plugs in it yesterday and it idles smooth, starts up well, etc.
I did get a cam position sensor light during my drive so I'll get that swapped out. It needs a clutch as well. The pedal feels numb and just breathing on the pedal causes it to slip. I like the SMF conversion in my track car so I may go that route for this car as well. It also needs tires. The ones on it have good tread but are >9 years old so time to replace. I haven't decided on summer or all-season yet.
I'm excited to start getting some miles on the car and starting to get it fixed up.
