Thanks! I agree completely.

 

So Grumpy is back to being grumpy. I think I'm going to start a thread for this issue to try and keep it more focused. In short ever since I fixed the p2096 fault and reset the adaptations he's been getting poor fuel mileage. At first I just chalked it up to needing to relearn, but it's been at least 2,000 miles, now and things haven't improved. He's also still got a stumble/hesitation at part throttle cruise between 2k and 3k. No faults, no vacuum leaks, lots of new parts that should keep the engine running smoothly.

 

Stumbling/hesitation and no codes...
It will be interesting to hear what you find.

 

It's not huge, but it's noticeable. It feels exactly like worn spark plugs or a spark issue, just a little stumble that clears up with more throttle angle. Started a thread for it in the Stock Issues/Problems forum, as Grumpy is pretty much stock.

 

I have read that the coil on these can cause issues like that and not throw any codes. Still, curious to read about what you find.

 

Exactly why I replaced the coil and plug wires. Have a set of plugs, but the ones in it aren't very old and looked good. Beru coil from FCP Euro. None of that chain store junk.

 

I remember the first time I changed the plugs on our R50, at 30k miles. There was an improvement. On my R56 with the turbo I was surprised at how fast they got eaten up. At 50k miles, they were pretty much destroyed. But I will say, I was surprised at how well the engine ran, including flat out on the track where you would think it would miss a beat if it was going to... Just a bit of me rambling...

 

It may be worth it to toss those new plugs in. These plugs probably have 25k miles on them, as they are the plugs that brought on the clutch replacement. It certainly isn't a labor intensive job to change the plugs!

 

I have a 2004 Mini Cooper. Only have one key fob. What’s the best way to get a new one. Any ideas.

 

Call the closest dealership is what I did. I'm not 100% clear where the cutoff is with having to program the keyless aspect to the car vs the DIY initialization. Regardless the key will work in the door lock cylinder and start the car as delivered to the dealership.

 

The tow hook got returned to work somehow. It wound up in my hands so I stuck in the front of Grumpy to see how long it takes for my wife to notice. It's been almost 48 hours and she hasn't said anything, yet.

 

 

Still no mention of the tow hook. Noticed over the weekend Grumpy was a bit hot while sitting in a drive-thru and the air out of the vents wasn't very hot. Temp came down and air warmed up once we started moving again. Kinda forgot about it when we got home. Monday wife calls me and says she can't keep driving Grumpy if he's going to overheat in the pickup line at school. I told her to drive my car, I'll look at Grumpy. Brought some coolant home from work Monday night and topped him up, the tank was completely empty.

Drove him to work yesterday and pressure tested the system, leaking badly out of the right side of the radiator. Raise the car and find this...



Get home and ask, "have you and Grumpy had any 'encounters' recently?" She responds, "no, why?" I tell her why Grumpy is leaking coolant and mention the Grumpy tracks through the corner of the yard leaving muddy snow tire prints up the driveway. "Oh, yeah..." she says. "I may have been running late to get home for a meeting after dropping Gemma off at school and was rushing a bit. I did kinda miss the driveway in my rush." This isn't the first time we've had a talk about how fast she whips into the driveway. Has she learned? Time will tell.

Grumpy's radiator support has been patched back together once already, I think it's time for a new one. Sadly not parts available from the parts car. I think I found that's not prohibitively expensive on shipping.

 

So Sunday I asked her if she's noticed anything different driving past Grumpy every day. She says "no." I say, "not even a big, red tow hook sticking out of the front?" She goes on tell me she did notice it but questioned whether it has been there the whole time and didn't want to ask and be embarrassed she'd never noticed it before. We had a good laugh about it and she's not upset about it.

 

Saturday I replaced the radiator and carrier. Posted elsewhere about the PartGeek radiator carrier I purchased. Overall a decent part, but awful packaging. The Nissens radiator from FCP Euro, OTH, was packaged very well with extra cardboard taped around the edges of the Nissens box.

I ended up having to repair one tab on each foglight, and there were a few other delays, but overall it went well. The old rad support was really rough.



Plain roached.

Chunk missing that attaches to the lower support leg.

The repair I made when replacing the clutch


Looking much better.

 

And just in time as while I was finishing that up my wife called. She hit a piece of debris on the highway in my E46 and it blew a side curtain airbag. LF tire had a giant bulge in the sidewall, bottom of the coilover is bent where it enters the knuckle, insurance is sending an adjuster. I'm worried about its fate.

 

Hope your wife is ok.

The side curtain air bag blowing from a piece of debris seems odd.

Seems like that car would be worth keeping no matter what the insurance says. The car looks otherwise really nice.

 

Wife and daughter are both fine, thanks.

I don't disagree, but it must have been pretty substantial to damage the tire and suspension.

I do plan on keeping it regardless, but would rather not have to go through the hassles of obtaining a reconstructed title. The good thing is there is a garage that does those inspections eight around the corner from my house.

 

Good to hear. If nothing else, BMWs and MINIs are “substantial” cars that seem to do really well at protecting the occupants. Make me feel good driving a MINI...

 

Love this build! Sorry about the airbags on the e46 touring. Hope it gets fixed without too many hassles!

 

Yesterday morning we hopped in Grumpy to go to one of our favorite local VW shows. Fired him up and the battery light was on. I hopped back out and grabbed my DVOM, sure enough, 11.76V while running. Everyone out of Grumpy and into the Jeep! I debated using the core from the parts car, but it's so rusted up it has literally cracked the case! So I searched around and found one locally. Chain store brand is not my favorite, but we needed the car fixed for the week and it's what I could get. Threw the summer wheels back on when I was done. 196k miles on the original alternator. That finishes up the accessory drive in thebtime we've owned him. Balancer, AC comp, pullies and tensioner, and now the alternator.

Getting ready to pickup the new alternator.

 

Phew! When I first saw the picture with fender liner askew and what appeared to be a curve hood (camera lens effect ) I thought you were going to say is was in an accident...

Only an alternator

Just had to replace the alternator on our R50, with only 67K on the odometer. But doing that appears to have triggered something in the CVT and now it is stuck in “first”, but it will sort-of eventually ooz into “2nd/3rd - ish” range... Another wise perfect car except for the CVT...

Glad you got Grumpy going.

 

I was just at BMW Training with an instructor who was a Mini shop formeman. He said those early CVTs like to eat the band. Since your issue happened after a voltage issue, I hope thay is not the case. It may just need time to relearn, or even need the adaptations reset?

 

I had not though of bands being in there... Something to think about. There are also a couple of other things that go... A stepper motor (?) and (? - sorry don’t remember). I know it is not the belt...

I do plan to try driving it to see if it re-learns and if that doesn’t work I will try the adaptation. After that, maybe a new one or a 6 speed conversion; I like the “auto”, though, in that car. About a year ago the CVT decided to run normal up to 25-30 mph and then go directly to high range. This went away after a few miles of driving, but I had the “EP” warning that stayed... I read somewhere that may have been the result of a voltage spike which can occur with a dying battery. I replaced the battery back then. Then the alternator went this year. BMW/MINI sure missed the mark on the CVT.

 

They aren't the only one. Nissan did a pretty bad job of them, too. Then tried programming them to work like a regular geared trans, which is even worse in an under powered vehicle. I drove a 2017 Honda Accord to training last week which was actually good. Best CVT experience I've ever had.

Grumpy drove great, today. Even swallowed six feet of rolled up carpet!