Okay, so my resistor form Mouser arrived. Took about 5 days coming from Texas all the way to the Philippines, considering I ordered on the 24th, so pretty pleased with the speed.



Found some old motherboards in the attic and found this awesome heatsink attached to a Pentium II processor! Fits the resistor perfectly with a few drilling on the heatsink and removing them copper holders. The other good thing is it still has the thermal pad! Awesome!




So I hooked it up. I completely cut off the low speed wire from fan side of the harness, and tapped it on the high speed wire. Ran the engine until 105c, and NO low fan speed. Waited for 112c, and the high speed kicked in like clockwork.

So I'm thinking, it must be the stupid relay. So I cooled the engine a bit, waited for 105c and the relay doesn't click. At 112c, the high speed fan relay clicks and the high speed fan spins. So I took out the low speed relay and noticed something odd. It looks dirty and old.

I looked up the part no and it is listed as "chassis electric relay" belonging to old BMW's! Looks like the used car dealer pulled a fast one. Or the previous owner. The wiring schematics didn't even match the high speed fan relay. This made me sure the relay was at fault as the high speed fan and low speed fan relay is suppose to be of the same kind.

So I rushed to the German auto parts supplier bringing with me the high speed fan relay. They gave me another kind, still made by Tyco and has the BMW logo on it and with the same wiring schematics as the high speed relay. The yellow one is the stupid relay which didn't belong. Just look at the wiring diagram. The green one is the NEW relay. The blue is the high speed fan relay.


So I popped the new relay in and turned on the engine. The moment it reached 105c, the low speed relay clicks and at last! Low speed fan! Turned on the AC and low speed is constant with no more high speed cycling.

Finally! Hello, low speed fan.

Just have to finalise the placement of the resistor.


Also, it is possible that my resistor is still okay and the relay was at fault the whole time. Nonetheless, no worries, as I don't have to think about the resistor failing anytime soon. Now, I can finally keep up with my dad's '13 Mustang GT! *wishful thinking*

 

Sorry, don't really wanna tease ya, Mig!
Glad you sorted this out! It'll be a good new year!
Best location for the resistor would be on the alloy bumper frame near the grilles for good ventilation. Remove the bumper skin & choose a good mount area. Imagine that huge frame as heat sink. You won't need what you got from your old PC, really.
Enjoy the comin' of '13! Happy Motorin'!

 

I know! It must have passed my mind. Hahaha. Until I get the courage to drill that area or at least a double adhesive thermal tape, the heat sink would have to do for now. I'm scouring around for some super strength double adhesive thermal tape so I can avoid drilling. Too scared to do it.

I hope this stuff would work!
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...TransferTapes/

Or thermal epoxy?
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...poxyAdhesives/

 

I wouldn't complicate matters. Just bolt that resistor onto the bumper frame coz you might need to replace that periodically. Or don't install any. No drilling required. That's what I opted.

 

Look what arrived today!



Decided to fix the power steering leak for good once for all. So bought both the inlet and outlet hoses and original clamps and gasket rings.

These BMW clamps are heavy and feel very high quality.

 

Hey miggy, just found your thread. Welcome to NAM!

Great DIY skills, I don't think I have the same courage as you to do all of that I was in Cebu just a few days back, might be back there some time next month

 

How many miles/km do you have on the clock, Mig? Can't new clamps take care of leaks? PS hoses take a bit to wrench. If you're taking down the sub-frame, might as well get to all those bushes & ball joints. Just my $.02.

 

Hey!

No, I don't do everything myself! Haha. I wish I could. When a job requires heavy work, I call our friendly mobile mechanics as they have the tools to do it. Of course, supervised by me.

The MINI is currently grounded. Got the service engine soon light today as soon as the mechanics finished replacing the power steering hoses. We'll be hooking it up to a scanner tom.

 

I'm at 41,100miles. The mechanic finished replacing the hoses without taking the subframe out but they did take out the PS pump. The hoses are starting to get hard. I actually fixed it with new clamps, which lasted for 6 months, but this time the hoses themselves are the ones failing. Already replaced my arm bushings last year. The other bushings are still okay.

Funny though, got the service engine soon light, for the first time ever, as soon as the mechanics left.

I'm sure it's not connected to the PS pump. Kinda weird timing for it to pop up all of the sudden though. The mechanic will be back tomorrow with his scanner.

 

Grats on the PS hose. How's the engine running w/ the SES? This is where a scangauge can be handy if you don't have a code reader.

 

Alright, the code was cleared and seems like it is not coming back. Hopefully.

It was a strange code. The mechanic gave me a printout from his scanner and it shows "Code 1238 Pressure Sensor, intake manifold before compressor -input high". Any idea what it means? Searching is not helping at all.

The MINI is driving fine. Really fine. The mechanic said it could have been a hiccup and I should just observe the car. They could not find anything wrong with it. They just checked the wires and made sure they were connected nice and tight.

Oh, the grinding noise I was worried about a few posts up, just spontaneously disappeared.

 

I'm guessing some sensor like TMAP. That's another weak point. If it doesn't pop back up, why dig, right? Glad you got everything working perfect. The grinding noise? Dismiss that as vibrating PS Hoses!

This link might help you a bit!
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ode-p1238.html

 

Yeah, I found that thread during my search. It made me check my wiring harness to see if rodents had chewed on them as well.

Vibrating PS Hoses. Seems legit.

 

Look what arrived today! More fun! all the way from waymotorworks!

Gen2 Brake Light Pulsar


Kingsborne Performance Wires


Screamin' Demon Coil Pack


New NGK Iridium Spark plugs


New Drive Belt


Magnetic Oil Drain Plug


PRW Fluid Damper


And also a new crank bolt, and Oil filter set!

 

Woohoo!

 

Always change your cabin filter. Yikes. I was wondering why the blower seemed to blow less air and had a funky smell when starting up. Now, all is well!

Anyone want a close up picture? lol

 

 

damm nice work !! keep it up

 

Such a beautiful car!

 

Hoping to get my hands on a CAI soon! Or make one, if getting one would cost an arm and a leg.

 

Yes, get that CAI. Not much more you can do to this ride, bro! You've done everything right!

 

Some cosmetic mods.

Painted the grill with some zero black camo paint and then vinyl for the bumper grill as an experiment. Will be getting the complete aero grill soon!



And the main course! Some awesome paintwork to the wheels by minsanity's skilled painter. Cost? $36 inclusive of labor.



Megan CAI all the way from the US. Like opening a gift.

 

This is BREAKING NEWS!!! Grats, bro!!!Finally, more whine,no more curb rash/visible brake dust!

 

A lot of the mods would not have been possible without your help, bro!

 

Always a pleasure, bro. We all learn from sharing. The forums & our community are rich with amazing people, ready help & sound info. Your car has come a long long way. Really enjoyed watching the evolution & the morph. Awaiting what you have up your sleeve.