So I just picked up a 2006 MCS and while the car is very clean inside and out, the engine definitely needs some attention.

The LCA bushings, low speed fan, upper motor mount and some other things were recently done by the dealer.

I need to address the following issues and am looking for some advice and tips:

Crank sensor o-ring replace
Supercharger oil change
Serpentine Belt change
Oil/Filter/Drain plug change
Inspect the rest of the engine while I have the front off to find other potential leaks

What else is worth doing while I have the car ripped apart?

Should I be looking to change the clutch? The car is at 73k miles right now and drives well. I purchased from the original owner.

Thanks
- Joe

 

May want to change the belt tensioner, and check the thermostat housing, crankcase and valvecover gaskets for leakage. Flush the coolant if it is original. Flush the brake fluid.

 

JAB, thanks for the response. I was reading up on the thermostat and housing and planned on just leaving it be so long as there is no evidence of a leak. The previous owner was very meticulous with maintenance at the Mini dealer and has all the records from 2006. It looks like the brake fluid was flushed once, but I did not see a write-up about the coolant. Any preferred coolant by the board members? Or will Mini OEM do just fine?

 

Excellent. I don’t suppose they put PowerFlex bushings and did the ball joints and bar bushings while the subframe was down?

I would say you should get a ATI Damper and seal and change the tensioner and idler. If the thermostat housing was never changed, that will probably be a good idea as well. And look for leaks at the valve cover gasket, oil pan and oil cooler.

As for the supercharger oil, I just put a rebuilt supercharger in Artoo at 125,000 miles because the water pump was leaking and I thought it about time. There was full oil in both ends and the rotors looked fine. So, I would wait but if you want to check in order to sleep better, by all means.

That’s a big job and I wouldn’t touch it until it starts to slip or make noise. If it last another 50,000 miles you can change it when you do the LCA bushings again if they used OEM when they replaced them. And you can do the charger at that point too.

Just my 2 cents worth.

///Me

 

Many R53's have a bit of leakage from where the water pump goes into the block. Also check the hose coming from the power steering reservoir into the power steering pump. If you don't have any spots on your garage floor don't worry about it.

 

If you're pulling the SC to check/change the oil, the water pump has to come off. Inspect it thoroughly. I'll be doing this same thing once it's a bit warmer out. I'll probably just swap my water pump while I'm in there since they tend to be problematic.

 

Are you interested in making any more power than what the car makes now? If so, while doing all of that supercharger service, you could look into a reduction pulley for the supercharger. You'll want to make that decision before doing the work, because the smaller pulley will require a smaller belt. New spark plugs wouldn't be a bad idea either, and you'll want one step colder plugs if you go with a reduction pulley. As mentioned above, also check the belt tensioner and consider a tensioner stop to save you in the event that the tensioner fails. A new crank pulley is a good idea as well. When they fail its a nasty mess. Also check the condition of the idler pulley. The bearings in them tend to seize and fail, causing an annoying squealing noise while driving.

Also check things like coolant, power steering fluid and brake fluid. With the coolant, check the tank specifically and make sure it is not splitting at the seams. A coolant flush may be a good idea just so you know that its fresh. The thermostat and thermostat housing are problem areas on these cars as well. The housings have been known to warp, causing a coolant leak that can often go undetected until you have larger problems. Make sure you don't have a leak from the clips right below the power steering tank.

Also, you may want to check the bypass valve to make sure it looks to be closing correctly. A bypass valve that is not operating correctly will cause you to lose boost. You can either replace the spring in the stock BPV or pick up a Detroit Tuned BPV for a fair price. This is a common upgrade with many of the R53s because the springs in the stock bypass valve do tend to wear out over time.

 

The work was performed by the dealer so I am assuming that they just replaced everything with stock parts. I am going to throw it up on a rack before all the work is performed and get a good luck at everything before ordering parts.

I did notice that the power steering fluid appeared to be a bit low, but the reservoir was not empty. I'm thinking there could be a small leak in the power steering system somewhere, so I will take a good look. The car does not leave marks in the garage at all, but there is plenty of saturation all along the bottom of the engine bay. Is the common fix for the power steering leaks to just replace the lines? Or can gaskets/seals be replaced separately?


That's where I am torn at the moment! The car was purchased for the wife (I drive a blown Tundra with a charger that has more displacement than the entire Mini engine) , but after driving around in the Mini, I cannot believe how enjoyable it is. I previously had a 2003 Civic Si hatchback that was Jackson Racing supercharged so I am very familiar with smaller pulleys, colder plugs, new injectors, etc. I am thinking I will probably keep the MCS stock, especially for resale purposes in the future. I am not opposed to upgrading inferior stock parts, but I doubt I will raise the boost levels or change the tune. At least for now...

 

Crank sensor is easy do to, just have to remove one bolt and the sensor pulls out of the head.

For the belt change, you do need a belt tensioner tool to remove the belt.

How many miles are in the car? I'm selling a set of new, never opened injectors. When I pulled mine off the car they looked terrible, rusted out and the fuel flow was hurting. There's a lot of parts to the engine that can be overlooked.

 

Sounds like you're looking for ways to spend money. Don't let mechanics talk you into service that may or may not be needed and don't believe all the "you have to do this because it might fail" stories you read on the internet.

You don't generally replace things like clutches at any specific mileage - if the clutch is working fine, leave it alone. (Properly used, a clutch can last 500K miles or more - most don't, but they can.)

And I wouldn't tear into the front of the car doing stuff like seals unless there is a leak. A little seepage is not something that generally has to be repaired immediately. I'd just monitor it.

I'd bring all the required maintenance up to spec first and go from there. Fluid changes (oil, brakes, coolant) are certainly things you want to be taken care of. But otherwise, if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

- Mark

 

Stock is over rated, Put a pulley on it, you know you want to.

 

+1, put a pulley on it.....Swap cars with the wife......Enjoy!

Seriously, as far as clutch, only do it if you "need" to, and as an FYI for while you're inspecting, oil pan gasket "seepage" is normal, "leaking" is not, if all you notice is a little residue & dirt on the pan, changing it is really "up to you", mine has been "seeping" for the better of 130k, never got any worse & I still only add 1qt of oil between 5-6k oil changes and thats with over 200k on the car.

 

The only reason I mentioned the clutch is because I was planning on removing the front of the car and would like to get as much done the first time around, rather than rip it all apart down the road.

Seepage is definitely evident all over the place beneath the engine, but I have no idea what the source is. Once I get it on the lift I will degrease it real well and inspect again after a few hundred miles to pinpoint the source.

Does anyone have an opinion on the belt tools for the MCS that can be found on eBay for around $35? Similar to this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Mini-Cooper-S-Serpentine-Belt-Tool-Set-2001-2006-Supercharged-W11-Engine-/171008070521?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item27d0e01379&vxp=mtr

 

Save your money. Loosen the top bolt for the tensioner, the one that is right by the dipstick. Stick a hex key in the bottom hole on the face of the tensioner. Then use a long screwdriver or crow bar to collapse the tensioner enough to stick another hex key into it to stop it from expanding. Works every time.

 

I don't have anywhere near this number of miles, but this is exactly my situation as well - whenever the car goes on the lift, the mechanic will try and convince me to pull the entire front end of the car off to replace the pan gasket when all it does is seep a bit with no drips on the floor and on discernible drop in oil level on the dipstick between 7500 mile oil changes.

Way too much over-maintenance recommended on these cars.

- Mark

 

you don't need to remove the entire front end to get to the oil pan gasket, just the front bumper, A/C pump and alternator

 

To take this one step further, once the front bumper and bumper support are removed, you can remove the two bolts holding the modular front end on and insert longer bolts. That way you can pull the modular front end away from the motor, giving yourself more space without having to remove it entirely.

 

that is the better way to do it, but if you're lazy and don't want to pick up the longer bolts and drain the coolant you can do the job without removing the front end

 

you dont need to remove the front end, just pull the lower motor mount and use a ratcheting strap to pull the motor back via the block
then remove the belt ac compressor then pan. and while you have the motor tilted back change the crank trigger o ring, just above the pan split line on the transmission end of the block.
I'm sorry if i think that having a oil leak is unacceptable. it just is. you have a leak you fix it.
It means the motor and everything else under there is filthy.
And being the person that normally works on these things having a spotless motor like i do is under valued.
only excuse to not change the pan gasket is you are cheap and lazy.

 

Thanks for the tips! Also, I completely agree with your take on leaks and when to fix them. I have a few OCD type habits and a clean engine bay is one of them. I am looking forward to ripping the Mini apart and getting her back to pristine condition. I did a lot of research before picking the MCS over an Acura or Honda (my comfort zone vehicles) knowing I was going to have some maintenance ahead of me.

So far I am absolutely pleased with how fun the MCS is to drive!

 

The mini is tighter but overall not so bad, its a much more basic car, it certainly lacks the miles of vac hoses that the hondas have.

 

True, just doing a quick poke around the engine bay does not make the mini to intimidating. I am very familiar with the Honda K-series motors and was just looking to stay in my comfort zone. Inevitably, the mini has 73k miles on it and needs a bit of TLC.