I've got around 120,000 miles on my 03' JCW Mini. I've been putting a lot of small maintenance items off for the last several months. I've decided to finally order everything I need, and do it all at once. I'm wondering if there is anything else I should do when I'm doing all of this work.

Here's my list of "mini" projects.....

1. New tires, ordered a set of Sumitomo HTR Z III's
2. Replace all of the inner and outer ball joints
3. New sparkplug wires
4. New stoptech brake pads + paint calipers
5. Flush and replace brake fluid
6. New oil pan gasket...tired of little oil drip
7. New valve cover gasket...tired of little oil drip
8. Replace JCW SC pulley with WMW 17% SC pulley
9. Fresh oil change, filters, and clean and re-oil intake filter
10. Replace the stock fuel filter with a new one
11. Change transmission fluid, ordered Redline MTL for it
12. Install the full set of Powerflex upper and lower engine mount bushings, and also install the powerflex transmission mount bushings.

I've already replaced all of the sparkplugs, shocks (FSD's), and Powerflex LCA bushings around a year ago..so they should be good. I can't really think of anything else that needs to be done. I've thought about trying to remove and change the oil in the supercharge...but so far it's running fine, making good boost, and not making any noise...so I figure why bother.

What am I forgetting?

 

Well I finally got all of that work done on my mini. Installed the new fuel filter, new belt tensioner, new 60532 belt, 17% pulley, new ball joints, new poly engine and tranny mounts, new spark plugs, new plug wires, new valve cover gasket, new oil pan gasket, new seal on the crank sensor, fresh oil and oil filter, replaced leaking CV boot, changed the tranny fluid to MTL, new brake pads all the way around….damn, what a lot of work!! I wonder what a shop would have charged me for all of that?

I think the most difficult part of the entire “project” was getting the JCW pulley off of the supercharger. I tried pulling it off, and all it did was bend up the pulley. I ended up spending around an hour slowly cutting it off with a rotary tool. Since I had the subframe out of the car for the ball joints, getting the oil pan off was a piece of cake. It also gave me a lot more room to get in and replace the cracked CV boot, and change the transmission fluid. Overall it went really well…can’t wait for all of the snow to melt so I can go and try out the new 17% pulley, new brakes, and see if the Redline MTL fluid makes the transmission shift and smoother.


Well, I was finally able to get that JCW pulley off. I spent a little over an hour cutting it off……didn’t end up getting into the shaft, and the new WMW 17% pulley went on nice and easy.

 

What am I forgetting?

Replace the coolant (may have done that and I missed it).

Replace your lower control arms bushings. Way easier to do while subframe removed and poly bushings on the PS rack and front sway bar. again very simple when the subframe is out.

Also get rid of the stock crank pulley and go with ATI or Fluid gel. OEM are prone to fail.

Good luck! Sounds like awesome progress!

 

I did the LCA, swaybar, and steering rack bushings last year. I think I'm going to hold off on the ATI damper, I don't track my car so hopefully the stock one will last a long time. I will have to try flushing the coolant, along with the brake fluid. After all of that.....I'm calling it quits

 

Great to hear. Not sure I agree with the crank pulley logic but I am paranoid about things like that.

Here is a great link used by many to make quick work of the coolant flush.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...g-coolant.html

Brake fluid change is a breeze if you use the Motiv Power Bleeder. i used ATE Superblue when I did mine. Don't forget to bleed the clutch slave when you do the brake fluid. Very easy to see when the new blue fluid starts flowing through.

 

Every two years I vacate the power steering fluid in the reservoir only and replenish it with fresh prescribed power steering fluid.

 

Don't hold off the ATI. Mine went after 40k. my friend's 06 after 20k. another after 50. Some do last but seen too many fail at different miles & none were tracked. With your miles, replace the crank shaft seal while at it. Keep a heat exchanger, its 2 O-rings, oil filter housing gasket handy. Rubber parts don't last. VibraTechnics passenger side mount is the proper upgrade.
Fuel distribution system might need a refresh once you get symptoms of misfire & hardstarts. Injector O-rings, fuel rail pressure regulator, vacuum hose, fuel filter.
Plugs, leads & coilpack, too.
Once you're done, your MINI will serve you another trouble-free decade.....I hope.
MINI on, MINIon!!!!

 

The damper came apart after 20,000 miles?? I hope MINI warrantied that out!

 

The owner didn't care about warranty as he swore not to go back to stock pulley & DIY'd the swap.