My passenger side upper motor mount had gone bad and was leaking hydraulic fluid all over the place. I figured if that one was bad, the rest probably were, so I decided to buy replacement motor mounts for all locations. Good decision because every motor mount was bad!

Here is the passenger side upper strut mount totally cracked all the way through. Feeling the motor rocking back and forth totally makes more sense now.


And the lower mount starting to crack through just like the upper mount. Guess this is to be expected on 15 year old motor mounts haha.


Went ahead and decided to go with the Powerflex poly bushings for the lower mount and passenger side upper strut mount. I ended up pulling the black insert on the upper mount after I took the picture IOT to start softer and become more aggressive based on NVH.




For the passenger side hydraulic mount I decided to go with the Vibra-technics and complimented the driver side with the Vibra-technics gearbox mount. I have to say the quality of the passenger side mount is second to none and I am very impressed with it.



With that said, I do have some complaints about the gearbox mount. Three of the four mounting holes laid flush against the gearbox mounting locations. The fourth mounting point on the gearbox mount was about 1/16-1/8 of an inch above the mounting point on the gearbox itself. In addition, as you can see the bracket (clutch slave cylinder line I believe) also doesnt fit properly on the new gearbox mount like it does the factory mount since the factory mount is about an inch thick (higher) and provides the clearance for the bracket.


I received a pretty disappointing response from Vibra-technics basically saying that since their gearbox mount isnt cast like the factory one there will be some "movement" in the mount and when you tighten it down the metal will basically bend and be flush with the gearbox mounting location. While this is probably correct, for a $350 gearbox mount I would expect better quality. Just my opinion. I ended up putting a washer under the mount so it lays flush with the gearbox mounting point (and not being bent). I then used two larger nuts as spacers along with a longer bolt so the bracket mounted properly and didnt bend the line.


The car drives SO MUCH BETTER. Clutch engagement is smoother and the car transition on and off of power smoother. No more rocking motor and no more sloppy feeling. There are definitely more NVH, more than expected, but it is what it is. The only time it is unbearable is when the aux fan kicks on while the AC is on. Other than that, this guy is a happy camper.

 

Scored a great deal from my buddy Mel on a set of Alta headers! I seriously cannot wait to get these bad boys on the car!!!! Just need to pick up some DEI heat wrap for the header and a new header gasket and its game time.

 

After finding all the cracks in my intercooler boots I decided to pick up some new silicone ones. I decided to go with the DDM Works because they seemed to be the best bang for the buck. I have to say the silicones ones look a lot sexier than the factory but I was worried about fitment/seal based off how the factory ones are designed. Here is a comparison.


Let's just say installation was a PIA. Then I did some research and boiling them in hot water was the absolute best way to do it. Soften them up and they went on. I wouldn't say they just popped on but the hot water did make it easier. Here they are installed.

 

 

Another day and more parts arriving. I have a lot of catching up to do on the forums; for now, check out this factory take off 2006 R53 OEM LSD that I picked up off Craigslist. I could not be more excited, I picked it up for $375 local.







I have also been chasing down a terrible coolant leak. I was driving home one day and had the dreaded temp light turn on. Unfortunately I was stuck in traffic and had no where to go so I had to nervously ride it out until I could get home about 10 minutes later. Luckily, the light did turn off for a bit then turn back on so I think I was flirting with the line and am okay. Here is what it looked like when I got home, I immediately thought it was a bad thermostat housing and/or thermostat so I decided to replace both.


Unfortunately, after my first drive it was worse than it ever was. I smelt coolant cooking off and found a bunch of it collecting under my car. So I went home (luckily no light) and parked it. Where it was coming from didnt indicate a bad radiator or hose so I was baffled. I went to NAM and started researching, luckily I think I sourced it to a bad CET! I picked up a aluminum CET that should be here next week.

 

 

Thanks! I almost passed up on it and thought it had sold but still had the dude's number in my phone still and was able to snag it. I figured since I am doing my clutch I should do a LSD and didn't want to spend Quaife prices on a DD. Very happy with the find and purchase.

 

Hi IFSTREX,
It would be worth rebuilding the posi. New clutches and plates. I would find a way to tighten up the clutch grip to 40+%. I have done this on other posi units and I am sure you can with these. Look into it, as 25% is pretty lackluster and need to be tighter.

I am sure your coolant tank is split and leaking when the engine warms up. It is common for them to split. I ended the problem with aluminum tank (although I also had one that was not welded right. I use one that takes the standard oem cap and that makes great sense to me now!

 

Appreciate the information, I never thought about looking into that. I will have to talk to my buddy and see if he has a suggestion for somebody that can rebuild the LSD.

On another note, more fun deliveries in the mail.

 

Nice score, where did you find this one?
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Alright guys, been a while since I have updated you but I thought I would see if I could get some help.

I just recently had my valve cover gasket replaced, oil pan gasket replaced, crank sensor gasket replaced, belt tensioner replacer, crank pulley replaced with super damper, Alta header installed, new valeo single mass clutch installed, OEM LSD installed, new oem radiator installed, 4 of the main radiator hoses replaced, coolant hose out of the thermostat housing replaced, water pump replaced, new drive belt installed, installed new axles, replaced oil cooler, and replaced bad O2 sensor.

When I got the car back it ran great. I had to use the heater for the first time and I noticed it takes a LONG time to heat up. When it finally does, it doesn't seem like it is as hot as it should be when placed on high.

Then today, I was driving through the mountains here in California and had my SES light turn on. When I got home I pulled a whole plethora of codes: P0130, P0131, P0171, P2300, and P2393.

I had P0131 and I believe P0130 before which is why I replaced my O2 sensor. I know P0171 is for too lean, so maybe vacuum leak somewhere but I checked all my intake hoses and don't see anything. The P2300 and P2393 are really confusing me. Could my MSD coil pack and wires be causing these codes?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

 

Thanks for the quick response. I recently replaced my OEM coil pack and wires with MSD coil pack and wires which only have about 1000 miles on them. Do you think they could really be corroded and bad already? It is dark here on the West Coast so tomorrow I am planning on pulling them off, cleaning them, and making sure they are seated properly (maybe the mechanic didn't seat them all the way).

 

 

You say that you also got a P2393 code. Are you sure? In my case a P2300 was accompanied by a P2303, both of which suggest a coil pack problem, perhaps a corroded terminal (#3 is a frequent culprit.) P2393 doesn't sound familiar.

 

Go back to OEM coil pack and wires?

 

Alta header, cat, and O2 sensor all installed at the same time. Yes, OEM O2 sensor from the dealership was installed. It was only one of the O2 sensors, I believe it was the downstream. I can confirm with the shop.

I believe my OBD2 reader might do data logging. My problem is, it is all gibberish to me. Might need to just take it back to my buddies shop to figure out what is wrong.

I apologize, fat finger. You are correct, it is P2303. I find it hard to believe that Terminal 3 is corroded on a pretty much brand new MSD coil pack. In the darkness last night, I did confirm that all the wires were snuggly snapped onto the coil pack. Once I get home from work today I will check the terminals for corrosion.

That is almost what I am considering to see what happens. In my research, I saw a lot of posts (not just MINI) that state they had issues with MSD coil packs.

 

Thanks for posting on the gearbox mount. I too have been struggling with that bolt and bracket. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

Hmm thats too bad. For that price point you would expect it to fit 100%

 

For sure. I little disappointing, as everything else looks top notch.. It took me a couple of hours to wrestle it in place. I ended up just doing the "mash" technique that the OP said Vibra-Technics suggested. It would have been much better if they had allowed for a bit more clearance for the bracket and added a short bung on the top.