About the factory dipstick - I have wondered why they fail on some cars and not the others. I would have thought that it is when the dipstick is reinserted that the damage occurs as that is when I find the dipstick may be bent. I can only speak for mine and what I do. On both our 2004 and 2012 the dipstick comes out without any hang ups but I always pull them out slowly. It is when they are put back into the tube that I think the problem occurs. There is a bend or a something that the end will get hung up on and, if you are just using one hand to reinsert it, the shaft will bend. I always use 2 hands, one on the end to push it, the other in the middle to guide and I only slide it in very slowly. I have not found that I need to twist or rotate it to remove it or reinstall it. As a note, I track my 2012 MINI and, on any one track day, I probably check the oil 4 or 5 times. Any one oil check is 2 or 3 removals and reinsertions of the dipstick. In a year, I do 10 or so track days, plus an oil changes (5 or 6 in a year). So, in almost 7 years of ownship, that dipstick has been out and put back into the engine a gazillion times. And it is still the original.

 

My PS hoses were leaking at the clamp below the reservoir, I assume the rubber is breaking down. I bought Rein Automotive brand hoses from Pelican Parts, about $80 for the pair. Not particularly tough job, easier with the drivers tire off.

I believe all current PS fans incorporate the thermal relay. Bought mine from Pelican also (genuine BMW).

Another thing to keep an eye on is the thermostat housing. At 50K miles I was loosing a fairly large amount of coolant after each drive with no sign of leaks. Was leaking from the housing and vaporizing from the exhaust manifold heat. Lots of good videos on that repair.

 

OK so I checked my passenger side engine mount - no gap as you have shown - rubber was flush with metal - and as I was jacking the engine up, the inner rubber section of the mount was just separating away from the lower part - I think it's safe to say that it's donald ducked !! This mount has a really bad reputation it seems - did some reading up on any alternative mounts - seems there are after markets mounts (WMW / TSW) but the additional vibrations can be a bit harsh for everyone's liking - and they are not cheap either - so I will look for an OEM replacement item for now - about 34 quid for a new one (Lemforder brand) off flea-Bay - not that bad really.

That gap under the rubber section is due to me jacking the engine up !


Has anyone tried drilling and filling the dried out mount with some PU like Tiger Seal ? Bit of a ghetto fix I know, but I have used Tiger Seal instead of Polyurethane inserts, and its worked well - the only thing is you have to leave the PU to fully cure in the mount for long enough before re-installing - like a week or two !

 

Ok here's progress from last night
First CV joint opened up - inner 'tripod' joint - shorter shaft on driver's side - all looks nice and intact
Nice looking roller bearings and you will need snap ring aka 'C' clip pliers to get this CV joint off the shaft - after making sure you mark it exactly with the driveshaft so it goes back on in the same position
Then to the outer 'Rzeppa' CV joint - the outer boot was actually pretty solid compared to the inner side - no sign of it failing anytime soon - but it's a job to pop the CV joint off the shaft - need to be brave !
Its a messy job - plenty old rags needed
Right time to replace the outer joint - just as hard if not harder than removal - tip: need to make sure the retaining clip on the driveshaft is not loose otherwise won't get it back on
But first some nice new molybdenum disulfide grease - just enough needed not too much
And the same for the inner CV - which is easy off easy back on
Something strangely satisfying about squeezing that grease in - sad I know !
OK both sides ready for the clips
Need some nail puller type pliers that are big enough to fit over the squeeze point on the clips - locking pliers / mole grips can get you started if you need them

One side done
And well into the darkness, the passenger side shaft is also done

 

Been a long summer vacation - need to get back on track with this - got some new parts to fit - power steering hoses, new power steering fluid (the proper stuff), new Pipercross air filter (foam type).
Landed back in Qatar in the early hours - not much sleep last night, but determined to get something done tonight.

 

Managed to start de-greasing and cleaning the engine bay, brakes and removed arch liners for a good old clean behind - very well preserved and rust free so far - not used to this, coming from the UK.

Ok here's the list of things to be done, so I don't forget anything and to make sure I do things in the best order (any tips on order of things welcome!):
1. Drain remaining power steering fluid out of system
2. Replace both power steering reservoir hoses
3. Insert new oil filter and replace in housing
4. Replace crank position sensor O ring
5. Replace both front drive shafts
6. Clean and Replace front brake discs/pads and calipers
7. Replace lower engine mount
8. Replace air box and new air filter
9. Re-fill with engine oil, gearbox oil and coolant
10. Replace AC cabin filter
11. Replace fuel filter
12. Replace rear wheel bearings
13. Clean and Replace rear brake discs/pads and calipers
14. Clean wheels inner and outer sides (? paint black)

Thats pretty much it I think.....found the workshop manual as a PDF on-line to download - essential for the correct procedures and to torque up all those bolts ...https://www.carpdfmanual.com/mini/

 

 

Yes I found that coolant drain bolt - its actually higher up than I was expecting and yes its a PITA to get to ! Now wondering if its worth trying to get it out ??!!
How much coolant roughly would you say you managed to get out ?

 

Thanks - the brake fluid change was on my mind, but was done in 2016, so not desperate for now.
The JCW is getting a thorough seeing to but I am running out of time, as the kids start school in 3 days and I've been driving the wife's car, and she does the school runs !

 

11. Replace Fuel Filter - just been watching Mod Mini doing this and I might leave this till another time - it looks quite involved. Let's get the easier stuff done and car on road.

 

Fuel filter isn't that bad to do. If you can remove/refit the drive axles, re-grease the cvj's, etc, the fuel filter should be a walk in the park.
Great thread, love watching your progress.

 

 

Good fun! I do like that color scheme.

I have a 2006 R53 (not JCW) also, and over 9 years of ownership, certain things have failed. Here's my list of things to check out, some of which have been already mentioned:
1. PS Fan: This has been re-engineered over the years by BMW, and if yours is original, you are just asking for catastrophe when it fails. The PS pump is expensive to replace. Get the redesigned fan in there ASAP.
2. Low speed cooling fan. There are estimates on these forums that 100% of the in line resistors fail on this car, thus causing the low speed fan to not work. You need this to work for several reasons, not the least of which is air conditioning performance. See here for the solution: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-solution.html
3. Shock tower mushrooming. There are aftermarket parts that fix this.
4. Rusted out real tail light cavities. The design holds water. Maybe not a problem in your area, but even washing the car will cause water to accumulate there. I had to rip out most of the bottom of the taillights and rebuild the cavity with Bondo.
5. Valve body. My mini wouldn't shift after a while. The valve bodies are poorly designed, and the pistons/ball bearings in there tend to wear grooves into the softer aluminum. The ATF leaks around these grooves internally and causes the problems. I bought a new one from RevMax (I think?), put it in, and all has been well since then.

My mini has also leaked oil and coolant out of the front of the engine block for just about ever. More coolant than oil. I've tried replacing seals, using RTV, and prayer, but I can't get this darn thing to start leaking. I've given up at this point, and just check the oil/coolant every couple of weeks, and top off as needed.

Other than that, the car has been remarkably solid for me.

 

Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with your R53, they are invaluable pieces of knowledge that you have shared - top man!
I will be watching things carefully indeed - there's always some nervousness when you do these kinds of jobs yourself for the first time on a car you're not familiar with. My background is with Honda's in the UK (DC2 mostly) and having most recently stripped a Mark 2 CRX down to the shell and rebuilt it, I could do any of that again without worry. But the R53 has been a huge learning experience, which fellow enthusiasts like you on this forum have made much easier, thanks to all your advice.

I will order the more up to date PS cooling fan for sure and I will also check on the low speed fan and tail lights issues. I have checked the shock towers and they look ok from the top and underneath, so wondering if they might have been sorted already.

Been a couple of 'full on' days working on the car - pictures below.

 

Bolts came out easy after some WD40


Rear Bearing out - easy 4 bolts and off


Shiny new bearing and hub in one - good idea and saves time and pain on pressing new bearings into hub (as with Honda)




Any idea what those strange looking clips on the back of one of the rear pads on each side are for ? There were some missing on one side, so I just took them all out - all or nothing approach.



Rear inside view

 

Cleaned up Calipers


Cleaned up brake disc



Cleaned up pads







Chose to use jubilee clips in the end - don't like the other type as found on CV boots

 

RE post #40: I think that they are anti rattle springs/clips, and you need them on the pad.

 

Thanks - had a feeling they might be something like this - I'll try them as they are - shouldn't do any harm



Clean and grease slider pins















Rear brakes cleaned and back together

 

The rebuild continues....

 

 

What do you mean by "gearbox"? Are you talking about an automatic transmission, or something else? If you are talking about refilling the automatic (Aisin) transmission, I fill mine from the top. I do drain it from the plug on the bottom, but to refill, there is a fairly accessible plug that you can see looking down on the transmission. It's a fairly large Torx bolt, and you can get to it without taking any other parts out. I usually remove the bolt, then wedge a long piece of rubber tubing into the hole. I then jam a funnel in the top of the tube, and pour the ATF in. It takes a while, but it works.

If you are doing the tranny, make sure you read up on the fill instructions. They are pretty involved, and include the monitoring of fluid temperature.

 

 

Ok so after much perspiration and a load of expletives, the Power Steering Pump is out and the gearbox refill plug is open. It took a hell of a lot to shift it and makes me wonder if its ever been opened.
On the positive side, I get to totally drain and clean up a very dirty pump and related pipes and subframe sections. So I can get on after work and put the pump back in and fill up the fluids and get it started. God willing ofcourse.

 

 

Thanks for the kind comments - I can be a bit OCD at times but I believe I now have an R53-JCW that actually looks like its has only covered 72,000 km in 12 years. Under the hood is a much nicer place and most of the baked on sand and oil/grease is now cleaned off.

Well I managed to get all the fluids in last night, started her up and let the coolant flow and bled out the air. I only managed to get 4 litres of 50:50 diluted coolant into the system, which must mean there was some of the old stuff still in there.

This morning I let the car idle in the garage for 30 mins. The fan came on and stayed on the whole time - it was 35 celsius this morning with 80% humidity. The AC system was blowing really cool with condensation forming on the outside of the glass ! The power steering fan didn't come on, but I'm not sure that's not just because it was jacked up in the garage with no wheels on. I'll check it later after I have driven it. Finally, wheels went back on - still in original silver colour as they are so clean and unblemished - seems a shame to paint them black.

Then finally, the drive to work. Wow - Much tighter feel, more throttle response, clean new filters all round definitely made a difference.

Key observations are that brakes feel a bit spongy, so brake fluid needs a flush, and whilst the rear wheel bearings are new, the front ones are still making a hell of a noise, so need changing also.
Need to fit the new spark plugs which I forgot about.

Oh and the fuel guage decided to stop working !!?? The low fuel red light is on though and the guage is showing totally empty - but I know it has a full tank. Is this another Mini quirk ?