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Crank pulleys are definitely problematic on these cars.....the inner/outer parts separate caused by the internal rubber degrading. That said, I don’t think your symptoms point to that being the cause. When the crank pulley goes, typically you’ll see lack of power and maybe CEL (from lack of charge) or even overheating. What essentially happens is that the belt stops turning properly because the pulley is “slipping”. To check it, you can release pressure on the belt and try turning the pulley to see if it has any give.
To me it sounds like your problem is more likely related to a bad electrical connector someplace.....or even a bad ground? Also, how old is the battery? I’ve heard that these cars can be finicky when battery voltage is not up to snuff. If the battery is going bad, perhaps it’s the cause?
And early this morning, just after a short 2 minute drive, for the first time ever in my ownership, I turned the car off and the power went dead completely. No interior lights anywhere, nothing at all. Tried turning it back on, nothing at all. It was exactly like the battery had been disconnected. So I checked it out and was pulling on the connectors -ve and +ve sides to see if they were tight - and as I was fiddling with the +ve side the lights came back on - there is a small plastic box attached (?fuse) on the +ve battery cable, with a thin brown wire coming out the side which seemed very loose at the connectors. Anyway, started it back up and all ok since.
I'll put up a post on the Issues and Problems section and see what comes up.
This does sound like a loose connection. Not familiar with the battery and its connections in a R53, which are different from the R50 that we have. It might be helpful to include a picture of this area and this “box” with your post about this.
Something else to check.....the battery safety terminal box might be something to look at.....I think it's probably rather rare for these to go bad, but maybe something inside came loose and is causing a intermittent disconnection? It sits right next to the battery and acts as a main fuse. Here's what I'm talking about....
Thanks once again Guys - appreciate the great advice.
Searching on various sites and seems that, as you say, the symptoms are related to either the battery getting weak / about to die and/or a bad/loose connection / ground.
There are also various other causes such as water leaking onto the harness somewhere, Body Control Module, ABS Control Module etc.
So I started with the obvious and easy things. Took the battery out, cleaned terminals and checked the production date stamps on the underside. Its a Bosch S4008 74Ah and it's date stamped December 2016.
So not ancient by any means. However, I know that batteries can die at anytime out here in the heat and they don't last very long. Checked on a new one and 700 riyal (almost $200) is the price fitted and they only give you a 12 month warranty. Anyway, I have refitted it for now, after checking that 'terminal box' or main fuse as Fastlane said. There was nothing loose inside it, but the small wire on the outside is not firmly connected - I'm thinking that it's the wire that will provide a low voltage flow to the car even after the main fuse has blown, to keep various things alive until the main fuse is replaced.
I also checked the grounds in the boot and under the bonnet, which were nice and tight. I also looked up the ECU reset procedure and carried that out afterwards too.
It's behaving itself so far, and no dancing gauges or disco lights, so let's see how it goes.
Next job - front LCA bushes.
Well after a short delay in proceedings the front LCA 2 piece poly-bushes and new ball joints are done, and inspection passed.
It was another 'first time' job for me and NO youtube video that I watched could have prepared me for what transpired. 'ModMini' does make it look very easy, and instills confidence but he does also seem to ‘airbrush’ over some of the potential sticking points, which I’m sure he must have encountered too at some point. Anyway, here’s my key observations, for what they’re worth, which may help others out:
removing the old LCA bushes is not to be under-estimated, especially if you are going to do the job with everything in-situ on the car.
I used the ‘hammer method’ for dislodging the inner and outer ball joints from their holes in the LCAs – depending on how seized-on they are, you might need a pickle fork tool to assist – this may be easier but runs the risk of damaging the rubber boots on the ball joints – which is not a problem if you are replacing them anyway.
to get the LCA actually out of the rear circular shaped mounting bracket, you need a combination of pulling/twisting and a large pry bar, to basically rip the old bushes apart.
you will then need to remove the remaining outer casing of the old bush, which gets left behind in the mounting bracket, as this was pressed-in originally.
ModMini uses an electrical reciprocating saw to cut through the casing, which certainly saves time. If, however, you don’t have such a saw, I can confirm that a 12 inch hacksaw will work, with a plentiful supply of new blades to hand and strong shoulders !
replacing the inner ball joints does require removal of both the driveshafts - which run directly above the front bolt attaching the ball joints to the sub-frame. This particular bolt is also very very hard to undo by hand, even with plenty of penetrating fluid applied - an electric or air impact wrench would be awesome here, but there's not enough room to use one, doing it this way.
replacing the LCA into the new bushes can be a tight squeeze and its hard to get the LCA hexagonal shaft bit (with the new poly-bush on) to go ALL the way into position – the last 4-5mm is particularly tough.
trying to get the new inner ball joint into its hole on the LCA was also a pain - what finally worked was positioning the inner ball joint by partially inserting the front bolt first (just a few turns), and popping the ball joint into the LCA hole BEFORE pushing LCA inwards and locating the ball joint over the hole for its rear bolt - such a satisfying feeling being able to get the poly-bushes squeezed together that final bit more.
Go you - again!
I have heard that this isn’t an easy job.
And, you never said if the car drives any better.....?
Yes I missed a few things yesterday as I was in a rush. In terms of if it drives better, I haven't really pushed it yet, but on a couple of familiar sharp turns I take every day, it does seem a bit more planted and the stability control doesn't cut in as much it seems.
I also forgot to mention the process of pressing in the new bush, does require a fairly hefty bolt (M16 by 175mm worked well) and 2 suitably beefy flanges - as you will see from the pictures below. I initially used a M10 bolt but this is just not able to cope with the pressure required to squeeze the poly-bush into the mounting bracket - the bush actually folded in on itself and actually bent the bolt.
And once pressed into place, the new bush actually gets in the way of the bolt as you try to pull it out. So you need to gently tap it out with a small hammer
Anyway here are some pics of my latest fun and games......
I think once you push it a bit in a few turns, you will notice a difference. When I did mine, it was with the installation of the front and rear sway bars and the Quaife LSD. So I am not sure how much of what contributed to what. But I am pretty sure the improved tightness I felt was those bushings. Others who have posted about changing them have noticed a difference.
With all the effort you went through, have you thought whether it might have been easier to lower the subframe enough to pull out the whole bushing and holder instead of doing the bushing change in place?
And, WOW, that sand gets stuck everywhere!
Enjoy!
And just to make you feel better, we are in ugly season here. Leaves are off the trees, everything looks brown and dead, It is ~34 deg F out (~ 1 deg C), don’t remember what the sun looks like as it has been overcast, rainy, freezing rain and snowy for, like, ever. My MINI is in the garage, on a battery tender, while the Wrangler takes over driving duties. But still, there is a smile on our faces as we head into the holidays.
I think once you push it a bit in a few turns, you will notice a difference. When I did mine, it was with the installation of the front and rear sway bars and the Quaife LSD. So I am not sure how much of what contributed to what. But I am pretty sure the improved tightness I felt was those bushings. Others who have posted about changing them have noticed a difference.
With all the effort you went through, have you thought whether it might have been easier to lower the subframe enough to pull out the whole bushing and holder instead of doing the bushing change in place?
And, WOW, that sand gets stuck everywhere!
Enjoy!
And just to make you feel better, we are in ugly season here. Leaves are off the trees, everything looks brown and dead, It is ~34 deg F out (~ 1 deg C), don’t remember what the sun looks like as it has been overcast, rainy, freezing rain and snowy for, like, ever. My MINI is in the garage, on a battery tender, while the Wrangler takes over driving duties. But still, there is a smile on our faces as we head into the holidays.
Happy Holidays.
Thanks Eddie and hope the dreary weather doesn't dampen your spirits too much over the holidays.
I actually looked at dropping the subframe at the point when I just couldn't press the new bushes in using the bolt technique. But watching videos of modmini and other people dropping out the subframe, looked like a mission too. So the lesser of the 2 evils was to try again with a bigger bolt. And don't forget, even with the subframe dropped, I would still have to press in the new bushes into the carriers somehow. Thankfully the beefier bolt did the trick- it takes a decent amount of pressure to squeeze those poly bushes- rated at 80A hardness.
It was probably the most physically demanding job I've ever done on a car- but equally satisfying to have overcome the challenges and finally getting the inspection passed.
Anyway job done and now onto the next job which is moving home ! Should be a picnic by comparison.
Oh and just think how much you'll enjoy your mini after driving a tank by comparison for a few months ; )
I have done the LCAs on two cars now.....once by the method you used, and once by dropping the subframe. I’ve determined that regardless of the method, THE JOB SUCKS. LOL
BTW, did you ever figure out your electrical issue?
Thanks Eddie and hope the dreary weather doesn't dampen your spirits too much over the holidays.
I actually looked at dropping the subframe at the point when I just couldn't press the new bushes in using the bolt technique. But watching videos of modmini and other people dropping out the subframe, looked like a mission too. So the lesser of the 2 evils was to try again with a bigger bolt. And don't forget, even with the subframe dropped, I would still have to press in the new bushes into the carriers somehow. Thankfully the beefier bolt did the trick- it takes a decent amount of pressure to squeeze those poly bushes- rated at 80A hardness.
It was probably the most physically demanding job I've ever done on a car- but equally satisfying to have overcome the challenges and finally getting the inspection passed.
Anyway job done and now onto the next job which is moving home ! Should be a picnic by comparison.
Oh and just think how much you'll enjoy your mini after driving a tank by comparison for a few months ; )
Moving back Home? If you don’t mind me asking, where is home and does the MINI go with you?
You would be surprised about the Wrangler. I have a 4 banger (2.4L) and 6 speed. Rowing through the gears is always fun. And it handles better than what you might think, it just takes a bit to get used to the fact that you are sitting 2 ft off the ground.. It is also really good in a foot-plus of snow and I don’t worry about potholes with 215-75x15 tires.. But with only 155 hp, I like to say “It does slow really well”... And, yes, it is always fun to climb back into the MINI on dry, sunny day and take it for a spin which I do periodically through the winter.
I have done the LCAs on two cars now.....once by the method you used, and once by dropping the subframe. I’ve determined that regardless of the method, THE JOB SUCKS. LOL
BTW, did you ever figure out your electrical issue?
yep I can second that !
the electrics have been fine so far, since I cleaned up the battery terminals and ground wires.
Moving back Home? If you don’t mind me asking, where is home and does the MINI go with you?
You would be surprised about the Wrangler. I have a 4 banger (2.4L) and 6 speed. Rowing through the gears is always fun. And it handles better than what you might think, it just takes a bit to get used to the fact that you are sitting 2 ft off the ground.. It is also really good in a foot-plus of snow and I don’t worry about potholes with 215-75x15 tires.. But with only 155 hp, I like to say “It does slow really well”... And, yes, it is always fun to climb back into the MINI on dry, sunny day and take it for a spin which I do periodically through the winter.
moving home as in moving to a new place here in Doha- closer to the kids school- school runs are highly stressful here and being able to walk to school in 2 minutes will be awesome for the kids-
i have owned many a jeep over the years in the U.K. And Qatar- and yes I know what you mean- they are fun in their own way. It's nice to have a change too.
Just been looking at this again and what a nightmare job those LCA bushes are. Been enjoying the little beasty and pushing it around some familiar roads here and it does feel incredibly tight with hardly any understeer or oversteer for that matter. On these same bends I used to be able to get the back end to slide out at lower speeds. I need to book it in again for another ( ! ) alignment check at some point since the new bushes have gone in, but it just drives so well and balanced I have been putting it off.
I hear the snow has been pretty bad in the US - stay safe guys !
Glad to hear that you are enjoying your MINI.
That is what they were made for.
And, yes, from everything I have heard the LCA bushings are a tough to do. But as you are finding, worth the effort.
Here in the NE US, it has just been cold. Not much snow here. However, through the mid-part of the country, they got hammered, and they are not used to having much snow so it was really tough on them. The west coast is also getting hammered with rain (lower elevations) and snow higher up. At least one of those storms is supposed to travel across the contry and hit the NE over the weekend. I’m planning to take the Wrangler and going skiing in the middle of it... Woo Hoo!
Quick update - just replaced my remote key fob battery - the rechargeable type (Panasonic VL2020 -90 degree type) - and followed the initialization procedure to activate the remote control - how nice it is to have remote control central locking But I still managed to lock the doors using the key again this morning - it will take a bit time getting used to it
Apparently the key is a sealed unit from the factory and shouldn't be opened up according to the local BMW garage, as removing and replacing the soldered in rechargeable battery will damage the circuit board and render the key useless - a new key would cost $450 - plus 'cutting and programming'. I looked on YouTube and after watching others it didn't seem to be too difficult as a DIY job.
You have to cut the key open along the seem, by sticking a stanley knife blade in (not too far but just far enough) between the 2 halves of the key fob, starting from the top centre. It doesn't take much to cut through the plastic - then remove the little circuit board and heat up the solder on the battery terminals and at the same instant lift the battery away, one terminal at a time. The solder should remain in tact if you are careful and is enough to hold the new battery terminals in place - and inserting the new battery is done one terminal at a time too. There is a round black plastic sticker on the back of the old battery which should also be swapped over, as it looked like it was insulating the battery from the circuit board. After sanding the surfaces of the key remote fob nice and flat, where the initial cut was made, the circuit board can be replaced and the 2 halves super glued back together. Then you have to initialize the key to the car again as follows (thanks out to Lotter1 for posting this on another thread):
Initialize remote key fob as follows:
1.) Close all doors
2.) Switch the ignition switch to KL-R (first turn), switch back off within 5 seconds and remove the key
3.) Within 30 seconds, press and hold the unlock button and at the same time, press and release the lock button (3) times. (Must be completed within 10 seconds)
4.) Release both buttons. The doors will lock/unlock to signal a successful initialization.
5.) If additional keys need to be initialized, repeat steps 3-4 within 30 seconds
6.) Switching the ignition to KL-R completes the initialization
And Robert is your Father's Brother. Happy days. Some customary pictures:
Last edited by QatarJCWR53; Apr 3, 2019 at 01:34 AM.
Thanks Eddie, it was well worth the effort. Are you back in your Mini as a daily yet or still in the Jeep? I've just done an oil and filter service, about 6,000 km done in 6 months - its been quite rainy here which is very unusual and a nightmare to keep the car clean. I vacuumed the foam air filter element and its nice and clean now. Not sure about the filter cleaning oil which you can get, i might try that next time.
Couple of annoyances have transpired - the airbag warning light has come on for some reason and there seems to be slight traces of coolant leak - as per pics. Any suggestions please on how to reset the airbag light and where the leak seems to be coming from.
What is that square shaped box the 2 pipes are going into ?
Last edited by QatarJCWR53; Apr 3, 2019 at 01:40 AM.
It was about 0 deg C this morning and there is snow in the forecast for Friday...
So, the MINI is still on the battery tender. I have signed up for my first track day in May. So now I need to get going with buying new tires, oil and brake fluid change, and into the shop to fix some oil leaks.
As for your car, and the air bag light, I would look for a loose connection or broken wire in the seats. There is a connector under the seats for the air bag. Also, get a code reader and see if it has code that might point you in a direction.
As for the coolant leak, sorry, I have no experience with the R53s. But it sort-of looks like the oil cooler that is on the R56, but in a different location. Hopefully someone else will chime in on this one.
Thanks again Eddie - not long for your track session !
I'll be back in the UK this summer - playing with my other toy - a 1990 Honda CRX which I just purchased - no rust on it and original spec- can't wait. I do miss the country roads.
It seems no other chimes needed - looks like you guessed right - oil cooler it is. Another job for the cooler months methinks.
Good luck with the oil cooler. There is a web site that is really good at showing the parts and part numbers of everything that makes up a MINI... It is called REALoem.com
Those Hondas always looked to be fun little cars. Never got the recognition for handing that the MINIs got, but it seems that the road tests of them always touted their nimbleness. So 2 fun cars to play with.
Right now it looks like I am the only MINI at this event. My cousin will be there with his M2. We will be at Lime Rock Park (limerock.com). This track goes back to the ‘50s and all sorts of car races have run there. A fun thing about it for me is that it is a short track (1.5 miles or 2.4 k) which takes away some of the advantage that high HP cars have at other tracks. As a result, I am almost as quick as the M2 around it.
Good luck with the oil cooler. There is a web site that is really good at showing the parts and part numbers of everything that makes up a MINI... It is called REALoem.com
Those Hondas always looked to be fun little cars. Never got the recognition for handing that the MINIs got, but it seems that the road tests of them always touted their nimbleness. So 2 fun cars to play with.
Right now it looks like I am the only MINI at this event. My cousin will be there with his M2. We will be at Lime Rock Park (limerock.com). This track goes back to the ‘50s and all sorts of car races have run there. A fun thing about it for me is that it is a short track (1.5 miles or 2.4 k) which takes away some of the advantage that high HP cars have at other tracks. As a result, I am almost as quick as the M2 around it.
Thanks again - that CRX is kind of 'old school' - No airbags - No power steering - No ABS - No traction control - No Catalytic Converter - 5 speed close ratio gearbox - bullet proof high revving 1.6 L engine - double wishbone suspension all round - lightweight at under 2,000 lb - the track beckons I might even install wind-up windows to complete the retro-feel.
Actually my R53 would be so much better if it had a supercharged Honda VTEC engine
I imagine your cousin is not as keen on the Lime Rock track !
Last edited by QatarJCWR53; Apr 16, 2019 at 01:33 AM.
Reason: corrections
So the CRX is headed to the track?
Wind-up windows are a PIA... My Wrangler has them and I keep looking for the switch.
My cousin gets even with me at Watkins Glen (theglen.com). It is a true HP track - 3.4 miles (5.5 k) around and only 11 turns. The MINI is definitely out classed there by the M2. WGI was designed to be a F1 track and they ran there into the ‘70s. A few years back I watched Lewis Hamilton and Tony Stewart run around there in their respective cars. Phenomenal!.
So the CRX is headed to the track?
Wind-up windows are a PIA... My Wrangler has them and I keep looking for the switch.
My cousin gets even with me at Watkins Glen (theglen.com). It is a true HP track - 3.4 miles (5.5 k) around and only 11 turns. The MINI is definitely out classed there by the M2. WGI was designed to be a F1 track and they ran there into the ‘70s. A few years back I watched Lewis Hamilton and Tony Stewart run around there in their respective cars. Phenomenal!.
Project Binky - love it - definitely a 'bad obsession' - look forward to watching - the wife will not be happy - the kids will be hooked for sure they love this kind of thing on YT.
You'll have to do an engine swap or upgrade then - get your power to around 230 - 250 hp per tonne and you'll be spanking your cousin all over the place. He's got about 370hp-odd I guess, for a car weighing 1,700kg That weight must be a handful on the twisty bits.
Once I get my hands on the CRX I can see how much work needs doing - I know I'll end up doing the clutch, brakes, exhaust/intake and suspension. So we'll see what's what.
I’ve watched all of the Project Binky episodes and have a metal working hobby in addition to “playing” with cars and skiing. What they show in Project Binky has given me ideas on some of the things I do. These guys are true craftsman.
I could just save my pennies and buy a GP 3 when they come out. They are reported to be hitting the strests with ~300 hp...
But the MINI has less than ideal areo, so even with that HP the MINI might not reach the same top speed as the M2. At WGI the M2 is about 20 mph faster than my MINI on the back straight. That might be the MINI’s Achilles’ heel when trying to be competitive with other cars That said, it is fun learning how to make a less than ideal car go fast. You’ll enjoy the CRX.
And, yes, it is always fun to climb back into the MINI on dry, sunny day and take it for a spin which I do periodically through the winter.
That weight must be a handful on the twisty bits.