so ive searched and all ive found is an article from GRM telling me to not even own this car but it has sentimental value....

its got 162k. the compression is good. ill most likely service the s/c at the same time i do a pulley (if i do a pulley). are there any high mileage R53's still out there running like a 15% pulley?

thanks in advance

 

Most of the high mileage MCS in first gen have this or larger pulley. No problem there, as they are pretty robust engines, that can go strong for many more miles than you have on yours.

 

While I do not speak from experience, The presence of good and balanced compression along with good oil pressure usually indicates that the engine is in good health. If it was mine, I would go for it. If you really want some peace of mind, do a leak down test.

The engine in these first generation BMW MINIs is usually not a problem. The problems come from everything else, with notable mentions being the power steering pump, certain oil leaks, coolant recovery tank, timing chain guides, door latches and any of the transmissions on the base Cooper-with the Getrag 5 speed being the least awful. Yes, I know the oil leaks and timing chain are engine issues, but they do not require a complete rebuild or going deep into the engine, and are typical issues with higher mileage versions of engines noted for their reliability (Mercedes OM617, Nissan KA24DE, etc.)

 

so 2 votes for like "YOLO! F&%$IN SEND IT!" like totally dope.

 

man, I feel out of touch with the time

 

oh no i dont talk like that... i just replied that way because someone decided to PM regarding an out of place "LIKE" in the original post.

 

no worrys. in time these cool words and simplified writing will make their way into oxford dictionary for english amerikan. majority wins.

 

dope (i do say this alot)

 

I have 136k on mine with a 16% pulley and about to install a 2% lightweight crank pulley.

 

I just bought an 02 with 138k on it for $800 put a %17 pulley on it when I did the supercharger oil. I’d say do it all day long. I’ve put about 500 miles on it and it seems to love the boost. I plan doing quite a bit more to it but for me what’s the worst? I blow up an $800 car?

 

We're at 190k with a 17%. Only drawback is the tires seem to wear faster

 

I have 229k on my 03 MCS. I have a 17% SC pulley and a tune. I'm running larger injectors and one step colder plugs and a bunch of other mods. I drive the hell out of the car on a daily basis and It just begs for more. These little engines are pretty tough. I also have an e36 M3 with 450k on it and It's my track car. I'm a BMW tech so I see just how much they can take on a daily basis