This morning I pulled the front seats so I could get the part number off the airbag controller. While they were out I lubed up the tracks and fixed the height adjusters. Both of the adjusters were frozen in the full down position. A lot of lube and operating them I finally got both of them broke free and working again. It didn't bother me too much but I wanted the drivers one to work incase my wife ever has to drive it. Plus I hate knowing something doesn't work correctly. The new to me airbag computer should arrive Friday.

 

I'm with you. It drives me crazy if something doesn't work, even if it's a feature I don't use.

 

Score!!!
Today is the first time I drove her since I installed the new thermostat and injectors. I did not get the cold check engine light this morning on the drive into work. YAY!!! There was also a strange drone noise coming from the car starting at about 58 miles and hour up to about 62 mph. With the new injectors it drove a heck of lot better and that strange drone noise is now gone. There is still some tire vibration but the overall drive ability of the car is remarkably improved! Going to put the AC machine on her this afternoon and fill the system.

I also figured out that I can wedge my big Yeti coffee cup between the passenger seat and the parking brake handle to help steady it, not perfect but not between my legs anymore.

 

Yesterday I let it vacuum down for about 2 hours, still had a vacuum on it this afternoon. Filled her up with Freon and the AC is ice cold !!!
All my hard work is paying off.

The new harmonic balancer bolt never arrived that I ordered from Pelican Parts. Post office said it never left California. I got ahold of Pelican and they are sending me a replacement bolt thru Fed-X and not the post office. Great customer service!!

Fingers crossed the new airbag computer coming in on Friday fixes the airbag light.

 

Great news on the improved drivability. So are you thinking that the old thermostat was stuck open?

 

I looked at it and couldn't visibly find anything wrong with it. The only thing I can think of is the spring was weak and opening early. It had been replaced in the past because it had a doorman housing. I did notice the cap looked original and really rough so I ordered a new one.

 

The list of things that need to be fixed or I want to replace is getting smaller.

The passenger side window is stuck in the up position, when it does move every now and then it is really crunchy sounding so I went ahead and ordered a new regulator with motor. Also the electric side of the lock does not work either. When I pull the door card to replace the regulator I will see if it is plugged in.

Things I still want to fix/replace in the near future:
New airbag module will be delivered tomorrow, hope that fixes the airbag light being on.
Fix the window and lock in the passenger door
Both A pillar covers are cracked and need to be replaced
I would like to get the keyless entry working
Both front speaking are not working, probably need new speakers.
Would like to find a good drivers seat back with the red cloth like mine
Back up light doesn’t work. If it’s like the rest of the exterior lighting it just needs a bulb.
I would like a Parcel shelf
New bracket for the alarm thingy on the headliner. The big thing fell off the headliner the other day.
Replace the missing injector cover
New battery box lid
front lower grill and rear hatch handle chrome is wavy.

Long term: spring/ summer next year
New radiator, water pump and hoses and maybe fan assembly
New fuel pump
New wheel bearings all the way around
Refresh the rear suspension since the front is all new
Repair the curb rash and repaint the rims
New tires
New window tint
Order and install all the stuff I need to flat tow it behind my motorhome.

The list is a little bit longer than I expected. Some is being proactive and some is beauty. I really grown to love this little car. Even thou it’s a base model it’s super fun to drive. It’s just a shame the old owners let it get into such disrepair. I will keep working on her till I get it the way she should be.

 

Now to post this in he correct thread:


I would recommend the aFe Cold(ish) Air intake. It makes a little more noise in normal driving but if you give it the beans -

The mic is by the battery under the bonnet. What you are hearing under acceleration is 90% intake. The aFe isn't cheap but it does seal to the bonnet locking out some of the hot air from under the bonnet.

you will need a new gear box though, eventually, and probably soonish. The Midland/Rover unit is crap and will break. I had to have mine rebuilt once and with the track days, it was just a matter of time before I would have had to get a new one. I'd go for the 6speed swap though when the time comes - and it will come, trust me, it will come - but learn from my mistake, DO THE 6SPEED SWAP and be done with it. The R50 cannot make enough power to damage the Getrag from an R53.

I do miss that R50.... It was a fun car.

 

Thanks for the pointers but I’m going to leave it as stock as I can for right now. When and if the transmission takes dive I do want to do a 6 speed swap. Right now I just enjoying driving it this week since most of the bugs seem to be worked out, but not really going to be a daily. I mainly bought it to pull behind my motorhome on vacations to the beach and Disney World. I can see that an S convertible is in my future but there is some unfinished work I need to do to my 07 Escalade ESV first. I need to replace the carpet and get the accident damage fixed that my mother in-law did. I just love my Caddy, rides so nice and I have done a ton of work to it to get it that way.

 

The new airbag ECU was delivered today!! YAY!! I won't install it until Saturday.
Passenger side window regulator and motor won't be here till Wednesday so I already know what is next weekends project.

Today on the way home I noticed that the old dry plastic on the dash, doors and interior is really starting to shine now. I super cleaned it with a rotary brush on my drill right after I bought it. I think I have used almost a whole can of McGuire's extra shine wipes on them since I got the car and it is finally soaking in and looking really good. Definitely not the car I started out with.

 

Yanked the interior out and replaced the Airbag ECU this afternoon. I hooked the battery up and then turned they key with fingers crossed. Light came on, went off and came right back on. DANG IT. Got my code reader and read the codes, same codes as I had before. I cleared the codes and then turned it off, then back on. Same thing, light on, off then back on except now I only have one code instead of 11. My original diag of a bad ECU was correct because none of the other fault codes came back. The only code is 0B Battery, positive terminal isolation 1.


Its good to know my code reader will erase airbag codes. Only problem is I can't find anything on how to fix it. My battery is up front and I only have 2 positive cables coming off the battery. Both of them are big and no funny looking resister in sight. One looks like it goes to the starter and the other to fuse box. Any one have an suggestions???

 

Just don't leave it in first gear...

 

No chance of doing that.

While pulling the interior and it sitting on the parking pad I noticed a leak. In the middle of the car towards the back for the engine compartment. Looking at it briefly I am thinking power steering. Great….

I cleaned the battery terminals and no change to the light coming on. I guess the next thing is to pull the fuse box and clean the positive connection going to it. Hopefully I can find some kind of troubleshooting. All the ones I find is related to the cars with the battery in the back or have the funky explosive terminal, and I do not have either one. The battery is almost brand new so it’s not a weak battery.

 

I bought the bracket for the alarm thingy on the headliner and it’s on the way.
The new window regulator and motor for the passenger door could possibly be delivered today.
The new balancer bolt to replace the bolt that got lost in the mail is supposed to be delivered Tuesday.
Also waiting on the new radiator cap to arrive.

I finally found a cloth drivers seat cover back and it’s in the UK. I wanted to try and keep it as close to stock as I could with the cloth seats. The only other option I would have is to replace all the seats with leather, I have 4 other cars with leather and didn’t want to go that route. Plus burning my butt cheeks on leather seats in sunny weather is not an enjoyable experience. Cloth seats especially red cloth seats seems to be a hard item to find.

 

I ordered the seat back from the people in the UK. It is scheduled to arrive in a week. My wife is probably going to end up shooting me over buying all this stuff for the car.

 

Since the transmission is fragile, I'd put the front wheels on a trailer dolly as overkill to keep that gearbox from dying while being towed.

 

I bought it with the intention of flat towing it but I might not ever do it. We might go to the beach next year and just pull my wife's Hummer since it's already set up for flat towing. We are going on a cruise next summer so just taking the Caddy down to the port. When we go to Disney World we take our golf cart. On my RV forum there are several people that flat tow a gen 1 with no issues, they change the trans oil every year as a precaution. It maybe 2 years before I am at the decision point on flat towing it, I may have driven the wheels off this thing by then. What I really want is a convertible to flay tow, so I would definitely get a 6 speed then. Right now it's a toy that I aggravate the wife with, she is not real fond of it.

I ordered a set of front speakers last night, I figured if I will already have the passenger door apart to replace the regulator and motor I might as well go ahead and replace the non working front door speaker. I want to lube the track for the drivers window because every now and then it does not want to roll down. A little tap on the door panel above the speaker and it rolls down again.

Does the transmission have a vent? Is there a chance I overfilled the transmission and it is venting the extra out the vent when it gets hot? I did not drive the Mini yesterday and I ran the car for probibly close to an hour trying to get the stupid airbag light to go out. The oil that was dripping the other day was not engine oil and with it idling in the drive way the power steering did not drip either. It looks like it might be transmission fluid to me. It's not coming from the CV axle seals and it only leaked after driving it. Sitting in the driveway overnight it's as dry as can be under the car.

The new drivers seat back has already made it from the UK to Miami, dang that was quick.

 

The old pressure cap was completely worn out so I installed the new pressure cap this morning. While running it somewhere close to the water pump area started leaking coolant. A second time running it I could not locate the leak and it had stopped dripping. I guess now that the new cap is actually holding pressure in the system it is showing me other issues. Best of all it gave me a great excuse to the wife that I need to replace the water pump, radiator and hoses. I wanted to replace them anyway it just gave me a good reason.

My wife said you are an automotive technician and the more you work on this car the more things you replace. Are you really fixing it or breaking it? I guess I am restoring it a piece at a time!!!

 

Your wife's comment is exactly why I try not to see a doctor too often.

I'm not familiar with the 5 speed MT (I think that's what you have) but if it's similar to the 6 speed, it would be difficult to overfill since excess fluid will pour back out of the fill hole.

 

My wife says I am strange, I say quit comparing me to your first husband, problem is I AM her first husband!!

It was on jack stands when I filled up the transmission with oil and it was coming out pretty good when I put the fill bolt back in. I figured it was better to have a little too much than not enough, maybe not. I am thinking of pulling the battery and box and remove the fill plug and see what comes out while it's flat on the ground, that would eliminate any overfilling. The new passenger side regulator and motor arrived yesterday and the new door speakers should be here on Tuesday. Today and the rest of the week it is supposed to rain so I might not be able to do anything till next weekend. It will also give me time for everything else I ordered to come in. Looks like a hot wing and football day!

 

A bit off topic here...
#1 I am impressed by your skill and determination while I've been following your Mini revive journey. I envy you sir.
...A funny thing I saw traveling down the hwy the other day made me think of you; A massive $250k motor/home bus with a red R53 MCS in tow.
It was an awesome sight. Definitely put a smile on my face

 

Pulled the door panel off on the passenger side to replace the regulator. I was unable to get the glass off of the mounts. I was able to lube up the track and cables and get it to start working again, it even inches up and down. It's not perfect and will still get replaced but it works for now. The door lock is hooked up electrically so the assembly must be toast.

I ran the car again this afternoon in the driveway and whatever was leaking in the cooling system has stopped leaking. Still getting a new radiator and water pump.

The ultra rare 2 piece speaker option. The new speakers should be delivered tomorrow.

 

Thank you! I do my best. I really enjoy fixing automobiles and this one is really cool and different. There are 2 countryman in town but as far as I have seen so far I think I am the only one with a first gen Mini.

I have seen one or two being flat towed and I wanted something different other than the regular Jeep. She's not $250 thousand but we love it.

 

Your Moto is still sweet!
Envy - again.

I just thought it was so ironic to see that sight; That $ HUGE $ gas gurgling monster with a little baby spitfire tethered behind it. I'm surprised they had it in tow....
Looked like they could have just as well driven it right up inside.

Please continue to keep us updated on your progress. Thoroughly enjoy the updates!

BTW: I don't miss Orlando. However, I sure miss working as a creative for the mouse. The parks are truly magical to stroll through @6am/sunrise, before the gates open. Have fun!

 

I chuckled :D