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To share another update:
P1498 is I believe related to some vacuum leak? "Unmetered air entering intake system". But the problem is I do not know where...
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i had that code recently after doing the supercharger service, among other things. i missed re-tightening the cold side horn to the IM. but, i also checked the two tubes going into the plastic pipe entering the SC. a mechanic buddy suggested that the big gasket going from the tube into the SC is a common problem area, as you already identified. on reassembly, you can either spit on it and stick it back on. or some other form of lubricant to help it go on properly.
A lot has happened on the cooper, and I am finally glad I was able to get some stuff done thanks to the warm weather.
First off, the front bearings decided to make noise all of a sudden, so I jacked up the front end and wiggled the wheels and boy was there play. I had a cart built on rock auto totaling to $600 but i just lessened it to $400 to do the parts that do not require the subframe to be removed which included front bearings, pads and rotors and left and right front axles. I also purchased Monroe rear struts which I will replace this week so let's hope everything goes pretty well with that.
I mentioned earlier I had a broken front wheel speed sensor which I also purchased a wheel speed sensor from amazon, but that wheel speed sensor was too thick to fit in the hole in the knuckle, so I returned and ordered an original OEM MINI wheel speed sensor for $73. Installed smoothly and it got rid of my Christmas light dash. Now the only light I have is the airbag light which only came on after I removed passenger seat because I wanted to see what was up about my navigation a few months ago. I am going to have to ask MINI to have it reset.
A few more things: I installed side mirror cover caps because when I was washing my car the other day, I literally was wiping my chrome mirror cap and it just fell apart in my hands. The clips were so dry they just broke under the pressure of my hand lol. So I used some JBweld and glued it back and purchased some Union Jack designed covers which my mother and sister fell in love with. I also love it very very much.
Another thing: I had my ultra gauge just held up on my cup holder mounted with the two screws along the plastic column and I finally stuck it at the corner windshield and I love it! Makes the car feel like a race car haha! Never felt so connected with the car since I have live data being displayed. Especially the fact the car does not come standard with a temp gauge. Not even anything to tell me if its overheating or not!
So far everything has been going phenomenal. I am planning this week to bring it to MINI for oil change and them to diagnose the car as it stands.
Also big thanks to John here on NAM that contacted me with the MINI Cooper cover which I purchased. Cannot wait for it to come in the mail and check it out! Thanks again John.
This MINI will suck every penny out of me lol. Attempted to replace my rear struts today and failed miserably. The lower shock bolt stripped and now I need to remove the trailing arm to replace it because the threads in the arm are also stripped!
So I took this beautifully horrible opportunity and decided to upgrade the trailing arms to the aluminum r56 rear trailing arms! I am extremely excited to get this project finished! I also had to purchase the spacers for the trailing arms to make the r53 strut fit along with r56 rear links and new rear r53 hub bearings. Pretty excited for this unexpected upgrade to make its way into this car! I just hope I receive everything before this weekend so I can do the job.
Had to see how the car looks with no shock. See photo for reference.
i had that code recently after doing the supercharger service, among other things. i missed re-tightening the cold side horn to the IM. but, i also checked the two tubes going into the plastic pipe entering the SC. a mechanic buddy suggested that the big gasket going from the tube into the SC is a common problem area, as you already identified. on reassembly, you can either spit on it and stick it back on. or some other form of lubricant to help it go on properly.
You are correct. Like I had said it doesn't really mess with anything like the car runs perfectly so I will wait till the summer to take it apart and fix everything. Just hope it all goes well since now I am stuck with a non operable vehicle.
Due dligence on researching the R56 trailing arm conversion, you might be sorry if you don’t.
You are right and that’s why I purchased the appropriate spacers and links. I also ordered a kit that comes with the extended bolts. Let’s hope that is actually everything. I read a bunch on forums and Facebook so I think it’s good
Detroit Tuned Lower Strut Washers
R56 Rear Aluminum trailing arms with the supporting bolts and sensors
New Hubs and bearings and rear stabilizer links
Alta Cat-Back exhaust
I got my first mini with an Alta Cat-back installed and in comparison, to the other exhaust systems, ALTA provides a much deeper and throatier sound! Also the fact I feel the pops with the Alta are more closely like pops and burbles rather than light popcorn sounds haha that the original makes it sound like.
Cannot wait to get this parts installed and get my car on the road!
Buying and receiving car parts is way more fun when it's an upgrade vs maintenance or (even worse) repairs...
Yupp. I was simply doing boring maintenance replacing the shocks but I’m sort of glad that bolt stripped cause it gave me an excuse to replace it with the r56 arm. Now it looks super cool!
Finished this morning putting all the parts back together and I am super happy with the way it looks underneath! A lot cleaner with the new struts and links. I did not get a clear photo of the new trailing arm but my gosh does it look so nice! The car does sit quite higher than normal from the Monroe struts which I hope soon it'll settle because I have monster truck fitment. I will be getting clear photos out soon. I did drive the car around the block, and I will say it feels like a new car "in the back" It goes over bumps so smoothly. I also replaced the bearings and links. The bearings were so loose I can spin the hub and it'll stay spinning like a fidget spinner! The link was also super worn I was able to move the ends with only my thumb while the new URO Tuning links, I needed to practically pry it to a specific angle to get it lined up with the holes in the trailing arms! Super tight. Again, I did just drive this around the block and will have a better idea when I get this car aligned.
Speaking of alignment: I have it planned to bring the mini to my local MINI dealer for alignment and an oil change. Lets see what they have to say about her!
I dropped my car off at MINI and they did an oil change, but I decided to hold off on the alignment as I am planning to take the front subframe off pretty soon which means I would have to realign twice if I did it now.
The tech left notes and I am proud to say I am a good owner to this MINI Cooper!
"The technician has thoroughly inspected your vehicle and reports that the overall condition looks good. They have checked the suspension and found no leaks or issues. The rear tires are in pretty good shape at 7 millimeters, and the rear brakes are also at 7 millimeters. The exhaust and suspension are in good condition. The front tires and brakes are also in good shape, with the tires @ 5 millimeters and the brakes at 7 millimeters. The technician has noted a small amount of oil around the oil filter and will be cleaning that area."
The oil is the oil filter housing which has been diagnosed by them at a prior oil change, and it has already been addressed.
Now that the boring stuff is out of the way: I found a listing on Facebook of the Rear UK Union Jack LED Taillights! It was $100 + shipping and I knew I needed to have it. Once it came I couldn't wait I installed it after my class in the parking garage and it worked perfectly!!!
I am certainly addicted to them and to be honest the old tails had so many issues with the bulbs in that one side was brighter than the other even though I replaced both sides all 6 bulbs. Made no sense. So I am super glad these are in and are EVENLY as bright haha. Also they have sequential signal indicators. AWESOME!!!
Another thing: purchased front aero grill from Willmek MINI Cooper Parts. This front grille has the slots in the front for the rally lights to be installed which I am planning to purchase soon. Now I have the full complete aero kit!
And another thing: Impulse purchased the interior down tubes beside radio and air conditioning controls from the boring grey to Carbon Fiber!!! Love the new look and am very impressed with the quality!
And lastly: I have purchased the front cowl grille thingy beside the wiper arms but it is lifted and in carbon fiber!!! I honestly do not know the correct name for it since I was trying to search online how to remove it but its as simple as pushing from underneath and lifting up!
Took a mockup photo but I am not too sure how I dig it. I definitely like it but I honestly might return it and use the money for something else more beneficial:
But hey, Carbon Fiber under the sun is just so mesmerizing to look at. Just looking at this photo makes me want to install it!
This is what has been done to her so far. Like I had said in the previous posts I am slowly purchasing all the parts for her so in the summer I can do the full refresh on her!
Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, wherever you're reading this lol
Just purchased a few things for the cooper in hopes for the summer to come around and I can finally rebuild her and make her feel like new again!
Here's an in depth list of all the parts I ordered:
Upper Engine Mount
Cabin Air Filter
Power Steering Return and Feed Lines
Water Pump
Inner and Outer Ball Joints
Complete Tie Rods from steering rack to knuckle
Front and Rear Sway bar links (useless to me since I replaced both recently and once of them is the r56 version. It was a kit I ordered lol)
Oil Pan Gasket
Front Control Arm POWERFLEX Polyurethane Bushings
Front Sway Bar POWERFLEX Polyurethane Bushings
Most likely going to have a nearby shop have my poly bushings for the front control arms installed for me depending on if I succeed in installing them myself correctly or not. Not a big deal if I do but I definitely cannot wait for this summer! Hoping to do a full front suspension rebuild, supercharger service, along with a quick engine service.
I guess it is certainly more rewarding when you have fun/performance parts to install as opposed to just regular maintenance, but I certainly enjoy knowing this cooper will have a LONG long lasting life under my ownership. Especially driving the car knowing everything is in good condition, it feels really good and refreshing in a sense.
Speaking of performance parts, hoping that by the time I do the supercharger service, I can source a pulley, injectors, intake and exhaust just to get some power out of her. Along with a tune from Adrian. Once you start, you can't stop!!!
I got fooled with a scammers listing on an ALTA Catback exhaust. Fortunately I had used Paypal goods and services which saved me which puts me back into the market for a nice exhaust so if you or anyone you know has an exhaust (preferably ALTA) send me a pm!
Here's an in depth list of all the parts I ordered:
Upper Engine Mount
Cabin Air Filter
Power Steering Return and Feed Lines
Water Pump
Inner and Outer Ball Joints
Complete Tie Rods from steering rack to knuckle
Front and Rear Sway bar links (useless to me since I replaced both recently and once of them is the r56 version. It was a kit I ordered lol)
Oil Pan Gasket
Front Control Arm POWERFLEX Polyurethane Bushings
Front Sway Bar POWERFLEX Polyurethane Bushings
See yall later!
i should have, but didn't, create a thread specific to all the front end work i did on my mini over the winter. it's all just in my build thread in my signature.
however, i just did most of everything you listed and then also toher things, too. my advice is this: do it all at the same time and do it yourself. drop the subframe to do all the suspension and whatnot. and, to do the water pump (and s/c service if you haven't already) you have to tear apart the front end. once you have the subframe and front end apart, you can easily replace every gasket and oring on that engine. in a bit of a test, i didn't use RTV on the timing cover and did on the oil pan. after it was back together, i regretted not using it on the timing cover.
i should have, but didn't, create a thread specific to all the front end work i did on my mini over the winter. it's all just in my build thread in my signature.
however, i just did most of everything you listed and then also toher things, too. my advice is this: do it all at the same time and do it yourself. drop the subframe to do all the suspension and whatnot. and, to do the water pump (and s/c service if you haven't already) you have to tear apart the front end. once you have the subframe and front end apart, you can easily replace every gasket and oring on that engine. in a bit of a test, i didn't use RTV on the timing cover and did on the oil pan. after it was back together, i regretted not using it on the timing cover.
Since I have to remove the font bumper to access the front crash bar so I can remove the subframe, I am already half way there. Once I complete the subframe, I will start to work on the front end.
I do appreciate the advice!!! The only thing I am worried for is the supercharger inlet tube. I always had an issue installing it and I am almost positive the shop that replaced my clutch had issues with installing that tube and used some sealant to create a seal around the hose. Which results in my random codes popping up. It finally started to warm up and I will be planning soon the job for the car.
Just recently I was driving and then gradually my clutch pedal became very sticky and very "clicky". This was after a lot of stop and go traffic. I usually just hop on the highway so I barely engage/disengage when I drive. Was not smooth at all. Stopped by my nearby mechanic and had him check it out and it came out to be the clutch slave cylinder. I knew how difficult it would be to replace myself after hearing all the horror stories here on NAM and facebook so I decided I will have him do it and spend the money. I called him yesterday and he said the car was done but prefaced it with a question where he asked me if my clutch would bite really quickly? So I knew something was up. Went to check it out and the second I lift the clutch off by a hair the car starts moving. So I knew it was not bleed correctly. Right now I have been using my dads car to go to school which honestly I am not complaining. I'll link up a photo below.
My question is: The mechanic said it looks to be the original clutch slave cylinder. He also said it will be different feel on the pedal and you will have to get used to it. Is that true? I have driven many MINI's with an immense and various service history records including and excluding clutch replacements and they all have had no issues whatsoever. I think he just wants to get my car out of his shop so he can stop worrying about it but I just wanted to get an opinion from you guys.
Also I am based in the states and he is charging me $325 parts and labor included. I feel its a bit on the high end being that it is literally 2 bolts to remove and if the bleeding process is done correctly, it should be MAX 1 hour. I do not know I have to check. I still have not paid yet but I told him I cannot take it like that it is not how I remembered it was originally so he should be calling me today to tell me its done.
Also I am based in the states and he is charging me $325 parts and labor included. I feel its a bit on the high end being that it is literally 2 bolts to remove and if the bleeding process is done correctly, it should be MAX 1 hour. I do not know I have to check. I still have not paid yet but I told him I cannot take it like that it is not how I remembered it was originally so he should be calling me today to tell me its done.
i haven't priced a slave cylinder job, but $325 including parts sounds like a decent price. and you're probably right that he wants rid of it. on rock auto you'd spend about $50 for one and on ecs you'd spend $120 for a mini one. but you're spending probably at least a 3rd of your cost on parts to the guy. so $200 for install and bleeding of a slave cylinder sounds reasonable to me if you figure a couple hours labor at $100/hr. if it was so easy you'd have done it yourself.
that said, you're probably gonna have to either accept it as is or convince him to try bleeding it again and tell him how to do it. the thing i've seen that seems pretty well accepted is keeping it compressed over night to bleed it. so you do it or have the mechanic do it.
i haven't priced a slave cylinder job, but $325 including parts sounds like a decent price. and you're probably right that he wants rid of it. on rock auto you'd spend about $50 for one and on ecs you'd spend $120 for a mini one. but you're spending probably at least a 3rd of your cost on parts to the guy. so $200 for install and bleeding of a slave cylinder sounds reasonable to me if you figure a couple hours labor at $100/hr. if it was so easy you'd have done it yourself.
that said, you're probably gonna have to either accept it as is or convince him to try bleeding it again and tell him how to do it. the thing i've seen that seems pretty well accepted is keeping it compressed over night to bleed it. so you do it or have the mechanic do it.
A few days ago I received my car from the mechanic. On top of the damages done to my car that was left by him, the car felt the same with a horrible pedal feel. Also the brake pedal suffered much from it since I believe they share the same fluid reservoir. Interior panels were installed incorrectly, carpet was cut to install master cylinder for clutch system, brake system had air along with clutch system and my ultra gauge was found lying on its side on my dashboard.
Brought my car to MINI and in seconds, they bled the clutch and brakes and told me that it seems the previous mechanic that worked on the car hadn't bled the brakes at all! Managed to get my clutch and brakes feeling solid again and now my car feels like brand new. I am very happy about this now.
No offense to all the mechanics on here, but there are some real scumbags of a mechanic that are just scamming people! I can assure you I did not need that master cylinder replaced and he just wanted to pay himself for the time hes spending on it. Waste of my hard earned money. As much as I understand it was taking longer than what he was expecting, he should not have taken on the job if he was not 100% of doing it and I am the one in the end losing. I have spend roughly $1000 at the end of the day for my car to run perfectly. Very annoying and frustrating.
Hello everyone!
BIG BIG BIG update! I finally opened up the car and started working on her to fix all the issues it has. Actually, just before I opened her up, I decided to change the color of the XXR wheel set I have from the dirty black to a nice glossy aluminum color. I am inlove with the way it came out and especially the car now looks with it. It gives the car a much wider stance. I now want to add a 5mm spacer in the rears to bring them out more cause it does tuck ever so slightly. Here is a photo of how it looks now!
Anyways, the big job is finally done! Took me a few days to fully complete and now she's running strong! Made a list of all the parts I installed here it is:
Victor Reinz Oil pan gasket
X8R Supercharger service kit (left super charger horn metal gasket, new oil both sides (pulley and water pump side), green oval gasket, water pump gasket and flange to block
URO Parts water pump
Crank sensor o-ring
Detroit tuned bypass valve
Black hose from bypass valve to supercharger inlet tube
Throttle body gasket
Bleed screw o-rings on supercharger (both sides)
Alta 15% pulley
Bosch 380cc injectors
Lower control arms
Mahle oil filter housing gasket
Lower control arm bushing both sides (power flex poly bushings)
Sway bar power flex both sides (poly bushings)
Inner and outer ball joints both sides
New sway bar end links both sides
New tie rod ends both sides
Oil change with genuine mini oil filter and Kirkland oil. 5w-30.
Coolant flush (blue coolant)
Power steering flush (CHF11S)
URO Parts Power steering return line
Sunsong power steering suction line
New belt gates k060535
New AC condenser
New red supercharger air boost line clip (it broke) from WayMotorWorks
Super happy about how the car feels! It is so solid and firm over bumps. That knocking sound I usually hear from the front end is gone and it actually was not from my sway bar it was my inner ball joints so I guess I did not really need the say bar bushing but its ok I like the way the car feels now so I am happy with the results. Turns smoothly with no abnormal noises and especially pulls strong with the 15%! I have not yet tuned the car I still need to get the A/C system charged and the car aligned and then I will get it tuned by Adrian. I believe right now the only upgrades I have felt is the bypass valve and the pulley. I will only feel the power gain from the injectors after I tune the car. I will post up some photos below. All the parts laid out before installation. Super exciting! another photo So much room underneath. I worked on the subframe then I cleaned up the undercarriage. This is when I drained the oil and replaced the oil pan gasket along with the oil filter housing gasket. Woohoo! This is my 3rd install of a pulley on an r53 but the first time I had to cut off the pulley. Very scary and I just kept grinding and grinding. Kept a spray bottle of water next to me to frequently spray and keep the temp down in hopes that I do not melt the gasket behind the SC shaft. Came off and installed the pulley with no problems. Super happy. What did I say? I knew something was off and I called it once I got my car back from the guys that did my clutch! Seems like they broke the black snout off the inlet tube and used this weird cement foam glue to put it back in place. It worked but I am def not happy about it and will soon be replacing it. another photo another photo Yippieeee. Sway bar and control arm bushings are in. All greased up and ready to go So a dumb mistake on my end but I forgot to insert the boot on the tierod so I just rigged it up for now until I can find another boot to put in. Same on this side I needed to modify the boot to work. New power steering hoses in this photo. The old ones were so worn, I was able to twist the hoses even with the clamps on. Now with the new ones in, they are able to hold the res up fully! So this is a bit random. I remembered I did not have any hose clamps to put back the powersteering hose so I just ziptied it and completely forgot to install a clamp. Started moving the car and I heard a big pop and heard something fall down. All my powersteering fluid leaked down and I found this on the ground. Had a shop check it and they said it is not required to be in the hose. So far its driving fine but any of you guys have an idea of what I am supposed to do? Out with the old and in with the new!!! Yucky 330cc injectors. They were all rusted and dirty. Super glad I did these. I also feel a difference in starting the car. Starts up immediately with no issues!
Like I had said the car drives beautifully. But like always there are some standing issues that I need to address.
AC: I broke the ac condenser and lost all my charge. I already installed the condenser, so I need to get my AC system charged up. Hopefully at MINI
Traction and Tire Pressure lights are on. I am not sure what sensor is unplugged or possibly broken but I have to plug in the OBD reader and find out.
When I was lowering the subframe I missed unbolting the bolt that links the steering shaft to the rack and pinion and it pulled the rack and shaft. I believe that caused the rack and pinion to turn about 180 degrees which now after I put everything back, my steering wheel is upside down. Though I got the alignment nearly spot on (I can let go of the wheel and it stays straight!), it is a dumb mistake on my end. So I will bring it to MINI and have them fix it along with the alignment. Might also tell them to add -2 degrees of camber in the rear and -1 in the front.
Because I pulled the steering shaft, the steering boot in the footwell came off and now there is just a hole in the interior and it lets in hot air from the engine bay and even lets in engine sound. Not complaining much cause I love the increased supercharger noise but it does get a little annoying.
Even though I replaced the dog bone bushing with a URO Tuning part a few thousand miles ago, I am afraid I need a new one as the motor almost kicks back when I let off the gas. Maybe I installed the bushing upside down cause I do remember having this same issue when I got the car back from the clutch guys and they said that they just tightened it up and it actually fixed the problem. I am honestly thinking of replacing it with a POLY inserted dog bone bushing to further strengthen the cars suspension and eliminate any flexing.
Because of the 15%, I noticed the engine bay is running much hotter than normal. Messaged Adrian and he informed me about Nissens Intercooler which is the same size (13 bar) intercooler as the GP at a much more discounted price so it should help with lowering IC temps. I will be purchasing that soon so I look forward to doing that!
Very happy with how it is turning out and cannot wait to do more to her!
Yes I will have to plug in my computer in the car and have it read the codes. I was actually planning on stopping by Autozone cause INPA is in german and I cannot read german and Autozone is in english so I find it easier haha.
Brought my mini cooper to MINI and the tech completed a full alignment with an ac charge and it all went well thankfully. Also had the man the myth the legend Adrian tune my car and again all went well. I had some issues which he retuned and readjusted and it runs great BUT there is now one problem:
Under acceleration anywhere between 2-3k starting from low 2k rpm, I notice blipping and almost slight hiccups. Upon disassembly, like I had mentioned above, the inlet black pipe is welded from the snout so I believe, like what Detroit Tuned said, it is what is causing my little hiccups.
I ordered a few more things since I am actually getting ready for a track day coming up so heres the list:
1. 4 New calipers all around. I needed to bleed the brakes way before deciding to track because of the clutch slave cylinder and the bleed nipples in the rear calipers were both siezed and barely any fluid came out. Although the tech at MINI was able to bleed it and I was able to notice a difference, if I am going to track it, I would feel more comfortable knowing it is fully bleed and not just barely bleed. So all new calipers are coming,
2. Motul RBF 600 Brake Fluid. Some high temp fluid. I remember a while back I took the mini to bear mountain and the brakes gave out on me as it boiled and I lost all pressure so I definitely need high temp fluid. I dont even think this car has ever gone through a brake flush upon reviewing the carfax records.
3. Black Inlet Tube. Just to eliminate that possibility of any air leaks that can cause the blipping.
4. All new genuine NGK BKR7EQUP JCW plugs from ALLMAGAUTO Parts. Adrian pointed out I could be having these blipping issues if I ordered plugs from ebay cause its possible the plugs I ordered from ebay are fake ngk. So I played it safe and ordered a new set and will install.
5. Powerflex Lower Dog Bone Bushing. I installed the ebay poly bushing but I overlooked the design of it in that 1/2 mounting holes were literally a metal hole with no bushing to cushion any forces the engine may produce. I installed it and I thought the car was going to explode from how much vibration I felt it was kinda funny actually. So, I just decided I will return it and order the genuine power flex dog bushing with TWO bushings on both mounting ends.
6. The track I am racing at required a fire extinguisher so I ordered the bracketeer mount and an extinguisher so I can pass inspection haha
I think that is all and I will be receiving all these parts within the next week so I am pretty excited to install these parts!!!
Buying these parts are far more exciting than preventative maintenance parts for sure!
The spark plugs were actually the culprit to the blipping issue! Although there is a small amount of blipping left but I believe that is due to my extremely corroded ignition wires and ignition coil pack. Both the wires and the coil pack are the original parts from new.
Also I mounted the power flex dog bone bushing underneath and like i expected it changed the feel of the car! Feels great, solid, with no abnormal movement. I love it!
But of course the car needs to break . As I was taking a spin in the mini cooper, all of a sudden I noticed I could not engage into any gears above 2nd gear. Took it home while keeping it in 2nd gear and removed my airbox hoping my cable popped off and it actually did! The rubber bushing had sheared off and separated from the metal ring end. I found a bushing repair kit online instead of having to replace the whole cable which costs only $25 which i am extremely happy about instead of having to replace the whole $200 cable! Though, I will wait until tomorrow to call the company to confirm fitment and product availability, so everything goes smoothly!
When will this car not break and last longer than 2 weeks in good working order?????????
