Hi, Just got a new project. 2003 mini S hatch. 110k miles. The car is a standard, but the hole in the block is not.
I'm sure the PO was revving the heck out of it and threw a rod. The oil then caught fire and that also did, what appears to be some minor damage. I plan to buy a donor vehicle and swap the engine from it.
The drivetrain is still in the car and I don't plan to remove it until I find the donor. So for now, I don't know what damage is done to the head.
Question for now is can I use the naturally aspirated Mini block for the swap? If I can, I'll remove the head and see what that looks like.
Everything will get rebuilt before the final install.

Thanks.

 

From what I remember, the crankshaft is a different kind of steel. I believe it was cast vs forged, where the latter is stronger and in the R53 Cooper S.

Some years ago one of the engine designers from Chrysler Brasil was on this forum sharing this and many other interesting details on that engine. I think his name was UnbreakableLump.

 

In addition to the crank, the R53 (W11) con rods are different (stronger). There's also some differences to the coolant pipe connections on the block.

edit: pistons are different too.

 

JB Weld to the rescue!

Look forward to seeing how your build goes. There's a rabbit hole of things you can do "while in there" - I've started compiling the list on my build vs. expected budget and it's sobering to say the least. I also recommend you check out the @Boostmaster build on doing things right and reliably with the engine pulled.

 

Well then, can I use a bare block from an R50 with R53 internals? I probably won't go this route, but good to know my options. Will the R53 transmission mate to the R50 engine?

 

I'll try and stay away from any additional power adders, don't know if any exist anyway. I'll certainty try my best to do everything right the first time. I'll check out that thread.
Are there folks here that can walk me through the engine and transmission rebuild?

And is this a reliable manual?

Thanks.

 

Lots of great stuff on the forums when you search and folks willing to help. A Bentley manual coupled with "Modmini" on Youtube will rapidly become your best friend.

I've not hear of reliability issues with our transmission.

 

Then is this the best choice for a service manual?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/29653896400...Bk9SR_DN4NGOZA

 

Yes, that's your go-to. Great accompaniment to vids like Mod Mini's as it has torque specs, etc.

 

Service manual is on it's way.

Next question. I'd like to stick to the OEM clutch. Is this a good choice?
And is it recommended to resurface the flywheel?

 

Luk clutches are great. That's what I installed and it's a go-to by many others on the board. The flywheel on your Mini is "dual mass" and can't be resurfaced. Some folks convert to a single mass flywheel but it's not as refined and can be noisy. I kept with dual.

As an example of "since you're in there" you definitely want to change the flywheel rather than come back to it later. Luk makes the one I bought and Amazon was the cheapest place I could find it: . Since I was in there, I also replaced the input shaft seal on the transmission and obviously the rear main seal also.

Finally, you're not technically supposed to reuse the pressure plate or the flywheel bolts. FPC Euro might be your best price for these, as they don't come with the Luk stuff. Will all of that, you should be good to go.

 

The current plan is that the new engine will get rebuilt back to stock with all quality parts, bearings, seals, rings, oil pump, honed, maybe decked and a valve job, etc.
Gonna think about the new flywheel.

So looks like another R53 as donor is the best bet. Need to find something that's not easily repairable, or worth fixing, or I'm gonna wanna fix that also.

Thanks.

 

I have the Valeo solid mass flywheel kit in my R53 and I like it. The clutch is much lighter which makes it nicer to drive during stop and go traffic.

As for the "while I'm in there jobs", I would recommand replacing anything gasket or o-ring related. From the top of my head: valve cover, sparkplugtube rings, camsensor o-ring, dipsticktube o-ring, sump gasket, oil cooler housing gasket, oil cooler o-rings, timingchain cover gasket (that cover center bolt also has a tiny o-ring!), oil pump o-rings and the front and rear crankshaft seals.

Elring and Victor Reinz both have gasket sets for around €100 containing a lot these.

It sounds like a nice project.

 

Hi,
Found a S 2007. Will that engine work in a S 2003?

Thanks

 

If it’s a cabrio, yes. Otherwise, no.

 

Ok, excuse my ignorance, but what's a carbio?

I have a 2003 mini S. The donor is a 2007 Mini S. Mine is supercharged, donor is a turbo, I believe. Other than the turbo, will the block and the head
be the same?

Thanks

 

The cabrio is the convertible. The first gen cabrio ran through 2008. Hardtop production ended in ‘06. The turbo motor is completely different (and kind of terrible).

 

Pulled the engine and transmission today and took the engine apart. So far looks like the head survived, but that's about it. Crankshaft has a gash so it's junk. Still haven't found a donner, but the search continues.
I think I know what happed. It had the zero viscosity oil in it, about 5 gallons of it came out. The transmission fluid was fine.