Ok wrestled it into place. Going to eat lunch and walk the dog and then begin final push.

#1 question after this....there are people who LIKE working on cars? Haha

 

its the challenge. once you get it all working its going to feel great

 

sometimes it helps to take pics before so you know where everything was...

 

Actually I can absolutely see that. When I showed friends the pic of the full disassembly they were all wtf that is a job for a mechanic

I normally do that kind of thing but here since I was following so many illustrated tutorials and vids it didn't seem necessary. But stuff like that AC port or whatever it is got glossed over.

 

I like working on these but that's also because anything bigger than a Mini wouldn't fit in my garage.

Try changing the clutch on a R50, that's a real pig of a job. On the R53 it's actually easier because the gearbox is a bit smaller.

But I agree, once you've completed this, you feel relieved and very satisfied. I bet you'll be doing other jobs in the future.

 

What is this and where did it come from?

 

Its the cap of a leg of the subframe, where you put the crash tubes over.

 

Oh my lord, blocked yet again. Can't walk the hose clamp at the lower radiator over the little ridge. Spent 90 minutes straight under there trying to make it happen. I tried both the clamp that came on the new hose and the one I took off the old hose. Maybe the new hose is enough thicker rubber to make the difference. All I can think to do at this point is to go get a screw type clamp.

I remember changing the thermostat on my CRV. Jack the car up, loosen drain bolt to drain coolant, undo one hose and three bolts to remove thermostat, done....

 

For ****s sake. How do I get these plastic pins back in? At this point I'm afraid to exert much force on anything since I keep breaking stuff. In a vid the guy just squeezes them in with his hand. They don't seem to budge.

 

As the Brits say "Strike it smartly with a drift". I use a rubber mallet.

 

I would love to but there's nothing really behind it? They're just going into that plastic frame thing which flexes and moves a lot, seems like I'd just be knocking the whole thing backward. Oh well, I'll give it a shot in the morning.

 

Try removing the hose, put the clamp on the radiator side then add hose.

This should not be forced. Either the holes don't line up or you swapped left and right. I believe the rubber blocks aren't the same.

 

Hmm. The outer (housing) part of the pin went all the way through, I can see the three legs coming out the other side.

 

At this point I wish I'd just paid the $2450.

Is there a trick to reconnecting these whatever they are where the headlights etc go? There's what seems like a little tab but squeezing it doesn't make it go together any better. At this point I'm afraid to exert one picojoule of force and breaking something. These were ones that I originally had to undue to get the black plastic frame under the bumper carrier.


Edit - apparently they're for the horns. Just got a force them on I guess. ---- Edit 2 - ok I'm dumb. There are two connectors like this on each side of the car; one is for the horns and one for (I forget what). These were actually the other ones. They look identical from the outside, but you can tell which is why by the interior of the plug; each has a different little plastic bit, so each one will only actually slide onto the correct thing.

 

The inner pin spreads the three legs outwards to secure them in place
Hang in there, you're almost there.

Just keep posting your questions and we'll be glad to help out.

 

MISSION COMPLETE

Everything is back together and seems to run okay, no leak yet. I have definitely not filled the coolant all the way yet. I'm only just now almost finished first gallon. Drove it up and down the block a couple times and the reservoir only dropped by a little bit.

Needless to say, I could not have done this without all of your help, and it was especially a lifesaver how promptly answers came! Thank you all so, so much.

 

Curt, I just went through this thread and I must say I'm very impressed! For a non-mechanic you took on a pretty deep job and nailed it, with really no more drama than most of us would have encountered also. Damn good job!

 

Thank you! I never threw a wrench across the garage in a rage, even!

One last question (for this thread). This car has the coolant temp gauge; what temp range should it be in?

 

Mine has hash marks instead of numbers with the center mark being larger, indicating normal and exactly where it stays until it's ready to go rouge. Keep in mind, these cars will go from perfectly happy to bonkers hot in a matter of mere seconds, not even time to find a way off the road etc... so be aware. They use 190 deg thermostats so I suspect that's about the "normal" mark on the gauge.
Bill

 

Mine has numbers. Looks like 190 would be the middle mark between 140 and 250.

 

My car sits around 200°F driving down the road, but it’ll creep up when sitting. I believe the low-speed fan kicks in around… 221°F? R53 should be similar.

 

good job sir! I missed the last round of questions but, late as it may be, some penetrant spray really helps on the connectors and hoses.

cruising temp is right around 93 C. at 105 C the low speed fan comes on, at 112 C the high speed. sorry I only know these numbers in C.

 

Well, looks like I declared victory too soon. After three drip-free days, the leak has returned.

I'm going to take off the battery and airbox again to see if it seems to be coming from the thermostat housing; maybe the gasket got misaligned when I was putting it on or something. In which case I guess I'll have to do the whole job again, whee! If the leak is somewhere else I think we're done with this car, I can't take the whole thing apart trying to find it....especially since it still also has an oil leak.

 

@Curttard Well done so far, do not loose hope. Tracing down leaks like this is some of the more challenging jobs to solve. Start up high and work your way down, gravity will be your enemy trying to diagnose as liquid will naturally find the low point. If there is coolant directly below the thermostat / on transmission, take it apart and ensure everything was buttoned up correctly. Ensure the gasket is seated properly within the housing, ensure the hoses are on all the way and the clamps are in proper locations, ensure the surface of the engine is not full of buildup so the gasket can sit flat. Take your time, don't rush and thoroughly inspect things.

 

also check the thermo gasket. the thermostat goes in the center of the gasket, not in front or back. I made that mistake once