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A few months back I was driving up the freeway, under load, and heard a significantly discomforting sound; we'll call it an exhale. My car was still running, but with a noticeable lack of power. I pulled off the road and did a quick check of vacuum lines and boost hoses; all were intact. No easily discernible source of power loss, so I limped it home and grabbed my truck.
After a few very busy weeks I was ready to lift the hood and see what I could determine...
I was able to verify that each of the ignition coils was working by swapping them across the cylinders. Problem seemed to be no spark at cylinder 1. I pulled the spark plug from cylinder 1 to find that it was melted and broken. So, I installed four new plugs, but no better. Honestly, I wasn't very hopeful that it would work, but it was worth a try.
Next came a compression test. Cyl. 1: 0 psi, Cyl. 2 : 152 psi, Cyl 3: 158 psi, Cyl. 4: 153 psi Not good. So off to the dealership to get a leak down test.
Dealership doesn't do a leak down test but does insert a camera in cylinder 1 and tells me that at least one valve on cylinder 1 is broken. Quote to repair the head $5,500??? WTF!
During this time I have been searching for a MINI repair shop that I would trust to rebuild my motor and ran across Madness Motorworks. Challenge being that Madness is in Tigard and I am in Seattle. So AAA to the rescue...
I spent a few weeks waiting for a final diagnosis from George and his technician. Turns out that the broken piece of valve from cylinder 1 got sucked into cylinder 2. Due to this piece bouncing around cylinder 2 has major scoring in the walls and a dent on the piston.
I took a few days to consider my options...
The following are a list of items that will be completed:
rebuild the head to OEM specs
over-bore the block
new bearings and seals throughout
new OEM timing chain and guides
Madness Braided stainless turbo oil feed line
4 new forged pistons
Balanced OEM rods
Evotech ECM tuning
OS Giken GT clutch and flywheel
Milltek stainless resonated exhaust
Madness Oil catch can
GFB DV+ Diverter
This should make for a more interesting commute...
Last edited by Absolutjh22; 12-04-2016 at 09:33 PM.
I apologize for the delay. It's been slow going with this rebuild. It took a few weeks for the machine shop to complete the block honing. Apparently they too were moving their shop to a new location, as has Madness Motorworks. Then you throw in serving of Thanksgiving and Christmas, add 2 measures of snow and ice storms, and a pinch of lack of availability for the OS Giken clutch and pressure plate and the Milltek exhaust, and a 3 week project becomes a 3 month long project.
With the exception of the exhaust, which will not be available for another few weeks, all of the parts are finally in one place. Of course, now George and his tech will need to find time to get to assembling the engine. At this point the shop is shooting for a pick-up date of Wednesday January 18th. Fingers crossed...
In the interest of time and money (driving an F350 diesel to work on a daily basis isn't cheap) I have opted to have the exhaust drop-shipped to me and will complete the installation myself.
In the interim here are a few pictures of the bits and pieces...
Nice...Budget wise, did you save anything compared to the dealer replacement quote said above?
Yeah, I was wondering that too!
I find the dealers tend to say "yank it and replace it" and then quote you something about 200% more than the independent shops for the same work, or 250% more than refinishing and fixing the existing parts.
Budget wise I am right about $11,000 for this re-power. However keep in mind that I am doing the following:
New OS Giken clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel
Over bored the engine (increases displacement)
4 new Carillo high-performance pistons
balance the connecting rods
Madness/Evotech ECM tuning
GFB bypass valve
Milltek 2.5" cat-back resonated exhaust
Madness Motorworks turbo oil line
Madness Motorworks oil catch can
The dealer in Fife, WA quoted $5,500 to rebuild the head, which would not have fixed the issue at hand, and $10,500 for a factory replacement motor (long block) + labor and whatever additional parts may need to be replaced. Plus an additional $1,880 for a new factory clutch.
Madness Motorworks quoted $2,500 to rebuild the head. Again, rebuilding the head was needed but would not fix the bigger issue at hand.
So, yes, the independent is less expensive. While potentially not as fast to do the work, and less warranty, it, for me, a better option.
Last edited by Absolutjh22; 02-01-2017 at 12:43 PM.
Hello all. So, I was able to pick up my car on Friday the 20th of January. After having driven my 96 F-350 Crew Cab, this MINI feels like a cheetah strapped to a rocket ship. I had honestly forgotten how lively and responsive the MINI is.
The drive home was a fun but very wet; keeping the tires planted is nearly impossible with the extra horsepower.
The GFB Diverter Valve is very noticeable in how quickly the turbo is able to spool back up a deliver the wanted boost (I recommend this upgrade). The Madness/Evotech ECM tuning makes a huge difference in the throttle response, and delivers smoother power across the rev range and significantly noticeable peak horsepower gains (or at least from the seat of my pants perspective). The OS Giken clutch and flywheel is great and does not allow for any mistakes, though it is a little noisy (which was explained and expected).
Upon arrival in Seattle, I parked the car and went inside to order a new battery for my 2001 740i. Once confirmed that the battery was ready I jumped in the MINI and headed out to pick up my order. Unfortunately, I only made it a block before the Check Engine Light came on I gingerly limped the car home and ran a diagnostic test. Results; Multiple Cylinder Misfires . All I could do was laugh. I reached out to George, who responded immediately and we got work diagnosing the possible issues. We came to the determination that it was likely that the original coils could not handle the additional loads and had failed. So, I ordered up 4 new coils and 4 new spark plugs (just in case). I was able to get them installed on Wednesday evening and I am now back on the road.
The MILLTEK exhaust is finally done being built (apparently they had some production issues) and has been shipped. I will install this myself and report back when I get it installed.
Once the exhaust is on and I have completed the engine break-in, I will find a dyno and see what the final numbers are.
Last edited by Absolutjh22; 02-01-2017 at 12:44 PM.
Nice. Seems like the time to have gone with upgraded cams too.
I specifically did not change the cams as I need to be able to pass emissions testing here in Seattle, and I need for the car to be my daily driver.
What I might have done differently would have been to have had a limited slip differential installed while the Transmission was out. Apparently it's 14 hours or labor to do so now, vs just the price of the parts. Alas, we live and we learn.
Last edited by Absolutjh22; 01-26-2017 at 11:05 AM.
Sweet baby Jesus... this exhaust it pretty. It is surprisingly lightweight. I will be installing it this weekend and will report back with my initial impressions.
If I remember, I will also get a video clip of the before and after sounds.
Last edited by Absolutjh22; 02-01-2017 at 12:37 PM.
I have just ordered a boost/vacuum gauge and water temperature gauge.
I was hoping it could find a reliable OBDII tool to use with a smartphone app (DashCommand) but have determined that the current tools are not quite up-to the task. iPhone only currently supports WiFi for OBDII and I have yet to find a scan tool that will stay connected and provide reliable information.
So, I am going "old-school" with mechanical gauges for boost/vacuum and water temp. Mounting options are scarce so it appears that I will have to go with Cravenspeed's Flexpod mount. It's spendy I'll post some pics as I go...
UPDATE: Despite having replaced the coils, and plugs the misfire error codes have returned. So, we gapped the plugs to .6mm in hopes that this would correct the issue. Alas, the codes have once again reared their ugly heads. So my car was towed back to MADNESS for some more in-depth diagnostics. George at Madness is taking great care of me, and is confident that he will get this sorted out. Custom builds always seem to go this way.
As such, this weekend I will not be installing the new exhaust or the new gauges, or the in-line resistors for the new LED fog lights.
boost and H2O temp gauges, and in-line resistor so that the bulb-out warning will go away
Milltek resonated cat-back exhaust waiting for some love
I made my own gage mount, out of 1/8" aluminum and 2" ABS pipe. I screwed it to the back of the tachometer, using an existing screw hole and a longer screw.
DneprDAVE- that's really great work. I may have to borrow from your idea for my gauges. I like the idea of making my own mounts, especially vs paying $120 for a mount setup. Thank you so very much for sharing your mounting solution.
I borrowed from Dave's idea above and made my own gauge pods and mount. I used 1/8" diabond (aluminum skinned ABS) and 2 1/4" ABS pipe.
Started as a 4 x 10 rectangle. Trimmed to this shape and filed smooth. Mock-up... Access for electrical access and lights for water temp gauge. Access for light and boost line Test fitting the pods and gauges. Made a nice tidy wiring harness. Next will be to wrap all of these in carbon fiber, or matte black.
I figured that since I had already "doubled down" I may as well have the JCW Aero kit that I had always preferred. So... I ordered one from ECS Tuning. While it is pre-painted Pepper white, I am considering my options. I may have the kit painted charcoal silver to match, or ...
To add further to the look And performance, I have purchased M7 coilovers from another NAM member.
12-04-2016, 09:23 PM
. All I could do was laugh. I reached out to George, who responded immediately and we got work diagnosing the possible issues. We came to the determination that it was likely that the original coils could not handle the additional loads and had failed. So, I ordered up 4 new coils and 4 new spark plugs (just in case). I was able to get them installed on Wednesday evening and I am now back on the road. 
