Mini lover needs advice: Mint 03 S, 6-speed, all stock, with 117K miles on it, carefully maintained, dropped valve #2. The valve is bent, and the engine spins free, and the car actually kinda runs on the other cylinders. The car always ran perfectly, was always inside, just replaced the original battery last year.

Here's my question: Is this unusual? Do you fix something like this, or is this just the beginning of the end, with all kinds of other problems up next? We just did the clutch at 115K and replaced the power steering just to be safe.

Is it best to get another engine? Are they available? Or do you just pull the head off and have the valves done?

I love the car but I worry that it will never be right again.

Many thanks, Jim Schrager, jimschrager@gmail.com

 

How do you know that you dropped a valve?

 

The shop I use, which does MB/BMW only and works on all our old Mercedes cars, used a scope to look inside. Said the piston looks fine, the exhaust valve is still there, but bent. Engine turns freely and will run on three cyl. Of course, zero compression in #2. Is the car worth anything as is, a complete, very clean 03 MCS with a bent valve? Are known-good used engines available to buy? Is this common, to drop a valve at 117K miles for a very well-cared car? Thanks, Jim S., South Bend, IN

 

The r53 is a non interfearance engine....
So assuming this...if all the parts are found...the pistion might be OK...so you might get away with a valve job and some springs....
If it is hurt...
Then swap the motor....most have said mini engine parts are so pricy....it is nearly cost prohibitive to do otherwise unless you want to spend $6000 on a new/rebuilt OEM or a stroker.

 

Not common....
But not unhreard of...
Folks can overrev these cars... And break a spring...but like I said...
R53 iscnon interference.... The r50 due to higher compression is interfearance design....
So you might be fine with a "valve job".....and not need a motor.....

 

Yes, good point on how hard the car was driven. I almost never run the car to redline, it has so much power I find I don't need to, and have never over-revved it in my ownership. I am the second owner and had it for 3 years.

My concern is if we put in all new exhaust valves, then do we need new springs? I mean, where do you stop when you have a catastrophic failure like this at 117K miles, which certainly doesn't seem like high miles to me?

Thanks, Jim S.

 

Just cracked a valve spring last week in my '03 r53. They did not need to remove the had to repair, but not sure about a bent valve. Was $700 to fix the spring.

 

How many miles on your 03? Thanks, Jim S.

 

I had 65k. It presented itself as a misfire; I changed the plugs and wires thinking it would solve it. Took it to the shop and the car had zero compression on cylinder three.