Hello MINI community,

Many of you reading this will already be familiar with the DIY I wrote about 1.5 years ago using Harbor Freight Tools to clean carbon buildup in BMW engines (N54/N55 for us). The instructions became so popular that I started selling parts to assist with the cleanup, and now have a 3D printer that I use to produce the vacuum adapters.

www.bimmerhelp.info

It was brought to my attention via my website a while back by a member on this forum that the MINI suffered the same problem. This made sense since BMW used the same technology to develop the N14 engine.

When the BMW N55 engine with twinscroll technology was introduced we had hoped it would address the carbon buildup issue - and maybe it was somewhat addressed but the problem remains. I believe you guys may have gone through the exact same thought process with the N18, thinking this would finally perfect what the N14 started...but still falls short (based on some quick research). Anyway, I feel your pain.

So I have finally created a prototype N14/N18 vacuum adapter and blasting wand - and I need someone to test them. **CANDIDATES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SELECTED 01/15/2015**


The tester will receive:
1) MINI 81292208038 Vacuum adapter ($80 value)
2) MINI 81292208032 Blasting Wand ($30 value)
3) Bimmerhelp modified nipple (used to attach OEM products to Harbor Frieight Tools, see instructions on my DIY available from my website) ($10 value)
4) Bimmerhelp MINI Vacuum adapter (prototype for testing) ($40 value)
5) Bimmerhelp MINI Wand (prototype for testing) ($25 value)

**CANDIDATES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SELECTED 01/15/2015**
Please post here if you would like to be a tester! The tester must provide results in this thread within a reasonable amount of time after shipment (I'm thinking 4 weeks should be plenty of time). Please provide an explanation of why you would be a good candidate.

Tester will pay $150 (via Paypal) to receive all of the parts listed above. When the proving is complete and feedback is left in this thread, I will refund $100 of the testers money and all parts above remain with the tester. If I need to make modifications to the bimmerhelp equipment and require future testing, I will make arrangements at that time.

I'll be reading through the comments and will notify the tester I select via PM. Afterwards I will post in here that a tester has been selected. I reserve the right to close candidate research at any time.
**CANDIDATES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SELECTED 01/15/2015**

Thanks in advance to all of you who are interested in undertaking this endeavor.

Attn Moderators: This thread is intended for research purposes, not a money making scheme. I am only asking for a fraction of my up-front costs and need the assistance of experienced members of this forum. I will use my own website for selling products and not northamericanmotoring.com I performed similar research on this forum last year and had good results --Thanks, Wes

 

You might want to contact one of the moderators. I think you're in violation of one of the site guidelines.

VENDOR
If you wish to advertise and/or perform market research on North American Motoring, you must be a paying vendor. Click on Contact Us found in the Main Menu block to learn more. Group buys must be arranged through North American Motoring vendors.

 

I appreciate the concern - I was trying to specifically to NOT violate the guidelines and I'm sure a moderator can confirm if that is not the case.

I am essentially asking for someone to check fit and function of a product. Advertising or asking "how many are interested" are not my intent here.

Moderators can PM me if we need to address anything.

 

I would have been game to do this, but I might have been one of the people to contact you. Back in August I got some parts from your site and did the walnut blast with good results.

 

Thank you. I sent an email to a guy yesterday who specifically asked me if I was going to consider making adapters for the MINI, but I have no idea what his username is on this site. I sent a link to this page in the email to see if he's interested in participating but it might be too late. I also asked him to forward it to get the word out.

 

I'm about to do a carbon cleaning on my '11 MCS in a couple of weeks. I'm just waiting on harbor freight's glacially slow shipping for my media blaster. I'd gladly test your parts, but I already have the BMW adapter and wand. Thanks for the DIY, by the way. I'm going by your parts list.

 

If they didn't have it in stock it's coming from china, so... lol

The BMW adapter is a ripoff. I bought a 7 dollar square tip wand with a 90 degree bend in it, advertised as a car cleaning wand. it looked about the right size. a bit of shaping with a blow torch and cutting with a razor and it worked like a charm.

 

Thanks u238, I'm glad to help! I'll consider you as a tester - do you have a more specific timeframe of when you'll be doing the blasting?

If you don't need the OEM blasting equipment I'll just send the parts I'd like tested to you for free. That goes for anyone who is prepared to give me some feedback after testing!

 

Sounds great can't wait to hear the results!

 

I'm shooting for the 31st of this month or the 7th at the latest.

I should advise that I'm in Germany and anything I get from the states would have to go to an APO. Things usually take about 5 days with priority mail and the price is similar to regular priority packages.

 

e90man,

I could test your equipment on my N14 for you. I have 61,000 miles on my MINI and have never done the cleaning before. I have a private shop with tools and a lift so I can get it done pretty quick. Just let me know if you still need someone for the N14 and I'll be happy to help!

 

No problem.

I like the way this sounds too. Do you need the OEM tools also?


Thanks both of you for volunteering. I'm making the decision soon. I need to get the parts out before my wife goes into labor....not kidding.

 

Yes I would need the oem tools too.

 

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it maybe it's a VENDOR.

What you are doing is no different than any other vendor here that offers a rebate back on a purchase. I could get the same deal from TireRack. Pay up front and get a Visa card in the mail in six weeks. And I don't have to provide feedback.

Not to mention that it appears you have made a copy of a tool created by another manufacturer. Shouldn't their product be protected?

My 0.02

 

**TESTERS HAVE BEEN SELECTED 01/15/2015**

I have selected two members of the forum to test the products, which will be reviewed in this thread. I decided since one member didn't require the OEM parts it would be easy to just send the bimmerhelp kit as a supplement.

Thanks to all of you who considered testing the products! We should have some results in the coming weeks.

 

You may be unaware of the assistance e90man has provided the BMW / Mini community in fixing their carbon build up problem with a DIY solution.

Now he's created a less costly version of a very overpriced set of BMW tools and you're complaining. They aren't copies; they're a different tool for the same job.

Anyway, I'll be providing feedback on how the new parts work in a couple of weeks.

 

idk, but anytime somebody asks me to do testing, and still wants $150 upfront, hmmm, that sounds like a vendor to me.
I'm sure he's providing a useful service to the Mini community, but so for that matter is Way Motor Works and others here who are registered vendors.

 

He's refunding $100 of it after you provide results, and you get to keep all the parts. He doesn't want to give the parts out and never get results of how it preformed. Plus he only chose 1 N18 tester and 1 N14 tester. Now he may have to become a vendor here if they work well and he wants to sell them on this forum...


e90man,

I got the parts today, the results of how it works will be posted before Super Bowl Sunday.

 

The sensitivity in this thread is astounding.

Is he a vendor? Not yet. Will he be? If you keep treating him like this... maybe not.

He's trying to bring a product to market, and he's asking for a little assistance. What's wrong with helping him out, so he can help ALL of us out?

 

Alright so here's my report on Bimmerhelp's (e90man) vacuum adapter and wand. To put it simply it's absolutely perfect. Vacuum adapter fits perfectly in the port and the wand has just enough movement to move around and get the valves. I actually prefer his over the much more expensive BMW parts. It's simply because his is much smaller. I can do the service without removing the intake manifold. Just pop the manifold back and you have enough room to work. With the BMW adapter it's so big that I had to remove the manifold to get the wand in the port, and that takes extra time. So I say this prototype is good to go!

 

I'm interested in picking up the tools pm sent.

 

Couldn't resist - also a MINI reference......


Thanks for your thoughts! I'm very happy to hear that this may be the preferred solution.

 

I did the carbon cleaning today. Except for a snag with the media blaster, it went pretty well.

Before:


After:



The initial disassembly is quite simple. The only tools required are a T-27 Torx bit, flat head screwdriver, 13mm deep well socket and a 10mm socket. The 10mm bolt is under the intake manifold and can only be accessed by taking off the passenger side wheel. It's cramped in there and irritating to remove.

Here's the car with the airbox removed:



I have one of the unusual 2011s with the noisemaker. Here's what you're left with after fully removing the intake manifold:



We're ready to get to work.

At this point, I hooked up my media blaster and found that it had zero suction with either wand attached. Without a wand, it worked well.The suction relies on a stream of high velocity air to create a low pressure zone, and the barbed adapter and reducer are wide. The air decelerates inside, preventing the device from working. For a quick fix, I chopped the end from the BMW wand and inserted it all the way into the gun through the barb. This modification preserves the high velocity air stream and allows the gun to suck up media properly. In hindsight, the suction from the vacuum was probably quite enough to make the setup work without that modification. At the time, I wasn't thinking of it. That said, e90man's wand attaches much more securely and conveniently.

Test fitting the vacuum adapter to the cylinder head, I found that it fits well. It's easily inserted but without any slop, so it stays in place securely. A bit of duct tape was all I needed to fit the adapter to the shop vac. The adapter is also quite small:




There's tons of room to work. The adapter is about half the size of the BMW version, and it's a big advantage when maneuvering the wand around. Here's my last minute, custom wand setup that probably wasn't necessary:



One suggestion I can make concerns the length of the wand. Both e90man's and the BMW wand could stand to be about 2 inches shorter. I was having a hard time cleaning some spots near the top of the head because the gun was hitting the firewall panel, limiting its range of motion. Once I cut two inches off, I could easily clean the top and still touch the valves.



To wrap up my thoughts:

E90man's vacuum adapter is superior to the OEM version. It works flawlessly and allows more maneuvering while cleaning.

His wand attaches to a 1/4NPT thread securely, unlike the OEM version. Both could stand to be 2 inches shorter, a quick garage fix.

Also, I should have just tried the setup with the vacuum before breaking out the hacksaw.

 

Great write up / feedback, U! how many miles was on your n18?

 

It's around 45,000.