It has been said that the Xenon lights weigh more becuase of the separate wash reservoir, pump, and related plumbing. Being that I've been on a mission to lose weight on my MCS, I decided to tackle this today with the hope that I could shed about 5 pounds...

I also would like to add that I love my Xenons, and would order them again! I live in a canyon where the nearest street light is about 7 miles away. With that said, I find the washers of very little value, and I dislike their over-spray when activated...

I wanted to take a couple more photos, but I think my camera got too much sun . I can longer turn it on. I got these directly off the memory card...

Well, after about 2 hours of fairly easy work, the system has been removed. The capacity of the reservoir is about .75 gallons. Being that a gallon of water weighs 8.314 pounds (I know this is not water, but close enough, I would hope), in fluid alone, if full, we are talking a little over 6 pounds (6.26 lbs). All of the components, void of water weigh-in at 3.4 pounds. The max weight loss is nearly 10 pounds, which I'm quite pleased with!

Since I've been contemplating a water or alcohol injenction unit, with the reservoir in the rear (for weight distribution and heat reasons), it almost seems that I can reuse this reservoir, and possibly pump within the side boot paneling. I might need to reshape it a tad with some applied heat, but that's for another day...



The Bentley manual was nice to have along!



The plungers come-out very easily, but are bit delicate. I will for now silicone in the silver tabs that once projected outward. I however see some potential for fresh air though. Hopefully I can fix the camera soon...

 

Couple of questions and one complaint.

Did you find where the heating of the fluid takes place?

Did you remove the hoses from under the sound deadaning material on the hood?

Uh, do you even have the sound deadening material on the hood

Only complaint I have is the raiders logo. Sheez, Raider Nation blah blah blah. Can't even sell tickets to thier own games!

Matt

 

Thanks Matt. I did not actively look for a heater. Is that only on the cold weather package, maybe? I can inspect it further though, and if I see something, I'll certainly share here...

Yes, I did remove that hose that traverses to the passenger side. I needed to remove 5 or so retainer clips and the scoop diverter until I could see enough on how it was secured. That hose was probably a good 4 ounes! I also Dremeled-off the bottom reservoir mounting bolt a la the Miata guys as it ain't ever going back. The whole job can be done in less than an hour if one is really under the gun. I always stop and ponder things and go off on side projects and cleaning stuff up...

Yes, I put the sound deadening material back on, but I thought for a moment about removing it. Some believe that it also helps the paint, as it might otherwise blister. I'm not willing to take such a chance...

Yeah, Raider fan and season ticket holder with my pop since I was 10! We canceled them two years back as I really got a taste of the business side of things. I had previoulsy never missed a game, in-person, on tv or radio. Last year, I didn't watch or listen to one. MLB lost me with that last strike, and previous to that, my dad and I had sunday tickets for all home games. The NBA lost me as well. Now the NHL. The state of professional sports is pathetic. F1 a couple weeks back, altough I blame Michelin for that one, but still... All of my fan sporting engery is now diverted into the college ranks - Go Bears! :smile:

Ok, back on topic... While I could deduct about 10 pounds for this mod, I'm going to do 6, assuming that the reservoir is never full, nor empty on most days. That puts me and minus 174

 

What reference book is that in the picture?

 

I got mine on eBay $61 including shipping, but look around. It's a very, very good book if you're going to do the work on your own car.....

Matt

 

Great work. Instructive photos. I wanted to order the xenons, but was concerned about the complexity of the washer system. I had not thought of removing it. Very interesting. Thanks.

As an aside: I recently tried to buy Bears sweatshirts as gifts, but they were on back order--very popular items. Maybe Raiders sweatshirts would have been easier to get. A sad note about the greatest public U in the USA is that the state budget is forcing enrollment reduction at Berkeley by as much as 10,000 students and the law school is asking permission to raise its tuition to $45,000 per year. Go Bears.

 

The lost weight is from exactly the right place, too! For those considering a swap to Xenons, it's good to know those parts aren't needed. I've also seen 2002 models where the factory Xenons came without the washers.

 

yeah me too that was untill it became mandatory 2 include washers w/xenons

 

I'm thinking that the airflow into the engine bay could be beneficial. I drove tonight with those holes open, and I'm sure plenty of cool air made it's way under the bonnet. Obviously come rainy season (Winter for us in CA), I'll need to do something about that. Is there some type of material (think membrane) that allows for air flow, ideally both ways, yet not water? That might be pretty slick...

I used the windshield washer tonight, just to make sure it still worked. It did, however now I don't remember if the wipers turn on automatically when the washer is activated or not. They did not. In other words, when I shot fluid on the windshield, I then had to manually turn the wipers on to clean. I sort of recall the wipers being automatically acitvated upon fluid ejection. Maybe I'm thinking of my other car. If someone can clarify, please let know. Thanks!

Indeed, weight off the front is a good thing! I'll keep looking for more

OT -

morknmini, hard to believe that back when I was at Cal ('85-'89), tuition was like 750 bucks. Heck, the Masters at SJSU cost me less than 5k in '97. I didn't know that about Boalt (Berkeley's law school)! My undergrad degree was in Legal Studies, so I spent much time in Boalt Hall...

I was just on campus with my wife to get some gear for the upcoming football season, and there is plenty of selection in the Student Union. I proposed to her atop the Campanile a couple years ago, so it's always fun to go back with her... If you are not local, try this link:

http://store.fansonly.com/marketplac...2&dept_id=3177

Hey, Cal is not just strong among public universities, but all! London's reknowned weekly, the Times Higher Education Supplement had a 15 page feature last Nov titled "World University Rankings." For the 'Top 10': Harvard, Cal, MIT, Cal Tech, Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, and ETH Zurich. And the 'Most Esteemed': Cal, Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, Stanford, Tokyo U, Princeton,Yale and Beijing U. Pretty cool!

This info, and some interesting discussion can be found here:

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkele...rankings.shtml

OT done...

 

I'm thinking of something like a "green meanie" scrubbie. You'd get some air flow, but it would also condense H20 and prevent saturation of the engine bay. Once saturated itself, I can still see some water getting in and dribbling down the backside of the bonnet? Just a guess, thou?

 

Thanks for the input Blu! I don't think our paths have crossed since the OBX thread... There is some kind of sock like product that M7 was going to use to protect the AGS filter from water. I'll ask him, and report back. If that works, and if I can get it in a silverish color to match the headlight bezel, that would be cool. If not, I'll just plug it with the chrome lifters that were there...

 

It has indeed been a while, Tony! Been logging a lot of flight time bouncing back and forth between Italy and USA for Uncle Sam... That header still doing great, btw.


Had another thought, though! Might be a good winter project... How about some custom louvered aluminum replacement "patches"? They'd look nice as well.
Ciao,

 

I'm trying to visualize what you mean by louvered... I am getting some ideas though. How would that prevent water from getting in while still allowing for air to do so? A fantastic Independence day to you!

 

Think "window blind" adjusted so the leading edge is point down. Air flow would be maintained and a majority of water and rain falling down would not enter, but roll off/down the louvers. However, water-mist probably would enter... like you get when following a car too closely-- spray off their tires suspended in air would flow into the louvers (am I even spelling this right?) Come to think of it, we get already get lots of water spray into the engine bay through our bonnet/radiator grills. Little louvers would be a reduction over just a mesh/grill material.

Just thinking out loud, trying some ideas here, Tony. I'm really taken with your idea, and love the idea of loosing the weight. Thanks for posting it!

Once my head goes on, like you, I'm going to be looking at H20/alcohol injection mounted in the rear as well. It gets damn hot here! 102 yesterday whew!
Ciao,

edit: BTW, the sock material I suspect M7 is talking about, is called a "Filter Sock". A close weave nylon material that slips over a cone filter. You can find them in a variety of colors. They act as a prefilter for large particles, and would serve to greatly reduce the chance of water getting to the paper element of the filter.

 

Very helpful info, thank you! I will check into that sock material. I follow you on the louvers, however, I see rain hitting the bonnet, and at speed, the wind forcing it back in through the vents; facing down in this case would actually capture more water, as well as air. Just what I visualize, not sure in reality... The water that enters through the grilles is a lower entry point, and in the radiator area. These two spots can put water, with the turbulence and air dynamics that might be happening, over the spark plugs, for example. I really appreciate your thoughts!

 

Thanks, TonyB, for more info on the Old Blue. Congratulations on picking such an academic landmark for your wedding proposal.

I'm grateful (and continue to be surprised) that Cal is able to maintain such a high ranking despite major budget cuts that have accompanied our state's economic downturns (it has always been in the top 5 or 10 in nearly any survey). I still hang out with several of my old professors from the Reagan era (almost all of them are now emeritus) so I get the periodic budget news along with their good company and excellent food. As for the sweatshirts I will follow your lead and visit the ASUC store (as a last minute notion I had hoped to buy Cal sweatshirts at a Cal-Stanford store at SFO on a recent trip to visit 2 of my former students--no luck).

On the subject of lights (and this is very far removed from xenons) I wonder if you know how to get the luggage compartment light to turn off? I fear that mine has been on forever (I got my MINI 1.5 months ago) and that I just noticed it because I dropped the rear seat backs in order to carry a big suitcase. The light was on when I drove home yesterday from SFO and has remained on despite everything else being shut down (and the boot lid closed--I can see the light through the folded rear seat back). No switch in sight, but I have been learning that MINIs have stealth compartments. I have been unable to find enlightenment in the manual. Thanks in advance for any advice or opinions.

 

Totally agree, and I'm equally impressed and proud that they've been able to do so. Cal would say that they are simply "Keeping the Promise." :smile:

An idea... Maybe the boot hatch is not completely closed? Mine, and others (I believe) should auto dim, then turn off. If closing with more force does not do it, try adjusting the two bump points so they spin-in further, thus allowing the hatch go down more. Note your starting point in case you have to go back for other reasons.... I'll give it more thought. You might want to start a thread on that one though... Chat later.

 

Thanks again, TonyB. Great day here in SF (I am up with jet lag, but have to go to work anyway) and a sunny excuse to drive the MINI a bit. I will try your fix today and let you know if it works or post a thread if the light remains on. Happy Independence Day.

 

If you have the cold weather package it's the nozzles on the hood that are heated. The fluid itself is not heated.