I have been saying for a long time on different threads that bolting things on is easy, getting them to play nice with each other is damn near art......

I would not be so quick to blame the DFIC as I have had one on my 62 car from the begining (#4) and have monitored my IATs for well over 1 month and never have seen a glimpse of overly high IATs, with the exception of extreme stop and go traffic on the interstate through Atlanta in 90+ weather.... and that was well within limits....

As I am fond of saying, the "car is a system" and somewhere along the line the "system" got stressed beyond its capacity.....

I n GA we have 93 so I have not had to deal with those issues which I know nothing about the reality of how it would affect my Mini but I can imagine.....

I am very interested in how this concludes.... best wishes Mario

 

I would like to know how this all turns out also. Peter from M7 and Johnny are going to help me to put my car back together. Peter has been a great guy, and is hooking me up with parts he has laying around his shop, this should help me save a a ton of cash.
Good luck Bob with your car and thank you for you positive thoughts.
M

 

Somehow I knew Peter would help... .... keep us in the loop.... Ill be in LA tuesday thru Friday at the NAMM show in Anahiem.....maybe we can hook up?

 

For sure, I live about 70 miles away.

PM me your cell phone and I will send you mine
Mario

 

Mario, when you get the engine apart there should be a few "tells" that will give you a better idea of why the piston failed. Burnt or melted ring lands could be bad gas related, AF for sure. However there are many other factors to take into account.
Welcome to the real world of hot rodding. There is not a single hot rodder I know that hasen't blown up. Failure can be caused by an event taking place months before. An example would be a valve sticking & hitting a piston giving it a slight warp. This could go undetected for quite some time since it still may seal quite well. Untill it takes a set & no longer seals or it breaks off... This is an over rev deal. This example is common for circle track racers. Missed shifts. Heavy acceleration & decell...... there's more. As you can see I'm thinking valve failure since, 1 of your other posts, you were saying rich AF but who knows.........
Bottom line no mater what you find it will be dificult to find an exact cause. The good is you will see why there was a failure & learn from it.
Best of, for a good diagnoses.

 

Tuls, thanks for the compliment

Mario, keep your head up, this is one of the reasons this community is so awesome. While some will be quick to point a finger and say you fugged up, they will likely never know the pleasures of driving a MINI that can blow their mostly stock socks off.

Bob and Steve are right, if you play you pay, there is always a risk, being successful at hot rodding is all about mitigating risks in the persuit of power. I would suggest a Wideband o2 a mimimum. Not only is it a great tuning aid, but you can see some really good information on what your motor is doing.

You might also want to consider a methanol injection kit, they arent expensive and can help you out with hot temps and crap gas. Check out someone like Snow Performance or any other manufacturer of those kits and see what they can do for you.

 

The car should be completely taken a part tomorrow and then will be sent to the boring machine shop. From there I will have more info on what the next step is for ordering custom pistons. Trust me I know about the Play and Pay rule. I have mod'd every car I have owned since I was 14years old.
I have looked it Cooling Mist because I already have it on my Mercedes E55, it works very well. It brought my WOT air intake temps down 60F and got me 40hp more at the wheels. But i really would like to keep the car more trouble free, I find it a pain to keep adding a 50/50 mix of Meth and H2O, it seems to only last a few days.
BTW do you have any new dyno's with your 15% and new tune?
M

 

Not yet, I am hoping to get to the dyno sometime in Feb.

If I had to guess, I think I picked up at least 2-3 whp, if I didnt, it sure feels smoother overall. I am also about to pull my 0% alta and put the stock engine damper back on.

 

Are you keeping the JCW software or are you going to get custom dyno tuning and raise you RPM limiter
M

 

I am keeping the JCW for now, it seems to be doing just fine. Its rev limit is 7200 which is plenty to get me in trouble with.

 

i had to read it a couple of times!!! but its true!!!!

TAMPA if i had an award to give out you would recieve it!!!!

Well done!

 

Ooo! ask Peter if he has a "spare" M62 kit laying around! Same airflow at less supercharger rpm means less heat and high rpm capability without having to go turbo...

 

I like it. There's plenty there without any drivability issues.

The 2 weakest parts of the Mini are the software & the head. You did the head. The JCW tune finishes nicely & the wideband for back up - way to go.
Today the tune for a high mod Mini has increased the need for a wide band backup. That said the weakest part of the system looks more & more like the software, more with the ECU OS than the tuner.

 

When you get this thing apart could you post some pics? Head & block with the pistons in it?

 

Thank you guys

It took some time talking to a lot of folks to realize what the ECU is doing and more importantly WHY so I could come to some of those understandings.

The crazy thing is though, most of these principles I learned from old school hot rodders. While the induction system has changed and computers brought into the mix - most of the same concepts apply to a 40 year blown Shelby GT-350, that apply to a 2006 Cooper S. The ECU, while more complex makes it even easier (and compared to the tech available then) cheaper to mod sucessfully.

Listening to people like Tuls, isellem, DMH, Thumper460, Pat Wallis, and others has proven invaluable. I honestly encourage anyone who plans to modify their MINI, and wants it to be reliable for daily driving or track, to talk people like this before doing ANYTHING. Chances are they can save you some money now and down the road. Even if you don't plan on doing this, but want to understand what the MINI is doing. Chances are they will be willing to talk you.

 

I think Johnny is going to take some for me, because I'm too far away to see the car. I will post them once I get them.

 

Thanks. I hope it is an easier repair than you think.....

 

I think this is a great learning experience for all of us, some have already been there, some will not pay attention and this will happen with more frequency. Kudos, Mario, you have held yourself together with grace. I have a JCW track car right now with the same issue. I installed these parts when that was the thing to do, and knowing this car would have my name on it, I instisted on properly tuning it. It was not done because "man, this is fast. why spend money when it runs this good" . List of mods: JCW head and software, schrick cam, 380cc injectors, 17% pulley, 2% crank pulley and stock intercooler. It ran very rich at idle and part load, but I never had the opportunity to put it on a dyno, and/or wideband, to see how lean it gets at close to redline. This car does not see below 5000RPM except for in the paddock. This thread has reconfirmed my thoughts for this car the entire time I spent fixing it. The head is back on, still need to put the rest back together, with 0% crank and 15% sc pulleys. The next step is tuning, whether he wants to spend the money or not . Keep up the good work guys, you are an asset to us all. --Dan

 

DAYUM! Was the block salvageable after that occured?

Again, this echo's my sentiments on the need for widebands!

 

Amazingly, Tampa, some aluminum for the piston transfered to the cylinder wall, but cleaned up very nicely with no scarring.
--Dan

 

The 11 week project!!!!
Well I just got word that CP pistons are back ordered and I can't even order them till I find out how much the machine shop is going to have to bore out my motor. The car has been gone almost two weeks and it should be another two before the the boring is done and then another eight for the CP pistons to be made and shipped to Johnny's. I'm grateful my car is in good hands and that I have another car to drive around for work. So far the year has been tough in all issues of my life, I hope its not the a sign for the rest of the year.
Mario

 

Just remember at the end of the day its just a car, no matter how much we love driving/beating them. You're here, and thats all that matters!

 

Nah...you're just getting all the bad sh*t out of the way.

 

It's just a hump, Mario, you'll get through it, and hopefully better off than you were before.
--Dan

 

Thanks guys, I know life is life but I just need a break soon. Today my tire blew at 80mph on the freeway and then I lost a huge deal that I have been working on for over 3 years.
I know the Mini will be better than ever once I get it back from Johnny's and I can start tearing it up again.