Help, new cooper s owner

[Dave.F]

Greetings. I have just bought my wife a cooper S mini 52-plate. Now I have noticed that it has a considerable amount of oil on the drivers underside and Im not sure where it is coming from? Is there a common problem with these cars that I should check.

Also I am considering a few engine tweeks. I have seen the charger pulleys available but am not sure which size to go for and whether or not the pully can be fitted on its own or if an ECU remap is required for the car to run right. Any other mods worth doing. Im not looking for mega power as I drive my own E46 M3, but Id like to make it more fun for me when the wife steels the M3

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers Guys Dave.F

[killinginblack]

Not too sure about the oil, could be from the engine or the engine mounts as i think they are filled with fluid and do leak.

With regard to pulleys, from what i have read 15% reduction is the one to go for. If i was to go down that route with mine, i'd go for a reduced pulley, bigger intercooler (jcw or aftermarket), new filter/induction kit (again jcw or aftermarket) and new plugs. Should put it around the 200 bhp mark and not be prone to heat soak.

Im no expert on it but have a look on the mini2 and minitorque sites and companies like lohen, 1320 autos etc to see what's available and for how much.

Probably best sorting the leak before starting with any mods though.

1320 offer various tests to see what condition the engine is before changing anything. No point in throwing money away on mods if the engine isn't 100% healthy.

[antihero3000]

Dave.F said:

Greetings. I have just bought my wife a cooper S mini 52-plate. Now I have noticed that it has a considerable amount of oil on the drivers underside and Im not sure where it is coming from? Is there a common problem with these cars that I should check.

Also I am considering a few engine tweeks. I have seen the charger pulleys available but am not sure which size to go for and whether or not the pully can be fitted on its own or if an ECU remap is required for the car to run right. Any other mods worth doing. Im not looking for mega power as I drive my own E46 M3, but Id like to make it more fun for me when the wife steels the M3

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers Guys Dave.F

Hi mate,

I found this guide very useful as a new cooper s owner.

[minimanAC]

Don't go anywhere near a Rolling road until you have read the last part of this article:

http://www.morego.co.uk/bbr-gti/brodie_report.php#...

[Dave.F]

Thats great advice guys and thanks for the warning about dynos, I have been to a few dyno days and I love the sound of a screaming engine but the wifes mini will not be going on a dyno. LOL The oil leak will be sorted first and a service with some top quality oil. I will then move on to the pulley mod I think. It looks as if the blower will need to be removed to change the pulley, is this an easy job? I tend to think I am pretty capable of most car maintenance things.

The standard intercooler is such a st design. Why sit a heat exchanger on top of a hot engine??? Do the standard heat exchangers get blocked at all? I want to ensure im not going to fry my charger or engine.

Its great to have another toy to play with. The m3 is an awesome car but all the upgrades are SOOOOO expensive..

Cheers Guys Dave.F

(You may have heard of me from the BMW world of Induction kits)

[sr-performance]

Hi dave, i wondered if it was you off e36coupe, never used your induction kits but heard nowt but good reports on them...


steve

[Dave.F]

Yes mate it is me from E36coupe.

[Loui]

Probably sump gasket, can be quite common. Doubt it will be the engine mount as i think it will be the earlier style rubber one