A MINI (R53 Cooper S) Adventure
Discussion
tallpaul26 said:
PS4 are quite pricey, looking at Kumho Ecsta PS71 as a compromise. The tyres on it now are non-rft and have plenty of tread, sadly they’re not much better than ditch finders!
Alloys are a subjective thing. They need to have been an OEM option for the R53 in 2006. R98 web spokes would probably be first choice a la my original MINI. R90 cross-spokes also in the mix. Neither are cheap options and could be tricky to find someone to do a good job refurbing.
The PS71 is a good tyre having ran a set on my other half's 125i for two years. This time around they seemed quite pricey and Good Year Asymmetric 5's weren't that much more.Alloys are a subjective thing. They need to have been an OEM option for the R53 in 2006. R98 web spokes would probably be first choice a la my original MINI. R90 cross-spokes also in the mix. Neither are cheap options and could be tricky to find someone to do a good job refurbing.
MDifficult said:
tallpaul26 said:
Order in at LLLParts for loads of fasteners too
I may be teaching you to suck eggs in this one, but it’s always worth checking prices at BMW / MINI. I’ve often found them to be cheaper than you expect vs places like LLL
Court_S said:
MDifficult said:
tallpaul26 said:
Order in at LLLParts for loads of fasteners too
I may be teaching you to suck eggs in this one, but it’s always worth checking prices at BMW / MINI. I’ve often found them to be cheaper than you expect vs places like LLL
Court_S said:
The PS71 is a good tyre having ran a set on my other half's 125i for two years. This time around they seemed quite pricey and Good Year Asymmetric 5's weren't that much more.
That's good to hear. Michelin & Goodyear are really expensive in 205/45/17 - coming in at £300 more than Kumho for a set on Blackcircles!!Todays small step forward was replacing the fuel filter. The internet warns of petrol going everywhere and being blinded in the process. As this MINI has had its battery disconnected and been nose up for over a week I think the pressure in the fuel line had dissipated sufficiently to prevent hosing VPower all over myself!
A bit of fuel spillage is unavoidable when pulling out the filter itself, but plenty of paper towel caught the worst. Suffice to say it was pretty minging; well worth the effort to change!
A bit of fuel spillage is unavoidable when pulling out the filter itself, but plenty of paper towel caught the worst. Suffice to say it was pretty minging; well worth the effort to change!
Why are the smallest jobs the messiest?!
Crankshaft position sensor and dipstick tube o-rings replaced and a new (metal) dipstick fitted to replace the fragile plastic original.
I'm not sure the dipstick seal had actually been leaking, but the crank sensor definitely had. One can of gunk later and the fallout was looking better. I think oil has also been blowing by the the supercharger inlet seal, but that's a job for the garage when they service the 'charger.
Area around the crank sensor looking a bit less horrific:
In other news, the refurb PAS pump arrived so I can crack on and fit that this weekend:
Crankshaft position sensor and dipstick tube o-rings replaced and a new (metal) dipstick fitted to replace the fragile plastic original.
I'm not sure the dipstick seal had actually been leaking, but the crank sensor definitely had. One can of gunk later and the fallout was looking better. I think oil has also been blowing by the the supercharger inlet seal, but that's a job for the garage when they service the 'charger.
Area around the crank sensor looking a bit less horrific:
In other news, the refurb PAS pump arrived so I can crack on and fit that this weekend:
President Merkin said:
So many of the gaskets on that engine are rubber seals, Valve cover, crank sensor, oil filter housing, rear main seal albeit that is a big posh one. I think they just go square & crispy over time.
Both the seals I just changed were rock hard. The crank sensor seal disintegrated as I removed it.PAS pump refitted and all buttoned up. Suffice to say it was as big a t
t going in as it was coming out. Top tip for anyone doing the same is to refit both the wiring harnesses and push the return line fitting in (but don’t bolt it down yet) before contorting the pump back in to place.
I’m now stuck waiting for parts to arrive before making any more progress so I’ve started to turn my attention to the bodywork. I’ve machine polished the white parts (roof, spoiler and mirror caps). I gave the rear bumper a go too but I need to tread carefully with the red. Chilli red from these Gen 1 cars has proven really unstable and I don’t want to blow the clear coat. This isn’t uniquely a MINI problem eg think Milano red from the EP3 Civic Type-R.
Wheels are also proving a bit of a pain. I want to stay OEM but I’m not really keen on the bullets fitted. They need a refurb and 4 new tyres which is a £650 investment. I much prefer the two-piece options such as the web-spokes fitted to my original R53 - I found a set for peanuts but need a full refurb. I spoke to my wheel guy and he advised against them. Apparently the galvanic corrosion between the bolts and rims on wheels this old can seriously weaken them. So I think the sensible option is to stick to one-piece designs - the question is, which style? Decisions decisions!
t going in as it was coming out. Top tip for anyone doing the same is to refit both the wiring harnesses and push the return line fitting in (but don’t bolt it down yet) before contorting the pump back in to place. I’m now stuck waiting for parts to arrive before making any more progress so I’ve started to turn my attention to the bodywork. I’ve machine polished the white parts (roof, spoiler and mirror caps). I gave the rear bumper a go too but I need to tread carefully with the red. Chilli red from these Gen 1 cars has proven really unstable and I don’t want to blow the clear coat. This isn’t uniquely a MINI problem eg think Milano red from the EP3 Civic Type-R.
Wheels are also proving a bit of a pain. I want to stay OEM but I’m not really keen on the bullets fitted. They need a refurb and 4 new tyres which is a £650 investment. I much prefer the two-piece options such as the web-spokes fitted to my original R53 - I found a set for peanuts but need a full refurb. I spoke to my wheel guy and he advised against them. Apparently the galvanic corrosion between the bolts and rims on wheels this old can seriously weaken them. So I think the sensible option is to stick to one-piece designs - the question is, which style? Decisions decisions!
Enjoying this thread, lots of the jobs look very familiar from maintaining my wife's R53. I haven't spotted anyone snapping off that little grey curvy pipe that goes from the supercharger snorkel up to the TB yet, that's a fun one to replace...
I've just put ours up for sale after 9 years ownership as we put a deposit down on an F56 Cooper S yesterday. No supercharger, it's so quiet! If anyone is looking for a very original 2004 R53 then ours will be in the classifieds shortly seeking a new owner. They won't need to overhaul the cooling system, service the supercharger or change the clutch as I've already done it all and more besides! ;-)
Best of luck with yours. tallpaul!
I've just put ours up for sale after 9 years ownership as we put a deposit down on an F56 Cooper S yesterday. No supercharger, it's so quiet! If anyone is looking for a very original 2004 R53 then ours will be in the classifieds shortly seeking a new owner. They won't need to overhaul the cooling system, service the supercharger or change the clutch as I've already done it all and more besides! ;-)
Best of luck with yours. tallpaul!
More shiny new parts today, but first I had to finish flushing out the remnants of the wrong coolant. Here's the progression from murky red to clean water:
With that out of the system my new radiator could go on:
New reservoirs for both the coolant and PAS fluid:
Just waiting on a few new fasteners to arrive before I refill the coolant and see what I've managed to break in the process!
With that out of the system my new radiator could go on:
New reservoirs for both the coolant and PAS fluid:
Just waiting on a few new fasteners to arrive before I refill the coolant and see what I've managed to break in the process!
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