49 replies to this topic

[danrock101]

How many times have you broken down? and what has been the causes?
and if possible what would you do to prevent it happening again?


(I know this sounds like a school exam question but there's a very good reason behind this lol)

Hang on a minute lads, I've had an idea
I will edit this post, with the list and then add the prevention or fix (some can't really be prevented as such)
Alot of the ones I have missed are just down to maintenance, obviously if you look after your car, it will look after you.

Gearlinkage roll pin coming out/breaking:
Carry a spare and make sure you fit a new one when you do a engine change, I put a cable tie over it just to make sure
Points closing and other ignition issues:
Convert to electronic ignition, carry a spare set of HT leads, cap and rotor arm + maybe a coil as they seem to be a common part to break or convert to megajolt but even a megajolt isn't indestructible
Electrical failures:
Carry spare fuses and wire, maybe a few connectors, wire can be used to fix a number of things too, mainly to hold on my exhaust when it fell off on the motorway.
Wheel bearing failure:
Ensure they have enough grease and there is no play in them, on VERY long trips I would possibly consider taking spares
Overheating:
Make sure you have the correct thermostat, flush out the cooling system when you service your car, maybe use water wetter and make sure your rad is in good condition and enough to cool your modded engine. I will be fitting the 12v aux fan I bought from ebay for £20 on a switch so I can flick it when I come to traffic or when the temp gauge gets high, I'm also fitting a capiarly gauge. Also make sure you have the correct cap. Maybe carry a container to fill up with water or even a container with water in it.
Snapped fan belt:
Carry a spare, they can also be used to more than one thing and change when the current one starts to wear, make sure it's the correct size too!
Coolant hoses popping off or simply exploding:
Carry certain spare hoses and jublie clips for long distances, change when they're worn. Ensure all hoses are connected properly and not right on the edge.
Flat battery:
I have had to push my mini up hill to let it roll forward to bump start it, it would be a good idea to carry some jump leads or a booster pack. Maybe fit a buzzer, so when you open you're door with the lights turned on, you will be reminded.
Exhaust falling off:
The spare fan belt you carry and the wire will come in handy for botching it back on to get you home, obviously you need to make sure it attached properly so it doesn't come off.
Slave cylinder and brake failure:
Make sure you replace all the seals and brake fluid from time to time, on a very long trip I would carry a slave repair kit and some brake fluid
Diff braking
Fit X-pin
Engine seizing
Fit oil pressure gauge, maybe adjustable pressure regulator, maybe carry some spare oil
Flat tyre
Tyre weld, spare tyre, is runflats on a mini possible?
Electrical fire
Make sure you're wiring is half decent, fuses not too highly rated for the wire/item and make sure the wires are of ample size for the job. Also ensure there are grommets in the correct places so no wires are rubbing againts a sharp edge, also make sure nothing is rolling around in your boot that can short the battery
Carry a fire extinguisher
Screws from air filter going into engine
I've heard this happen a few times, it's kinda why I like a ram pipe with a sock filter, make sure they're tight! + locktite
Fuel pump
You can get a SU electronic fuel pump that is like 2 pumps in 1, if one fails you switch the wires over and the other one comes in, something along those lines. Personally I'm just fitting a facet red top.

(Not finished yet)

Edited by danrock101, 04 November 2010 - 07:24 PM.

[paul6266]

i do brakedowns, generally its people with flat batteries, snapped fan belts, flat tyres, exhausts fell off........even pulled one guy out a hedge lol

[sonikk4]

Four times:
Seized engine once.
Smashed wheel bearing once.
Snapped cam follower once.
Closed points once. All of the above needed recovery.

[danrock101]

haha, I've had the exhaust come off at 80, luckily I was on a slip road so nothing was behind and I managed to retrive it and put it back on
I thought it would be a good idea if I can get a list of all the causes, then make sure I have a method to deal with each one (within reason)

[paul6266]

Four times:
Seized engine once.
Smashed wheel bearing once.
Snapped cam follower once.
Closed points once. All of the above needed recovery.

not all at once then......sounds like a rotten bit of luck with all of them to be honest....although quite a rare cause?

[mini_mad69]

Blown head gasket probably 10 times now.......This is mainly due to a warped head which was fitted to 2 different engines

Blown block twice...............As above then used a complete new engine

blown bottom end................My fault driving too hard around roundabouts and getting oil surge on a high revving 1380

Blown coil 3 times...............no one could work this one out...so rewired my ignition system and no problems as of yet

Gear linkage twice.............This was due to the roll pin getting weak from changing engines so much

exhaust fallen off 4 or 5 times.............Due to crap quick release engine mounts giving too much movement

sheared off hub.....................Pure bad luck

brake disk shattered..............as above

diff broke......................again as above

carb stuck ................ cheap second hand carb not checked over

oil pipe blown..................... a bodge.....my fault

caught fire once......................my crap wiring as a 17 year old

one complete brake faliure............................never worked out, bled them and they were fine.

Snapped fan belt twice............................ should have changed it sooner




What do I win?

I make that around 30ish break downs.... some has been bad luck, some has been poor maintainance.


Touch wood.... no problems for the last few months.

[Merlin-Mini]

4 times in one week . points (now electronic ignition), exhaust (Nylok bolts), battery (got a new one) and clutch failure (rebuilt the clutch master cylinder at the side of the road). oh the joys of old skool motoring.. my car has half my workshop in the back.

[paul6266]

are nylocs a bad idea on a exhaust? or is that just me? surely you want locknuts?

Edited by paul6266, 02 November 2010 - 09:17 PM.

[Merlin-Mini]

are nylocs a bad idea on a exhaust? or is that just me? surely you want locknuts?

i dont plan on getting them off aslong as the exhaust stays on i dont care

[paul6266]

are nylocs a bad idea on a exhaust? or is that just me? surely you want locknuts?

i dont plan on getting them off aslong as the exhaust stays on i dont care

i meant the nyloc bit melting with the heat

[Tommyboy12]

3 breakdowns in my ownership.

I sheared a swivel hub at the ball joint. Luckily as i was pulling onto my driveway. So i just pushed it there and fixed it.
Waterpump bearing failed. Car over heated. I just had to keep filling it up with water every 10 miles until i got home.
Battery flattened itself once for no apparent reason and i stalled at the lights. Jump started it and the battery was fine after that.

[coopdog]

points ALL THE TIME
until i put pointledd ignition in
and the connections on the terminals
grrr

[POWER5LAVE]

when my car was slammed my exhaust came off maybe 5-6 times in a week. even pot holes would pull it off. ive also had ignition breakdowns due to points/coil/loom etc etc. Also had the slave clutch cylinder go while i was driving down the road managed to roll the car within a couple of feet of my house and pushed it the rest of the way.

[mike.]

The only times my mini broke down in a year of driving were all down to ignition problems.

I broke down 3 times. First time due to worn or out of adjustment ignition parts then the 2 times after that were due to faulty poor quality replacements that were supplied.

I've put megajolt on my new engine, and even though its not fully mapped yet, it runs and idles much smoother than my 998 ever did. And using ford parts kept away from the grill area, i'm hoping it'll stay reliable and once its set up - It'll never go out of adjustment.

[(philip)]

The points, the points, and the points again!

Also nearly lost all 4 wheels after picking it up from garage and the wheel nuts hadn't been tightened.