Hi all,
I recently put the Cooper S kit on my '98 MPI and all was fine until a few months into ownership the car started puffing blue smoke on startup. First signs would always point to the valve guides being worn, but the head has gone back to Minisport and after testing they say the head is fine.
What else could cause this? I tested the compression ratio on the engine before and after the kit was fitted and the were pretty much the same (I can't remember the actual figures now, but they were all around 220, does that seem right?)
I don't really want to take the engine out! Could it be the PCV valve? I've read that it will dump oil into the manifold at certain times, but if its stuck open it will leave oil all over the inside of the manifold (I've not had a chance to look inside it yet)
Some other things about the engine, the car stinks when stopped at traffic lights, like a smokey engine smell (not really oily)
Its pinking a lot when the engine is up to temperature, doesn't do it when cold
The engine also has a lot of carbon buildup inside, even though I cleaned it all off when I put the kit on, and the car has done less than 3,000 miles since.
Cheers
JQ
