303 replies to this topic

[nev_payne]

Bit of an update as there's not been much since last month.

I found another symptom has cropped up with the idle/engine trouble - the brake pedal when pressed down will hit a resting point and will then drop another half inch or so, with the engine suddenly picking up in immediate response. Can the vacuum pipe to servo really make that much difference?

I've checked over the spark plugs this weekend just gone - they all matched this with slightly more or less white deposit and a black rim around the thread:


The air temp sensor had seen better days as well so I gave that one a clean:


Spot the clutch-based oil leak :


Other than that, a surprise reward for restoration efforts, was received on Sunday at a local club's treasure hunt that I was invited to:


Made it all the way round the route (roughly 20-25 miles) all be it rather gumbly and complaintative about hills and sitting at junctions. Other than a vacuum hose, I'm popping in this week to have the ECU faults cleared and checked at a local dealer. Finger's crossed.

[nev_payne]

Presents! R1 sent through some spares I've been meaning to get for a while including a full ECU/Immob/Fob set just incase SirD has a brain fart in the future. Genuine Cat, Oil temp sender and other goodies included.

[bcjames]

Nice trophy Oli! Sorry to see you've still been having some running issues. Any progress identifying it or are you waiting on the fault code reading session?

I've been buying a few mpi specific spares too, just in case. ECU needs to be on my list too, I want flashy indicators!

[nev_payne]

Update:

As per this thread: http://www.theminifo...g-continuously/

Sir D doesn't want to go anywhere at the moment due to some kind of ignition/engine turnover failure. Only able to do some simple checks this morning, following a battery charge overnight, but to no avail. Will crack out the sockets this evening and check the plugs for any signs of life. Not exactly what I had hoped for to be honest.

[bcjames]

Eek, not good! Hopefully it's something simple to sort out.

[njathind]

Just read your thred, I retract my comment

Know its a simple one but have you reset the inertia fuel cut off switch?

Edited by njathind, 16 March 2012 - 01:42 PM.

[nev_payne]

Yup checked intertia switch. Reseated the leads, listened out for the fuel pump priming and running in turning over which it did.

[nev_payne]

Turns out the engine had flooded. Not something I've heard happen before on an MPI. He's running now but there's still quite a skip in the idle, quite A bit of black soot out the back as well. Possibly related to the clutch/ idler gear?

[nev_payne]

Yey for spamming posts. After a chat to another MPI-minded mechy about the various issues SirD is having there's something rather more sinister going on with the engine. Notably this:



Yup - the clutch housing's got oil coming in through the crank end seal. This would explain why at some points the Mini will judder suddenly when enganging a new gear. New clutch time... amongst other things. This will hopefully be next weekend so not long to wait.

[nev_payne]

Update!
New personal best in the TDI work donkey on 1 tank:



Going to be a busy weekend for the Mini, clutch is out and this oil leak getting stopped. Spares order came through this morning along with some not so easy to find oil shields. 1 spare set for the stock/ friend favor.



Quite the road trip tomorrow it would seem - Exeter to change out the clutch, down to Plymouth afterwards to see the other half, than home again. 90 miles each way being the longest run so far. Finger's crossed.

[Ace Alex]

A Knightsbridge model, very unique!

The end product after the rebuild stage looks very nice. It's a shame you have experienced a few problems since the refurbishment.

Nice Mpi Mini.

Alex.

[nev_payne]

Update!

Those who have seen the facebook album know it's been a busy one. Started out early Saturday morning with a not so happy SirD, off to Exeter to have the clutch changed, ECU cleared, head torqued and general inspection to make sure nothing was causing trouble over the last 250 miles. Cooperjcw was on hand for a battle of wits with SirD. We started at 10am:

Cooperjcw had just recently changed out a cluth without stripping the engine bay or dropping the subframe. I was more than happy to take on the role of tool and parts supervisor and steering wheel re-aligner.


After the bell housing was clear with other obstructions out of the way, this is pretty much what we looked at for 4 hours. The clutch simply wouldn't separate:


Finally after freezing, blowtorch, hammer and flywheel flexing the oil soaked clutch came free:


The next issue we came up against was the primary gear oil seal - the source of the problems. What we were not expecting was a puller being decimated in the process:


^ That white stuff, is silicone sealant. From what we could make out:

• Silicone dried and essentially acted like epoxy on the seal.
• Seal in the process of the engine running, folded itself inside out, locking it into place on the end of the crank.
• This is in turn wore a groove into the primary gear.

In the end we removed the seal using the butcher method of flat head screwdrivers and a lot of swearing. With time pressing on, on went the new seal:


The hardest bit was over - note the lump hammer in prime position:


The old clutch, covered in oil and almost a mirror finish:


Finally SirD was rebuilt, ECU cleared, kuckles and joints greesed, wheel realigned, and in far better shape. 10am till 10pm. Still there were some notable highlights, like this just-rebuilt Cooper S Works. THe couple who owned it exchanged a great and many stories of previous Minis owned - they picked this cracking S Works up 5 years ago at £3700. Well worth restoring:




So at 10PM, I set off to Plymouth to see the other half and managed to get there without a hitch. The next day we decided to head off on a road trip to Truro, I was more than happy to clock in the miles as it's now up to the next oil change and coolant change No oil leaks what so ever all the way there and back.



Back home after a long haul down the A388 and M5:



What a weekend!

Edited by nev_payne, 25 March 2012 - 08:41 PM.

[nev_payne]

Right well, that's the 600 mile oil change and a coolant flush done. Next one should be 1200 miles.

The oil this time round had far less metal shrapnel on the plug which was a nice relief, the coolant on the other hand has been in since start and was full of machining oil and stank to high heaven. Flushed through and some nice 25% mix coolant added in its place. SirD on the other hand seemed a little drunk on fresh coolant; the idle was not happy about life. Idler gear is coming out in 2 weeks time anyway, along with some electro-magical touch-ups including the fog lights and a charger point under the dash. Fingers firmly crossed on a good end result for that.

Engine idle:

[nev_payne]

Update, the shopping list:



Figure I might as well get some stock in, as well as a rear mount for some extra stability. All quids in for idler gear change out in 2 weeks time.

[bcjames]

You're making me feel bad about the lack of work done on mine, considering we have much the same problems!