BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

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Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

Apologies for all these little updates but i have a poor memory and like to write down what i remember whilst i still remember it!
Last night i just took a little time in continuing to rebuld the car, it is quite difficult making much progres in an hour or so but we are getting there slowly but surely. This was the point in the rebuild where it was important to go back through and remember where all the wires go. Luckily i could refer to the photos on my phone to guide me.

The radiator assembly was then re-assembled with the new alloy radiator. This was a little squeeze as it is larger than standard, but so far i can see it causing any issues.

Hopefully tonight, i will be able to finish assembly and get the fluids back into the car and do some final checks.
The front alloy crash structure was starting to give issues as i finished off last night, so this is one thing to sort out, it is a very tight fit and is difficult to line up correctly.

Hopefully i will be able to upload finished photos tomorrow and maybe post a video of the engine is all is well.
Attachments
Sneaky peak of the front end being re-assembled, you can just see new alloy radiato behind air con radiator
Sneaky peak of the front end being re-assembled, you can just see new alloy radiato behind air con radiator
DSC_2543.jpg (217.31 KiB) Viewed 25233 times
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Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

So last night i decided to not stop until i finished her off as we were soo close.
Everything went back together alright in the end and quite easily. We also run the car and let her get up to temperature where the thermostat would open(think this was close 85+°C).
The coolant system bled through quite easily, although we will continue to keep an eye on it. Interesting thing was that the cooling system did not start boiling and pressurised nicely so this is good news. For now it just has a large % of water running in her, once we are happy this will be flushed through and given a good antifreeze mix. I didn't see the point in doing this to begin with because i don't want to find leaks and lose brand new coolant.
Also the high water % should mean it can't handle the heat quite aswell(glycol is better at heat absorbtion than water).

What i can say so far is that the car handled everything so far and never overheated even after leaving it for over 20-25minutes.
Once the car was hot i also carried out a hot compression test with wide open throttle and all values were 12 bar with minute differences between the readings. So at least it appears the low compression issue is sorted.

I still aim to get a root cause for failure and i will post my findings asap.

What i will say is once i took the car for a wee potter around the drive, the car pulls better from pulling away and the slight hickup it used to have is gone. This is a massive bonus as this really annoyed me when driving slowly around town.
Also the engine note has now changed and appears quieter as a result of the smaller SC pulley, there is less drone which is another bonus.
The engine now revs alot more free and the throttle response when driving is also far better and much improved.
It might sound a little 'boyish' but i also like the new exhaust noise on the over run with it burbling through the exhaust, it very much suits the car and i like the noise.
Just looking forward now to taking her for a good run to see how she performs.

I will post a link to a video to show how 'he'(my wife says he is a he!) sounds. Fingers crossed that is that for the time being and 'he' behaves himself.
Got to get to work now on the family Alfa to repair the clutch slip, so this is my next priority.
Attachments
Crash structure back in place
Crash structure back in place
DSC_2544.jpg (199.64 KiB) Viewed 25229 times
Back in one piece and running again
Back in one piece and running again
DSC_2545.jpg (138.29 KiB) Viewed 25229 times
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Guy Croft
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Guy Croft »

well done indeed Will, fingers crossed for you.

A superbly well-documented article from a very talented forum member.

G
Guy Croft, owner
TomLouwrier
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by TomLouwrier »

Agreed, I quite enjoy reading your posts.

regards
Tom
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Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

Thanks guys for your kind comments.

I have taken the car on a short test drive to see how it performed, it still has a few niggly little issues that i will need to sort out and keep an eye on but so far the car feels soo much better.
Pulling away is soo much more controlled and the throttle response and extra power is very noticeable. I did take it relatively easy and let the car get up to temperature before pushing on a bit. The way the car now pulls through the gears is much improved and there is alot more torque lower down. When you wind it up higher the boost in power really cuts in much sooner.
Before hand just 500-600rpm before hitting the rev limiter the car would get a peak of power. Now that seems to step in 1500rpm before hitting rev limitr and therefore the power will be much more useable.
The exhaust is definetely alot quieter now aswell, but when pressing on the noise from the exhaust and supercharger combined is very addictive. I am sure it will probably get me into trouble as it really eggs you on to push harder.

The little issues i have noticed is that after the brief run the coolant temperature once idling started to rise and rise(this is normal). But at ~105°C the first low speed fan should cut in to help reduce temperature. Then if this doesn't work the high speed fan will cut in ~116°C to lower coolant temperatures. What i have noticed is that the low speed fan is not cutting in. Apparently if you turn on the A/C this should trigger the fans on, but again this doesn't work.
I switched the car off when it was approaching 110°C, as soon as i did this the high speed fan cut in because it does this if the car is hot whne turned off to try and stop radiation of heat.
What does this mean? Well i did alot of research online and it is another very common issue for the fan resistor to burn out due to its location and design.
Unfortunately after contact with BMW you cannot buy this part you have to buy a whole complete fan cowling assembly which is close to £300 with VAT etc!!! There are others who supply resistor kits, which is what i have now bought to remedy the situation.
It shouldn't cause too many issues at all with my daily commute as the car doesn't sit still for any length of time at all, therefore there will always be airflow through the radiator. But i want the car to be right so i don't have to think about it.
Just a little pain that i couldn't fully test this before, this is because i have to remove the bumper and radiator assembly again. Good job i didn't fill up with brand new coolant etc. Hey ho.

Another little issue that i will have to keep my eye on is that i keep seeing oil burning off from the exhaust manifold. What i can't tell yet is whether there is a slight leak blowing onto the exhaust, or is this oil which i dropped on the manifold when i removed the old head?? I going to have a check later tonight whilst running the car up to temperature again. I will just remove the heat shield to let me see if there is a leak.
This could be caused by one of the rubber o-rings or the rocker cover gasket not sealing correctly, so this will be checked. The rocker cover on these cars has unusual fixings, and although i purchased new rocker cover bolts with new o-rings, there were two bolts with long stem which i could not get hold of, so the leak could be coming from these?

Feedback so far is, if you have a Mini Cooper S and you have to do this job, think carefully what the car is worth to you. This cannot be done on the cheap at all!
I hope i never have to do this job ever again, it is a very hard car to work on. The only real reason to tackle this yourself is if you don't want to have a dealership undertale the job as the price of labour would make it cheaper to buy a second hand car!
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Guy Croft
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Guy Croft »

might be worth looking at the links in Phil Gilling's most recent Will, re fan control etc

G
Guy Croft, owner
Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

Thanks for the info Guy, i have checked out the link on PumaPhil build with Revotec fan controllers.
This defintely looks like worth a try, that is if the new fan controller i have already purchased doesn't work.
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Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

So last night i deceide to tackle fixing the radiator fan control circuit, unfortunately i have had to remove the front bumper, crash structure etc again.
Fortunately i have been able to leave the radiator etc still connected and swung it forward so i could remove the complete fan cowling assembly.
As soon as i gave the resistor a proper look it was clearly evident that the resistor had long since corroded and broke. Must have been like this for a while. But the position of this resistor is pretty damn stupid as it is open to all elements on the front of the car next to alot of heat. Perfect conditions for fast corrosion.
Tonight i will be cutting off the old wiring and wiring in the new control circuit. I think the best bet would be to relocate this, however there is a severe lack of space. I believe the materials which have been used in the retro fit kit are of better quality so should last longer, hopefully.
I must add that the reason why we are doing this fix rather than adding any other fan contorl circuit is purely because there are other car systems which enable the fan e.g. Air/Con etc, therefore i want to keep this functionality. However i may end up fitting a seperate control at a later date if deemed necessary.
Next job after fixing this is to fit some gauges in the car so we can keep an eye on things.
Pictures to follow as and when.
Attachments
Radiator fan & assembly removed
Radiator fan & assembly removed
DSC_2559.jpg (98.32 KiB) Viewed 25053 times
Fan control circuit
Fan control circuit
DSC_2560.jpg (133.22 KiB) Viewed 25053 times
New fan control circuitry. Not available from BMW!
New fan control circuitry. Not available from BMW!
DSC_2561.jpg (98.09 KiB) Viewed 25053 times
Nicely corroded old resistor
Nicely corroded old resistor
DSC_2562.jpg (112.98 KiB) Viewed 25053 times
Comparison of OE & retro fit design
Comparison of OE & retro fit design
DSC_2563.jpg (114.78 KiB) Viewed 25053 times
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Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

So last night i took the time to wire in the new retro fit fan control circuit. It really was an easy fit.
I will say however that the wiring was in terrible condition and had started to come away from its connections anyway. I did have to cut along way back to get away from the heavily corroded wires. I have seen better condition wiring on 40+year old cars, so i can ony imagine cheap wiring is used, or because they are soo exposed.
30amp butt connectors were then used and crimped in place.
Some may say it is better to solder, but as long as you get a good crimp the connection should be good. Luckily from previous jobs as a in car electronics fitter i do have a good bit of kit to tackle vehicle wiring. And i would not be without my trusty proper ratchet crimpers, which help give you a perfect crimp everytime.
With a bit of trimming and crimping this was easily put together.

I think now the new resistor should last a bit better, the major difference i see is that the resistor wire is a better diameter and also because it is not wound and sitting on a surface it should prevent some of the fast corrosion, which the original would suffer from.
The butt plug connectors also come with heat shrink so that you can help seal up the join. I also covered everything in insulation loom tape to help further protect the wiring.
All is now back in place as it looked as standard-ish.

Hopefully if the weather stays nice it will be fitted tonight and tested out. Fingers crossed.
Attachments
Photo showing bad condition original resistor and wiring corroded and looking pretty bad!
Photo showing bad condition original resistor and wiring corroded and looking pretty bad!
DSC_2564.jpg (108.81 KiB) Viewed 25050 times
New control circuit going in
New control circuit going in
DSC_2567.jpg (118.07 KiB) Viewed 25050 times
Vehicle wiring? Then you need ratchet crimpers
Vehicle wiring? Then you need ratchet crimpers
DSC_2569.jpg (116.49 KiB) Viewed 25050 times
Connected up
Connected up
DSC_2570.jpg (116.87 KiB) Viewed 25050 times
Looking nice and shiny and should work alot better!
Looking nice and shiny and should work alot better!
DSC_2572.jpg (90.47 KiB) Viewed 25050 times
All tucked away under some black tape
All tucked away under some black tape
DSC_2573.jpg (73.55 KiB) Viewed 25050 times
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Guy Croft
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Guy Croft »

Crimping is universally accepted to be better practice in cases like this,

G
Guy Croft, owner
Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

Crimping is fine with me. I was IMI trained many years ago, at that time we were always told to either solder where possible or crimp using correct amp rated connectors.
Never use scotch locks! They are only used to try circuits temporarily. I have removed hundreds of scotch locks from peoples cars when i used to do in car entertainment installs and handsfree kits etc. I hate them. Ayway rant over there.

Some good news, i re-assembled the car today with the newly wired fan control circuit and ran they car for some considerable time in order to get up to temperature. Now i can say that the fan now kicks in at low speed at ~ 105°C.
This should hopefully help reduce the car coolant temperature and prevent the car over heating.
I still think the fan control circuit needs further work, it really does need to kick in at a lower temperature, but thats one for the future.
Once i get paid i will be purchasing some gauges also in order to help keep an eye on things.
My daily driver Corsa will be coming off the road soon so i will need the Mini starting next week.
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Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

So i have been running the car now for the past week and i have to say the car is driving really well. I have kept an eye on it over the past few days and i do notice when sitting in traffic the fan kicks in on low speed and then kicks out very quickly as the fan does a really good job of cooling the coolant in the system.
I also have noticed that the coolant system is bled nicely and there are no pockets of air causing any issues, so i think the thermostat modification trick has worked well here.
The car is driving fantastically so far and i just love the extra grunt and the power band feels much smoother, this also makes it even easier to drive the car quite hard through the corners. The improved throttle response is just amazing also.
I have to say these little tweaks have made the car twice as good and for once the car puts a big proper smile on my face.

In terms of speed it is not blindingly quick like many others cars i have driven including my Alfa, but it just seems to have enough. It now keeps up quite nicely with much newer and more powerful hot hatches and sports cars. The noise when on full throttle is great but not too intrusive, it just eggs you on to keep pushing.
All in all a highly recommended modification for any Mini Cooper S owner out there with a supercharged vehicle.

At somepoint i will also post a little in car video, but that can wait for the time being as i am using the car daily.

The only thing i have noticed is that the top radiator hose is rubbing slightly on the supercharger housing, i will look at trying to sort this out more permanently, but for the time being i will have to make do with an extra bit of rubber wrapped around the hose in this area until i can sort it out better.
The reason it is rubbing is the top hose just sticks out just a little too much from the back which pushes the hose right up against the engine. I may have to look at bending this in a little, but it can wait. I will add pictures at somepoint so others can see.
Attachments
Top hose rubbing against sc intake housing
Top hose rubbing against sc intake housing
DSC_0002.jpg (179.67 KiB) Viewed 25953 times
Temporary fix until more permanent solution is sorted
Temporary fix until more permanent solution is sorted
DSC_0005.jpg (157.02 KiB) Viewed 25953 times
Last edited by Will01 on October 22nd, 2014, 9:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

Before when the Scorpion exhaust was fitted without any other modifications and engine didn't start properly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8xFiF ... e=youtu.be
Wee short video for those who like a little noise. Was taken after car had been for a warm up run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSttcl- ... FatMd3YsWw
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Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

So i now have Water Temperature/Oil Pressure gauges on route, with adaptors to allow the oil pressure to be spliced in the original stock location aswell as an adaptor so i can fit a temperature gauge in the radiator top hose.
It took a little time to find something that looked like it would suit the rest of the interior of the car, i will take some pictures and show how they were installed.
Car is still running well, but boy does it drink fuel when you put your foot down now!
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Will01
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Re: BMW 2003 Mini Cooper S

Post by Will01 »

So the bits and pieces have started to arrive, apologies for the peacemeal approach to uploading pictures.
See attached the top hose coolant temperature sensor adaptor which will be fitted in place of the standard bleed screw location.
I am not worried about replaicng this bleed screw as i will still be able to bleed the air by loosening of the sensor.
Attachments
Coolant top hose adaptor
Coolant top hose adaptor
DSC_2587.jpg (176.23 KiB) Viewed 25955 times
Coolant top hose adaptor
Coolant top hose adaptor
DSC_2589.jpg (160.71 KiB) Viewed 25955 times
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