The quote does include them doing everything, including removal and reinstallation. Even so, I just can't bring myself to spend that much when for less than that I could get a facelift ECU and tune. You guys have talked me into trying it myself. Thanks! I know if it turns out well it will be very satisfying and I can tell my wife that I saved $700. (I never miss an opportunity to tell her when I save money.) They guy at the shop wrote down the fabric we talked about, which was a decent match -- just a little darker. I'll see if I can find a source.

@jcolletteiii The alignment wasn't bad before I had it done but between all of the work I did on the suspension and my lack of knowledge of when it was last aligned, I thought I should have it done. The one thing I do know is that the previous owner was not a stickler for maintenance other than oil changes. If the engine and cabin air filters are any indication, then I'd bet that the car was never aligned.

 

What is the cost to re-cover the headliner if you bring it in loose?

At least this way it should be perfect and be done with industrial glue, and by someone who does it all the time. The only catch might be if the headliner starts prematurely drooping and they don’t warranty it because they didn’t do the whole job.

 

Good question. I didn't ask -- I guess I was in shock from their quote.

 

A bit of a setback yesterday. I removed some very old paint protection film from the back bumper, front of the hood, and hood scoop. Went very well. The film came off reasonably easily with a heat gun and plastic razor blades. Then a product called Rapid Remover made quick work of the glue residue. I'll post a picture after I've washed it.

Later in the day, I had to run an errand and, of course, decided to take the R53. It wouldn't start. It just cranked but no ignition. After several tries, I checked for codes: 0335 (crankshaft position sensor no signal) and 0341 (camshaft position sensor alignment to crankshaft position sensor). I cleared the codes and it started. Ran fine, at first. While out, there were quite a few stumbles, more significant that what I've had with 5e19 codes. Once home, I found that the 0335 code had returned.

This morning, I checked the battery. It read 12.33V on the multimeter. I started to car and checked again: 14.4V. So it seems that the alternator is ok. Put the battery on the charger which indicated that the charge was 60%. It took a full charge but several hours later it is again reading about 12.33V. So I guess the batter could be a problem. It came with the car so I don't know its age or general health. Trying to decide if I should replace it. If so, I'm thinking about an Interstate AGM or an Optima Red Top.

In the "it just isn't my day" department, I disconnected the crank sensor so that I could check the condition of the contacts and clean them, which I did. Now, I can't get it back on. It's very odd. It goes on most of the way but then meets resistance. When I release it, it rebounds back slightly, so it's catching or pushing on something. I've put the red tab in every position possible but none make a difference. I don't see a problem with the pins in the connector or the sensor (examined with a mirror). I may have to replace the connector. I'm also thinking that maybe I should just replace the sensor as well. My plan was to check the pin voltages after reseating the connector to diagnose the sensor.

If I wait for a replacement connector, test the sensor and find that it should be replaced, the car will be off the road for two weeks by the time the new sensor arrives. I don't want to wait that long. On the other hand, I don't want to spend $100 for a new sensor if it isn't needed. Decisions, decisions. I'm open to suggestions.

 

Can you even get to the crank position sensor without being in service mode? Sounds like arm/hand twister!

I would think that the red tab has to be all the way out when you plug it in, and to secure it, slide the tab back in, right? I assume that this is what you are doing though.... all I can think of is maybe some oily grunge on the sensor side connector is getting in the way?

 

My understanding is that it's possible to access the crank sensor without service mode but I wouldn't want to. I put the car in partial service mode -- I left the radiator in place so I wouldn't have to refill and bleed. Sliding the modular front end out gave me enough space to access the sensor reasonably comfortably. OK, maybe not comfortably but it's not bad.

The red tab should be out far enough but not too far. If it's too far out, you have to depress a small tab to get it back in. The multiple positions I mentioned were very minutely different from one another. I wasn't sure if the tab was catching on something because it was just slightly off.

I took the battery to Autozone for testing. They say it's good. After removing it from the car, I was able to see the date. It is a standard (not AGM) H5 battery that was installed in 2016.

 

I’ve seen several threads on the various MINI forums and they don’t seem to like old(er) batteries, even if they test as “good”. The electronics appear to be really sensitive and are affected by them for some reason.

5 1/2 - 6 years isn’t bad for a battery and I would just get a new battery for piece of mind and a possible cure to some of your electrical issues. Also, double check the ground cable by the passenger side motor mount. Just be sure not to overtighten it as the stud or motor mount bracket could break.

 

@RB-MINI You're probably right. The new crankshaft position sensor and connector won't arrive until later next week so no need for a battery right away. As a result, I'm taking a conservative approach to replacement. I'm going to monitor the battery voltage on my bench for a few days. Any wonkiness at all and I'll pickup a replacement. Otherwise, I will likely wait to see what happens with the new sensor. Or over the next few days I may find a way to rationalize the battery purchase and just do it. There is no rational explanation for putting this much time, energy, and money into a 19 year-old impractical car. It's about love and one can rationalize just about anything for love.

This morning I took a ride to Madison to pickup a front bumper carrier from @megaDan . We didn't have much time to chat -- he was between ultimate frisbee games. The scene was much like a Fall Saturday morning at every soccer park in the country but with adults instead of kids, frisbees instead of soccer *****, and an unmistakeable smell of Ben-Gay in the air. Anyway, his BRG R53 JCW looks fantastic. Maybe we'll get to talk more at a Mini of Madison event sometime.

 

Last week, I ordered a new crankshaft position sensor. It arrived yesterday morning. I installed it right away, hopeful that it would take care of the 0335 errors and resultant rough running. Turned the key: crank, crank, crank but no start. Removed and reseated the connector. Same result. Reinstalled the old sensor and the car started immediately. It didn't run well but at least it started. Put the new sensor in again, no start. So I called the vendor and they are sending a new part. I was told that they would put a rush on it but that was early yesterday afternoon and I still haven't received a shipping notification. That's a bit of a bummer.

Keeping myself occupied today, I removed the protective film from the front bumper and cleaned it up. Also installed a new amber side marker on the right side. The bumper looks pretty good for an almost 20 year-old piece of plastic.


A while back, I ordered a set of JCW caliper stickers but later decided not to install them. It didn't seem right since I had opted to keep the stock brakes rather than do the R56 upgrade. So I ordered MINI caliper stickers instead. Installed them this afternoon. I like the look -- plain and understated. I only did one at first until I got my Miniac son's OK. Then I did the other three.



There's a lot of online discussion about the orientation of caliper graphics. I found threads on both BMW and Ferrari forums complaining that the respective manufacturers put the graphics on differently from every other car maker on the planet. In the end, I opted for the way I think it should be: if you are standing at the door and tilt your head away from the car, you can read the graphic (whether facing forward for front or backward for rear). There may be disagreement but that's the way that makes sense to me.

 

Sorry to hear of your continuing sensor woes. That bumper cover sure does look nice though! Mine is all pitted up - hopefully some new paint this summer though.

Weird that a new part wouldn't work. Hope you exorcise that gremlin soon!

 

The new new crankshaft sensor will arrive on Monday. I'm anxious to get it installed to see if it solves the problem and a little nervous that it might not...

I've begun working my way through interior cleaning chores. A few days ago, I did the back seat area (seats, arm rests, cup holders, etc). Yesterday and today I did the carpet. Though covered with the standard rubber mats since day one -- if the condition of the mats is a good indicator -- some areas of the carpet were in sorry shape. Under the seats was particularly grody but around the edges of the mats also needed attention. In anticipation of this job, I had purchased two cans of Griot's Garage foaming carpet cleaner. I am confident in saying that the previous owner rarely vacuumed the car and never under the seats so there was quite a collection of disgustingness. My reward, was 30 cents and a petrified tortilla chip. The results are much better than expected which is gratifying since the job took much longer than expected. Not quite like new but not bad either.



Yesterday, I also removed the dash top to address a couple of minor rattles -- the major rattle having been fixed a couple of weeks ago with 1/2" cylindrical weather stripping between the windshield and the front of the dash. One problem was the left screw above the speedometer. I'm not sure why but it wasn't seating properly. That is now sorted. A couple of small strips of the soft side of Velcro on tabs toward the back of the dash should, I hope, quiet things down a bit.

 

Just read this entire thread.
A very good friend in California just gave me her 2004 MCS. It has 80,000 miles, and she’s the original owner. My son said he wants to take this car to college, because it’s much cooler than the Prius I was letting him drive.

I’ll fly to CA and the two of us will drive the car to Massachusetts, where I live and he goes to school. Before we leave, it’s getting an oil change and new tires, then we’ll put in two weeks of wrench time in MA before he heads to school. My to-do list is enormous, starting with the clutch.

 

Wow, I'm not sure I've read the entire thread and I started it. Best of luck with your Mini journey.

 

A lot has happened since my last update regarding the crank position sensor. On Monday (four days ago), I received the second new sensor, replacing the first one that was defective. Installed it, said a prayer to the car gods and tried to start the car. It cranked but didn't start. I reseated the connector and tried again. This time it started and ran well. So I buttoned everything back up and went for a test drive. Getting out of our neighborhood to a main road is about three miles. I took it easy and paid attention to how it was running. All seemed good. So on the main road I was a little more liberal with the throttle. It ran like a champ. Really strong. I hopped on a back road in the area and enjoyed some twisties. Perfect! I fixed it! For exactly 10.5 miles. Then while pulling away from a stop sign, it stumbled badly and stalled.

I coasted to the side of the road near a farm house. I was walking to the farm house to let them know I was leaving the car there for a while when a guy (Chris) who lives across from the farm came by and asked if I needed help. I explained the situation and he suggested that we push the car onto the grass adjacent to the farmer's driveway. He said that the farmer (Fred) wouldn't mind. So we did and a few minutes later Fred came by in a utility vehicle and gave his blessing. My wife came to get me. It was evening so I waited until morning to return to the car and call AAA.

The AAA adventure is worthy of a full-blown short story but it's too soon and frustrating to go into all of the details. Suffice it to say that they dropped the ball badly -- TWICE! -- and left me waiting with the car for over 3.5 hours. They then said that they would have to get back to me about when they would be able to arrange a tow. 2.5 hours later, they called to say that they wouldn't be able to tow until the next day and that I should call them back to start that process. To say that I was unimpressed is an understatement. I called a towing company on my own and about an hour later my misbehaving Mini was in the driveway. We will investigate alternatives to AAA when our membership is up for renewal.

Returning to the main story, I thought it unlikely that both sensors I'd received were bad. I had doubts about the connector and the battery so I replaced the latter with an Optima Red Top 34R and found a couple of used connectors, buying both just in case. The first of the connectors arrived today. De-pinning the old connector and putting the pins into the "new" connector is a little tricky with the radiator pulled out but still on the car but not too bad. The new connector seated with a reassuring click and I was confident that the problem was solved. It wasn't. Crank but no start. I removed the sensor (the second one I'd received) and replaced it with the first new one. Same result. So I put the original sensor -- the one that was in the car when I bought it -- and the car turned over but wouldn't stay running. So the car is able to detect the original sensor but neither of the new ones at this point.

I called the vendor, related the entire sad tale (except for the AAA part -- I saved them from suffering through that). They are sending another unit. I didn't even request it -- they indicated that I had eliminated other likely candidates and that, as unlikely as it seems, I may have received two bad sensors. Every time I think of a possible cause, there is some data point that makes me think it's unlikely. For example, if it's a no-go with the third sensor, I wonder about wider electrical problems. But it ran great for those 10.5 glorious miles on Monday...

 

Is it a Bosch sensor? They made some which had inverted the output (reversed wire assembly). Try a different brand of position sensor. Another way to diagnose is see if the Tach moves at all when you crank the engine.

For more details, check out this video, at about the 17 minute mark.

 

Thanks for the reply. They're VDO sensors. According to the vendor, VDO is the OE supplier. I don't think it could be different pinouts since it ran for a while with one of the new sensors.

 

I’d try a different sensor brand, if possible. But if you watch Diagnose Dan’s video, he will walk you through many more troubleshooting steps for this condition. He is a genuine wizard.

 

Thanks for nudging me to watch the video. I didn't after your first post since the issue he found was reversed wires but you're right, it contains a lot of good tips. I'm going to subscribe to his channel.

 

Dang a lot has happpened since I have been gone.Sorry to hear it is still giving you problems. I know you will get it sorted out.

The ECU died in the Limo 2 weeks before vaction and I got that fixed and it ran prefectly to Florida for our cruise. Now that both of the Escalades are good it's back to Mini time.

While sitting on the beach in the Bahamas I ordered a new oil pan for the Cabrio since the last knuckle head stripped out the oil drain bolt. I also ordered a new clutch for the R50 so I can finally do the transmission swap.

 

My car is back on the road and running really well. I've had it out twice and both times it was perfect. @MCS4FUN posted a link to an article in which the author referred to the R53 as "a supercharged box of giggles". That's absolutely right. I think I need to add it to my NAM signature.

The crankshaft position sensor problem was due to both the sensor and the connector. Oddly, the connector is no longer available but I was able to find a couple of used ones. Be aware that at least one page on RealOEM lists the part number of the ignition coil connector for the crank sensor. This is not correct. That connector looks very similar but does not fit on the crank sensor.

I have a facelift ECU inbound from MrBlah. I may eventually go to a custom tune but for now I'll go with the 210 tune to take advantage of the JCW airbox and 380cc injectors I added a while back. The headliner is about 75% done. I think I put the adhesive on a little heavy and ran out before finishing. I'm using 3m 76 High Tack, which isn't available locally. Another can was delivered today but we're away for a couple of days. Will finish it on Sunday or Monday. It's going well so far. Not professional standards but pretty darn good and $625 cheaper than the quote I had.

Next up is more cleanup/detailing. After a deepclean wash, I'm going to tackle the engine bay. A good scrub and a couple of applications of Sonus Motorkote will have it looking like new. Well, except for the places where the non-clear-coated paint has worn off. Repainting that will likely wait until next year.

I could have ended this post after the first sentence -- that's the only part that really matters.

 

I say, go for it. Thinking the author of that article would consider doing so a complement. Great updates, all...

 

Sounds like you are getting it done!!
You are putting yours together and I am tearing both of mine apart.

 

Tearing apart and putting back together is part of the fun. Though, honestly, I'd like to have it together for the rest of the summer so that I can enjoy driving it.

@MCS4FUN You talked me into it. I've added the quote to my sig, with attribution (required by my inner academic).

 

Busy morning. First up, I installed the facelift ECU with JCW 210 tune from @MrBlah . Dropped right in. Car started, idled and revved well but the roads were wet so I delayed a test drive and moved on to the day's second project: re-installing the headliner.

I've been dreading the headliner installation. I removed the headliner without touching the A, B, and C pillar trim. I'm sure it made removal easier but was concerned that it would be difficult to get it back in with the trim in place. In the end, it wasn't too bad, or maybe it just seemed that way because of my sense of dread. Whatever the case, it was reasonably simple. I would recommend having a set of automotive trim tools on hand. They were very useful in getting the headliner situated behind the trim. I made one stupid mistake -- I neglected to run the wiring to the square, fabric-covered thing above the back seat. I have no idea what that thing is. In my car, it has wiring running to it but the wiring doesn't attach to anything and there is nothing in that frame for it to attach to, other than a holder to keep it from rattling around.

I watched a lot of videos before and during the headliner project. Many were very useful. I also referred a number of times to the NAM thread by @Husky44 . He indicated that the headliner doesn't represent his best work. I share that sentiment. My new headliner is a huge improvement over the sagging, stained embarrassment that was there before but no one will confuse it for professional work. I hope (likely against hope) that after it gets nice and hot a few times it will tighten up and look a little better. The positives are that I did it myself, which is satisfying, and saved over $600 in the process. When it's time to take the car on the concours circuit (HA!) I can have the headliner redone by the pros.



By the time the headliner was done, the roads were dry so I went for a quick drive to test the new ECU/tune. My impression is that the car is definitely quicker. I'm sure that some of that is due to the 10 extra hp but think it's likely also due to the tune better matching the current state of the engine since I added the JCW airbox and 380cc injectors. I was only able to go 5 or 6 miles so these are only initial thoughts. Am looking forward to more testing.