I wonder if the only residue is on the oil filler cap if it isn't from condensation in the block from temp changes,. or from running the engine and not getting to operating temps for a long enough period. I'd monitor it, but if your dipstick is clear oil, I wouldn't worry too much, but definitely monitor.

 

Thanks for the replies.

WhoHasGotTheBlueS - thanks, I'll try to find the factory mats.

ChiefM and smschriefer - I hope you're right. The long drive tomorrow may shed some light on things.

 

Good luck on the drive man! Let us know how things go! I hear you on the distance. I had to drive to Minneapolis to get mine done. Had a check engine light come on on the drive back too... and didn't have my code reader with me.

 

On the motor mount front: I had one these for my 2004 R50.

https://www.vibra-technics.co.uk/min...d_engine_mount

It seems to be a replace it once and never again fix.
They are not cheap.
They seem to be exceptionally well made.
Do not make the mistake and get the Competition version that I got.
Going through the co.uk web site is cheaper and that includes the exchange rate.
They did 3 day shipping; I had no choice in the matter which cost $35.

I think that you could get the latter model years mount as I don't think that there were any changed to the chassis for mounting. I also am not aware of any changes to the top bracket either; if there were, sourcing one of those should be easy and should mount right up.

Current (as of this writing) exchange rate is $155.71. One the same web site but using .com they list the same item for $231. So, it's still cheaper to get it direct from them. I do not recall paying any import tax/duty either; if there was tax/duty it still came out cheaper.

https://www.vibra-technics.com/mini_...d_engine_mount

 

I cannot speak to the Road version but I had put the Competition upper AND lower mount in my R50.

4.5 stars on what I did which was replace the upper mount and lower dog bone with the competition versions.

The motor does not move at all. Not on start up. Not on idle. Not on acceleration. Not on engine braking. There is no movement at all. I found it fun because, RACECAR! but that's me. If you want something more like stock, do not to do the lower mount. There was a lot of NVH with the Competition versions. I had plans to do a street legal (keeping all emissions systems) track day/race car but that was ditched by RMW ghosting me; so, I got an MX5 RF. But back to the mount.

It is beautiful compared to the OEM and replaces that ridiculous torx nut. I would recommend the Road version though I have never used one on a car. I would suspect that there will be a little more NVH but not much. A quick search here gave the same impressions - mild addition to NVH. Though your older version may not add much at all as there isn't a connection to the strut tower; at least that is what it looks like in the photo.

I REALLY want to replace the OEM in my wife's R53 with the Vibra but I am not sure she would allow that :eyeroll: but it is her car.

I just got sick if replacing the OEM's. 4 OEM's (including the factory original) in the R50 before I got the Vibra and so far (so good) only 3 OEM's in the R53 that is on it's 4th OEM including the one from the factory; where the factory one was replaced under warranty in 2007. I think that I waited 15 min for them to swap it out and the part at the time was $85.

 

The brackets for the upper mount are completely different for pre- and post-facelift cars - both to the motor and to the strut tower. I've heard that the pre-facelift cars may have the captive nut on the strut tower to accept the post-facelift mount, but I've never had a reason to check.

If you don't want additional NVH, I wouldn't recommend the Vibra-Technics. Just put an OEM mount in.

 

Mixed bag again today. Made it to Madison without incident. New power steering pump installed, courtesy of MINI, in about two hours. Got home in pretty good shape too. An observation based on my first extended drive: the suspension is HARSH. I like a firm ride but holy cow, this suspension is like Fred Flinstone's car: rock hard. I'll address that next summer.

The less good news is that coolant is getting into the oil. Time for a head gasket. I'm currently deciding what else to do while I'm in there. I'm thinking:
valve cover gasket (obvious)
spark plug tube seals
valve cover bolts
ARP stud set
intake and exhaust manifold gaskets
timing chain guides
timing chain tensioner

I'm less sure about the timing chain and valve seals. Thoughts on doing them at the same time?

The round trip today was about 280 miles. On the return trip, about 1.5 miles from home, I got a check engine light related to the brief loss of power incidents I described a couple of days ago. It happened about 10 times today -- for all but the last, the check engine light went out after a couple of seconds. It's good that the last time it stayed on because that gave me a code to read: 1681. While researching it, I found references to it being related to the crank pulley and the belt not turning as much as it should for brief periods. Since I just replaced the crank sensor with an ATI, if the problem is related to the pulley, it could only be that it is slipping on the crank. So I checked, and the pulley bolt wasn't quite as tight as it should have been. A little embarrassing but corrected now.

All in all, I'm not disappointed with how the day went. Power steering recall is done and I may have taken care of the stutter problem. As for the head gasket, when I bought the car I was told that it might need to be replaced. I thought I may have dodged that bullet when I replaced the oil filter housing. No such luck but I knew what I was getting into when I bought the car so I can't complain.

 

Well man - sorry to hear that - glad you got the PS recall done though.

I have been kicking myself for not putting in an aluminum thermostat housing while I was in there - I really don't care for plastic parts in places that get that warm. If you're going to do a header, that is probably the time to put it in as you will have a lot more space. I did not do the timing chain - it was in great shape and good and tight. Everything else looks good on that list. I also had the head decked when I had it out and I lapped the valves and replaced the valve seals. If you're going to do that, you'll also need a valve spring compressor. I bought a cheap one and it worked. Not well, but it did work. I would spend a bit more if I was to do it again.

Excellent work you've done so far. Kudos.

 

Man I’m sorry to hear the head has to come off. If it was me I’d do everything possible with it off. Glad you got your pump replaced for free. Mine rides really rough too. I’m pretty sure most everything on mine is factory original and worn out. The tires are junk too. It’s like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

 

On the ride - yep, it's very go-cartey... but I softened mine a bit by going with 50's instead of 45's (17"). They fit fine with no rubbing - they fill up the wheel wells a bit more, and they really do soften up the ride just that little (but noticeable) bit. If you still have runflats on there, that's the problem. Those things ride like bricks.

 

On the mounts, I tried a couple things. I really like the stock dogbone (bottom mount) with the poly inserts by SuperPro. I tried a race bottom mount and OMG the added vibration made my rear view mirror impossible to see out of (not exaggerating). The poly inserts interweave with the stock rubber strengthening the whole assembly. I also did the SuperPro inserts in the upper rear mount (the one on the strut tower), and that made a nice difference too. Love the difference those two things have made. Three of the webs on my lower mount were torn.

 

100% agree, I did the same mod with similar effect. Almost no extra vibration, but noticeable faster power delivery by less engine movement.

 

I'm looking for suggestions so do you know which valve spring compressor you would go with instead? And for the timing tool did you use something like the one at WMW?

I recall seeing your writeup about the valves and having the head decked. I'll go back and have another look at your thread.

 

ChiefM - I hear you on the elephant. But I knew what I was getting into (mostly) and the whole idea was to have a project. Now I have a real project.

 

I would recommend the aFe Cold(ish) Air intake. It makes a little more noise in normal driving but if you give it the beans -
The mic is by the battery under the bonnet. What you are hearing under acceleration is 90% intake. The aFe isn't cheap but it does seal to the bonnet locking out some of the hot air from under the bonnet.

you will need a new gear box though, eventually, and probably soonish. The Midland/Rover unit is crap and will break. I had to have mine rebuilt once and with the track days, it was just a matter of time before I would have had to get a new one. I'd go for the 6speed swap though when the time comes - and it will come, trust me, it will come - but learn from my mistake, DO THE 6SPEED SWAP and be done with it. The R50 cannot make enough power to damage the Getrag from an R53.

I do miss that R50.... It was a fun car.

 

I've begun disassembly for the head gasket job. I know Mod Mini says that it's not necessary to remove the supercharger and intake manifold but I think it will be easier for a noob like me to work this way. Decided to replace the timing chain, tensioner and guides while I'm in there. That stuff is ordered. I'm waiting to see if the head needs work before ordering the gasket.

Speaking of the supercharger, if you've been following the thread you may recall that when I changed the supercharger oil, the rear was dry. Since I had it out again, today I changed the rear oil again. I'm glad I did -- there were some non-metallic particulates in the oil. Residue or dried gunk from being dry, I guess.

 

Well dang it man, you ain't playing around!

 

Not sure why I thought you had a R50.... :facepalm:

 

Probably because there are currently a lot of resto threads in the forum and it's difficult to keep them straight.

 

Any updates?

 

I got this one mixed up with ChiefM's resto! HA!

 

Thanks for asking. One of my research collaborators is visiting this week and next so I have less time to work on the car. Monday evening I removed the fuel rail and injectors from the intake manifold to clean everything and got that reassembled. I hope to remove the valve cover tomorrow. The cam lock tool arrives today so over the weekend I will try to find time to remove the head and have a look at what I'm dealing with.

Sometime in the next couple of days I'm going to post questions about the steps to take to make sure I don't screw anything up. I've watched Mod Mini's video on replacing the head gasket and Project Mini's video for doing the timing chain. I'm combining those two jobs so I want to make sure I don't make any incorrect assumptions when putting those two processes together. Mostly, my concern is related to not screwing up the timing and ending up with a bunch of bent valves the first time I turn the key.

 

Hey!
Outmotoring.com has the factory floor mats you are looking for. $86.95 for the 4 piece set.

 

Thanks for the tip, ChiefM.

 

Got up extra early this morning so that I could remove the valve cover before work. I'm glad I ordered new bolts because some of the existing ones are very rusty. They all came out with no trouble though.

Inside the cover, there's something I'm not sure about. Below the area where the PCV valve is located, there's a rubberized coating or tape of some kind. Or maybe I'm completely off-base and it's dried residue. Bottom line is that I don't know what it is. Here's a photo: