Do you have a link you can post to the process for installing that dust boot? I have had the same issues as you trying to put these in. I have done it, but it has take hours and patients.

 

This is the post that helped me. The plastic cap didn't work for me but that idea pointed me in the right direction.
https://www.specr53.com/blog/diy/das-boot/

 

Today I installed the rotors, pads, and calipers and am very happy with how they look. The blue looks great - exactly what I was hoping for. Am anxious to see them with the wheels on. Speaking of which, I had hoped to get the stainless lines on, everything bled, and the wheels on but -- you know what's coming -- I hit a small snag.

The old brake fluid was really old ("How old was it?" - said like a Johnny Carson audience). So my plan was to first flush the clutch line and slave cylinder before doing the brakes. At each wheel, I planned to bleed the hard line until the fluid ran clean (to avoid contaminating the new stainless lines and clean calipers with nasty fluid), then install the stainless line, attach it to the caliper and then bleed the air out. I had thought it through and was convinced this was the way to go. A post a while back by Detroit Tuned indicated that for flushing the clutch (not bleeding it, just flushing old fluid), a power bleeder is the way to go. So I hooked up my power bleeder (no pressure yet), had my son pump the clutch 4 times and hold, and them pumped the bleeder to 12 psi. At that point I heard a sound from the area of the brake fluid reservoir and fluid started dripping from the bottom of the car.

I'll spare you the swearing and dejection and get to the point. It appears that the 19 year old reservoir popped a seam, as far as I can tell. 12 psi is well within the tolerance for a pressure bleeder on these cars so I suspect it was just age/fatigue. This slowed me down for a while which is why I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped. I did get the right rear bled manually without any trouble. That's part of my reasoning that it's the reservoir and not the master cylinder. I'll order a new reservoir and get that installed next time my schedule and the weather are on the same page.

 

Nice and clean, and blue, of course, is the best color!

When you had the calipers sand blasted, did you leave the old cylinder in there to protect the bore? Thinking of having mine blasted when I rebuild the front this late fall.

 

@jcolletteiii I didn't leave the cylinders in when I had them sand blasted. The dust boots were in such poor condition that I didn't trust them to hold up in the blaster. Instead, I stuffed them with paper and then taped the opening. Worked well.

 

Thanks - that sounds like a good plan! Same sort of prep on the hydraulic lines, I assume? Sorry if this was in the last page, but which rebuild kit did you go with for the fronts?

Thanks!

BTW - put the Braille battery in today. Started right up. May copy your bracket as it looks nice and firm. Alternatively, I've been thinking about a piece of black foam with a recess so that the bottom of the recess is exactly the right thickness to allow the stock battery retainer.

Your project is progressing along nicely. I missed a lot in the months that I've been too damn busy!

 

For the hydraulic ports, I used painters tape. I loosely wound a bunch of tape around itself, compressed it a bit, and then screwed it into the ports so that it was very snug. Putting the old bolts back in would work if you're planning to replace them. I can't remember why I didn't do that since I replaced all of the hardware.

The "kit" that I used included only the dust boot and inner seal -- ordered from WMW. I sourced the bleeder valves and retention springs separately. New banjo bolts came with the stainless lines.

 

Looking good!
You got more done than I have. The tach quit working in the R50 so I have one coming. I hope to pick up the Escalade from the body shop this afternoon then I can start on the R52 service.

 

Finally had a warm day and was able to spend a chunk of time in the garage. I installed the new brake fluid reservoir and the remaining stainless steel flexible brake lines. Bled everything with the pressure bleeder (all four calipers and the slave). I bled a lot more than usual because the old fluid was so nasty. Put the wheels on with new lug bolts and installed the crash tubes and bumper carrier. Then I lowered the car to the ground for the first time since September. It looks much smaller when it's not on stands.

I'm calling the test drive mostly successful. It wasn't without a couple of problems but considering the number of new components since the last time I drove the car, it would have been a miracle if everything worked perfectly. It had been so long since I heard the supercharger whine that it was like hearing it for the first time again. Sounds great. I'm sure it's louder with the JCW airbox I installed but I can't really remember exactly how it sounded last time. My son and I just drove it up and down our street a few times because I don't want to take it outside the neighborhood until I'm sure everything is good.

Now for the problems:
1. Long brake pedal travel - Long-time readers know that I rebuilt the calipers and installed new rotors, pads, and the above-mentioned stainless lines. I've pressure bled our other Minis as well as other cars and it's always worked perfectly. I don't think the reservoir ever emptied. I'm not sure what the problem is. All four calipers are engaging -- the factory coating is worn off of the contact surface of the rotors on all 4 corners. Maybe air in the ABS? Does anyone know the procedure for bleeding the ABS with a scan tool? I've seen a lot of references to being able to do it but so far I haven't found a guide. I'm going to start a separate thread for this since more people are likely to see that.

2. Several times, the car stumbled, just for a second, when accelerating. The check engine and DSC lights would come on and then go out quickly. I disabled DSC but it happened once or twice afterward. I expected to find codes related to MAP sensors or crank sensor, but no. There was only one code: 5E19 ABS/DSC CAN data error from DME/DDE. I'll have to track this down. I'm thinking maybe bad speed sensor or wheel hub. Maybe I'll see something interesting if I track wheel speeds while driving. I saw a thread that suggested it might be an ABS problem which could be related to problem #1 above.

I'm open to hearing from anyone with suggestions on how to tackle these. Thanks.

 

The brake issue does sound like air in the ABS.

I got air into the lines of my F56 when I bled the brakes. I was sure the reservoir had not gotten down low enough to be an issue. But, there was air somewhere after I was done and the ABS is the usual trap. Interesting thing was that it worked its way out after several days of driving, hard braking at times and re-bleeding the system. In my case most of the air came out of the right front... Not sure why. But with the subsequent bleeds, that is where I started with the thought that, if that was the line the air was trapped in, I didn’t want it migrating to the other lines. Not sure if re-bleeding will work in your case, but it might be worth a try.

Not a clue about your other issue...

 

@Eddie07S Thanks. I think you're right, it's probably air. I'm going to try to use the Schwaben tool to activate the ABS pump and then bleed again.

I've seen old threads indicating that the 5E19 code can be related to the ABS/DSC module so I was thought the two problems might be related but after reading more, I don't think so. I looked at codes I had the last time the car was on the road and 5E19 was present. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time because I had bigger fish to fry -- like replacing the cylinder head and related items. Solutions on NAM for that code are all over the place: DSC module wiring and/or module, bad tachometer, bad speed sensor or wheel hub. At least I won't be bored...

 

It will be interest to hear about how the tool works to get the air out.

Great spirit!

 

A small update. Searching on NAM, I found a thread that discussed an interesting solution to the 5e19 code. A couple of guys did a deep dive and discovered that the DSC devices are downstream of the tachometer on the CAN bus. So a wonky tach can put interference on the bus that causes the symptoms and code I have. I was dubious that my tach was the problem since those guys had many more DSC codes -- I only have one -- but it's an easy thing to test. So I disconnected the tach and went for a drive.

The stumble and code occur when accelerating moderately at low RPM (might happen at high RPM as well but I'm testing on a residential street so I'm being conservative). Today I did about half a dozen runs and no stumble. I need to test more before I'm convinced I've found the cause. If I'd had more time, I would have plugged the tach back in and continued driving but I need to finish something for work before morning.

 

Yesterday after work, I put the front bumper on the car. That was a necessary step before taking the car onto real roads, outside the neighborhood. Was able to push the car a little harder and enjoy the whine. Truth be told, the SC is one of the reasons I wanted an R53. The great news is that the car ran perfectly -- no stumbles and no codes. That's three times in a row that there haven't been any problems. When I drove last weekend, the car hadn't been on the road since I installed the JCW airbox (de-flapped) and 380cc injectors. I now wonder if the stumbles were a result of the ECU adapting to its new reality. I don't know how likely that is but it's my current working hypothesis.

With end-of-semester work and then a trip for our oldest son's college graduation, it will be a few weeks before I'm able to do much with the car. When we get back, I'll install the Koni Special Actives along with strut tower plates, a 19mm rear sway bar, adjustable lower control arms in the rear, end links all around, and new hardware for all of it. That should do it for major mechanical upgrades for a little while. Detailing will be the main summer activity, apart from driving and grinning like an idiot as I listen to the SC whine.

 

Great plan! Glad you're able to get the added SC whine - it really is a very special noise. I think you'll really like the Koni's - just make sure to hit those knuckle pinch bolts with PB-Blaster a good week or so before trying to get those bolts out. Clean both sides with a wire brush first, then PB-Blast them good. I snapped my passenger side pinch bolt trying to get that sucker out and bought a whole new (used) knuckle. The rears are a snap, but the fronts can be troublesome. If you don't have one yet, a good ball joint separator tool is a great investment for this car. I think I paid about 95 bucks or so for mine and it's made suspension work SOOOOO much easier. Easily worth the money!!!

 

Thanks for the reminder -- I'll hit the pinch bolts with Aerokroil a couple of times this week. I replaced the outer ball joints last Fall. I can't remember why I had to remove the old ones but it made no sense to put 19 year old ones back in. I used antiseize during installation so I think they should be relatively easy to remove.

I realized this morning that I shouldn't need adjustable lower control arms since I'm not lowering the car. When I switched my Countryman to coilovers, I put SPC arms on so I had it in my mind that I would use them on the R53 too. If I decide that I need them, they're easy enough to install later.

Can't wait to get the Koni setup in. The stock setup is ridiculously harsh.

 

Sounds like you got it going on.
I did the last of the mechanical replacement stuff on my Escalde. I replaced the alternator, starter and the battery cables today. I don't know their history so they were replaced out of caution. I now deem it fit for a road trip to Florida for our cruise in June.

I can now get back into my Mini repairs/ service. I think I'm going to start with the service and suspension on the Cabrio first, then the clutch and transmission in the R50.

 

I drove the car several times this week and had a blast every time. Yesterday, the 5e19 code made a reappearance. The SES light was on for a second or two with a reduction in power, then it was back to normal. I couldn't get it to happen again no matter how hard or easy I accelerated. The DSC light remained on until I restarted the car. 5e19 is the only code. Based on what I've reading other threads, I have a checklist of items to test as I try to find a cause.

In other news, today I started removal of the suspension to prepare for the new shocks, end links, and rear sway bar. The entire rear is out but the pinch bolts on the front don't want to budge -- as @jcolletteiii predicted. I've been hitting them with Aerokroil and will continue to do so throughout the week. I would have started the penetrating oil spa treatments sooner but I was having too much fun driving.

 

The R56 changed that design to be a bolt and a nut. I believe, if it breaks (which it likely will) you can drill it out straight through and put in a bolt and nut just like the R56.

Do you have a heat wrench? ... MAPP gas or O2? That can work also.

 

Sure you already did, but you can also spray the middle of the bolt in the pinch gap - that might help too. Eddie07S is absolutely right though. If you break the bolt, drill it out and use a nut and bolt instead. I never even though of that when I broke the bolt off in my passenger side knuckle. I just ordered a used one from Allmag. I had to use a pretty long breaker bar to get either of the bolts to move though (24 or 30" I forget which it is, but that did the job).

Fingers crossed!

 

@jcolletteiii At this point, I've dunked the front half of the car in penetrating oil. I hope the bolts don't break but it's good to know there's an option. Thanks @Eddie07S for the suggestion. I wish I could say I absolutely would have thought of that but I don't know if that's the case.

 

Today I joined the snapped-the-head-off-of-a-pinch-bolt club. I put penetrating oil on the bolts several times a day for 4 days but clearly that wasn't enough. I ordered a set of left hand bits and extractors. Until that arrives, I'll keep applying Aerokroil and hope that I'm able to extract it. If that doesn't work, I'll get a 12mm bit and drill the bolt out. Antiseize will play a role in reassembly.

In better news, I epoxied a replacement stud in place for the aluminum panel below the battery box. Tomorrow, I'll be able to get that off of the shelf and back on the car.

 

I don't think I want to join the broken bolt club.
No working on either of the Mini's. I did have a new stable built for the fleet.

 

Mine without many miles or years of exposure unthreaded without drama, however I reused the original pinch bolts/nuts and now thinking it would be prudent to replace those with new plus a bit of antiseize too. Great progress nonetheless - hoping you resolve this issue soon!

 

That bolt goes all the way through, right? If it does, then just drill it through with a regular bit. Then use the easy-out on the side that will be easiest to remove it from. This isn’t like a blind hole where the left hand bits are necessarily needed to help with the removal.