R50/53 Saving a R50 One 7
#77
And two more bearings are swapped; both top shaft bearings. One was the input shaft which has a seal, the other is a blind hole bearing which made it harder to get out. Luckily I have a blind hole puller kit to over come the problem.
Picture time:
Getting the seal out was easy
Its out
Now you can press the bearing out from the other side
It's out
Rollers were perfectly fine
Pressing the new one. I really enjoy working with the press
Looking good
Left is the new seal (Corteco) right is the old
You can press it in with your fingers to begin with, then just hammer it in with a seal driver
Sitting evenly all around
Next target, the other top shaft bearing. The shaft is actually hollow allowing oil to pass thru it right into the plastic thingy
You have to break the old one out to get your blind hole puller in
Plastic thingy out but dirty
Cleaned up nicely
I tried the slide hammer first but the bearing was not impressed by me at all
So I put the puller on and let the legs rest on very thick washers
Thick washers
Making progress, the first break is always the hardest and scariest as it makes a loud bang.
Its out
To get the new one pressed back in you need to be careful not to break the new plastic thingy that goes underneath the bearing. I used to old bearing as a spacer so the bearing driver could never hit the end of the plastic thingy
Pressing it in
Looks good (the bolts had some red tread locker on them)
All back together. Very rewarding I must say
Picture time:
Getting the seal out was easy
Its out
Now you can press the bearing out from the other side
It's out
Rollers were perfectly fine
Pressing the new one. I really enjoy working with the press
Looking good
Left is the new seal (Corteco) right is the old
You can press it in with your fingers to begin with, then just hammer it in with a seal driver
Sitting evenly all around
Next target, the other top shaft bearing. The shaft is actually hollow allowing oil to pass thru it right into the plastic thingy
You have to break the old one out to get your blind hole puller in
Plastic thingy out but dirty
Cleaned up nicely
I tried the slide hammer first but the bearing was not impressed by me at all
So I put the puller on and let the legs rest on very thick washers
Thick washers
Making progress, the first break is always the hardest and scariest as it makes a loud bang.
Its out
To get the new one pressed back in you need to be careful not to break the new plastic thingy that goes underneath the bearing. I used to old bearing as a spacer so the bearing driver could never hit the end of the plastic thingy
Pressing it in
Looks good (the bolts had some red tread locker on them)
All back together. Very rewarding I must say
The following users liked this post:
slofut (08-21-2024)
#78
And I got the diff bearings off. As expected one was completely shot while the other was fine. I tried to pull them off with a bearing splitter but it was junk. I didn't want to wedge it between the bearing bottom and diff housing as the gap tiny and the splitter not sharp enough. So I tried to pull on the top of the bearing edge but the jaw tips just curled and broke.
Plan b was to grind them off but instead of an actual grinder I opted for the old dremel and a whack with a chisel. Worked like a charm and I can highly recommend it. Pictures:
The diff
Cut the cage off, notice how it is made from plastic
Cut it with a dremel
Whacked it with a chisel, look closely and you can see the crack
Nice and shiny after some cleaning
The other one, very very bad. The rollers and race are completely toast
Both off
Notice on the inside how I did not went all the way through as I didn't want to damage the diff housing
Pressing on one bearing
And the other
Looks like new
Plan b was to grind them off but instead of an actual grinder I opted for the old dremel and a whack with a chisel. Worked like a charm and I can highly recommend it. Pictures:
The diff
Cut the cage off, notice how it is made from plastic
Cut it with a dremel
Whacked it with a chisel, look closely and you can see the crack
Nice and shiny after some cleaning
The other one, very very bad. The rollers and race are completely toast
Both off
Notice on the inside how I did not went all the way through as I didn't want to damage the diff housing
Pressing on one bearing
And the other
Looks like new
Last edited by LukasH; 08-21-2024 at 12:06 PM.
#79
#80
It's a Mammuth SP12HH btw
The following users liked this post:
slofut (08-28-2024)
#81
Progress is slow as I was away for a bit. Gearbox is coming back together. Both shafts, gear selector and reverse idler gear are back in. Also modified the gear selector as the gear stick had the issue it didn't popped back to neutral. This is because a pin was a bit seized, just like a sliding pin on your brake caliper only it doesn't slide but roll. I bought a modified pin and needed to grind and tap the old one out.
Pictures will tell the story.
Pressing the shafts back in
And retain them with circlips and snap rings
The hollow pin needs to come out but to do so you need to grind the edge off
And tap the pin out
Old pin and hole
New pin all greased up
This is now a serviceable part which you can grease without too much trouble. BMW should have done this.
Pictures will tell the story.
Pressing the shafts back in
And retain them with circlips and snap rings
The hollow pin needs to come out but to do so you need to grind the edge off
And tap the pin out
Old pin and hole
New pin all greased up
This is now a serviceable part which you can grease without too much trouble. BMW should have done this.
#82
OVERDRIVE
iTrader: (1)
Holy Crap, Batman - This is a master class in rebuilding a MINI transmission*. My hat is off to you, sir.
Question - Could you add a little more explanation as to how you managed the operation of pressing in the 2 shafts together? I can seen the setup, but how did you find the “pressing center”? And how hard was it to keep the shafts from wanting to tilt?
* For your next project, I vote you take on and document the rebuild of the notorious MINI CVT…
Question - Could you add a little more explanation as to how you managed the operation of pressing in the 2 shafts together? I can seen the setup, but how did you find the “pressing center”? And how hard was it to keep the shafts from wanting to tilt?
* For your next project, I vote you take on and document the rebuild of the notorious MINI CVT…
#83
Holy Crap, Batman - This is a master class in rebuilding a MINI transmission*. My hat is off to you, sir.
Question - Could you add a little more explanation as to how you managed the operation of pressing in the 2 shafts together? I can seen the setup, but how did you find the “pressing center”? And how hard was it to keep the shafts from wanting to tilt?
* For your next project, I vote you take on and document the rebuild of the notorious MINI CVT…
Question - Could you add a little more explanation as to how you managed the operation of pressing in the 2 shafts together? I can seen the setup, but how did you find the “pressing center”? And how hard was it to keep the shafts from wanting to tilt?
* For your next project, I vote you take on and document the rebuild of the notorious MINI CVT…
I actually asked David whether you need to hold the end bearings of both shafts when pressing them back in:
Good question! But yes, at first I used to put a spacer against the inner race so as not to damage the bearing. Over time (I've now built 51 of them) I found this was unnecessary as the force to push the shaft through is quite low compared to the bearing size and the forces it experiences in use. The large circlip is more than adequate to hold the bearing in place.
Coming back to your question; the shafts are a bit tapered so they sit in their bearing a bit. Next to that you need to press both shafts together while the three gear selectors are holding these shafts. The gear selectors themself also sit in a "hole" though losely as they need to twist and turn when selecting a gear. This combined keeps the shafts well enough in place. You do have to press a bit and wiggle the gear selectors to make sure they don't get caught up somewhere.
Hope this explains it well enough.
As for the CVT, not sure, as I haven't seen rebuild kits for them. Also automatic gearboxes weren't a common option here in Europe, back in those days.
Now a day's almost all cars have them, either because they are hybrid or to save fuel. The latter ones mostly are of the dual clutch type, not the torque converter ones. But I am rambling.
Hopefully tomorrow I can close the gearbox up and if all goes well I can even fit it back.
#84
OVERDRIVE
iTrader: (1)
I was a little bit kidding about the CVT. A while back we were having issues with the CVT in our 2004 R50. Knowing that these have disintegrating drive belts, I looked up as much as I could about the warning signs. I found one or two really good rebuild posts here on NAM and found that there is a supplier of parts for them, including the belt. My issue turned out to be some mouse chewed wires So, if you ever (hopefully not), it can be done without a kit. It just needs to be caught before the pieces of the belt do any real damage.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program…
Now back to our regularly scheduled program…
#85
It's done! The gearbox is all back together and I'm very happy with the result. Also happy I can now get back to regular wrenching. My google sheet shows I put sixteen and a half hours into rebuilding the gearbox.
Pictures:
New oil sprout, this one supplies oil to the fifth gear, I learned recently.
New sealing caps, I put some rtv on them because the walls aren't spotless smooth
Both housings mated up, with some rtv
Clutch fork with new release bearing
The end result
Well this gearbox rebuild was very intriguing so if I ever come across a nice broken Mini I will definitely consider it! I also want to rebuild a Midlands, one day. (even though I know they are junk)
Pictures:
New oil sprout, this one supplies oil to the fifth gear, I learned recently.
New sealing caps, I put some rtv on them because the walls aren't spotless smooth
Both housings mated up, with some rtv
Clutch fork with new release bearing
The end result
I was a little bit kidding about the CVT. A while back we were having issues with the CVT in our 2004 R50. Knowing that these have disintegrating drive belts, I looked up as much as I could about the warning signs. I found one or two really good rebuild posts here on NAM and found that there is a supplier of parts for them, including the belt. My issue turned out to be some mouse chewed wires So, if you ever (hopefully not), it can be done without a kit. It just needs to be caught before the pieces of the belt do any real damage.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program…
Now back to our regularly scheduled program…
#86
Its back in but I am exhausted. What a fight it was and it took me a little over an hour. I used my trusty transmission jack but boy the gearbox does not have a nice center of gravity. In my first attempt it rolled of the jack while I was lying on my back at the back of the engine. It slowly rolled towards me so I was able the guide and catch it onto my upper body. The second attempt I was smart enough to use the strap.
This was not fun and way more difficult than my R53. This gearbox is actually a much tighter fit as the space between it and the chassis leg is around 1.5cm.
Anyway, I got there in the end so happy days!
Pictures.
Gearbox Box on the transmission jack, use that strap, it could save you one day
And it's in
This steel coolant pipe was giving a lot of trouble as it wants to hang between the engine and gearbox and it's not flexible enough to just shuff it elsewhere.
This was not fun and way more difficult than my R53. This gearbox is actually a much tighter fit as the space between it and the chassis leg is around 1.5cm.
Anyway, I got there in the end so happy days!
Pictures.
Gearbox Box on the transmission jack, use that strap, it could save you one day
And it's in
This steel coolant pipe was giving a lot of trouble as it wants to hang between the engine and gearbox and it's not flexible enough to just shuff it elsewhere.
#88
There is loads more to come though; front shocks, brakes all around, waterpump, exhaust, tie rods and other bits and pieces. Also the exterior needs some attention, fixing some scuffs and some rust spots.
#89
Replaced the waterpump with some hoses today.
I wanted to open up the old pump to show you how the weepholes looked like but I couldn't get it to separate unfortunately. I spend 45min on it and came to the conclusion you need a 4 legged puller for it. Three or even two just won't work.
Notice the various places of coolant. The weep holes are on the back of the pump so this must be spillage from bleeding it in the past.
Look at how swollen this hose is
Pump off, the weep holes are the two in the tiny holes in the middle.
This hose got sliced, it's still holding coolant but better change it instead of saving $10
New vs old
The flange on the block, cleaned up a bit. Didn't want to take it off because it's not leaking.
New pump in place
All buttoned up
I wanted to open up the old pump to show you how the weepholes looked like but I couldn't get it to separate unfortunately. I spend 45min on it and came to the conclusion you need a 4 legged puller for it. Three or even two just won't work.
Notice the various places of coolant. The weep holes are on the back of the pump so this must be spillage from bleeding it in the past.
Look at how swollen this hose is
Pump off, the weep holes are the two in the tiny holes in the middle.
This hose got sliced, it's still holding coolant but better change it instead of saving $10
New vs old
The flange on the block, cleaned up a bit. Didn't want to take it off because it's not leaking.
New pump in place
All buttoned up
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ECSTuning (09-06-2024)
#91
The coolant was pink and was indeed not the right stuff. Most of it is out except for the radiator which I am planning to flush using water. I've got new blue stuff ready to go in.
#92
Yesterday I replaced the idler pulley on the belt tensioner and replaced both inner and outer tie rods. An easy job for a change!
This design is so much simpler than the one from a R53. The tension tool is also way easier to use
Before
Old va new
After
The subframe with steering rack
Just a reminder, this is why I changed the inner and outer tie rods. This joint is no good and I couldn't separate the inner from the outer.
And because I like my steering components to be equal I changed the other one as well.
This design is so much simpler than the one from a R53. The tension tool is also way easier to use
Before
Old va new
After
The subframe with steering rack
Just a reminder, this is why I changed the inner and outer tie rods. This joint is no good and I couldn't separate the inner from the outer.
And because I like my steering components to be equal I changed the other one as well.
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Here2Go (09-05-2024)
#93
Just curious -
How much of a floppiness did you feel with the inner tie rods (old vs new).
I've had my outer's replaced not long ago by an indie shop.
Having recently (last year) replaced my inner and outer ball joints; I thought/noticed my inner tie rods felt a bit floppy.
The car is aligned and drives wonderfully tight with only 3/32" play at the wheel but I often wonder how tight/stiff the inner tie rods should actually feel.
Thanks!
How much of a floppiness did you feel with the inner tie rods (old vs new).
I've had my outer's replaced not long ago by an indie shop.
Having recently (last year) replaced my inner and outer ball joints; I thought/noticed my inner tie rods felt a bit floppy.
The car is aligned and drives wonderfully tight with only 3/32" play at the wheel but I often wonder how tight/stiff the inner tie rods should actually feel.
Thanks!
#94
Just curious -
How much of a floppiness did you feel with the inner tie rods (old vs new).
I've had my outer's replaced not long ago by an indie shop.
Having recently (last year) replaced my inner and outer ball joints; I thought/noticed my inner tie rods felt a bit floppy.
The car is aligned and drives wonderfully tight with only 3/32" play at the wheel but I often wonder how tight/stiff the inner tie rods should actually feel.
Thanks!
How much of a floppiness did you feel with the inner tie rods (old vs new).
I've had my outer's replaced not long ago by an indie shop.
Having recently (last year) replaced my inner and outer ball joints; I thought/noticed my inner tie rods felt a bit floppy.
The car is aligned and drives wonderfully tight with only 3/32" play at the wheel but I often wonder how tight/stiff the inner tie rods should actually feel.
Thanks!
Having said that, driving this car home for 2.5h was an experience I've never had in any 1st gen Mini; it felt like a boat going with the waves. If you came across a bump (not speed bump but just the road not being flat) the car would spring down and up and the steering wheel wanted to go to the right. I account most of this because of the FR shock having been leaking out.
Not a straight answer but looking at the construction I would say it does not matter if the tie rod joints are lose or stiff. To get play in your steering wheel the joints will need to have play in them as well.
I do think the out balljoints (not tie rod related) will have a big impact on the handling on the car as these will effectively change the geometry of the wheel while your driving.
Hope this helps
#95
Thanks for that. It does help. I have no other comparison to judge by since all my previous builds/experience were pre- 80s' (non rack and pinion or power steering).
Although I failed to ask at the time; I often wondered why the indie shop only replaced the outer tie rods and not the inner's. I would venture a guess that it was merely a matter of shop time or they felt that the inner's were in fine condition.
I have to admit - I spend way too much time looking for issues on this car when there are none .
Thanks again for responding!
Although I failed to ask at the time; I often wondered why the indie shop only replaced the outer tie rods and not the inner's. I would venture a guess that it was merely a matter of shop time or they felt that the inner's were in fine condition.
I have to admit - I spend way too much time looking for issues on this car when there are none .
Thanks again for responding!
#96
It's been a while because I was out with the flue but I finally put the subframe back under the car and I fitted the new to me Monroe shocks.
Not a lot of pictures but the struts look nice again.
Old shock, notice how it leaked. I also learnt I need to properly wash a car before I start wrenching.
Old shock
New shock and dustcover with bumpstops and a droplink, not visible in this picture
It starting to look like a proper car again
Shocks should not stay in this position. This one is completely empty.
Also I found what looks to be a gem of a new project, which I'm going to look at tomorrow. It's a one owner 2005 R50 Cooper with just 105k km (not miles!) I only have a few pictures from the outside but from what I saw it has atleast a chrono pack and a multifuntion three spoke steering wheel. The catch is it's at a garage because it overheated as it ran out of coolant.
Not a lot of pictures but the struts look nice again.
Old shock, notice how it leaked. I also learnt I need to properly wash a car before I start wrenching.
Old shock
New shock and dustcover with bumpstops and a droplink, not visible in this picture
It starting to look like a proper car again
Shocks should not stay in this position. This one is completely empty.
Also I found what looks to be a gem of a new project, which I'm going to look at tomorrow. It's a one owner 2005 R50 Cooper with just 105k km (not miles!) I only have a few pictures from the outside but from what I saw it has atleast a chrono pack and a multifuntion three spoke steering wheel. The catch is it's at a garage because it overheated as it ran out of coolant.
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