The engine in my daughter’s ‘05 R53 seems to have kicked the bucket. it’s been having cold start and misfire problems. Replaced the fuel pump, helped a little. Replaced leaking s/c boot and some vacuum hoses, it got worse.

It runs ok when it warms up, and isn’t as hard to start except when the weather is cold.


Anyway, did compression tests and it’s bad. 90 psi on 1, 120 on 2 and 3, 175 on 4. TSP oil in 1 bumped it up to 120, didn't help on 2 or 3. Indicates worn rings on 1, and some kind of valve issue on the others.

The question now is what to do. We could try and sell it, being honest about the issues (the body and interior are in really nice shape). Or I could keep it as a project car and work through the rebuild myself. I’m just not sure I have the energy (or skill for engine internals work). I have done various rebuilds in the past, but it’s been a long time.

Any thoughts on what the best choice is here? If I sell it, how much can I realistically expect to get?

Ian

 

I did some engine rebuilds some years ago. It was fun then, but I have no interest in doing rebuilds now. Reads like you feel the same way.

You could offer the car for sale stating the issues with the engine and what you found. You might find a buyer who is looking for a project car. A good body and interior counts for something as a sick engine can be put right or replaced and then one has a nice car.

To give you an idea of what to possibly get for the car, you could visit www.kbb.com or www.nada.com and plug in the car's numbers/details and pick the lowest condition and see what wholesale/trade in/private sale numbers come up.

Or you could search out businesses that specialize in MINI cars, salvage cars, and see what one might offer you for the car.

No MINI experience but I did this with a Porsche Cayman S that I had that was declared a total loss. In this case the body was smashed up along with the front suspension, and steering, but the engine and drivetrain were pristine. (The car only has 2K miles on it when it was hit.)

I contacted Oklahoma Foreign by phone. After providing the rep with the story of the car the Oklahoma Foreign rep told me what pics he wanted of the car and I took them and emailed them to him. He got back to me with an offer that matched exactly what the other driver's insurance company allowed for the car's value with a salvage title. $17,400 as I recall. As it was I decided to try to sell the car at an auction site that among other things held a salvage car auction every week. At the auction the car brought in several thousand dollars more than its salvage value. I got lucky I think.

But you can see what you will be offered. Had I elected to sell the Cayman IIRC I would have received 1/2 of the agreed upon price for the car via a direct transfer to my bank account. At the same time a truck would scheduled to pick up the car. This could take a few days to a week maybe. But as soon as I handed the driver the keys to the car and the salvage title signed to release my interest in the vehicle he would hand me a check for the remaining amount.

 

You indicated that you are capable of doing internal engine work, so I assume you are also capable of changing an engine too. I would see if there is a local self serve yard with one price fits all pricing and try to source an engine there. Alternatively, look at Copart and see if you can buy a write off with the front end intact enough that the engine would not be touched. Either of those choices could net you a usable engine for less than $500. After that, I would do a gasket set, service the supercharger, and maybe a timing set. Leave the rest alone. Just make sure you look at the car in person and check it over for signs of proper maintenance. If it runs, see if you can start it. These Tritec engines are actually pretty well made and are one of the high points of these early MINIS. They rarely go very wrong with good maintenance and so a suitable replacement should not be that difficult to find. Just be certain to use a supercharged engine and not an N/A since the internals are much stronger on cars with the blower.

It may take some time to find an engine, so I would call the MINI a project car and let your daughter move on to something else. They tend to be rare in the self serve yards and it may take a few months before one comes in. I use LKQ because they have a webpage that displays their inventory, so I can check it every day for new stock.

 

Thanks for the advice. I could do the internals work, but realistically anything that involves removing the engine from the car would be a problem because I don’t have the space in my garage. At this point I think I’ll have to just sell it. Whoever gets it will end up with a great base for a project. Really good condition body and interior. Refurbished transmission (yes it’s an auto) with a new valve body.

Oh well.

Ian

 

When I helped an auto tech remove/rebuild/install engines he didn't have a garage. We worked on the driveway. When I pulled engines at my house I had a garage but the engine hoist would not fit in the garage so I did the pulling outside on the driveway.

The engine was bolted to an engine stand and rolled in the garage. At the auto tech's house I don't recall now if the engine was left outside -- covered by a plastic sheet when not being worked on or it was somehow manhandled into the garage which had been converted to a kind of work shop.