Ivy - 1995 Mini Cooper

Started by flipstah, July 21, 2016, 08:27:09 AM

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flipstah

Quote from: MiniDave on August 12, 2016, 08:59:38 AM
Is the thing on the windshield a phone mount, and the green cord a power cord?

Car looks terrific - is the interior black or dark blue? Sometime the photo affects the look of the color.....

Windshield phone mount with green AUX jack. I don't have Bluetooth on my car deck and the USB doesn't work for Windows Phone. My iPhone may or may not have went kaput on a Pokemon Go-related incident...

Dark blue interior. I like it :)

flipstah

So I bought alloy clutch and brake pedals from Minispares. Are the just glued on? It's flat...

MiniDave

The one's on Buzz were screwed on, two phillips head or allen screws right thru the holes in the pedals and into the metal
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MPlayle

Some of the pedal cover kits have a small 'backing' plate with threaded holes for attaching as MiniDave describes.


flipstah

#29
Any pictures of these brackets/mounts? The box just had flat pedals...

http://www.minispares.com/product/Classic/A200017.aspx

Just need to see what a mounting screw is. Otherwise, I'll just use a regular screw haha.

MiniDave

Yep, same ones I had....just two allen screws thru two of those holes, just drill two holes thru the metal pads on the pedals.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

Jims5543

Hey there!! I am loving this thread, love your car and style.  too bad you are so far away as I am in Florida. 

Enjoy the hell out of that car.

If you can get it, try swapping a quart of oil for some Lucas Oil stabilizer. I was using it in my old engine (and will on my new engine as well as I use it on my Bini and all my cars) and it will help with consumption, wear, and breakdown of the oil.

I highly suggest it. I am sure it is in all your local Autoparts stores.

Motor on!!
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride! -Hunter S. Thompson

flipstah

Quote from: Jims5543 on August 28, 2016, 06:05:10 PM
Hey there!! I am loving this thread, love your car and style.  too bad you are so far away as I am in Florida. 

Enjoy the hell out of that car.

If you can get it, try swapping a quart of oil for some Lucas Oil stabilizer. I was using it in my old engine (and will on my new engine as well as I use it on my Bini and all my cars) and it will help with consumption, wear, and breakdown of the oil.

I highly suggest it. I am sure it is in all your local Autoparts stores.

Motor on!!

It's pretty awesome. Thanks! I'll check out the oil stabilizer and see, but the 20W50 is doing wonders. It's just sweating oil from the valve cover so meh.

Jims5543

I was having the same problem with a leaky valve cover, I switched to a silicon gasket and no more leaks.

I have to credit MtyMous for the protip.


Quote from: MtyMous on December 29, 2014, 11:35:40 PM
They do make a silicon valve cover gasket. I have 2 in my garage safely set aside.

http://www.the-vintage-racer.com/index.php/manufacturer/12-gasket-innovations?page=2

Here is is being fitted on my cover.




Re: the Lucas, yes a 20W50 is wonderful swap a quart of that for some Lucas and you will be amazed. Its good stuff, I have been using it for many years.

I am a Mazda Rotary guy and turbo rotaries tend to push gasoline into the engine oil. I have tried to run 3K miles on an oil change (Castrol GTX 20W50) and it reeked of gasoline when I was draining it. I then decided to start using Lucas to help keep the engine from wearing prematurely.

I just changed the oil on my 2005 Mini and used the synthetic version in it, and always used it in my RX7's and my E30 BMW. Great stuff.

I was having really low oil pressure problems with my Mini, I started using it and saw my oil pressure rise from it alone and I positive it kept my engine from going south on me. It had horrible oil pressure yet I drove it for 2 years before swapping out the engine.

cheers!
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride! -Hunter S. Thompson

flipstah

Did the annual maintenance for the summer and running great at 87k kms!

Had to drive around the city for 20W50 but we coo.

Rotated the tyres and checked the brakes, because there's a loud squeak on the front right.

Pads are still okay for one season, so could be the hub? It's effing loud metal on metal squeak.

I've been comparing the Mini with random cars in the city so hope you like these photos! There's also a random beep that comes in and out while on highway driving (100kph or more). Rumor is that it's either engine ping or catalytic converter on the fritz. I put regular gas on it and just burning it off and going back to Shell 91.

Willie_B

About the squeak. Does it do it all the time? Just while turning, over bumps or? Or is more of a squeal?
Could be the disc brake shield if you still have one installed. Small rocks get in there and rub against the disc when turning. Or the nylon cup for the knuckle joint could be worn away so you metal on metal when driving.

MiniDave

That car looks familiar!   ;D

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

flipstah

Quote from: Willie_B on May 31, 2017, 10:06:40 AM
About the squeak. Does it do it all the time? Just while turning, over bumps or? Or is more of a squeal?
Could be the disc brake shield if you still have one installed. Small rocks get in there and rub against the disc when turning. Or the nylon cup for the knuckle joint could be worn away so you metal on metal when driving.

It squeaks when I brake, or when I do right turns. It's a metal on metal squeak when turning and braking. Hmmm... Knuckle joint. Is that like a ball joint?

Quote from: MiniDave on May 31, 2017, 11:15:52 AM
That car looks familiar!   ;D

13s and big flares! Is that a Sportspack setup?

gr8kornholio

#38
The knuckle joint is where the trumpet or hi/lo (whatever is holding up the rubber cone in the suspension) attaches to the upper suspension arm.



Couldn't find a good picture of the suspension diagram, but here is a decent one on car.  The knuckle joint is the rubber part sticking up out of the arm with the adjustable metal nuts on it.  Kind of hiding behind the bumpstop.  Pay no attention to arrows, borrowed this of interweb.

I am the GR8KORNHOLIO! Are you threatening me?

Saussie Aussie 1965 Australian MK1 Mini.
"Beavis" - 07 MY/MY MCS, B/MY Konig Daylites, JCW sideskirts, TSW springs, TSW lower rear control arms -- Exploring the country with new friends since 11/09.

MPlayle

Braking or right turns would lead me to go with the earlier guess at the disk brake shield.


flipstah

Status update on the random beep/ping noise when accelerating. It might have been compression issue, because it's less common now when I put Shell 91 again...

62.gif Either that, or my cat is pooched.  11.gif

MPlayle

Is your car a Japanese spec one?  They had a cat-over-temp sensor that would trigger a warning buzzer/beeper.  It would be in the exhaust very near the cat.  It can be bypassed by clipping the lead and joining the two ends.

If your's is fuel injected, the O2 sensor will be in the down-pipe before it curves under the car - well ahead of the cat.


flipstah

Quote from: MPlayle on May 31, 2017, 02:42:00 PM
Is your car a Japanese spec one?  They had a cat-over-temp sensor that would trigger a warning buzzer/beeper.  It would be in the exhaust very near the cat.  It can be bypassed by clipping the lead and joining the two ends.

If your's is fuel injected, the O2 sensor will be in the down-pipe before it curves under the car - well ahead of the cat.

Yes, it's a Japanese spec Mini and fuel injected. So could be a sensor issue or a cat issue. Great...

MPlayle

Check the exhaust system carefully.  You may have two sensors in the system.  The O2 (Lambda) sensor is the one needed for the fuel injection system and is well before the cat.  The cat-over-temp sensor is very near the cat and was specific to some of the Japanese spec Minis.  It does not go into the ECU of the fuel injection system.

Depending on requirements were you live, you may be able to remove the cat altogether and also the cat-over-temp sensor.  If you don't want to trace the wiring back to remove the buzzer/beeper, you can clip the sensor wires and join the two ends to defeat the buzzer/beeper.


flipstah

Does the A series engine have a PCV?

MPlayle

Yes & No.  Some of the earlier ones had a "Gulp" valve between the breather(s) and manifold or carb.  Others went from the breather(s) direct to the carb or air filter box.

The fuel injected ones went direct to a manifold port - no PCV in between.

The fuel injected Minis did have a charcoal canister for fuel vapor recovery from the tank with a special valve to draw back into the manifold.

It was all a strange setup to remove when I converted one Mini from FI to carb.


flipstah

Quote from: MPlayle on June 01, 2017, 06:59:08 AM
Yes & No.  Some of the earlier ones had a "Gulp" valve between the breather(s) and manifold or carb.  Others went from the breather(s) direct to the carb or air filter box.

The fuel injected ones went direct to a manifold port - no PCV in between.

The fuel injected Minis did have a charcoal canister for fuel vapor recovery from the tank with a special valve to draw back into the manifold.

It was all a strange setup to remove when I converted one Mini from FI to carb.

Thanks! Learning a lot more about this car every day. It's an EFI Mini. Curious why people went from FI to carb? Carbs are so finicky when the mercury drops.

gr8kornholio

Have yet to have a problem with my SU carb.  Even in 30 degree (F) temperatures.  No heater was a bigger problem  ;D but it's not that cold that often in TX and usually I wouldn't drive it then either.
I am the GR8KORNHOLIO! Are you threatening me?

Saussie Aussie 1965 Australian MK1 Mini.
"Beavis" - 07 MY/MY MCS, B/MY Konig Daylites, JCW sideskirts, TSW springs, TSW lower rear control arms -- Exploring the country with new friends since 11/09.

MPlayle

There are two main reasons folks convert the factory SPI (Single Point Injection) Minis to carb:

1) More high performance tuning options.
2) FI going erratic, needing sensors replaced, and the sensors being NLA (No Longer Available).

In the case of the one I did, it was reason #2.

Folks do reason #1 mostly because the ECUs on the FI Minis had very limited adaptability to performance upgrades.  If you wanted to upgrade the cam by more than 1 step, the ECU could not handle it.  Porting the head and valve upgrades - forget it.  Anything over +.020 overbore - forget it.

Now if you are using one of the specially developed aftermarket FI systems, it is a whole other matter as those were developed specifically to handle performance upgrades.  Those kits also fully replace the factory ECU to one that can be tuned.  Unfortunately, those systems tend to be a bit costly.


flipstah

Good to know that the FI components are scarce.  50.gif

I do miss the sound of carbs in the morning.