White Japanese Spec Suspension Rebuild

[MiniDave]

Yay! It runs! I had to do a small modification to the alternator adjustment bracket as it was hitting the alternator fan very slightly. I ground a little clearance on the bench grinder and that took care of it.

Fired it up and ran it for a bit, I'm going to have to flush the cooling system as it's full of nasty rusty crap so I'll drain it down and refill a few times till I start getting clear water back. It's still too cold out or I would put it in the driveway and just run it with the garden hose in the top of the radiator - that would sure be a lot quicker and less of a mess. Fortunately these new aluminum radiators have a drain cock, the OEM radiators did not, the only way to get water out of them was to pull the lower hose off - which makes such huge a mess! - and is a PITA to get to, especially when every thing is hot.

Had to pull the grill back off to get to the alt adj bracket, and that's also the only way to reach the drain cock.....

[BruceK]

Dave, this stuff is really great for cleaning all the rusty crap out of the cooling system. It's non-toxic, non-corrosive, and biodegradable.  However, it does not prevent freezing so when you use it with distilled water for the flush you have to make sure the engine does not get below zero. 


Thermocure Coolant System Rust... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R74I5UY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

[MiniDave]

Thanks for the link, I should have gotten some of that a long time ago.....

Wonder if I could use this, since I have a couple of jugs of it already?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00631GZEU/ref=sspa_dk_hqp_detail_aax_0?psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFPTEJMUEhHTkJJVkUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAzMDEyMzMxTFNFOFJLWjJETlpOJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5OTY2NjczWkhEWE9NTVA1SlQmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9ocXBfc2hhcmVkJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[cstudep]

The WD40 stuff may work ok but I'd make sure it's good to use on aluminum. Most of those style rust removers are but it's worth checking.

The stuff Bruce posted is made by the same company that makes Evaporust which is basically the same type of thing as the WD40 stuff you posted. I think the difference between those and the radiator specific stuff is the radiator stuff has additives that also help clean aluminum/brass. My understanding is the regular stuff doesn't really clean aluminum or brass which you really don't need anyway unless you think the heater core needs flushed.

Also not sure how well the regular stuff works if you mix it with water. Pretty sure it's intended to be used straight up, at least that's how I've always used it.

[MiniDave]

Hey Paul, any chance you're headed this way soon, I have a box full of stuff I'd like you to have. sooner the better!

[cstudep]

Let me check my calendar. I may be able to get down that way this coming weekend.

[MiniDave]

Let me know....

[Jimini II]

When flushing the cooling system i have found on Jap spec cars and Florida Minis the heat is not used often.
A lot of the real nasty crud gets to settle in the heater assembly so i always flush the whole system and on some i have had to disconnect the heater and drain the worst into a container inside the car.
Also owned a Mini that the boot hinges were slotted for quick removal, it made working in the boot a lot easier.

[MiniDave]

Good point, I intend to flush the whole system - I had that issue on the heater core with Buzz, I ran gallons of water thru the heater before it came clean - and then shortly after that the core started leaking and I had to replace it!  ::)

If the studs aren't painted over (like these were) then it's two screws and four nuts and its off - especially on these later cars with the seal on the body instead of the deck lid.....but the paint meant the studs were going to back out instead of the nuts coming off. I cleaned them up and put the studs back in before I installed the deck lid again....working in the boot with the lid on is particularly difficult when the car is up on the lift, you just can't work around it, so I usually just remove them anyway. My biggest issue is finding a place where I can store it that it won't get damaged.

Today will be the warmest day we've had in a while (45*) so I'm going to run it in the drive and flush as much crap out as I can, then I'll put the cleaner in and let it run for a while then let it soak overnight - or two or three - then flush it some more before I put fresh coolant in it. whatever I accomplish will be way better than it was.

[MiniDave]

sunny and 50* today, perfect weather to get the White car outside and flush the cooling system. I ran about 6 gallon jugs of clear water thru it and it was quite a bit better, so now I have some cooling system flush in it, I'll run that for a good while and then flush it out before I put in the new coolant.

The car rides and drives fantastic on these Smooth a ride cones, I really like them.

Next up once I get the cooling done today I'll take it over to the alignment shop and have that done, my guestimates don't seem far off as it drives well, doesn't pull or wander. these enormous 7" wide wheels will rub if you hit a big bump on a turn - like pulling into my driveway....but he'll have to deal with that. Since the cones are set as low as possible in the front, I can raise it up a bit more if needed. I can lower it a bit in the back if needed too....

[Jimini II]

The owner has changed those wheels as it had 6x13 sports pack wheels on it with no rubbing issues.
The last owner replaced the flares as it had the rubber ones on it and one got damaged I told him to get the fiberglass ones but I am not sure if he did that or not.
It is amazing how well a Mini or any car for that matter drives with all new front end components.

[MiniDave]

I agree.....and in this case getting up off the bumpstops too!

Most of the frontend was in pretty good shape, I only replaced the upper control arm bearings because the one side was starting to wear into the shaft slightly.....and I had them off the car anyway.

The bushings were tired, the ball joints were loose and the tie bars were bent, so all new stuff there, plus being adjustable for good alignment will help. I just eyeballed the settings but it looks pretty good now that it's down on its wheels, and it drives pretty straight.

I think the 7" wheels are too big but he likes the look.

It does have the fiberglass arches, and they look pretty stout too.

I have to get him on the 1500 mile oil change program, so much of the old oil stays in the torque converter that it looks dark almost immediately. I got him a couple extra filters too.

Some small good news, it doesn't seem to be leaking oil from anyplace, and the transmission shifts smoothly and well. I'm thinking it was the oil filter o-ring after all that was leaking.

[MiniDave]

Well, just when you think you have it sorted.

I ran it extensively yesterday, drove it around the block a bunch of times and when I parked it in the shop overnight, this morning not a drop of oil on the floor.

So I went ahead and buttoned up the front grill, installed and adjusted the bonnet and then put the sumpguard back on under the engine. Fired it up and took it around about a 10 block run and came back, parked in the shop and sum-of-a-beach, there's a damn oil puddle on the inside of the sumpguard!

Right in the center where the oil filter is too.....so now I'll pull the grill and sumpguard back off and see if I can determine where it's coming from. Why in the hell it didn't leak all day yesterday is beyond me.

[MiniDave]

So I pulled the filter housing off again, I could not find anything wrong with it but it clearly was leaking.

There was a fairly massive puddle under the car (well, 7" around or so) and I could follow the trail down the front of the transmission.

So I cleaned up the housing off the 998 engine I'm building and swapped out the filter for a new one, I found a small burr on the edge of the transmission housing face and cleaned that off, then used some good gasket sealer on a new gasket and bolted everything back together and fired it up. I ran it for 10 minutes with no leaks, but then I ran it for over an hour plus drove it around the other day and it didn't leak then either, so.....

It's bucketing down right now so I won't be able to drive it till tomorrow.

[BruceK]

Fingers crossed you fixed it. 

But an owner could become reluctant to do the necessary timely oil changes on an automatic if it's going to be an Exxon Valdez situation with the filter each time.

Is there any upgrade solution for a simpler oil filter solution that might be easier to seal?  I'm thinking of how old manual A-series used a messy cartridge oil filter back in the 1960s that could be eliminated with a spin-on filter retrofit.

If there isn't any such adapter currently on the market, that seems like an opportunity for a Mini supplier to develop one. I'm sure automatic owners would welcome some kit that allows use of a good-sealing, high quality, and readily available spin-on filter. 

[mascher]

The AP automatic transmission uses much higher than usual oil pressure and I have heard that spin on oil filters can't take that pressure. As I'm sure Dave is aware the most common problem with oil filter leaking is failure to remove the old filter housing O-ring and adding a new one. Doesn't really sound like this is his problem anyway.
Kelley

[MiniDave]

I don't know if the spin on adaptors will work, the housing that the cannister attaches to is completely different on the automatics.

It wasn't leaking at the cannister o-ring, but between the housing and the transmission.

No drips on the floor after running for 20 minutes.

I'll drive it over to the alignment shop tomorrow, if it doesn't leak then I'll call it good.

[BruceK]

The AP automatic transmission uses much higher than usual oil pressure and I have heard that spin on oil filters can't take that pressure. As I'm sure Dave is aware the most common problem with oil filter leaking is failure to remove the old filter housing O-ring and adding a new one. Doesn't really sound like this is his problem anyway.
Kelley

Ah, got it.  Thanks.  makes sense why are they stuck with the cartridge filter into the 90s for the automatics.

[MiniDave]

So today I drove up to the alignment shop to have the front end aligned....

This car is well received at the shop, all the techs wanted to get a good look. The car looks tiny on a rack built for modern pickup trucks!

The tech is the same one that aligned Don's Pup, so he was somewhat familiar with Minis, but of course this one is different than a Mini Tec front end. He did a great job, starting with height adjustment, and when done getting the steering wheel exactly straight.

I took the car for a short drive on the highway, about 10 miles, and the car drove straight and smooth.....perfect job.

When I got home I parked it in the shop and did other things for a while, when I came out......well, that's part 2

[MiniDave]

Part 2.....

After a few hours time I went back down to the shop and saw this....

I can't find anything wrong so I tightened the cannister up a quarter turn and took it for about a 5 mile drive, so far not a drop has fallen - so I hope that's it at last.

[tsumini]

I feel your pain. Mine has a some oil drops after a drive also. One place leaking is the Oil pressure regulator fitting. It needs a new gasket. Unfortunately I don't think it is the only one.

[MiniDave]

I have some of those - they're actually a copper seal - if you'd like me to send you one, just PM your info to me and I'll drop one in the mail.

[MiniDave]

Well, after two days of parking in the same spot there was one spot about the size of a dime, and he's decided he can live with that so I put the sump guard back on and she's ready to go home. A local friend has an enclosed trailer he uses to haul his race car but hauls other cars in the offseason to help pay for things...he's picking the car up Monday to haul it home. It sure drives nicely!

[Jimini II]

Well, after two days of parking in the same spot there was one spot about the size of a dime, and he's decided he can live with that so I put the sump guard back on and she's ready to go home. A local friend has an enclosed trailer he uses to haul his race car but hauls other cars in the offseason to help pay for things...he's picking the car up Monday to haul it home. It sure drives nicely!

I feel your pain with the canister filters.
There was a forum poster years ago on MM by the name of Yowza.
While he was in Japan he had a Toyota spin off cartridge filter installed and claimed it worked fine.
Reading up on the pressures that the auto transmission
puts out (110 lbs psi in reverse) i don't know how it worked successfully.

[tsumini]

I have some of those - they're actually a copper seal - if you'd like me to send you one, just PM your info to me and I'll drop one in the mail.

Ok thanks for that. One of the most frustrating things lately is needing a 50 cent part NA locally and ordering needs $5 minimum order and 5x USPS mailing fee.
That would be great and thanks again. i'll PM
Edited for misquote.