Sump replacement info required

[nettshubby]

For reasons I won`t go into right now, I wish to replace the sump on my `01 Cooper.
The Haynes manual says to remove the secondary drive belt first, no pulleys or anything, just the belt.
How does removing the belt help removing the sump?
Is this a missprint?
There aren`t any clear pictures to illustrate the connection between the belt and the sump, if any.
Are there any pics of the engine out of the car that may show this?

Ray.

[MINI-Morgan]

If you have Air Con then the Compressor needs to come out so will require the belt to have been removed. It might also be a prep for a much bigger job than just the sump.

[nettshubby]

Hi Mini Morgan, no, the car doesn`t have air con. There is a seperate part for air con in the sump removal section of the manual, so I wouldn`t have thought that aplied anyway.
I just wish I could see an engine out of the car, or a picture showing the timing end of one, to see if the belt interferes with the sump in any way.
Sureley the belt and pulleys are on the main block, and the sump doesn`t come up that far?
Mind you, knowing Haynes "accuracy" you could be right in the first place!

Ray.

[MINI-Morgan]

I cant see there being a link then unless the Cooper is different to the MCS. Either way its not going to make the job much harder at all. I have only ever striped an MCS engine.

[johnfromaus]

haynes likes to remove 50% more parts than is actually necessary. i encountered a similar problem pulling down the gearbox. in hindsight, i dont think i needed to pull of the exhaust manifold or even the starter. good luck

[oldmots]

If all the fasteners are accessible and the sump can be removed, you have done enough to open the work area.

[nettshubby]

Thanks for your replies, I guess the "remove secondary drive belt" bit in Haynes was a missprint , for a non air con car.

I pick up the new sump and gasket tomorrow, and hope to get it changed weekend.

The reason for the change is that the dealer I recently bought the car from had obviously stripped the drain plug thread, or at least, put it well on its way! When I came to replace the plug, it just turned in the hole, pulling out bits of thread.

I tried to open out the hole to 16mm thread from the standard 14mm, but working under the car completeley cocked it up and got the hole way out of square to the face.

This was because of the "remove belt" bit in Haynes, so I didn`t want to remove the sump to do the job properly.

You live and, sometimes, learn!

[oldmots]

Thsi is a good time to mentinon that drain plugs should always be torqued. It's a pain in th ebutt, but i tcan easily save a sump replacement. This is why I never have anyone change my oil for me, even the dealer. The guys that do this work are often short-timers and they know squat, they can do a lot af damage fast.

[oldmots]

I should mention a story on oil change personnel at Dealers, I had a new Ford Probe GT with a 4 cam 24 valve alloy engine in 94, and had the oil changed at the dealer regularly. I began to have oil pressure problems on long trips and kept taking it in for evaluation, nothing was ever found. One time right after an oil change, I checked the oil level and it was overfilled quite a bit. Right as I found this, the 24 hydraulic lifters began to chatter, and soon to fail due to low pressure. It turned out the dealer was overfilling the car and the oil was foaming at high speeds, destroying the engine in the span of the warranty.

[nettshubby]

I once ran an old Peugeot 309, and always used castrol oil of the correct viscosity.
One weekend, to save a bit of cash, I did an oil change and used Halfords brand oil, again of the correct viscosity.
On my way to work on the Monday morning, at the end of the bypass, the tappets were clattering, but calmed down under normal driving.
Same happened on the way home. That evening I changed back to my usual Castrol oil, and no further trouble.
Since then I only use Castrol or another established "Name" oil in my cars and bikes.

Ray.