Bypass valve recalibration

[THE ITCH]

First I'd like to say I'm new to MINI2 and hi to all. I am patiently waiting for a delivery of a JCW GP. In anticipation of my new MINI I have been browsing these threads looking for ways to improve the performance of my much anticipated new car. One of the things that I've noticed is the common problem of a misaligned bypass valve. My question is if there is any detailed instructions on how to check if the bypass valve is completely closing and aligned correctly. Any "how to instructions" along with pictures if possible would be very helpful.
Thanks for your help!

[Loui]

Apparenlty they have been thread locking these to stop them been played with

[THE ITCH]

I had not heard of this. How are they thread locking it?

[Bilbo Baggins]

Before you go taking a wrench to anything I have a simple question. Do you really think that BMW/MINI has such low quality control that it can't purchase/make a bypass valve that is adjusted just as it was designed to be? If the engineers at BMW/MINI wanted the valve closed completely it would be.

[THE ITCH]

Their have been numerous posts on this subject of getting yo yo effects on throttle response and lack of power. Apparently one of the main causes has been a bypass valve which has not been adjusted properly. We all here reports of some cars being stronger than others when fitted with the same equiptment. I have been in manufacturing engineering most of my adult life and am fairly aware of tolerances in production. I'm just looking to correct any small leaks in power that i can find. Just like to tinker I quesss.

[roland2003]

Hi Guys,From the factory every MCS weve ever worked on has a leaking bypass valve. Every car will benefit from having it adjusted properly. Not only will you gain more power,but better economy too. On full throttle any loss of boost is bad news.
The power increase is probably around 5-8 bhp for most cars. The good news is anyone who has a GT Tuning conversion gets this valuable upgrade automatically at no extra cost.
I beleive in the UK we are the only tuner that include this.
Regards Roland GT Tuning

[Adrian_T]

And the question is...

Can we do this ourselves or do we need to visit Roland GT

And another thing - is this a modification that need declaring or is it just 'maintenance'?

Seems another FREE 5-8bhp is not to be sniffed at - seems better value than an induction kit.

Any ideas?

[Loui]

Quote: Originally Posted by THE ITCH

I had not heard of this. How are they thread locking it?

Its only what ive heard from one of my mates who has some GTT bits an he had to have his bypass valve replaced under warranty, afterwards he had lost power an MPG, he had a look at the valve being fairly handy an it was thread locked, i think roland sorted it out from what he said

[Cooper_si]

These pics may help...this is just one of the many valves we have done, this was actually fitted to my own MINI COOPER S...as you can see the first pic should be completely closed...its way to open


But then once its adjusted , this is what its meant to look like, just latley a few of the newest 05 MINIs seem to be coming through correctly like this.....


...and here is the adjustment grub screw. Mine was a Feb 2002 model which had thread lock.....easy adjustable though.

[THE ITCH]

The term you are using "thread locked" is that just a form of locktight or similiar thread adhesive.

[Loui]

Quote: Originally Posted by THE ITCH

The term you are using "thread locked" is that just a form of locktight or similiar thread adhesive.

From what ive been told it seems they have been using something like thread lock to stop these things being tampered with

[Cooper_si]

Quote: Originally Posted by Loui

From what ive been told it seems they have been using something like thread lock to stop these things being tampered with

...dont agree with this...as ive done many with good results loui

[Loui]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cooper_si

...dont agree with this...as ive done many with good results loui

only recently from what ive heard si older ones they didnt bother doing

[woodsy_bear]

How easy is this to do? And should it be completely closed?

[THE ITCH]

If someone could please help here who have done this check in the past. I assume that you have to remove the throttle body first and remember to replace the O-ring when reinstalling. Then I assume you can then remove the bpv to check it. This is only an assumtion on my part as i have not taken delivery of my mini yet. Anyone out there who can be a little more specific?