[Spacemonkey...]

Not really sure where to post this as quite a lot of this forum overlaps. A lot.... soooo...

Hi guys, finally bit the bullet and scratched the Mini itch.I'm a serial car buyer so it was inevitable eventually. My last Mini was an original type that we cut the roof off, the door section out and welded it back together so that you sat on the back seat to drive. I Mini shorty I believe they're called nowadays. Anyway, that was over 25yrs ago...

So, got a 2005 Cooper S Convertible in black with 92k in pretty good nick. Drives nice and lovely. Apart from those daft 18" rims ( Possibly newer JCW?? I can't ID them) and 205/40s which are not good for the 'roads' in South Wales so might have to look into 16/17s instead. The engine is my biggest issue. It goes lovely. Coming from my Audi TT Mk1 225 it is definitely slower but much better lower down. But a much nicer driving position and comfort- I'm 6'2" and all in the legs. More headroom for my son in the back but as the seat base is longer (and needs a booster which doesn't go well with the scooped out seat base- the rear of a TT is registered as a legal child seat and has a short seat base so their legs go down vertically to the floor whereas on the Mini they are more stretched out thus needing the front seat further forward) but less boot space. Win some lose some. But I've got plenty of other cars for 'other' roles including a Super V8 Jag XJ.

Anyway, back to the engine. The MOT history shows an oil leak mentioned as advisory for the last few years and the previous owners where too lazy/stingy to get it cleaned and fix it. Reg is LV05LXW, feel free to look it up on MOT history. Not sure where its coming from so I will clean it all up after I've changed the driveshafts next week as they've both split the boots and flung their guts everywhere, which doesn't help... Looks like rocker gasket for definite, and I'll try and do the oil cooler as well.

So, the problem is this. Starts fine, drives lovely and smooth. No prob. After a half hour run or so just after I bought it, not ragging it just doing 2krpm or so cruising about, the oil light cam on orange when I stopped at lights. Go up 100rpm or so and it went out. Next lights it was red and I'm panicking now, but engine stil idling and running smooth with no noises. Coincidently, this was at that 'orrible roundabout in Cowley just outside the Mini plant- I think it was homesick... Next lights and it was still red but now the idle was faltering and trying to stall, I gave it a bit of revs and it was still fine and smooth and drove carefully into work nearby. Once it had sat a while I checked the oil but wasn't sure as oil was so clean and dipstick not the easiset to read. Added 500ml of 5/40 fully synth and left it. 3hrs later when I finished work it rattled for a split second on startup. But was fine after. Drove it 45mins to gf parent's house and was fine all the way. After an hour we drove back along the M4 home to Newport doing 70 al the way on cruise. All was well. Next morning, starts and runs fine. Finished work at 6 and slight rattle on start again. Apart from that it was fine. Checking oil and still at top of wider orange bit of dipstick I think. No excess leaking of oil that I can tell. Doesn't drip anywhere. Coolant fine too. No smell of petrol in the oil either. GF said she could see black/grey smoke coming out the exhaust on the way home, but she's not mechanically minded so wasn't able to say if it was constant or under welly. Constant ish she thinks, but I couldn't see anything in the headlights behind. Tail pipes quite sooty though and a ridge of black carbon on the bottom edge of the tips. Drove to work in Oxford again the next day and all was good. Friday was local and all good. Maybe a good run had cleared it? Anyway, drove a sedate ish run across tiny country lanes to Cwmbran (half an hour) and the oil light comes on red again as soon as we come to a stop in Cwmbran and the engine idle falters and wants to die but after 3s or so it levels out OK but still red light. Checked car and everything seems OK under the bonnet. Half an hour in Halfords later and the car starts and runs fine and hasn't done it again.

AFAIK the car is standard in the engine apart from a RAMAIR cone filter (ugh..) and heatshield around it. I use OBD Fusion app ( does more than my Torque Pro) and the intake temps do rise from 27c normal to about 57c in traffic when stop start or idling at lights. I'm not sure what oil is in there but it does look clean. I'll be changing that out today. I also put some fuel injector cleaner in yesterday and have a better injector cleaner coming to go in the next but one tank. I'm going to examine the plugs today as well. The oil pressure sensor looks very clean, possibly new, but I have a new one as that was my first thought- dirty connection or knurdled sensor, but the faltering idle and new look of the sensor steers to something more sinister. And add in the black smoke.


Any thoughts? Oil pump? Pressure relief valve in oil filter housing? PLugs? INjectors? O2 sensor? I love this car already so need to sort it asap.


If the injectors are shafted can I fit 380cc ones without a map and it'd run well ? Can I fit 550cc and get it mapped to suit a standard tune for it to run well asap? I plan to do the pulley, intercooler and cat back exhaust later on as I just can't help myself...).

 

[ExclusiveWorkshops]

oil pressure check is the way forward

I wouldn't put 380's in without a custom map

fix the leaks

 

[Spacemonkey...]

Thanks, trouble is getting a garage around here that can actually do anything within 2 weeks...

 

[Spacemonkey...]

So an update. Digging about online suggests the oil light at idle only is most likely a fault in the oil filter housing- either wrong or badly fitted filter or the pressure relief valve broken. Changed the filter last night and filled up with 5/40 along with a new oil pressure switch. Nothing wrong in the oil filter area, and no change. Took plugs out and they're a twin electrode Bosch R6 BFR7LDC+ RUSSIA stamped on it. Number 1 has a few white flaked looking deposits and they all have soot on the ring but the rest is clean. Have ordered standard spec NGK 3199 BKR6EQUP Platinum Spark Plugs just to rule them out. I've ran a tank worth of Wynns IIRC injector cleaner through on E5 petrol, but no difference. BG 44k PLATINUM injector cleaner will go in next tank as just filled up from empty to flush through first. My garage suggests doing a flush with Forte's stuff as could be gunk on the pickup/pump. I'll ask about taking the sump off and having a look as unlikely to be the pump I'd have thought. I've also got a chain tensioner on the way.

Aircon was regassed but still not amazing tbh compared to my Volvo C70 and Xtrail. Both driveshafts replaced so can now go ahead and degrease off the engine etc next week sometime as tripping in to London to get a 140 year old Victorian dress restored and Hyper Japan has become this weekend's priority I'm reliably informed..



Not 100% convinced about this Ramair filter and shield malarky. Surely that is going to drag in hot air in traffic whcih is when my problems start? Is the standard airbox. maybe with foam flat filter, all that bad? It doesn't even make much noise tbh... neither does the exhaust...

 

[SKMayersActs2:38]

Great thread. I just picked up an 05 convertible with 106k miles myself and am in the process of blacking out the shiny bits and working through the lack of proper care from the previous owner of the car. It's mechanically sound and fairly clean just needs some refining and convertible top issues sorted out. Although I don't particularly like chrome your black 05 looks very classy and sharp with it. Happy motoring to ya!

 

[Spacemonkey...]

Cheers matey! I'm loving the car so far!

So another update...

Changed the plugs to the NGK 3199 BKR6EQUP and they cured the red oil light. I noticed that the light comes on when the revs are dropping at idle. New plugs and no idle drop, so No oil light. Was simply low pressure due to low idle. It stioll tries to die at adle every now and then but it cures itself within a few seconds. This appears to be normal and linked to the carbon canister in the tank breather emmitting fuel vapour into the manifold during idle, made worse by trying to fill the tank too high and hot weather. So I'm living with that. Garage levelled the oil when he changed the driveshafts and oil pressure switch. Just got a new bottle of Shell Helix HX8 ECT in 5/40 so that'll go in soon, along with the chain tensioner. So far so good! Only trouble I've had is that a couple of times the roof hasn't moved when trying to lower or raise. It does after a few secs so I'm watching it for patterns in what I do when it doesn't cooperate. Need to replace the gear knob though and first car I need to get a windblocker because it's so windy it doesn't keep the heat in when the heater is on. A cushion between the seats (above the handbrake) makes a great arm rest and partial windblocker for now. But I'll make something like the Mk1 SLK where the mesh goes on the roll hoops for when littlun is in the back. He's autistic and doesn't like wind in his face. He's fine in the front though. Also I've ordered a new standard airbox and filter as I don't like the heatsoak in the Ramair filter nor the throttle lag due to not being in a box.



Also, am I blind or stupid- or is there actually no water temp guage anywhere if you have the nav/computer fitted?

 

[NigelStap]

You are correct. No water temp gauge.

 

[Spacemonkey...]

Well that's dumb... so no idea when they engine has warmed up? No way of knowing if the thermostat is functioning properly? On a performance engine? Dumb as...


And over the last few days, the roof is playing up slightly. Every now and then, the cycle will pause before dropping or raising the roof. The sunroof bit works perfect, but then the next stage can sometimes have a 5 second delay and the same can happen when I'm trying to raise it from fully dropped.

 

[mike1967]

had one a while ago oil light on idle turned out was cylinder head and camshaft wear and vanos rings had worn away the head and camshaft surfaces as it had the older style metal rings,, new ones are made of nylon plastic with no gap stretch fit, i pull them on after a hot water soak and lag with oil

 

[NigelStap]

Well that's dumb... so no idea when they engine has warmed up? No way of knowing if the thermostat is functioning properly? On a performance engine? Dumb as...

The temperature gauge when fitted is cente weighted so you don't see every fluctuation such as the thermostat opening or when you sit in traffic. This stops people getting alarmed as they don't expect that amount of change. The only car I have ever had that had a true reading temperature gauge was my Alfa 156. The amount it moved around was surprising.

You can fit an OBD2 reader such as an Ultrgauge to get a true reading of your coolant temperature, as well as other metrics. I have one.

 

[Spacemonkey...]

That's what I do at the mo to keep an eye on things- using OBD Fusion and a VeePeak but as I stream onto the stereo and use maps, it's not ideal.


Update, so I fitted a flat panel K&N filter and original airbox lid. The Ramair filter kept coming loose from the original intake pipe so that wasn't ideal and I don't like the lag you get without an airbox, nor the intake temps in slow traffic. So It had to go. At first it felt really sluggish, but on the way back from dodging all the street pissheads in Cardiff, it felt far perkier. Got home and took for a rag to the local shop through all the new 20mph MAIN roads (thanks, Welsh 'Government') and sounds and feels good. However... have noticed that there is coolant under the engine and the expansion tank was almost empty. Shite.... Rad looks clean and dry and so I'm guessing it's soemthign to do with the water pump. I'd topped up the coolant before going to Cardiff and still seems fine but I'll keep a very close eye on it.


Anyone know a good Mini specialist near Newport that can do supercharger service, pulley, belts, tensioner, waterpump etc all in one hit?

 

[Mad Axeman]

That original Mini that you had, it wasn't painted green was it? From around the Blackwood area?

 

[Spacemonkey...]

Na, was red and in the Bournemouth area.

 

[Mad Axeman]

Obviously not the one I know of then 😄
BTW, you have my sympathy regarding Newport 🤣

 

[Spacemonkey...]

You knows it...., but Christ - I thought Basingstoke, Swindon, Penge and Highbury were bad, but Pill even beats Boscombe on a bad day! Luckily I've moved out to the posher parts. It was my sheep-bothering ancestry that dragged me over here in the first place!

 

[Mad Axeman]

There are worse areas of Newport. Luckily I only ever pass through on the M4. I'm stuck up at the start of the vallies, Pontypridd. As for the sheep, you are lucky. I think it's more interbreeding up here.
BTW, welcome to the 'other site' too 😀

 

[Spacemonkey...]

Sooo... replaced the rear brake discs and pads as sensor was triggered. In the process I forgot to 'mount' the pads on the pistons using the springs on the back of the pads (EBC Redstuff).

Is it essential?? All works fine so far...

 

[mike1967]

Sooo... replaced the rear brake discs and pads as sensor was triggered. In the process I forgot to 'mount' the pads on the pistons using the springs on the back of the pads (EBC Redstuff).

Is it essential?? All works fine so far...

I had a car off a customer once and brake pedal went all like it had air in there, turned out was how he fitted the pads on rears ie did not slide pad on to the spring holders ,, they spent a couple of days then replacing brake fluid and master cylinder even abs pump , before giving in and giving it to us at work , 2 minutes with a torch and found rear pads on top of the location springs,, the joys of it lol , working on the trade we get stuff come on that new designed and different and its so easy to miss a tiny detail with them ,

 

[Spacemonkey...]

Thankfully it feels good and firm pedal so hopefully it's seated itself, but I'll do it properly asap to be on the safe side.

 

[Spacemonkey...]

So, the DVD satnav always said it needs a disc and nothing ejected. So bought a supposed genuine 2019 HIGH disc and it does indead appear very genuine, but once inserted the computer still says 'insert disc blah blah blah' even after waiting 1 minute.

So... is anyone local to Newport Wales or Oxford or along the M4 that has a working nav so that I can either check my disc in their drive, or their disc in my drive and so on. I know I don't really use it but I kind of want it working for minimal cost just because it messes with my head otherwise.