767 replies to this topic

[Sleeping Park Lane]

I've sat and read through all 40 pages of this thread today (only advantage of being off work after an operation), and had to leave a comment to say what an awesome Mini you've made.

Hope she behaves herself in France after the fun and games the first time you took her there.

[Chris1992]

Keeps getting better 

 

 

Thats looking great

 

 

If you're in france why not drive the 300 miles to germany and come visit?

 

Stunning. I have to leave a cup by my laptop now to collect my drool after looking at your beast.

 

 

I have just spent the last 2 hours with many brews reading through this
I absolutely love what you have achieved and I sort of want to do something similar to this with my 2nd mini, which is in need of a full resto.  

I can't wait to see this thing in person at a few shows this year hopefully, and maybe shake your hand for doing a bloody good job. 

 

I look forward to that day! Do come and say hi if you ever spot me! 

 

I love your mini, mostly the way it sits.. I'm constantly looking at the pics, over and over again .. The oil cooler is that small detail that makes all the difference!

Congrats!

 

 

Stop making me want another mini. The oil cooler looks great, I always wanted to do this but a functioning one for my mini. Keep up the good work and good luck in France. 

 

Do it! Return to the dark side!! Thanks mate haha

 

I've sat and read through all 40 pages of this thread today (only advantage of being off work after an operation), and had to leave a comment to say what an awesome Mini you've made.

Hope she behaves herself in France after the fun and games the first time you took her there.

 

It's a privilege to hear that I'm making your recovery a little more bearable  Thanks!

 

Thanks for all the positive comments guys! It really means a lot, and it's encouraging to hear them after my attempt at getting this thing to Le Mans turned into an absolute train wreck...

 

I set off at 6am, and for a while everything was going smoothly. I got past the M25 and onto the M20 towards Dover with no issues, but that didn't last.... I suddenly noticed smoke coming from the dash, so quickly got onto the hard shoulder where it immediately cut out. Got the bonnet open and it was steaming from the oil cap, all the breathers, the radiator, etc. Waited until it had cooled enough to get the rad cap off and found fluid levels were still as high as they should be. Confused, we let it cool and then tried to carry on carefully. I only got about 5 miles before it happened again, but this time it was much, much worse... The engine began to sound like a bag of spanners, clattering away and the slightest bit of effort. the clattering got worse and I could actually hear irregular banging and clanking over the clattering, so it was over to the shoulder again where like last time it billowed steam from everywhere. I can't be sure what has happened, but I can only speculate that the oil pump failed and starved the engine of oil, causing it to initially generate more friction and get too hot, before beginning to simply eat itself. I imaging the crank, big end bearings, cam, bores, etc are all toast.... So, with that I decided to throw in the towel, and for the first time in my life I had to subscribe to breakdown cover to get them to come and retrieve my heap from the M20.

 

 

 

 

So yeah, not a great start to the trip. But did I let it stop me? Of course not!!! Le Mans is the highlight of my year, so I wasn't about to give up. We got the car home, unpacked, booked new ferry times for later in the afternoon, and them crammed everything into my Dad's twin turbo Toyota Supra which is an absolute beast. when we got to France, we hauled ass and managed to get to the campsite by 2am, ready to get stuck in Friday morning.  It was an absolutely phenomenal weekend (as it always is), so hopefully I can get a replacement engine sorted in time for next year!!  

[NZMini1275]

Damn what a let down after all your hard work. At least you made it to Le Mans.

[Zach P-D]

On the plus side, at least it broke down on home soil and not at Le Mans 

[Danny24]

Hope you get it sorted, one of my favourite minis on here so such a shame to see 
 

[Northernpower]

That's a real bummer. I hope there are some salvageable parts and it's not too bad.

[RaulSims]

Sad to read this, hope you can fix it. If i may ask, didn´t you noticed pressure drop on the oil pressure gauge?

[Chris1992]

Damn what a let down after all your hard work. At least you made it to Le Mans.

 

 

Yeah very glad it didn't compromise the trip too much! 

 

On the plus side, at least it broke down on home soil and not at Le Mans 

 

That's very true! It would have been an absolute nightmare if it had happened on the other side of the channel!! 

 

Hope you get it sorted, one of my favourite minis on here so such a shame to see 
 

 

Thanks mate, I'm working on it! 

 

That's a real bummer. I hope there are some salvageable parts and it's not too bad.

 

Thanks, yeah i plan to strip this engine to see what can be saved.

 

Sad to read this, hope you can fix it. If i may ask, didn´t you noticed pressure drop on the oil pressure gauge?

 

Thanks mate, that's the interesting part actually... Ever since I got it on the road, my oil gauge has read zero. When I took it to the first garage that looked at it, they told me that they bypassed the gauge and checked the pressure using some fancy gizmo they have and that it seemed to be fine. I therefore assumed the gauge wasn't working and put it on my list of things to fix. I now suspect that either the garage lied to me, or the oil pump was on the blink and happened to be working at the time they checked, then gave up completely after setting off for France. 

[Will16]

Its such a shame man, was looking hella fine too! Just a thought, if you wanted to get her going again what about using the 1275 head on the 998? That maybe a stupid idea idk I'm out of touch with a series 

[Chris1992]

Its such a shame man, was looking hella fine too! Just a thought, if you wanted to get her going again what about using the 1275 head on the 998? That maybe a stupid idea idk I'm out of touch with a series 

 

Not a bad plan haha, but the block need pocketing to take the 1275 head. I'm still weighing up my options at the moment lol. Will probably put up a wanted ad to see what everyones got on here. 

[Yams]

Glad you still had a good time matte. Oil pump is a good shout but similar problems can be caused by a busted fuel pump also.

Edited by Yams, 20 June 2017 - 09:34 PM.

[timmy850]

Hopefully it's not something too drastic, might be a head gasket, broken pushrod/valve/rocker etc

 

Driving a mini without a working oil pressure gauge can be risky !

[RaulSims]

 

Sad to read this, hope you can fix it. If i may ask, didn´t you noticed pressure drop on the oil pressure gauge?

 

Thanks mate, that's the interesting part actually... Ever since I got it on the road, my oil gauge has read zero. When I took it to the first garage that looked at it, they told me that they bypassed the gauge and checked the pressure using some fancy gizmo they have and that it seemed to be fine. I therefore assumed the gauge wasn't working and put it on my list of things to fix. I now suspect that either the garage lied to me, or the oil pump was on the blink and happened to be working at the time they checked, then gave up completely after setting off for France. 

 

Well, if that was the case you should stop by the garage to tell the story, just to feel the way they react. But if the liquid's levels were on point (water and oil) it is almost certain that it was a case of lack of lubrication (oil pump failure). Hope you can find a way to fix it, have you already opened the engine to see the damage?

 

[Chris1992]

 

Well, if that was the case you should stop by the garage to tell the story, just to feel the way they react. But if the liquid's levels were on point (water and oil) it is almost certain that it was a case of lack of lubrication (oil pump failure). Hope you can find a way to fix it, have you already opened the engine to see the damage?

 

 

 

I've managed to make a bit of progress today, began stripping the bay and removed the starter motor, distributor, alternator, and coil, along with a bunch of the wiring. Disconnected the fuel lines, heater hoses, and also drained all the fluids. I have yet to see the inside of the engine, but the sump plug gave me a clue as to what I might find... There were a LOT of metal filings on the magnet, along with some big nasty shards!! It's safe to say that something has gone very wrong in there! 

[RaulSims]

 

 

Well, if that was the case you should stop by the garage to tell the story, just to feel the way they react. But if the liquid's levels were on point (water and oil) it is almost certain that it was a case of lack of lubrication (oil pump failure). Hope you can find a way to fix it, have you already opened the engine to see the damage?

 

 

 

I've managed to make a bit of progress today, began stripping the bay and removed the starter motor, distributor, alternator, and coil, along with a bunch of the wiring. Disconnected the fuel lines, heater hoses, and also drained all the fluids. I have yet to see the inside of the engine, but the sump plug gave me a clue as to what I might find... There were a LOT of metal filings on the magnet, along with some big nasty shards!! It's safe to say that something has gone very wrong in there! 

 

Well, i think that it is safe to say that something went very wrong. If there's metal in the oil, some moving parts are missing material. Does the engine turn freely?Check the state of the oil pump, it should be good for the garbage bin. Good luck!