4 replies to this topic

[Blumeanie]

I have my mini up on stands at the moment.

 

Year 2000 MPI (which has gone largely unused due to multiple relocations). I have replaced the 25 year old (new) tires and done all the fluids and lubrication, .

In my inspection efforts, I've found that certain fasteners are really prone to rust. I've been replacing some of these as I go...

 

I have a need to move this mini some 200km next week. Concerning me are the following items:

 

The rubber Boots / Gaiters / Bellows to the CV joint look great. - But the boots on the steering rack are quite brittle. One side is already in two pieces.

 

It is unlikely I'll locate the proper boots in a few days... (There are no mini spares shops anywhere near me...)  Maybe I can wrap this in some plastic to keep dust out for now so that I can do the replacement after this move?

 

Could anyone provide a quick overview of the level of disassembly required to replace these? -Thanks!

 

 

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The other issue that caught my eye is that what looks to be the gear shift housing is moist with oil. I changed my oil and did go for a run after; 

 

After this run, I noticed that there was a bit of oil around my valve cover. I found the valve cover fasteners to be basically hand tight. I gave them a bit of a snug (- to slightly tighter than hand-tight only...).

 

There are no oil leaks really (the floor is clean...).

 

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Could this be splatter from spilled oil from the filter while changing the oil? (The rod linkages going to the transmission are completely dry... or from the oil coming from the valve cover? (I do not think so.).

 

I am not familiar with oil leaking from this location. I'll be grateful for some insight, as well as the impact of these two issues on my somewhat required drive...

Edited by Blumeanie, 13 December 2024 - 05:59 PM.

[colinf1]

You'd need to remove the track rod ends, to allow the new gaiter on. Remember to count the rotations when removing it to get it back in the same location.

 

Oil on the gearstick housing, maybe its from inside the housing, maybe grease breaking down inside the housing?

[Blumeanie]

Did a midnight search last night...

I'm feeling better about the boots / Gaiters / bellows. I managed to order a set of universal replacements that look to be similar in size - and most importantly, they will be available for pick up in the next day or two. I hope these fit. They seem to be proper rubber rather than plastic. So this is encouraging. 

The guy I spoke with said that these are good quality and materials. He mentioned he'd installed a set of these by pulling them over the track rod ends without removing them. It seems they are rubbery enough to not rip... I may give that a try. (I ordered two sets - just in case).

 

I see that some mini shops offer the exact ones I have currently (OEM). I do not want these. They have become extremely brittle with time.

I'm also down the rabbit hope with which GREASE to use in the rack... Every source I run into points in a different direction.

I am eager to hear from mini folks here. What have you used?

Also - any thoughts on the 'moistness' oil from the gear shift linkage (pictured above)? I do not recall hearing any maintenance requirements on this, but my mini is the only mini I've seen in years!

[Blumeanie]

You'd need to remove the track rod ends, to allow the new gaiter on. Remember to count the rotations when removing it to get it back in the same location.

 

Oil on the gearstick housing, maybe its from inside the housing, maybe grease breaking down inside the housing?

Thank you @Colinf1 - I have never worked on this 'rod change remote housing'.  - Looking at Haynes' it seems that I may be able to remove the bottom plate, renew the grease inside (certainly would not hurt to renew the grease...) and reassemble snugly to eliminate the seepage. It seems simple enough... but I am hoping for a bit of input in case I need to expect 100 springs to bounce out of it when I attempt disassembly...

I got my hands on some very BASIC plain grease without any fancy additives (caffeinated and full gluten) with the bonus that it is a grease-appropriate shade of yellow - no neon colors, glitter, or anything of that sort. Just plain GREASE in a white tub.

I will be using this grease on my steering rack (diluted very slightly with some oil), and I suppose I will use this on this housing as well...

[Blumeanie]

Update:

I should have named this thread "MPI Steering Rack Rubber Boots / Gaiters / Bellows replacement"... But I cannot seem to be able edit the thread name myself.  

 

[ADMINS - PLEASE Change if you are able to do so please!]

I took on this job and completed it in time for my planned trip - but then it turned out I did not have to move the mini - so good news there!

As I mentioned above, I purchased several sets of gaiters to evaluate for fit as I was not entirely happy with the material. I had a practical preference for the gaiters designed to slip over the track rod ends - for two main reasons:

a) Not one to take the lazy approach necessarily; but it is a good practical approach to the issue of the replacement. - Release the joint and slip them over the joint without touching the track rod ends.

b) This being the most relevant point; The material on these gaiters seemed to clearly be superior to anything else - rubbery and very pliable. They MUST be good material - since for purposes of the application, they have to be stretchy and able to recover.
Most importantly, the quality seemed MUCH better relative to the OEM gaiters which are quite plasticky and at least in my case turned brittle and cracked into powder when handled (Granted they were old!).

c) Also an important point; out of the ones I purchased, these gaiters provided the best fit with regard to overall length, and their ability to accommodate various opening diameters at both ends. They had a stepped design where the user can trim the material back to use the appropriately sized opening to match the need - and they provided the necessary length for mini applications. (There were a 'universal' fit type product after all.). Most of the other gaiters were too short, or the small (rod end) opening was way too large.

Our track rods are tiny - (10mm Diameter) and the rack ends are some 45-50mm Diameter (my measuring was not very accurate.) Apparently, there is a batch of minis in production that came from the factory with racks that had different diameters on the left vs right side... I did not have this type.

I disassembled the track rod ends and took off the old gaiter. I cleaned the ball joint on the rack and as far as I could on the rack - I had little evidence of contamination as the factory grease was clean ), but it is good to have refreshed lubricant in place. I then placed the small plastic cone that is intended to cover the track rod end over the bolt. - This cone is included with the product and is intended to protect the gaiter from tears from any sharp bits. The 10mm opening at the small matches the diameter of the track rods BUT it must accommodate slipping over the whole track trod end. (This struck me as being quite painful!).

To ease this process of a large object passing into a small opening, I, of course, sought the aid of some LUBE... AND while I was at this, I thought I may as well be prudent (for the full effect) and add some 'protection' as well!

- I put a plastic bag over the track rod end - and the cone and used lube liberally over the whole thing and inside the gaiter. - This also helped to keep things free of any potential contaminants.

The stretchy material performed like a champ and the gaiter was over the rod ends in no time at all! No tears and not even any evidence of deformation due to the impressive amount of stretch needed. The right side larger gaiter opening went onto the steering rack end with little effort. I added some grease to the steering rack after cleaning it, and added some gobs of grease to the gaiter itself. Once the gaiters were on, I added a pair of zip ties to hold them in place at each end.

The Left side (My mini is a LHD) was much more of a struggle. The work on this side was hindered by more restrictive access for my hands.  I did this side last and I ended up giving-up after about an hour of trying to squeeze my fingers in there to get the gaiter over the steering rack-end. It was getting late in the day and I was getting nowhere... the material kept slipping off as I started pushing it over the small lip on the rack end. It was difficult working with greasy fingertips. I was getting frustrated.

I was dreading resuming the effort the next day, but much to my surprise; the gaiter had already decided to be cooperative, and in no time at all, it was in place on at this day's very first attempt! (I believe that a bit of improved grip due to having clean hands was a key factor).

I reassembled everything and job done!

The gaiters accommodate the range of movement excellently. They showed no evidence of stress at extreme stretch or compression. So I am very happy with the outcome.

Attached Files

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•  Screenshot_20250101_122854_Gallery.jpg   36.1K   1 downloads
•  Screenshot_20250101_122804_Gallery.jpg   68.19K   1 downloads

Edited by Blumeanie, 06 February 2025 - 07:19 PM.