[big jim]

Normal service is resumed



bloody pipe has blown out again, I’m at my caravan in Cumbria this time though, I think I can get it bled with my eldest lad helping!

had a good run up here 160 odd miles including stuck in traffic in the motorway for over an hour with the clutch being pressed hundreds of times and a good blast down the B roads to the caravan changing up and down without issue, get in it to park outside the van and pop!

I’ve got no decent tools with me (or spare fluid) so I’ll have to take my wife’s car into town tomorrow and buy me a 12mm spanner (the One adjustable I have with me rounded the edge of the bleed nipple so I didn’t bother trying any more) then I’ll have to hope me and my eldest lad can bleed it.

I very nearly this morning put a cable tie round the pipe and slave cylinder to make it extra secure knowing I had a long journey but thought I’d be alright, glad it happened now and not on the M6

 

[big jim]

duplicate post

 

[Maccmike]

Bad luck Jim

 

[pipsyp]

What a sod Jim, hope you get it all sorted mate and having a nice time away otherwise

 

[Fro-dizzle]

Was about to say great progress until I got to this page, sorry to hear it’s blown off again Jim. Any ideas why it could keep happening? Could the garage have damaged it slightly so it won’t secure properly?

 

[big jim]

I think it’s most likely the plastic pipe is damaged or worn, I’ve put a couple of cable ties round it clamping it down to the slave cylinder

Spent far too much time trying to bleed it with the help of my son on the pedal and carsorbikes over the phone, ended up going to Halfords this afternoon and buying an ez bleed kit and got the job done in 5 minutes! Should have done that yesterday really but it’s an almost 50 mile round trip to the nearest Halfords in Workington which I wanted to avoid!

Been out for a drive in it and it seems to be ok, I however have left the clutch pedal pinned down over night with the reservoir cap off to free the system of any more air bubbles




Will see how it feels in the morning

 

[big jim]

Well it got me back from the caravan this afternoon, did good on the motorway then after 100 or so miles it wouldn’t go from 6th to 5th, I got it all the way to the final slip road before home and while at the lights I pumped the pedal continually which seemed to build up pressure and it went into all gears easier but still not perfect

Then called in at The garage who fitted the slave cylinder who then bled it for me again and a few more big bubbles of air came out so I’m hoping that the system is sorted now, will have another try tomorrow

 

[big jim]

ive had a couple of weeks of no major issues with the car, been getting black smoke when i put my foot hard down for the first time on a journey and i had a backfire pop and white smoke the other day but i suspect the loose catalytic convertor innards may have something to do with that as its extra rattly now!

ive left the car up in carlisle for a couple of weeks while im annual leave and plan to get the work done on it when i get back the end of next week, first job is the manifold, then if i can get it to sean for the couple of seals and bottom end bearings (or whatever they are called)

the one thing i have been looking at is the induction kit, its currently running a k&n typhoon, (another cheap ebay special) but ive been wondering just how effective it is and whether to adapt it to a ‘Dave f‘ airbox setup?

the biggest issue with the typhoon is the inlet pipe is metal so it gets hot thus forcing hot air into the engine, the filer itself is housed directly on the end of that inlet pipe in the original airbox location which has the lid removed and a metal heat shield added to the manifold side of the old airbox, im wondering whether to change the inlet pipe for the original oem part and mount the filter inside the closed airbox as per the various hobo mods, or even to get some money back sell the typhoon as is (it should still make decent money) and do the dave F mod with say a pipercross foam filter, anyone speak from experience about how the dave f mod compares to an induction kit set up, cooler intake temperature? louder supercharger whine etc?

 

[KeithyCoop]

Went from the Ramair intake to my own DaveF box and prefer the latter. also fitted a silicon hose from the airbox to the throttle body....total pain to be honest, harder than modifying the airbox.

 

[NigelStap]

Those silicone pipes often need a little (less than 10mm) trim to get them to fit properly.

When trimming a silicone pipe use a jubilee clip as a guide and a very sharp knife to cut.

Smartens up an engine bay.

 

[CarsOrBikes]

never been a fan of those things😂

am a fan of the stock type airbox, maybe a bit less noise, but I like that, along with better intake air insulation I'm sure they help with.

I used a simple drop in K&N element in the stock box before getting the JCW intake kit, that was in to 209whp, and after it was 216whp, not due to the intake so much but something else that was done. So my view is the stock airbox isn't quite the restriction people might make out, it's just quieter, with a small rear intake compared to others.

 

[big jim]

Thanks for the replies, I will most likely try a Dave f box Mod when I get back from hols next week

Sound wise I’m not bothered as the K&N typhoon on the car at the moment makes no Noticeable noise compared to the original air box and to the 57i I have on the R52 Which absolutely roars when you put your foot down

Just recently I’ve had the bonnet up a lot on the R52 what with it playing up on a daily basis and I’ve noticed how hot the inlet pipe has been getting which is what is spurring me on to try the standard air box mod To get that bit cooler air into the engine (after everything else is sorted on the car)

 

[NigelStap]

If you don't have the original airbox they are cheap as chips on fleabay.

 

[big jim]

Got an original top here, the bottom is still on the car

 

[big jim]

Got back to the cars after 2-3 weeks of not using them, the red one fired up first time but the blue one was flat as a witches tit, absolutely no life in it at all despite a brand new battery in March!

Ended up getting a jump start from a transit van courtesy of europcar, eventually fired up after about 5 mins charge but I’m going to monitor how it performs over the next couple of days, I’ve got a 160 mile drive in it Later so hopefully that should give it a good charge



i mention europcar as I’d hired a car from them in Inverness on Monday and was given a decent Ford Fiesta, we covered about 600 miles in it in 4 days and it didn’t miss a beat, as for the mini, I’ve just driven it form Carlisle to Silloth, about 20 miles and I realise just how basic and rough it is, also the fiesta managed a respectable 45mpg

Seriously considering selling up one or the other minis now

 

[Maccmike]

I reckon if you drove a Fiesta ST (180bhp) youd sell both Minis.
To those that that hurts - please accept my apologies.

 

[NigelStap]

We all know that modern cars are quicker, more refined and cheaper to run than our Minis.

The Fiesta ST180 is one of the best small hot hatches ever made. A bone fide classic in the making.

 

[Maccmike]

Its a shame they are so easily stolen.

 

[big jim]

I had the ST line one as a hire car, a looks only ST180 and that was rapid enough

I’m glad I hired a car for the week long trip down from Inverness to cumbria, I wouldn’t have trusted the mini to actually make the 600 mile we covered without some sort of problem

 

[big jim]

Well we got back from cumbria in our mini mini convoy, the blue car really isn’t well at the moment, had another puff of white smoke moment after coming down shap, put my foot hard down after a couple of miles of only just open throttle down the hill and out came the cloud, Seemed to clear its throat after that for a short while and couldn’t replicate it again though! (Still running through knackered cat though)

When I put my foot hard down it’s as if it’s not quite firing right, it feels down on power, it’s not misfiring as such but the acceleration doesn’t feel smooth, a bit hard to describe, almost as if it’s ‘pulsing’ or The power is being held back for a split second every so often, wonder if the plugs are dirty?

Other than that a good drive back (just short of 39mpg in the S and 43 in the convertible) but I really need to park the S up (with the battery disconnected) until I can afford to get it looked at by Sean as I can’t see running round with the knackered cat is doing it any good

As for the red car, as I say I was thinking of selling it but following it and it following me along the motorway I realise just how good it looks With the alloys on and stripes etc and how smooth and quiet it runs so now I don’t want to sell it, even thinking about actually giving it a bit of bodywork TLC at some point