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Alta Silicone IC Couplers DIY
We seem to go through a lot of rubber intercooler boots. Not sure if it’s a function of higher temperatures from heavy track use, or just normal for a boosted car with a top mounted intercooler. So this time we decided to try to replace them with Silicone boots from Alta which are about a quarter of the cost of stock rubber boots.
The silicone boots are usually sold to people who want to dress up their engine. Given the rat-rod nature of this car, that really isn’t a consideration. We’re looking for function over form. Do they last longer than stock? We know installation has a reputation to be much more difficult than the stock ones, but is it worth it? Let’s find out.
My first thought when I opened the box, was, “I could make these….” You just need two pieces of silicone hose cut to 1-5/8 inches wide (40mm), one with an inner diameter of 3.25 inches (80mm) and the other 4.25 (100mm) inches. Now to figure out how to cut them cleanly to size…. (That’s probably why it’s worth just buying them.)
Do the research. You can’t just slide these on like the rubber ones. According to the wisdom of the internet, the preferred method is three-fold: Warm them up to make them more pliable; install them on the intercooler first, using a bent awl to (carefully) pull them on to the horns; and lastly, swear profusely. The process will suck — just embrace the suck. Surprisingly, this was not our experience.
We simmered them for about 10 minutes until they were about 200 degrees F (93 C), dried them off and they slipped right on to the intercooler. We pressed the smaller end on to the horns first, then wrangled the larger end on, using the awl to ensure it wasn’t caught on the edges. All-in-all it was no more difficult than installing new rubber boots in the past.
The bent awl made it easier, but probably wasn’t required. The top tip we discovered: read (and follow) the instructions. Next would be to check the edges of your brackets before tightening them. The stock brackets are reused with the silicone couplers. One half slides into the other and the receiving end has a cut-out on the side to receive the upper half. The edge of that cut-out may be sharp and will cut into the outer surface of the couplers, creating a weak-point that may eventually leak. Also, when you install the stock brackets, be sure to push them out to the edge of the couplers to avoid leaks.
Racing Mirror and Restoring Remote
If you’ve spent any time in a first generation mirror, you probably have several complaints about the interior rear view mirror because it: a). Is too small; b). Sits too low relative to the windshield and blocks part of your field of view to the right; c). Has that honking large knob on the bottom of it; d). Shakes; or e). All of the above.
Since we don’t really drive the car on the street anymore — except to and from the track — we decided to try to install a racing mirror and see how many of those problems we could solve. And in the process, we created another problem: We killed the remote. Remote door locks aren’t required on a trackcar, but as long as you have the lock actuators, they are a nice feature to still have. You won’t miss the feature until the fifth time you had to climb into the car to unlock the doors manually to open the rear hatch.
Since the circuit board for the remote receiver is located inside of the mirror housing, we thought we’d try to see if we could remove and relocate it without destroying the mirror. The process we used is also helpful if you need to replace the actual mirror glass or just want to try to get inside the housing and stop if from rattling around.
The stock mirror is designed to detach upon impact, so it clamps to this bracket which is bolted to the chassis. To remove the mirror, first disconnect the battery and wait for the electronics to discharge (15 min or so, have a beer or a coffee as appropriate.) This car had the manual “dippable” mirror which has a simple two-piece housing. Use your pry tool to separate the two halves, and unplug the electrical connector in the back. Now you can twist the mirror free of the bracket.
To get to the inside of the housing, carefully pry along the entire upper length of the mirror, taking care not to scratch the plastic. Once you have several inches free, you can use your finger nail to get the rest to release. Be patient and do not use too much pressure. It will release when enough of the clips are free.
Once you’ve removed the mirror glass, you’ll the circuit board that’s attached to the bottom of the dipping mechanism. To free the circuit board, first remove the four screws holding the dipping mechanism to the back half of the mirror housing. Now flip the mirror over so the front is face down.
Gently pull up to release the ball from the socket. Do not pull too hard as the circuit board is still attached. Now you can flip it back, and you will be able to remove the two screws holding the circuit board to the bottom of the dipping mechanism. Unplug the white socket connector and push it back through the mirror housing and the ball socket to free it.
We previously relocated the wiring to the mirror to behind the A pillar trim where the airbag used to be located. This is where we plan to reconnect it.
Attach the circuit board to the connector and reconnect the battery. Put your key in the ignition and turn it to position 1 and then off again to reset your remote. Remove the key from the ignition and test the lock function on the remote. If all works fine, wrap the board and connector in electrical tape and stow it away some place safe. We will eventually relocate it to under the dash, but for now, it’s working fine behind the A pillar trim.
Having previously removed the exterior mirrors to replace the mirror caps, we weren’t expecting the mirror to be made of glass. Given the way it rattles around, we had always assumed it was a plastic mirror sandwiched behind glass or plastic which is how the dipping function worked. It turns out it’s just a piece of wedge shaped mirror glass. It’s the shape of the wedge that gives it the ability to dip at night. It’s a good day when you learn something new.
Your Belt Tensioner Will Fail
With the R53 MINI, it’s not a question of if, but when the belt tensioner will fail. If you are lucky, it just doesn’t provide enough tension on the belt; the belt slips, and you get a code telling you something is wrong. If you aren’t lucky, the damper machines into the crank pulley (see this post ). (In the photo below, the tensioner damper failed and rotated into the crank pulley, machining off parts of the crank pulley in the 30 seconds it took to pull off the highway to check.)
You should regularly check the health of your belt anyway and replace it every 30,000 miles or two years (more often if you track your vehicle). A stretched belt is relatively easy to spot. Just observe where the spring retaining clip passes through the tensioner body. There should be at least half of a circle visible. If not, then it’s time to change the belt. (See inset in the photo below.)
Tensioners fail when the belt breaks, causing the retaining clip to fail or when the bushings on the damper get worn and the damper fails. Unfortunately, the condition of the tensioner itself is hard to observe. Once you lock the tension on the spring, try to feel for lateral movement in the damper. You might be able to see the front side of the bushings if you look carefully from above the motor mount.
You should consider replacing your tensioner every 60,000 miles or 4 years. And if you’re replacing the tensioner anyway, consider upgrading the bushings and adding a tensioner stop at the same time, since they’re both much easier to do before you install the tensioner on the engine.
Start with a new stock tensioner and remove the two 13mm bolts that hold the damper. Check that the damper is functioning by compressing and extending it. There should be resistance, but smooth movement. Remove the two stock rubber bushings by gently pressing them out of the damper ends.
Install the Powerflex Poly bushings using the supplied silicone grease.
Since the Powerflex bushing ends are slightly larger than the stock bushings, press the Alta Tensioner stop over the end of the damper before installing the damper on the tensioner. And check for fit. You want to ensure the open end of the tensioner stop can move freely on the end of the damper. Be sure to also use the rubber piece on the arm to reduce vibration noise. Tighten the bolts but do not over-tighten.
Now you’re ready to replace the tensioner in your car. Be sure to replace the belt at the same time. Pelican Parts has a great DIY write-up if you haven’t done it before. Give yourself more than 2 hours and even though the engine has been raised, it is still a terrible place to try to wrench. Patience and gloves will spare you busted knuckles. Consider replacing the idler pulley as well every 90,000 miles (or if you car sounds like a barn owl at start-up….)
Wilwood Rear PBC Caliper for MINI
A couple of weeks ago we installed the Wilwood Rear Combination Parking Brake (CPB) calipers and rotors on the MINI, but didn’t have the required cables to finish the job. We finally got the special order cables and thought we’d post a few photos for anyone considering this project. First some background.
We upgraded the front calipers two years ago which immediately solved the overheating problems we were having with the stock calipers on long track sessions. We continued to have problems with high wear-rates on the rear calipers. This has been a recurring problem with this car, so we decided to swap out the calipers and rotors.
The installation of the rotors and calipers themselves is very straight forward following the instructions is provided by Wilwood. Just be sure to shim properly. Buried in the instructions is a short note that you cannot reuse the stock parking brake cables. We missed that and had to special order the cables which set us back a week or so. Having completed the installation, I’m not sure why Wilwood insists on replacing the cables rather than flipping the calipers to pull down and providing adapters, but it’s probably easier for them to just replace rather than having to come up with adapters for each application. So won’t the stock cables fit?
The first reason is that the Wilwood calipers are designed to pull up on the parking brake mechanism, whereas the stock MINI cables pull down. The routing of the stock cables is wrong for this. The second is related: since Wilwood routes the cable up and over the rear control arms, they have to provide enough slack for design variations, so the cable is longer.
Installation is not difficult, but does require drilling. The stock cable fits through a hole that is 0.5 inches in diameter. This has to be drilled out to 0.53 inches. Who has a 0.53 drill bit? 17/32 inch is close enough. So here are some tips for installation which help round out the instructions provided by Wilwood. See the DIY post on cable replacement we wrote last year for general procedures.
With the parking brake cable loose at the caliper, push some of the slack back into the housing. This makes it easier to release it from the mechanism at the parking brake handle. Then push the cable back into the housing. Take a 7/16 inch socket and push it over the end of the cable to release it from the catch. You may have to strike it with a rubber mallet to get it to release but it will release if the socket is straight.
With the heat shield removed under the back half of the tunnel, you can easily pull the cable free from the retaining catches and pull the cable out. It won’t slide through the bracket so you will have to remove and cut the brackets as in the instructions. You should have enough room above the exhaust pipe to get to the holes to drill them out. Don’t worry if the bit isn’t perfectly straight. The catch on the new cables is fairly forgiving.
The new cable is going to pass very closely to the wheel carrier. To protect it from rubbing, we cut off the protective rubber sheathing from the old cable and reused it. The bend is a little tighter than is probably recommended. We also didn’t want the cable to rub against the chassis, so we zip tied it to the upper control arms to remove some slack. This meant that it would fit into the existing catches above the exhaust so we criss-crossed the cables and zip tied them to the catches to keep them from rubbing on the heat shield.
CravenSpeed FlexPod Install
Over 10 years ago, we built our first gauge pod for the Blue MINI. Recently we added oil pressure and temperature gauges. When we decided to move the oil pressure gauge from the center console to the speedo cluster, we also decided to swap out the DIY bracket for the CravenSpeed Flexpod.
Installation is very simple. Unbolt the speedo cluster, unplug the cable, and bolt the bracket on to the back of it. We wanted to reuse our old Autometer gauges so that took a little modification. 
First we had to make room in the gauge pod back cover for the lamp socket assembly (we’re using non-standard LED bulbs so they sit higher higher than stock ones.)
Next we had to cut down the threaded pins on the gauges. Cut them to about the same length as the electrical connectors and they will sit flush with the spin on nuts. Be sure to cover the lamp socket opening so you don’t fill the gauge with metal shavings
It’s a tight fit to the dash, but a very clean look. We were also able to lower the gauges relative to the steering wheel to better see the gauge faces in the smaller aftermarket Sparco wheel.
