I CAN NOT EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION ENOUGH. I tackled this myself for the first time attempting such a task and nailed it. It runs so good. I watched your videos sooo many times during this process of overhaul. Thank you bless you!
Just finished working on my sister's Mini after the dealer quoted her something like $2-3k to replace the oil filter housing gaskets, turbo feed and return lines, and a waterpump... she nearly had a heart attack (she is on a teacher's income).. did her the favor and took care of it.. I regretted it 10 minutes into the job.
This is ridiculous.... with such a compact engine bay. The amount of prep works needed to remove the head. Good job Eric, as always. Superior on your go pro shooting skills.
@@TheGuruStud I can do a clutch job in my hondas/toyota in 6 hours by myself. Much, much less prep work before I get to the bell housing. Long ago I was told mini, BMW, audi are a pain to work on, now this confirm that.
This is definitely a very expressive mistake, but also a blessing in ways. You have added more content for your channel and will make a return over time for it.
Everyone saying sell it, or it’s trash, is right. It is trash and he should probably sell it. My wife’s has caused us thousands in repairs. It’s probably the most problematic car I’ve ever seen or owned, but there’s something special about it and we both love it dearly. I don’t think we’ll ever sell it, or set it on fire but the thought does cross my mind often. I’m here because it’s got fried valve seals and wanted to see what I’m in for. I have confidence handling it now. Thanks Eric!
The good thing you're videotaping us so you can go back to the videos and figure out where some of that stuff goes I have no idea how you REMEMBER where/how it all goes back when the time comes
When you are the one moving everything around, you kind of remember what you did to get to where you are, where you placed everything, etc. Eric also uses the trick of keeping the bolts of the parts with the parts. He may also lay things out in the order he removed them. There are plenty of tricks you can use when you start getting very far into something.
I am about to take this exact project on. Same issue with the same valves on the same cylinder. Compression and leak down tests narrowed it down. I’m so glad you made this video! Thank you!
It looks to be for most to all German cars, you'll have to take the front end off to do any medium to hard work. No wonder the bills are so high for any repairs.
@@MatrixDiscovery I guess, but it takes like 30 min once you are good at it, however it makes it a lot easier to do a lot of things, ot just looks awful because people are used to cars you would need to cut the front end off.
Liking the head-mounted/torso-mounted camera setup. It's like I'm doing the job myself, except I'm not getting my hands dirty and I'm not breaking anything this time! This is awesome!
Thank you Eric and very good job I'm from France and i have exactly the same engine in my Peugeot This motor was designed in common between BMW and Peugeot and it was clearly not a good job, this problem of timing chain design is well known in Europe, lots of problems and some others on this engine So thank you helping poor European people to know better about this
I'm also from Europe and had a Peugeot 207 with that engine. When the first problems with the timing chain occured I've extended the warranty and after 20k miles mine was due to change. Fixed it and SOLD IT right after the repair and went with a Honda again. Never regretted it. No wonder, you don't see any Peugeot 207 on the road anymore. What a nightmare to work on these...
I am a MINI tech watching this video. One thing I noticed was how easy it was for you to take the bolts off the adjustment units on the end of the cam. The bolt closest to the fire wall has 180° angle torque on that and should have been a mother to get loose. Had a guy come to my dealer last week telling me he was watching your video to replace his timing chain but had to come get bolts because he was breaking bolts off the specs you gave in your video. So I have to spend time finding specs for this guy. May wanna double check your source for specs.
marble head If you are buying the CR-V new, stay clear of the 1.5L turbo. That engine has an oil dilution issue. Google CR-V oil dilution issue, and you will find a lot of info, especially on the CR-V forums.
thank you for doing god's work mr. Eric. your mini series has saved MANY people LOTS of money. newer. 2005ish+ cars are quite... 'intimidating' to work on for young chaps that grew up fixing 80s and 90s stuff, you have shown everything step by step and how it's easiest to do things, also an excellent reference to check when we get those harness branches and bolts that we're not exactly sure where and how they go
They use this engine in alot of the PSA vehicles here in the UK in various forms. Looks like yours is direct injection and without the variable valve lift - that's a whole world of fun in itself (replaced a cylinder head on one this week) !
The amount of effort that go into your videos is impressive, just seeing all the cameras you have and the amount of footage you have to edit is incredible, thanks for the videos
Thank you very much for that comment. Very few people realize the effort that goes into my videos. Yea, 3 camera shoot that started with a 3 hour rough cut for this one. Next weeks rough cut was 5 hours. That's just the length of the rough cut. I'd wager I have 50 hours of editing into todays video and next weeks sequel.
I do a lot of corporate interviews and have to be on camera while monitoring 2-4 cameras, sound, etc, then editing it all down. It takes me 3+ hours to set up now with green screens and lights, and I often record 45minutes to 2 hours to get a 5-10 minute video. I have a LOT of respect for the work you put into your videos, in addition to the actual work on the cars. I don't remember which car project first brought me to your channel, but I was happy to discover your Mini series. My 2009 ClubmanS (131,000 miles) has been sitting in the driveway for over a year while I worked on our 76 MG Midget (the daily driver, easiest car ever to work on), 2009 Pilot (now at 207,000 miles, tight engine compartment but relatively straightforward to fix), and son's girlfriend's CRV (110,000 miles - lots of room to maneuver compared to the Mini). The Mini failed the emissions test at the end of 2017 for "intermittent" ignition failures - it was running fine that morning when I brought it in. I drove it to the Mini dealer that day for parts for another project, and it started running really rough and finally died, requiring a tow. I'm finally getting around to replacing the valve stem seals and cleaning the intake, which brought me back to your channel to see the process for pulling the camshafts to change the seals. Life with a Mini is definitely a love/hate relationship. Thanks for sharing your experiences, and especially for showing that even the best can mess up a torque spec once in awhile and have to deal with the consequences.
Hey Eric - following your video, I was able to get my head off in my driveway. I had a timing chain tensioner snap and cause the chain to skip, so I wanted to check my valves and pistons. Thanks for the video, this is the perfect guide.
Hey there, Eric. I just finished putting a head back onto my Volvo from having bent valves due to user error also. In my case, I opted to re-use the mechanical tensioner which should have been fine except that a little notched metal piece fell out of it and I put it back in upside down…that allowed tensioner to well…untension when engine cranked. All exhaust valves destroyed…Nice to hear that I’m not the only one to ever have a user error result it a serious chunk of unwanted extra work!
Thats nothing new. I was working on a Lincoln Mark VII, I still can't find one bolt and one socket after looking everywhere. I know where they fell... I just don't see them, feel them, magnet doesn't get anything, etc. There is no place for anything to fall. There is always something in the way. Which also means you don't have access to anything else that you need to reach.
Another amazing video Eric. The editing involved to get it down to this length, but still retain the necessary level of detail (and quality) must be immense!
I finally got time to watch this video. Very well done Eric. I really enjoyed watching you remove all of the different Fasteners that had to come out. Really gives you a sense of was involved in all of this.
That’s a hell of a lot of job for not torquing one stupid bolt correctly...this video is actually a manifest of how overly complicated cars have become...
The newer the more complicated all about money there will come a point it will all involve specialist tools to work on vehicles that only the dealer has shits wouldn't thank you for a modern vehicle
@@kellytaylor3134 this is another reason i hate front wheel drive cars . Remember the good old days when the engine was north/south , the transmission was under the floor the diff was way up the back and everything was 5 times easier to work on and about one 7th the labor cost for any major repair. So much for a small economical to run car.
@ericthecarguy watching you slowly wrestling with removing the front assembly then realizing the wires needing to be unplugged and then slowly wrestling it safely away from the compressor hose and then finangaling the exhaust heat shield. Makes feel like a normal backyard mechanic. Watching a real professional mechanic helps a backyard mechanic like myself to just keep chipping away at the mechanic thing.
That's right Erik, "it's the tips that's are most important" sorry you had to take advantage of tour statement. Thanks for content, I'm about to post on the forum for the first time. I been following but never engaged so if you have time feel free to chime in on my post.
“To access the cylinder head, I start by removing the ‘Here be Dragons’ warning placard; Followed by both taillights, the left rear wheel and all 457 individual bolts and Enigma brand electrical connectors that hold the air filter in place.” You’re a possessor of infinite patience and wholly good character, man. I’d wager the engineers at NASA that rebuilt the Shuttle between missions would watch this Mini Series and end up convinced you’re a sorcerer.
I had a mini. Can you imagine the embarrassment of owning this car after a buddy who swore he could fix whatever had gone wrong on it for cheap...ususlly 2 hours in and barely got the front end off I get that glare that says "this is more than the 100 bucks i told you earlier" and I'm like..."yeah..."
Eric you are the man. I appreciate your video so much. You thought me not to be afraid to take things a part. I did it! If works like a champ. I have one sugestión. Be careful when you clean the engine with carburador cleaner, it may ruin some seals, specially around the turbo lines. God bless you man.
My mind is blown imagining trying to remember where all the parts go back on. A million brackets, bolts and wires to keep track of. I just don't know how Eric does it. I'm buying an older mini clubman this weekend and convinced myself that I can do the work on it. Not so sure after watching this video, man!
Nice work, just done the same mistake on my own car with not fully tightening the crank bolt. Bent all 8 exhaust valves. Even though i have done loads of n14 chains on customers minis.
The most depressing part about a big repair job is having to remove part after part after part after part, and hoping you remember where everything goes back together. But then once you get to the point of installing new parts and putting things back together, it becomes super satisfying. That's how I see it, anyway.
My wife's 96 Corolla clunker blew the head gasket at around 285K miles. I spent about a week and 500 bucks in parts and machine shop labor fixing it up, and after getting it all back together the car would still want to die at random times. What a POS. I finally threw in the towel and we made our first car dealer/used car/financed purchase. I had to haggle the dealer just to give us 500 bucks for the trade-in.
Finally! A meaty video. Last few weeks have been pretty slim. Thanks for your stuff Eric!! I feel like I'm doing it with you...hanging out with my brother/dad in the garage with a cold drink and some music!
Thank you sir for a perfectly edited vid and the detailed engine work is awesome!! Wish you had the N18 like mine but this is close enough. 😁 God Bless you sir! 🍻
I’ve removed the down pipe a separate four occasions for different work including replacing it on my 09 R56, talk about a pita but I don’t think it’s ever been worth pulling the front end off as you’ve shown here. But I appreciate these videos. Where were you when I first got my 09 Mini. Guess I should have started a RUclips back then instead of only just recently (it’s not on my Mini though [Tech & DIYs]).
the piece behind the intake is called a noisemaker (i believe) and it does indeed make engine noise into the cabin. you can buy deletes for it but you do need that hose running into the cabin or else you wont have any air in the cabin. Mine disconnected and it makes it seem like your blower motor went bad.
Mini's are so crappy even a dealer can't fix em. I drive cars for a local (non Mini) dealership who sold a used Mini to a customer. Turns out the gas gauge didn't work correctly on the Mini so the local dealer had me drive the Mini to a Mini dealer in Des Moines to fix the gas gauge. A week later I went to get the car and the Mini dealer said they couldn't fix it. I've never seen what Mini owners like so much about them, but I bet when the owner has a problem and needs it fixed, they will wish they never owned a Mini.
Great video. No need to tear apart the front like that. Just remove bumper cover, the black metal upper crash support that you avoided removing at first, loosen the lower 16mm bolts and the 13mm bolts at front of crash tubes, tap whole thing forward about 3 inches. Plenty of room to get to everything. Check out my channel for more MINI repair videos.
Modmini repair videos are absolutely the best for learning how to properly take apart and put back together a mini cooper. Nothing against etcg, but modmini sets the bar really high for 1st person “mechanics view” repair videos. Keep up the good work modmini!
My 09 mini base timing chain guides broke and jumped time.Unfortunately for me I like my mini that much dont wanna get rid of it so forced to fix.Hopefully my valves didnt bend upon jumping time that would be the icing on the cake.Thank you for this video!Save me 1300 at a repair shop
Mannn I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking this was a lot of work. Wouldn’t have patience to do all that. I’m glad bmw didn’t make things complicated back in the 90s early 2000s my E39 is relatively easy to work on.
Excellent video. But you have thoroughly erased even the slightest chance of me picking up a (BMW) mini ever. I see em cheap all the time and I can see why.
This is not representative of any normal new car. Honda's are still easy to work on, we've got a 2015 accord. Haven't had to do any repairs yet but the engine bay looks not much more complicated than older hondas, which are known to be easy to fix. Enjoy your unrefined old cars because you're too stubborn to trust new tech.
I bet you're the type to shit on libtards for being lazy yet you won't own a car newer than 30 years old because they're too hard to fix. Hahahaha you fucking clown.
@@Revolt2010 Honda k-series are known for being quality you absolute buffoon. Swapping k motors into everything isn't done for no reason, but I wouldn't expect somebody whose main argument is "hurr pLaSTiC!!!!!!" to know a goddamn thing.
I've owned my 94 Integra GSR for 17 years and have done 100% everything myself besides body work and alignments. My wife has had a 2014 Mazda CX5 for a couple of years now and so far I've been good for everything it has needed. But we need a new proximity key, and I have to take the damn thing to a dealer, or pay a locksmith $175 just to program the key with the dealer scan tool.
I watched a segment of this video five times to make sure of what I was seeing. The outside bolt on # 8 cam bearing cap that you said you did not loosen and someone had been in here before, you actually broke torque on that bolt because it can be heard in the audio portion as you were moving your wrench then you unscrewed the bolt by hand.
Man this is overwhelming to watch. I absolutely admire your dedication. I have an 88 crx that is a breeze to work on. My wife has a 2010 R56 and we've been through a handful of problems. Repairs are expensive! Beautiful car but nonetheless a piece of crap lol
Yeah wow, that's a big mistake. Although these cars aren't really that hard to work on compared to just about any other front wheel drive. Only difference is bumper has to come off and crash tube slide forward for front end service mode. Another 30 minutes tops.
Eric i'd love to see you do a "mini series" on your dads old truck. My hope is that you keep the truck relatively stock (except for a nice sounding dual exhaust sytem), just fix everything, and put the correct transmission back in it.
If you are stripping your engine this far down - replace water pump shell, belt and tensioner. @24:09 you get a good view of the water pump on the far left of the engine, the shell on the far right and the interconnecting pipe running along the reverse of the engine. This long pipe has a push fit which fails either at the shell or at the pump on a regular basis (common fault).
I love how many people comment about how difficult removing and reinstalling the head on a Mini is and that some believe only German engines are zero clearance. To begin with Honda, VW also make and sell zero clearance engines. The biggest surprise for all the armchair mechanics, this engine is not even of German design or build, it is a French Peugeot engine.
The little plastic thingy that flew in your face was on top of the sound tube that goes into the car through the firewall. Piece was right next to the metal band clamp on the left side of the divider for the tube.
Hello fella Love watching your vids. Im totally a fan of the Mini and have gain alot of knowledge from your post. Love it fella! Your fab, keep it up. Chris
it's possible for valves to be bent slightly and move in the guides enough to still seal tight under spring pressure, the issue is they'll eat the guides up fast. always remove and check them all closely
I do work on a lot of my cars I own. One of my fears is doing what I see you do in every video. Taking a lot of things apart and not being able to put it back together. How do you know where everything goes back to?
Disassembly is fun! Favorite line,,, " I don't know what that was that cracked! " , LOL, moments you dread. JOB, you have the patience of JOB. Maybe you should change your moniker to JOBtheCarGuy? lol
You could use another valve as a "guide tester". Do you plan on hand lapping? Everything is very carboned- do you plan to clean? ATF and a toothbrush is safe and effective, or Berkabile 2+2 gum cutter works very well. You can tell that engine was abused, good thing it's in ETCG hands now.
tell me about it. I have a Lotus Europa. THe limeys should NEVER have been allowed to use plastic or nylon ANYWHERE! I had to 3d print my own parts. True story.
Yep, my 20+ year old Honda sat on jackstands for over 2 weeks because every other plastic part I took apart broke, when I was trying to replace the head gasket.
ThatGamingSoup i removed the head and intake manifold together. One of the main parts that broke was the plastic vacuum tank that operates the butterfly valves in the dual runner intake manifold. Brand new it’s like a $125 part! Luckily a generous person on the forums sent me one for the cost of shipping. But various other clips and covers broke along the way also.
Had to pull the head on my mini to get the valves done and was looking for info on how to insure the crank is right to set the timing. When I pulled my head all 4 cylinders were lines up. Not two up and two down. Is 4 across the proper alignment?
![Stromae, Pomme - “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1F3OGIFnW1k/mqdefault.jpg)
I CAN NOT EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION ENOUGH. I tackled this myself for the first time attempting such a task and nailed it. It runs so good. I watched your videos sooo many times during this process of overhaul. Thank you bless you!
Having been a full time mechanic for the past 30 years, i am so impressed with Eric. Your videos rock man. Keep up the great work! Much appreciated.
Just finished working on my sister's Mini after the dealer quoted her something like $2-3k to replace the oil filter housing gaskets, turbo feed and return lines, and a waterpump... she nearly had a heart attack (she is on a teacher's income).. did her the favor and took care of it.. I regretted it 10 minutes into the job.
Wish I had a brother like you. :)
No lie Eric is probably the most genuine youtuber. I feel like I know him personally. Idk maybe it's his persona lol.
That AAA Dood he is like that dumb friend in the group you have to keep around for entertainment.
@ Well that's a bit shitty.
This is ridiculous.... with such a compact engine bay. The amount of prep works needed to remove the head.
Good job Eric, as always. Superior on your go pro shooting skills.
20 hrs to replace clutch lolololol. Peugeot/BMW monstrosity
@@TheGuruStud I can do a clutch job in my hondas/toyota in 6 hours by myself. Much, much less prep work before I get to the bell housing. Long ago I was told mini, BMW, audi are a pain to work on, now this confirm that.
Hello
Still there after 3 years?
Yeah, always liked these little cars and wanted one, but they scare me off, good to see this and appreciate simplicity
All i'm going to say is,,, Thank you Eric for taking the time to do this job, and editing. We (The viewers) appreciate it.
Came here to learn how to replace the valves on my 02 Impala and now my refrigerator works great! Thanks!
Damn. What did i miss?
Now, that's funny!
This is definitely a very expressive mistake, but also a blessing in ways. You have added more content for your channel and will make a return over time for it.
Everyone saying sell it, or it’s trash, is right. It is trash and he should probably sell it. My wife’s has caused us thousands in repairs. It’s probably the most problematic car I’ve ever seen or owned, but there’s something special about it and we both love it dearly.
I don’t think we’ll ever sell it, or set it on fire but the thought does cross my mind often. I’m here because it’s got fried valve seals and wanted to see what I’m in for.
I have confidence handling it now. Thanks Eric!
The good thing you're videotaping us so you can go back to the videos and figure out where some of that stuff goes I have no idea how you REMEMBER where/how it all goes back when the time comes
When you are the one moving everything around, you kind of remember what you did to get to where you are, where you placed everything, etc. Eric also uses the trick of keeping the bolts of the parts with the parts. He may also lay things out in the order he removed them. There are plenty of tricks you can use when you start getting very far into something.
@@snoopdogie187 I'm an airplane mechanic by trade so I was being rhetorical lol
I am about to take this exact project on. Same issue with the same valves on the same cylinder. Compression and leak down tests narrowed it down. I’m so glad you made this video! Thank you!
You taught me to never buy one of these minis
Goes the same with more modern BMW's ...
It looks to be for most to all German cars, you'll have to take the front end off to do any medium to hard work. No wonder the bills are so high for any repairs.
They don’t look that bad to work on to be honest...
"Don't ever own a German car out of warranty" - I think that's how the saying goes.
@@MatrixDiscovery I guess, but it takes like 30 min once you are good at it, however it makes it a lot easier to do a lot of things, ot just looks awful because people are used to cars you would need to cut the front end off.
Liking the head-mounted/torso-mounted camera setup. It's like I'm doing the job myself, except I'm not getting my hands dirty and I'm not breaking anything this time! This is awesome!
people complaining about how responsible this job is
most fwd cars are similar for many years now
a very useful video for any valve replacement job
Thank you Eric and very good job
I'm from France and i have exactly the same engine in my Peugeot
This motor was designed in common between BMW and Peugeot and it was clearly not a good job, this problem of timing chain design is well known in Europe, lots of problems and some others on this engine
So thank you helping poor European people to know better about this
I'm happy to help. Thank you very much for the comment.
These engines are designed to fail. Notorious in Europe.
Another Great Video Eric. Appreciate the camera work.
I'm also from Europe and had a Peugeot 207 with that engine. When the first problems with the timing chain occured I've extended the warranty and after 20k miles mine was due to change. Fixed it and SOLD IT right after the repair and went with a Honda again. Never regretted it. No wonder, you don't see any Peugeot 207 on the road anymore. What a nightmare to work on these...
I am a MINI tech watching this video. One thing I noticed was how easy it was for you to take the bolts off the adjustment units on the end of the cam. The bolt closest to the fire wall has 180° angle torque on that and should have been a mother to get loose. Had a guy come to my dealer last week telling me he was watching your video to replace his timing chain but had to come get bolts because he was breaking bolts off the specs you gave in your video. So I have to spend time finding specs for this guy. May wanna double check your source for specs.
This series confirms that one of my best decisions to date was to sell my Clubman 2 years ago.
did you buy a boxster ?
marble head I went full suburban lifestyle and bought a CR-V.
Oh cool we have been looking at that and also the Rav4 the the CR-V seems like the better choice all the way around
marble head If you are buying the CR-V new, stay clear of the 1.5L turbo. That engine has an oil dilution issue. Google CR-V oil dilution issue, and you will find a lot of info, especially on the CR-V forums.
Thanks for the info I will have to look into it can anyone not build anything good anymore bring back the mid 80s to 90s cars
WOW !!!!. you have so much patience your skill level is through the roof. thoroughly enjoyed this video. Respect.
thank you for doing god's work mr. Eric. your mini series has saved MANY people LOTS of money. newer. 2005ish+ cars are quite... 'intimidating' to work on for young chaps that grew up fixing 80s and 90s stuff, you have shown everything step by step and how it's easiest to do things, also an excellent reference to check when we get those harness branches and bolts that we're not exactly sure where and how they go
They use this engine in alot of the PSA vehicles here in the UK in various forms.
Looks like yours is direct injection and without the variable valve lift - that's a whole world of fun in itself (replaced a cylinder head on one this week) !
The amount of effort that go into your videos is impressive, just seeing all the cameras you have and the amount of footage you have to edit is incredible, thanks for the videos
Thank you very much for that comment. Very few people realize the effort that goes into my videos. Yea, 3 camera shoot that started with a 3 hour rough cut for this one. Next weeks rough cut was 5 hours. That's just the length of the rough cut. I'd wager I have 50 hours of editing into todays video and next weeks sequel.
I do a lot of corporate interviews and have to be on camera while monitoring 2-4 cameras, sound, etc, then editing it all down. It takes me 3+ hours to set up now with green screens and lights, and I often record 45minutes to 2 hours to get a 5-10 minute video. I have a LOT of respect for the work you put into your videos, in addition to the actual work on the cars.
I don't remember which car project first brought me to your channel, but I was happy to discover your Mini series. My 2009 ClubmanS (131,000 miles) has been sitting in the driveway for over a year while I worked on our 76 MG Midget (the daily driver, easiest car ever to work on), 2009 Pilot (now at 207,000 miles, tight engine compartment but relatively straightforward to fix), and son's girlfriend's CRV (110,000 miles - lots of room to maneuver compared to the Mini). The Mini failed the emissions test at the end of 2017 for "intermittent" ignition failures - it was running fine that morning when I brought it in. I drove it to the Mini dealer that day for parts for another project, and it started running really rough and finally died, requiring a tow. I'm finally getting around to replacing the valve stem seals and cleaning the intake, which brought me back to your channel to see the process for pulling the camshafts to change the seals. Life with a Mini is definitely a love/hate relationship. Thanks for sharing your experiences, and especially for showing that even the best can mess up a torque spec once in awhile and have to deal with the consequences.
Thanks for the detailed disassembly work. Double thanks for showing us in the proess why we should never buy a Mini.
Mini = Gift that keeps on giving. Great audio of parts snapping krackling and popping. And have headcam zeroed in. Thanks
Hey Eric - following your video, I was able to get my head off in my driveway. I had a timing chain tensioner snap and cause the chain to skip, so I wanted to check my valves and pistons. Thanks for the video, this is the perfect guide.
What ended up happening?
Hey there, Eric. I just finished putting a head back onto my Volvo from having bent valves due to user error also. In my case, I opted to re-use the mechanical tensioner which should have been fine except that a little notched metal piece fell out of it and I put it back in upside down…that allowed tensioner to well…untension when engine cranked. All exhaust valves destroyed…Nice to hear that I’m not the only one to ever have a user error result it a serious chunk of unwanted extra work!
You could throw ten dollars in change in the engine bay and nothing would hit the ground.
Thats nothing new. I was working on a Lincoln Mark VII, I still can't find one bolt and one socket after looking everywhere. I know where they fell... I just don't see them, feel them, magnet doesn't get anything, etc.
There is no place for anything to fall. There is always something in the way. Which also means you don't have access to anything else that you need to reach.
Another amazing video Eric. The editing involved to get it down to this length, but still retain the necessary level of detail (and quality) must be immense!
i’m impressed at the amount of work put into the video and car.
Love how well he owned his mistake true mechanic
I finally got time to watch this video. Very well done Eric. I really enjoyed watching you remove all of the different Fasteners that had to come out. Really gives you a sense of was involved in all of this.
That’s a hell of a lot of job for not torquing one stupid bolt correctly...this video is actually a manifest of how overly complicated cars have become...
The newer the more complicated all about money there will come a point it will all involve specialist tools to work on vehicles that only the dealer has shits wouldn't thank you for a modern vehicle
Kelly Taylor Tesla is making that a reality. Tesla HATES customers who service their own Teslas.
I'll give an Amen to that.
@@kellytaylor3134 this is another reason i hate front wheel drive cars .
Remember the good old days when the engine was north/south , the transmission was under the floor the diff was way up the back and everything was 5 times easier to work on and about one 7th the labor cost for any major repair.
So much for a small economical to run car.
Think the real lesson is not to buy something with a Peugeot engine in it..
@ericthecarguy watching you slowly wrestling with removing the front assembly then realizing the wires needing to be unplugged and then slowly wrestling it safely away from the compressor hose and then finangaling the exhaust heat shield. Makes feel like a normal backyard mechanic. Watching a real professional mechanic helps a backyard mechanic like myself to just keep chipping away at the mechanic thing.
Step one: Dissassemble entire car. Lol
Step one: Avoid buying a mini in the first place
lol!
Buying my mini was the biggest mistake I ever made.
A fun car at the compromise of my 401k lol
That's right Erik, "it's the tips that's are most important" sorry you had to take advantage of tour statement. Thanks for content, I'm about to post on the forum for the first time. I been following but never engaged so if you have time feel free to chime in on my post.
I completely get what you mean, taking something further apart can make working easier. Gives you more room and a better view if nothing else.
“To access the cylinder head, I start by removing the ‘Here be Dragons’ warning placard; Followed by both taillights, the left rear wheel and all 457 individual bolts and Enigma brand electrical connectors that hold the air filter in place.”
You’re a possessor of infinite patience and wholly good character, man. I’d wager the engineers at NASA that rebuilt the Shuttle between missions would watch this Mini Series and end up convinced you’re a sorcerer.
The original is still the best on RUclips.
Thanks!
I had a mini. Can you imagine the embarrassment of owning this car after a buddy who swore he could fix whatever had gone wrong on it for cheap...ususlly 2 hours in and barely got the front end off I get that glare that says "this is more than the 100 bucks i told you earlier" and I'm like..."yeah..."
I'm glad there are guys like you out there Eric. Us get lost doing this type of work^^
Well, Eric, you did the right choice getting the Mini, keeps them repair videos coming!
Eric you are the man. I appreciate your video so much. You thought me not to be afraid to take things a part. I did it! If works like a champ. I have one sugestión. Be careful when you clean the engine with carburador cleaner, it may ruin some seals, specially around the turbo lines. God bless you man.
My mind is blown imagining trying to remember where all the parts go back on. A million brackets, bolts and wires to keep track of. I just don't know how Eric does it. I'm buying an older mini clubman this weekend and convinced myself that I can do the work on it. Not so sure after watching this video, man!
Nice work, just done the same mistake on my own car with not fully tightening the crank bolt. Bent all 8 exhaust valves. Even though i have done loads of n14 chains on customers minis.
serious amount of work for bent valves. very educational
This is also the most helpful video out there for anyone trying tk replace a head gasket
The most depressing part about a big repair job is having to remove part after part after part after part, and hoping you remember where everything goes back together. But then once you get to the point of installing new parts and putting things back together, it becomes super satisfying. That's how I see it, anyway.
I appreciate high quality editing. Nice one
Just throw the whole thing out.
The Dank Lord he sold it for about $5,500
It's not sold yet.
@@ericthecarguy Ooooooh damn, you called him out. Like the vids btw.
My wife's 96 Corolla clunker blew the head gasket at around 285K miles. I spent about a week and 500 bucks in parts and machine shop labor fixing it up, and after getting it all back together the car would still want to die at random times. What a POS. I finally threw in the towel and we made our first car dealer/used car/financed purchase. I had to haggle the dealer just to give us 500 bucks for the trade-in.
@@Patrick94GSR I've got a 2001 Prius with about 235,xxx miles on it right now. Really I've had no problems.
I loved every minute of this video.
Finally! A meaty video. Last few weeks have been pretty slim. Thanks for your stuff Eric!! I feel like I'm doing it with you...hanging out with my brother/dad in the garage with a cold drink and some music!
Sorry about the shorter videos. I needed the extra time to get settled into the new house.
You’re still awesome! A lot of respect! Admitting your mistakes
Good morning Eric. It's 2:40 am in California right now. Love your vids man. Take care.
Good morning! I miss CA. Hope I make it back there next month.
Thank you sir for a perfectly edited vid and the detailed engine work is awesome!! Wish you had the N18 like mine but this is close enough. 😁 God Bless you sir! 🍻
YES! I mean no.. sorry about the bent valves.. but we get a new repair video
I’ve removed the down pipe a separate four occasions for different work including replacing it on my 09 R56, talk about a pita but I don’t think it’s ever been worth pulling the front end off as you’ve shown here. But I appreciate these videos. Where were you when I first got my 09 Mini. Guess I should have started a RUclips back then instead of only just recently (it’s not on my Mini though [Tech & DIYs]).
the piece behind the intake is called a noisemaker (i believe) and it does indeed make engine noise into the cabin. you can buy deletes for it but you do need that hose running into the cabin or else you wont have any air in the cabin. Mine disconnected and it makes it seem like your blower motor went bad.
Loving the mini series!!! I am seeing parts of this car that I never want to see on my wife’s!!!
Mini's are so crappy even a dealer can't fix em. I drive cars for a local (non Mini) dealership who sold a used Mini to a customer. Turns out the gas gauge didn't work correctly on the Mini so the local dealer had me drive the Mini to a Mini dealer in Des Moines to fix the gas gauge. A week later I went to get the car and the Mini dealer said they couldn't fix it. I've never seen what Mini owners like so much about them, but I bet when the owner has a problem and needs it fixed, they will wish they never owned a Mini.
They are fun little cars with a unique look. There is a lot to love, at least until something goes wrong.
Now I have to copy your process... Wish me luck. I'm now mechanic but I will try it. Thanks Eric
Those hose clamp pliers are essential on any German car!, i got myself a pair many years ago and yep....man what a difference!
replaces timing chain....bends a valve...ooopppsssiiieeessss...more videos for us.
Great video. No need to tear apart the front like that. Just remove bumper cover, the black metal upper crash support that you avoided removing at first, loosen the lower 16mm bolts and the 13mm bolts at front of crash tubes, tap whole thing forward about 3 inches. Plenty of room to get to everything. Check out my channel for more MINI repair videos.
Modmini repair videos are absolutely the best for learning how to properly take apart and put back together a mini cooper. Nothing against etcg, but modmini sets the bar really high for 1st person “mechanics view” repair videos. Keep up the good work modmini!
Holly crap, so this explains why you don't see many old ones of these on the road.
My 09 mini base timing chain guides broke and jumped time.Unfortunately for me I like my mini that much dont wanna get rid of it so forced to fix.Hopefully my valves didnt bend upon jumping time that would be the icing on the cake.Thank you for this video!Save me 1300 at a repair shop
Mannn I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking this was a lot of work. Wouldn’t have patience to do all that. I’m glad bmw didn’t make things complicated back in the 90s early 2000s my E39 is relatively easy to work on.
Excellent video. But you have thoroughly erased even the slightest chance of me picking up a (BMW) mini ever. I see em cheap all the time and I can see why.
Working on modern cars sure is a pain in the ass.
That's why my newest car is 30 years old.
This is not representative of any normal new car. Honda's are still easy to work on, we've got a 2015 accord. Haven't had to do any repairs yet but the engine bay looks not much more complicated than older hondas, which are known to be easy to fix. Enjoy your unrefined old cars because you're too stubborn to trust new tech.
I bet you're the type to shit on libtards for being lazy yet you won't own a car newer than 30 years old because they're too hard to fix. Hahahaha you fucking clown.
@@Revolt2010 Honda k-series are known for being quality you absolute buffoon. Swapping k motors into everything isn't done for no reason, but I wouldn't expect somebody whose main argument is "hurr pLaSTiC!!!!!!" to know a goddamn thing.
I've owned my 94 Integra GSR for 17 years and have done 100% everything myself besides body work and alignments. My wife has had a 2014 Mazda CX5 for a couple of years now and so far I've been good for everything it has needed. But we need a new proximity key, and I have to take the damn thing to a dealer, or pay a locksmith $175 just to program the key with the dealer scan tool.
@@mentals555 who the fuck is YOU, entitled POS?
I like that you are strong enuff to admit your mistake
Glad you are back
Very informative as always cant wait to get my 944 on the road again
I watched a segment of this video five times to make sure of what I was seeing. The outside bolt on # 8 cam bearing cap that you said you did not loosen and someone had been in here before, you actually broke torque on that bolt because it can be heard in the audio portion as you were moving your wrench then you unscrewed the bolt by hand.
Man this is overwhelming to watch. I absolutely admire your dedication. I have an 88 crx that is a breeze to work on. My wife has a 2010 R56 and we've been through a handful of problems. Repairs are expensive! Beautiful car but nonetheless a piece of crap lol
If my ( or anyone's mechanic ) made this made this mistake, I doubt they would own up to it and I would have to pay out again.
Yeah wow, that's a big mistake. Although these cars aren't really that hard to work on compared to just about any other front wheel drive. Only difference is bumper has to come off and crash tube slide forward for front end service mode. Another 30 minutes tops.
Eric i'd love to see you do a "mini series" on your dads old truck. My hope is that you keep the truck relatively stock (except for a nice sounding dual exhaust sytem), just fix everything, and put the correct transmission back in it.
You're in luck, except the part about keeping it stock....
EricTheCarGuy hey i'll take it!!! Looking forward to it sir
If you are stripping your engine this far down - replace water pump shell, belt and tensioner. @24:09 you get a good view of the water pump on the far left of the engine, the shell on the far right and the interconnecting pipe running along the reverse of the engine. This long pipe has a push fit which fails either at the shell or at the pump on a regular basis (common fault).
I love how many people comment about how difficult removing and reinstalling the head on a Mini is and that some believe only German engines are zero clearance. To begin with Honda, VW also make and sell zero clearance engines. The biggest surprise for all the armchair mechanics, this engine is not even of German design or build, it is a French Peugeot engine.
The little plastic thingy that flew in your face was on top of the sound tube that goes into the car through the firewall. Piece was right next to the metal band clamp on the left side of the divider for the tube.
your impact gun sounds like a laser from Star Wars
Hello fella
Love watching your vids.
Im totally a fan of the Mini and have gain alot of knowledge from your post.
Love it fella! Your fab, keep it up.
Chris
What is that (pump?) at 10:56 that is driven from the end of the inlet cam. Fuel pump? Power steering pump?
Eric the car guy mate make some more new video's please i love watching your video's you are best one mate thankyouuuuuu
it's possible for valves to be bent slightly and move in the guides enough to still seal tight under spring pressure, the issue is they'll eat the guides up fast. always remove and check them all closely
I do work on a lot of my cars I own. One of my fears is doing what I see you do in every video. Taking a lot of things apart and not being able to put it back together. How do you know where everything goes back to?
Your work and video are amazing Eric, thank-you so much for sharing.
This makes pulling the heads on my old Ranger seem enjoyable.
Amazing job Eric :) Looking forward to part 2 :)
What a car the Mini is! Imagine removing the entire front clip to work on valves.
Disassembly is fun! Favorite line,,, " I don't know what that was that cracked! " , LOL, moments you dread. JOB, you have the patience of JOB. Maybe you should change your moniker to JOBtheCarGuy? lol
You could use another valve as a "guide tester". Do you plan on hand lapping? Everything is very carboned- do you plan to clean? ATF and a toothbrush is safe and effective, or Berkabile 2+2 gum cutter works very well. You can tell that engine was abused, good thing it's in ETCG hands now.
Excellent Eric! Good process and tips.
best episode in a long time!
Good to have the good old mechanical videos Eric!Good job! I miss the old times..
Golly Eric.. thank you for sharing this content.
Priceless..
It is an ancient law of car mechanics: '"As ye part thine plastic fixings so shall they break." Amen.
tell me about it. I have a Lotus Europa. THe limeys should NEVER have been allowed to use plastic or nylon ANYWHERE! I had to 3d print my own parts. True story.
Yep, my 20+ year old Honda sat on jackstands for over 2 weeks because every other plastic part I took apart broke, when I was trying to replace the head gasket.
@@Patrick94GSR why did you need to remove the plastics? The head is LITERALLY on top of the engine!
ThatGamingSoup i removed the head and intake manifold together. One of the main parts that broke was the plastic vacuum tank that operates the butterfly valves in the dual runner intake manifold. Brand new it’s like a $125 part! Luckily a generous person on the forums sent me one for the cost of shipping. But various other clips and covers broke along the way also.
Loving the nice long videos. :)
Well removing, rebuilding, and reinstalling my MR2's engine seems to be a lot easier than this.
Had to pull the head on my mini to get the valves done and was looking for info on how to insure the crank is right to set the timing. When I pulled my head all 4 cylinders were lines up. Not two up and two down. Is 4 across the proper alignment?
A question about adjusting the valve clearance.. will loose valves cause a rich or lean condition?
It's nice that you show you make mistakes as well.
That looks like a spaghetti nightmare Eric. Can't wait to see you wrestle that mess back in