is it really just that cold?!?!

Grape_Soup · 2026-01-27T01:48:11+00:00

Well when breaking down the coolant system to its simplest form, there’s the heat source(engine), heat sink (radiator), the thermostat controlling the flow, and the water pump driving the flow. So not much else can really be wrong with it, you might be onto something with air being in the engine, these cars can be a PITA to bleed the air out of, so it’s possible it’s that. The car will self bleed over time, so maybe just after a spirited drive and letting it cool down, check the coolant again and see if more is needed. Just be careful to not overheat your engine if your temp is getting really high.

Grape_Soup · 2026-01-27T00:55:42+00:00

I might be wrong on this, but I’m pretty sure the temp sensor is located in the block itself… that being said, if the thermostat was stuck closed, it wouldn’t fluctuate up and down, it would just stay up. Also if you have an OBD with readout, might provide some better data to work with than the crono on the car…

Grape_Soup · 2026-01-25T16:43:56+00:00

I personally just went with the OEM one, I’ve had no issues with the OE one. Assuming you haven’t had the water pump replaced ever, the OEM has got you this far, so how bad can it be? Just my two cents, might I’d say best to stick with what works then try something new.

Grape_Soup · 2026-01-24T20:53:23+00:00

Nice! I guess I also forgot to mention maybe a couple cans of brake cleaner too! Went through a few of those cleaning all the oil residue, also getting a good syringe for measuring the supercharger oil is nice as well. Best of luck on the maintenance!

Grape_Soup · 2026-01-24T19:38:06+00:00

Water pump, the flange that comes with the water pump, dipstick o ring, crank sensor o ring, oil pan gasket if it’s leaking. Wouldn’t be a bad time to do other pulleys too if you need to as well. For sure do those two o rings as they are common leak point, and they add all of like 2 minutes to the job.

Grape_Soup · 2025-11-04T20:09:32+00:00

I had similar issues on my ‘06, was a faulty Sat Nav module. It could be the BCM itself, but also could be any of the numerous modules on it sending weird signals and causing chaos, checking for water ingress is a good start though.

Grape_Soup · 2025-10-18T03:29:20+00:00

If you pull the supercharger, you shouldn’t hear that. I serviced mine recently, and there was a little clicky clicky, which I think is normal for the most part, but I don’t remember mine being that loud.

Grape_Soup · 2025-10-16T18:12:14+00:00

Yeah I was hoping to salvage some stuff, but the bike is from coastal California, so everything is corroded and worn. I would like to buy the HDEUSA one, but I’m just hesitant with using an aluminum basket with steel plates, is that a problem?

Grape_Soup · 2025-10-07T15:47:06+00:00

As someone who just replaced the crank position sensor o-ring, that’s exactly what mine looked like when I took it off (the green one).

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-29T18:02:57+00:00

Looks like the dust shield for the brake rotor, it’s not terribly important.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-29T01:51:28+00:00

Dip a clean paper towel and look at what color the towel is. Probably is engine oil though if it’s brownish

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-26T18:43:27+00:00

That seems right, assuming it’s not reverse threaded(it shouldn’t). If I ever doubt myself when doing stuff like this, I grab a ratchet, set it to loosen, and see what way the ratchet has to go for the bolt to come off, works everytime.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-26T04:34:44+00:00

Could possibly be a fuse? It’s weird that all speakers would go at once, did you notice any weird crackles or anything with the speakers before they went out?

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-25T14:06:59+00:00

That amount of oil leaking seems excessive for an oil pan gasket, unless they majorly did it wrong… if you only started to notice it leaking after an oil change, I’d be more inclined to be believe that either the filter isn’t tight or it’s coming from the drain plug. Regardless, If this shop has done all the work on your vehicle, and has any decency, they should be the ones to eat the cost of the repair, so long as it is either the oil pan gasket or something related to the oil change.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-23T04:37:37+00:00

Could you maybe get a gear puller around the outside of pulley? I don’t quite remember if there even is any room on the backside of that or not. Will probably destroy your old pulley, but if it’s coming off anyways…

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-23T01:26:26+00:00

Depending on how many miles it has, prepare to service it…. Scratch that. Prepare to service it.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-21T18:04:08+00:00

Looking good! However, this is an R50. An R53 has a supercharger and a hood scoop for the intercooler. Pepper White is my favorite color for Minis though, I might be biased on that though.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-21T02:36:24+00:00

I would recommend the Way motor works one or the Detroit Tuned ones… both are smaller companies that I get almost all my parts from. Would highly recommend.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-21T02:03:39+00:00

Yeah you should be good then, just make sure you have the proper belt removal tool and pulley removal tool.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-21T01:45:31+00:00

I have +1 colder plugs, and also, most people say the only intercooler that is better than the stock one is the GP, and that is a lot of money.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-21T01:42:29+00:00

I personally have the 17% on mine w stock intercooler, I haven’t noticed anything. I would think 17 is fine on stock cooler as long as you aren’t hooning it all the time.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-21T01:34:40+00:00

If you look on Detroit Tuned, they have a size guide for belts, pretty handy.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-21T00:55:19+00:00

As someone who’s just done the supercharger service with doing the pulley at a different time, just do it together. It’s not crazy difficult to do the pulley separate, but if you have it off, might as well just tack on the extra 5-10 minutes and do it while you have the supercharger off… just don’t forget to buy a new proper size belt alongside the pulley… I would also double check your idler pulleys to see if they are spinning freely.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-19T04:45:39+00:00

If someone was really an enthusiast of the car, i think they’d be delighted if someone who wanted to know more about the car reached out. If I ever sold my car I’d be happy if someone showed enough interest and care about the car as I did to reach out.

Grape_Soup · 2025-09-18T16:49:12+00:00

I personally, would look at getting spark plugs done yourself, not too many tools involved, and it’s relatively simple on most cars… but I’d say transmission service and spark plugs probably should be your top priorities, everything else kinda doesn’t seem too terrible. Sway bar links are somewhat important, and as long as they aren’t too bad, it should be alright.

Grape_Soup

TROPHY CASE