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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Tuesday November 13th, 2007 08:08 pm |
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The asking price is £5000 ono. Unfortunately, the MOT is due in a week or so. ANY COMMENTS?
Well I'd want a long MOT before parting with that kind of money, so isn't the owner prepared to get it MOT'd and then sell it on?
The scuttle panel rust is a real worry and you just don't know what horrors are lurking until the windscreen and seal is removed.
After all it could be so bad that a replacement scuttle is needed and then you're probably looking at replacing the wings too. Before you know it you probably end up replacing the whole front end just to be on the safe side.
Anyway, would you believe me if I said that my niece sold her 1998 Mini Paul Smith LE for just 2 grand back in late 2004?
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Tuesday November 13th, 2007 08:14 pm |
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My wheel too is wonky! after I fitted adjustable arms/HD tie rods - latest Haynes details how to safely remove steering wheel.
No need to remove the wheel to reposition it straight. Just take it to a good tyre fitter (Not Kwik Fit though!) and they'll attach a clamp to the steering wheel and adjust the tracking arms until the wheel is straight.
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Tuesday November 13th, 2007 08:33 pm |
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Graham Bichard wrote:
taffy1967 wrote:
I know that gearboxes are always highlighted as a common failure on later Minis (something to do with a lack of shims and other components?),
Taffy, I know that a well built item is always better than a poorly built piece of kit, but are we saying the boxes were incorrectly built? Would a well built gearbox solve the syncro/baulk ring problems?
I thought it was an inherant problem (always second gear going first?), hence the sale of upgraded baulk rings etc. (My box has been like this since I bought the car at 33k miles - now 46k. Luckily I have experience of using crash boxes and just tend to drive around the problem)
If build quality is the answer, I'd be tempted to build my own (and no doubt learn something along the way) than buy off the shelf. Anyone else done this?
I've heard that problems started when BMW took control in 1994 and the gearbox components like all the different sized shims were no longer being supplied at the manufacturing stage.
So they just weren't building them like they used to and added to that was the thin engine oil and long service recommendations, both of which did nothing for the long term care and life of the Minis engine and gearbox.
It's also possible (or likely?) that the gearbox manufacturing process wasn't consistent and some gearboxes got a better deal than others?
Synthetic and Semi-Synthetic Oil is also bad news for the sychncro's in the gearbox too and regardless of it's age, all Minis of 1959-2000 vintage work in much the same way and need a thicker more suitable oil plus a regular oil change.
I've always noticed a slight weakness in the change down to second gear on my 1990 Mini Cooper. But I've just put it down to the fact that it's a larger engine and the revs need to be lower when changing down. The 998cc engined Minis I've owned didn't seem to suffer this complaint and they'd happily sing when I changed down to second just before turning the corner at the bottom of my hill.
I've tried double de-clutching but that's had no real effect, so now I change from 4th to 3rd and then down to 2nd and it's fine.
If your gearbox is really suffering, then any good Mini specialist or decent Mini friendly gearbox specialist can rebuild a Mini gearbox and they should be able to get it to a decent standard too. That should include all the necessary shims and such like.
I'd say that older Minis had near bullet proof gearboxes, or at least my first Mini (75' MK3 Mini 1000) must have because that had suffered serious neglect before I inherited it. It had been run with very little engine oil at times and hadn't seen an oil change let alone a full service in years. it also virtually had no brakes, but then it's all easy come easy go with some people?
But I passed my driving test in that Mini (after spending a few notes tidying it up and treating it to a service etc) and it always ran and changed gear without a hitch.
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DaveShreeve
Administrator
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Posted: Tuesday November 13th, 2007 10:43 pm |
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blickling wrote: You've rumbled me!!  Well spotted that man. I am a real grumpy old man when it comes to poor spelling and now I have gone and done it myself. 
It's no problem. It just caused a double take, and some amusement, when I read it as 'fiance and the wife'.
In some cases possibly the wife would say the fiance is already in the garage!
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DaveShreeve
Administrator
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Posted: Tuesday November 13th, 2007 10:48 pm |
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taffy1967 wrote: Synthetic and Semi-Synthetic Oil is also bad news for the sychncro's in the gearbox too and regardless of it's age, all Minis of 1959-2000 vintage work in much the same way and need a thicker more suitable oil plus a regular oil change.
Taffy, is this a generalisation based on the generally thinner nature of synthetics, or would you apply is to the specialist mini synthetics? Millers mini synthetics are thicker than you'd normally expect and include EP chemistry for the gearbox.
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Tuesday November 13th, 2007 11:41 pm |
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Well the jury really is out when it comes to using any form of synthetic oil in Minis, although I've heard of owners using the semi-synthetic Millers thicker oil with good results.
It's just that you hear alarm bells ringing on every Mini forum whenever the words synthetic oil are mentioned.
I'd say any suitable classic 20W/50 oil should be fine for Minis, where as thinner modern oil generally isn't.
There are those who say you shouldn't put classic type oil anywhere near a fuel injected Mini nor it's catalytic converter and yet I've heard from those who have and are more than happy with the oil.
Just like me and my Duckhams Q Classic.
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Andrew1967
MCR Member
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Posted: Wednesday November 14th, 2007 04:51 pm |
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taffy1967 wrote: I'd say any suitable classic 20W/50 oil should be fine for Minis, where as thinner modern oil generally isn't.
There are those who say you shouldn't put classic type oil anywhere near a fuel injected Mini nor it's catalytic converter and yet I've heard from those who have and are more than happy with the oil.
Just like me and my Duckhams Q Classic.
I'm with Taffy on this one. Must be something to do with our age 
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Wednesday November 14th, 2007 09:25 pm |
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Andrew1967 wrote:
taffy1967 wrote: I'd say any suitable classic 20W/50 oil should be fine for Minis, where as thinner modern oil generally isn't.
There are those who say you shouldn't put classic type oil anywhere near a fuel injected Mini nor it's catalytic converter and yet I've heard from those who have and are more than happy with the oil.
Just like me and my Duckhams Q Classic.
I'm with Taffy on this one. Must be something to do with our age
Speak for yourself, I can barely remember Hot Pants, Pre-Decimal Coinage and Black & White TV!
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Graham Bichard
Member
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Posted: Thursday November 15th, 2007 07:01 am |
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You can barely remember it Taffy......................................but you can! 
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Thursday November 15th, 2007 12:29 pm |
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Well okay just call me the "oldest swinger in town" then.
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hanlminiman
MCR Member
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Posted: Thursday November 15th, 2007 05:37 pm |
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| I remember hot pantsssss, £ s d (or was it LSD), and my son once asked me what the world was like when it was black & white! On the subject of oil type I use 20/50 in my mpi because it is for the engine and gearbox but change it regularly.
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Andrew1967
MCR Member
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Posted: Thursday November 15th, 2007 05:50 pm |
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taffy1967 wrote:
Speak for yourself, I can barely remember Hot Pants, Pre-Decimal Coinage and Black & White TV!
Well I can't remember the use of pre decimal money but I can remember a packet of crisps being 2 1/2p.
I also remember the day we first got a colour television. Trouble was I came in from school, switched on the TV and was watching it for an hour before my parents asked if I noticed anything different about the picture 
Can't remember Hot Pants but I do know of the Pants Mini
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taffy1967
Member
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Posted: Thursday November 15th, 2007 08:01 pm |
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I can remember our first colour TV set (22" MKI Redifusion) and all I had to watch and impress my little friends with in colour that afternoon was the classic Test Card with the girl and clown.
Still come the following Saturday and all my friends called around to watch Doctor Who and we saw Jon Pertwee take on the Master in The Daemons.
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