Hi guys,

I need a bit of advice. My girlfriends car broke down and is running on 3 cylinders. We just compression tested it and endoscoped it and an exhast valve is melted.

is this common on a 2008 1.6 mini?

I assume to fix it I need a valve, and cylinder head gasket? Anything else?

my friend also suggested getting injectors done to stop it happening again? Does this sound like the cause?

Has anyone done this job and have advice?

thanks,

dan

 

Seems like that might happen a lot to Mini's. Look on the mini2.com forums there seem to be plenty of posts about melted exhaust valves. I have no idea what the fix is or what the original cause was but it seems common enough - I would imagine the Mini2 members might be helpful to ask, also.

 

Which "1.6" engine

Diesel

Petrol

That would be a good start; If it's a Prince (petrol) engine...fix it to get it back on the road and sell it!! If it's a DV6 (diesel) don't even try to fix, just sell it as it is, as it'll be a money pit!

 

If its the prince engine then theres a good chance the head is scrap, its normally the valve seats on these heads that fail, they tend to just 'drop out' and cant be repaired. Itll be a new head needed.

 

Are all minis a nightmare?!

 

If they have an EP engine....yes

 

My wife has a 2008 mini n12 1.6na and it's been pretty decent in terms of reliability, for now lol, only thing I can say is, it's weeping a little oil into the spark plug tunnels (nice easy diy gasket replacement). And doesn't drink oil as roumered.
I know the n14 are terrible with chain issues, drinking oil, and loads of other stuff hence them 1.6T are going cheap nowadays.
But touch wood wife's has been ok, it's on around 70 odd k

 

No, but many are nightmares: It's just the combination of a car with overly-long service intervals with engines that use oil between services, prone to coolant leaks, and combined with them tending to be owned/driven by people who never lift the bonnet until it breaks down and only services it according to dash (which can be up to two years).

Fast forward ten years, with a Prince engine it will at some point will have had an owner that drove it most of the time with only 1litre of oil in the sump which has "cooked" it, in turn causing loads of wear and deposit issues which in turn increases oil consumption further. That's without mentioning the chain and Vanos.

The coolant leaks obviously end up with air lock and cooking the head. Usually it started off as just a slight weep from the stat housing, sensor or rad (latter from "feeling" their way into parking spaces ). Lifting the bonnet regularly between services and checking level at least once a month would usually spot coolant (and oil) usage before it causes severe damage.

However I am aware of reliable minis...but they have oil changed every 12months/10k from new and the owners spend as much money on car polish/detailing products as they do on petrol, and the bonnet it up every weekend!

 

The 1.6 turbos suffer from high pressure fuel pumps failing and valves clogging up with oil crystallisation....the same engine is used in the Citroen DS3...

 

Summed it up perfectly there lol. Tbh they deserve it if they think a car looks after itself

 

My mrs has had a R53 JCWs (supercharger) for 12 years now & it's been faultless!

 

The r50-53s are a lot more reliable, wife had the r52 prior, it had done 170k and just kept going lol. So I treated her to a newer one as bits where just falling off