Mini Cooper N14 Bent Valve Repair (Part 1)

[@danclark6481]

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!

[@hillelsalzman21]

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.

[@YoDooDSup]

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.

[@JohnDoe-zg6fq]

@ Well that's a bit shitty.

[@donep3]

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]

20 hrs to replace clutch lolololol. Peugeot/BMW monstrosity

[@donep3]

@@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.

[@julievella7211]

Hello

[@julievella7211]

Still there after 3 years?

[@jamesrath7509]

Yeah, always liked these little cars and wanted one, but they scare me off, good to see this and appreciate simplicity

[@Anthonyg909]

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.

[@deana8202]

Wish I had a brother like you. :)

[@Longtrailside]

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.

[@blind898]

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.

[@morsecodereviews1553]

Came here to learn how to replace the valves on my 02 Impala and now my refrigerator works great! Thanks!

[@LeaderofStupid]

Damn. What did i miss?

[@ronaldjohnson1474]

Now, that's funny!

[@av8tore71]

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

[@snoopdogie187]

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.

[@av8tore71]

@@snoopdogie187 I'm an airplane mechanic by trade so I was being rhetorical lol

[@ddk80]

This series confirms that one of my best decisions to date was to sell my Clubman 2 years ago.

[@doublebulbing]

did you buy a boxster ?

[@ddk80]

marble head I went full suburban lifestyle and bought a CR-V.

[@doublebulbing]

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

[@ddk80]

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.

[@doublebulbing]

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

[@Ariaemm]

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!

[@mrsabidji]

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!

[@GmanBuilds]

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

[@ericthecarguy]

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.

[@STORMinsights]

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.

[@brandonlee1547]

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!

[@alexnicolaou3579]

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

[@yaris5150]

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.

[@onirrapdivad]

What ended up happening?

[@andrewreynolds2647]

WOW !!!!. you have so much patience your skill level is through the roof. thoroughly enjoyed this video. Respect.

[@matowixunplugged7927]

You taught me to never buy one of these minis

[@ggraf9327]

Goes the same with more modern BMW's ...

[@MatrixDiscovery]

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.

[@stevethedonful]

They don’t look that bad to work on to be honest...

[@Alodri]

"Don't ever own a German car out of warranty" - I think that's how the saying goes.

[@toddmccarter45]

@@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.

[@MrLarryQ]

Thanks for the detailed disassembly work. Double thanks for showing us in the proess why we should never buy a Mini.

[@joeclarke9782]

Mini = Gift that keeps on giving. Great audio of parts snapping krackling and popping. And have headcam zeroed in. Thanks

[@31docdoc]

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

[@ericthecarguy]

I'm happy to help. Thank you very much for the comment.

[@gplusgplus2286]

These engines are designed to fail. Notorious in Europe.

[@SuperCrystalCastle]

Another Great Video Eric. Appreciate the camera work.

[@ze179]

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...

[@Avrelivs_Gold]

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

[@Paulpenuk]

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) !

[@Stevme0001]

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.

[@goldgrows7706]

i’m impressed at the amount of work put into the video and car.

[@dolssondko]

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!

[@thedogbarber]

Step one: Dissassemble entire car. Lol

[@nov3019892008]

Step one: Avoid buying a mini in the first place

[@mikus4242]

lol!

[@RockinTheDub]

Buying my mini was the biggest mistake I ever made. A fun car at the compromise of my 401k lol

[@Bigtime_mcalpine]

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!

[@kellytaylor3134]

Love how well he owned his mistake true mechanic

[@Tool0GT92]

You could throw ten dollars in change in the engine bay and nothing would hit the ground.

[@snoopdogie187]

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.

[@animal16365]

I'm glad there are guys like you out there Eric. Us get lost doing this type of work^^

[@chrispotter3324]

“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.

[@SerpentXTech]

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.

[@MEmrCLEVER]

@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.

[@HansensUniverseT-A]

Well, Eric, you did the right choice getting the Mini, keeps them repair videos coming!

[@restlessjack0042]

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...

[@kellytaylor3134]

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

[@97I30T]

Kelly Taylor Tesla is making that a reality. Tesla HATES customers who service their own Teslas.

[@consaka1]

I'll give an Amen to that.

[@mikldude9376]

@@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.

[@RobertHancock1]

Think the real lesson is not to buy something with a Peugeot engine in it..

[@prhstudent94]

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.

[@monkeyfinger7949]

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!

[@bkembley]

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!

[@ericthecarguy]

Sorry about the shorter videos. I needed the extra time to get settled into the new house.

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

The original is still the best on KZbin.

[@ericthecarguy]

Thanks!

[@Lxdeez]

Good morning Eric. It's 2:40 am in California right now. Love your vids man. Take care.

[@ericthecarguy]

Good morning! I miss CA. Hope I make it back there next month.

[@bencrosbie]

serious amount of work for bent valves. very educational

[@gemmaology781]

This is also the most helpful video out there for anyone trying tk replace a head gasket

[@juanulloa9988]

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.

[@raygv1]

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..."

[@gray09r56]

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 KZbin back then instead of only just recently (it’s not on my Mini though [Tech & DIYs]).

[@comeinhandynow]

What is that (pump?) at 10:56 that is driven from the end of the inlet cam. Fuel pump? Power steering pump?

[@viburnumwillow4669]

Just throw the whole thing out.

[@matowixunplugged7927]

The Dank Lord he sold it for about $5,500

[@ericthecarguy]

It's not sold yet.

[@viburnumwillow4669]

@@ericthecarguy Ooooooh damn, you called him out. Like the vids btw.

[@Patrick94GSR]

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.

[@viburnumwillow4669]

@@Patrick94GSR I've got a 2001 Prius with about 235,xxx miles on it right now. Really I've had no problems.

[@compactc9]

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.

[@paulollerhead]

I appreciate high quality editing. Nice one

[@nb1]

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.

[@jamesbambury]

Loving the mini series!!! I am seeing parts of this car that I never want to see on my wife’s!!!

[@aycarambas]

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

[@f1f278]

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! 🍻

[@sinohoeung8282]

You’re still awesome! A lot of respect! Admitting your mistakes

[@Patrick94GSR]

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.

[@rigrentals5297]

I loved every minute of this video.

[@Cringgyplayz]

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?

[@Chriswales]

Holly crap, so this explains why you don't see many old ones of these on the road.

[@skitzvitz]

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.

[@johanndelange5676]

Now I have to copy your process... Wish me luck. I'm now mechanic but I will try it. Thanks Eric

[@marthagober2212]

Glad you are back

[@trublue2319]

I like that you are strong enuff to admit your mistake

[@Ruvalc]

Very informative as always cant wait to get my 944 on the road again

[@Zanmiester]

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.

[@skwerlee]

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.

[@ericthecarguy]

You're in luck, except the part about keeping it stock....

[@skwerlee]

EricTheCarGuy hey i'll take it!!! Looking forward to it sir

[@mohammedshafiq4053]

Eric the car guy mate make some more new video's please i love watching your video's you are best one mate thankyouuuuuu

[@blower1]

Those hose clamp pliers are essential on any German car!, i got myself a pair many years ago and yep....man what a difference!

[@farerse]

A question about adjusting the valve clearance.. will loose valves cause a rich or lean condition?

[@cartoncs]

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

[@markmalinowski5951]

your impact gun sounds like a laser from Star Wars

[@chetleonard169]

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

[@coolgreenchilli]

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).

[@carmelhally2805]

Hi Eric, your videos are very descriptive. Regarding the mini timing chain replacement, does the new chain have to be preset before fitting the new tensioner. Thanks appreciate your help.

[@JS-dh7kk]

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?

[@Finthebox]

What’s up Eric great videos I appreciate what you do.. I had a quick question.. when I line my pistons up with each other down the center of the engine for crank timing do I want cylinder 1 piston to be on the up or down stroke?

[@pntdblack]

Hey Eric I know nothing about engines my mechanic said I need a valve job on my 2006 honda civic si. What should something like this cost and would that be the only thing necessary to make the engine good? It never stalled it suddenly started shaking and I had to pull over. It now has over 200.000 miles on it. I bought the car new in 06 never had any problems always kept oil changed. Would like to keep it as an extra car if I can get it to run right again. Thanks Eric!

[@Legendnum23]

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.

[@lexmaximaguy8788]

replaces timing chain....bends a valve...ooopppsssiiieeessss...more videos for us.

[@DanteTheAbyssalBeing]

At what point is it a good idea to replace the piston when recovering from a cam belt/chain failure? If they've just tapped each other and the valve has come off worse is it okay leaving the piston in there, or is it best to do the full job?

[@nijloveanugelu]

Good to have the good old mechanical videos Eric!Good job! I miss the old times..

[@albosquez3259]

Hi, the rockers arms for the valve train are the same for intake and exhaust?

[@davewinchester6600]

Hi eric i just want to ask if the timing belt for D13,D15 and D16 engines for honda are the same? And how many tooth for LXI timing belt?

[@TheDracfink]

great video Eric. i'm planning on starting to use power tools when working on my car real soon. i'm curious as in when to dictate when to use power tools and when not to though. any pointers?

[@ericthecarguy]

You get used to them in the same way you get used to hand tools. Also, most of the electric stuff has settings so you can dial down the torque. Perhaps it's time to do some tool reviews.

[@jonc2115]

been looking at your videos and thank you car guy, i'm a little confuse how do you know how to set the piston order properly the middle 2 pistons need to be up? i can't find the hole to install pin i want to make sure i have the correct order for the pistons so i know i'm in time can you help me

[@farerse]

YES! I mean no.. sorry about the bent valves.. but we get a new repair video

[@chieft3357]

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.

[@epicpandareviews]

This makes pulling the heads on my old Ranger seem enjoyable.

[@wilbert-oppegard]

best episode in a long time!

[@robs1852]

What a car the Mini is! Imagine removing the entire front clip to work on valves.

[@VictorGarcia-wn5nd]

I am rebuilding this engine and the crankshaft tool locks the 4 pistons at a mid-point, not at TDC. Do you think this is correct?

[@dailyobedience5264]

This is like a first person shooter for vehicle repair. Definitely a labor of love. You can tell euros aren't over engineered........... What are you using for shooting this video? It looks awesome.

[@ericthecarguy]

Hero 5's mostly.

[@giboogi]

I can not seem to get the VANOS actuator off, the bolt is out, it spins in the head but will not come out of the head and I don't want to ruin it by banging on it or cause any more damage. If you have any recommendations please share. Thanks,

[@hoodmukbangs9993]

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

[@richardsoto9615]

Eric, given how tight the engine compartment is on this mini, would you consider removal of the entire engine/drive assembly since these are installed as a unit at the factory. Then disassembly access would be easier?

[@snetsky100]

He did the first time around.

[@ericthecarguy]

I did that already. I wanted to try a different approach this time. Links in the description.

[@joshb1434]

how much did this job cost you excluding your labour, just parts?

[@IsraelitesUnited]

Hi, do you know how to remove hydraulic lifter tappets in the r53/r56 rocker arm thanks

[@81recinos]

Hey Erick good video buddy...how much would something like this would cost? I have a friend who is selling his mini but it needs a head gasket

[@henryherrera9111]

Hey eric, how do you remember where all the stuff/bolts go, just good memory?

[@theprodistini2590]

bought a 2010 clubman s. cylinders full of water, engine has clear signs of running hot (melted valve cover) do you think the engine is salvageable or do these engines go to shit once overheated? block is cast iron, heads are aluminum as you know.