MINI COOPER ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD REMOVAL

[@theoriginalwallace]

Hi George. I sold my wife's r56 jcw to a Mini breaker a couple of months ago. 30psi on cylinder 1& 90psi on the rest. Number 1 was filling with oil causing a misfire. Just happened one morning. Couldn't justify time & money sorting out what is a chocolate engine. Now she has an E91 320d touring. Just replaced the turbo & cleaned the intake manifold/ports. Goes really well now & was a cheap fix thanks to your tutorials! The E90 chassis is superb & much more practical than having 2 Minis! Selling my modified R53 soon though as it's going to fund my Vauxhall Viva HC powered by a highly modified YB Cosworth RS Sierra engine with an uprated T5 gearbox. Cheers. Leigh.

[@robertgardner6345]

More than likely your Mini Cooper R56 jcw had a burnt exhaust valve in cylinder #1. This is a very common problem with the turbo charged N14 engine

[@GeorgeAusters]

Nice! Yes probably a burnt valve like on mine

[@theoriginalwallace]

@@robertgardner6345 Maybe a cracked piston... it almost half filled number 1 cylinder with oil!!

[@russellwade7810]

Am sure cars today are mechanically only built to last a certain amount of time but car bodies have got better. Keep the vids coming very enjoyable 👍

[@GeorgeAusters]

It’s the increase in emission control devices that make modern engine unreliable

[@ukwan]

Keep them coming, I have an F56 still under warranty no real relevance to me (at least Mini wise) but I really enjoy watching people fix their cars, I also have an old Alfa Romeo 147 1.6 TS and I'm forever repairing it, always great to see how others work and pick up small tips and trick.

[@GeorgeAusters]

Will do, thanks James!

[@PoppinPortraits]

That bit about the Alfa ‘you’re always repairing it’. We know 😃

[@neilhampson2843]

Just a Quick FYI. When you remove a cylinder head work in reverse of fitting, ie form the outside in wards. Another tip when you buy your timing tools don't buy the cheap Ebay ones, ask me how I know. These engines are critical on cam timing. keep up the good work.

[@GeorgeAusters]

Makes sense, cheers!

[@neilhampson2843]

@Romeo Five Six Yes the Laser tools are really good quality. The Ebay one have too much clearance on the camshaft, giving all sorts or error codes. It me chasing my tail for days until I used a better tool. It only takes a few degrees and the car won't run properly.

[@gulag8735]

Woops......too late. I bought a cheap tool😬

[@hakunamitatas8525]

Thinking of doing the timing chain in my n14 soon. Your vids are very helpful

[@GeorgeAusters]

Good luck!

[@TimpBizkit]

Have an N14 with a cracked cylinder head. Was curious how involved the repair was and how difficult without removing the engine. Garage said it would be at least 2000. Perhaps too many pulls to 80 mph.... Will probably sell it for parts and keep the Fiesta my mum gave me 🤣

[@mark120964]

Recently found your channel and really enjoy its content, keep up the good work Mark

[@GeorgeAusters]

Appreciate it Mark!

[@PoppinPortraits]

Cheers Georgie fella. I like seeing inside other bmw engines to see how worn or well maintained they are

[@denishoulan1491]

It is a Peugeot engine.

[@raymondmumford6255]

Nice work as usual George 👍

[@GeorgeAusters]

Thanks Raymond!

[@barryhall7]

A burnt valve is really common for this engine, good video 👍🏻

[@wadehampton4499]

George: I've had two R56 Minis over the last eight years. Firstly a 2008 Cooper S with the (not good) N14 engine and now, a 2013 JCW with the (better but not perfect) N18 engine. Both cars were and are rigorously serviced by a BMW/Mini specialist just outside Southampton and I wouldn't go anywhere else. On two occasions over the last two years, they had R56 Cooper S's in with burned exhaust valves. The technicians (who know a thing or two) were certain this is the result of running these cars are run on "cheap" (supermarket) petrol, rather than much better but more expensive V-Max or similar. Given that the cost of a full top overhaul is in the region of £2,000, using so called cheap fuel looks like a false economy.

[@GeorgeAusters]

It's not really much to do with the fuel quality.. It's more to do with a bad engine design. The oily crankcase vapours are directed back through the intake and bake onto the back of the valves causing the intake valves to be caked.

[@wadehampton4499]

@@GeorgeAusters True and one of the reasons why Mini came out with the N18 engine which heavily revised the PCV system. Coking up is often a problem with direct injection engines as the incoming charge no longer washes around the inlet valves. However, I'm not sure what that has to do with burned out exhaust valves...my money is still on poor quality petrol !

[@TheTechnoaddict]

@@GeorgeAusters every pcv system does that. Ford seems to have the least problems with caked on valves. Vw is horrible. It's pretty common and more and more garages offer a carbon cleaning service.

[@TommyGames97]

very common issue on the n14/n18 tbf seen it loads just slap some valves in and away you go

[@GeorgeAusters]

I’ll be doing a full rebuild, not just new valves👍🏻

[@TommyGames97]

@@GeorgeAusters may as well get some cams in this uk cheapest mini 🤣

[@garycook1517]

cool to see inside the engine, are these know for destroying valves?

[@GeorgeAusters]

Exhaust valves yes!

[@simon_sjw9973]

Coming on George, looking good.

[@GeorgeAusters]

Cheers Simon👊🏻

[@derekgb3780]

Along with the chain guide issue, burnt valves also seem to be a common problem on these engines. I read about two possible causes 1) bad valve stem seals causing oil to get into the combustion chamber causing carbon build-up and overheating/valve destruction or 2) the particular direct injection system on these engines causing excess carbon build-up with the same result. 😕

[@GeorgeAusters]

Think it’s the layer of the 2… Will be fitting all new valve stem seals though!

[@JoakimBergh]

Are you going with a plastic rockercover, or an upgraded steel one?

[@GeorgeAusters]

Oem one

[@nanolure8678]

Where can you get, a steel rockercover upgrade from?

[@oldgit1091]

Do you know what you are doing you should have locked the cams and crankshaft before REMOVING the timing chain I've REBUILT loads of these engines

[@GeorgeAusters]

If I was just replacing the head yes.. however I’m doing a full rebuild so pointless keeping the engine in time👍🏻

[@Mr_Whippy92]

timing on these is floating / inteference fit , so once cams are corrreclty locked , whe crank pulley is torqued to inteference fit , so timing isnt neccessary of full rebuild is being undertook.

[@adammillington5053]

Is this a 1.6 thp engine? Designed by BMW built by Peugeot...... I remember problems with the cams slipping....

[@GeorgeAusters]

Yes

[@chrisgermann6658]

I'm guessing the OEM rocker cover likely warped from the heat cycles thus replaced with this after market one. Happened on my N47. Keep em coming George! your doing great.

[@GeorgeAusters]

Possibly!

[@DocMackGarage]

Was senior Mr Austers a good helper ?

[@GeorgeAusters]

Yeah he held the engine stand steady whilst I was cracking bolts loose👌🏼

[@colinblick4903]

Remind me not to buy a bmw mini George😵‍💫……. Got me eye on a Audi 1.6 tdi convertible…….yes I know they have their problems….. but at least the German engineers have had their hands on it……if you know different let me know….😎👍🏼…best havin the ole man close by👌🏼🥸

[@Roadkill7878]

Does the Cooper S use a Peugeot engine like the Cooper does?

[@GeorgeAusters]

Yes it does

[@Roadkill7878]

@@GeorgeAusters Ok. I had an R56 Cooper that was using a lot of oil. It then developed piston slap which got steadily worse. Just before I got rid of it I noticed white smoke from the exhaust as well as heavy black deposits in the exhaust tailpipe. I suspected there was significant bore score, which was odd because the car had only done 75K. Apparently these engines are notorious for being unreliable. I wonder if the quality of the bore lining is to blame?

[@TimpBizkit]

@@Roadkill7878 blew my head at 94k accelerating from a light. Got to 4k rpm and the thing started farting like it was losing pressure, so immediately backed off the accelerator, shifted into gear 6 and limped it home.

[@ReneLima-bu2jb]

This is N13 engine?

[@GeorgeAusters]

N14

[@Salman-sc8gr]

This is the bastard engine they named "Prince"

[@SteveDull]

Terrible maintenance or poor design/built in obsolescence? Rebuilding of an engine this modern and of lowish mileage is scandalous

[@GeorgeAusters]

It’s due to a bad design.. These engines need oil catch cans

[@jackbean4693]

Has to be.. 100%

[@GeorgeAusters]

I reckon so