Jump to content

Mini Cooper with dodgy electrics (what’s the next step)


Vince70

Recommended Posts

I had a new caliper and pads fitted today on the Bini and a friend of a friend did it for £40 so I’m well happy, but I’m still waiting to reprogram the BC1 and remote keys and bought some software online but can’t seem to open it on my computer so I’ve got or either change the complete lock and ecu set or find someone local with Ista D.

 

But I’ve got my new parking place sorted next to the shed for the Bini today so that’s a bonus and apart from the rattling sunroof and the non working electrics it drives well.post-9282-0-11949700-1553374533_thumb.jpeg

The next step is to save some money and get a car port.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

post-9282-0-23300700-1554154854_thumb.jpeg

This week I’ve been driving the Bini and must say mechanically it runs spot on now apart from the seized handbrake cable but I couldn’t believe my luck as people on this site are amazing.

 

Barvarian Retro had a quick look at coding my keys the other day and wouldn’t take a penny and although the keys wouldn’t talk to the car to get the remote locking working they are now programmed to it.

He was saying it’s most probably the receiver in the mirror that’s giving me trouble but I removed the mirror and being a very early car it’s not got one in the mirror so my guess is it’s behind the headliner somewhere hidden.

 

I did forget to tell him though that my central locking and interior light also don’t work so I’m wondering if even if I change it I’m not sure it will come back to life also my wipers are out of sync and the heater blower still doesn’t work even after being programmed by a garage although the garage did tell me to put a new heater and wiper unit on the car but I find it odd that that both would be broken and the wipers work but don’t turn off when you want them to stop.

 

So I’m not sure what’s the next step and was thinking of buying a complete lock set with both BC1 and the remote ECU and new keys and see how I go from there but I don’t want to throw good money after bad on it if it doesn’t work and find out it’s something else so has anyone got any ideas on what I should do next but was thinking this might get everything working again.post-9282-0-66769900-1554156177_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The car port is going to wait now to next year but as I’m a bit skint after buying to many non working cars lol but the car fits nicely up the side of the house now and before I put it away I will give it an oil change and disconnect the battery and have a car cover.

 

All the Bini range got remote locking as standard and this one is quite a posh one as it has the chilli pack but it’s been fighting me all the way when it comes to repairing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Daughters Bini. 51 reg Cooper in liquid yella with black roof, looks identical.to yours.

I love it.

After the Brake light staying on. And the clutch failing and then the gearbox failing at only 99.5k and me throwing £1300 at it over the last 18 months, it now has a coolant leak from.the thermostat housing.

I have ordered new parts and Sunday it should be good to go without the need to add coolant every week.

 

 

 

However she thinks she wants to get rid.

 

I want it. I want to sell the MX5 and keep it for emergencies and weekend use.

 

Wife does not seem convinced.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good work.

 

Looking for something similar myself to scratch an itch, the problem is around here I'm struggling to find anything even close to that price. Up here you seem to be looking at £700-£1000 for an MOT failure and £1200-1500 for a mint looking one with full ticket, seems hard to justify buying a project and throwing £500 at it rather than just buying a decent one to begin with. However it would primarily be something to tinker with in the garage rather than drive often as my wife and I both have modernz for every day use so buying a good one would kind of defeat the purpose of the exercise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good work.

 

Looking for something similar myself to scratch an itch, the problem is around here I'm struggling to find anything even close to that price. Up here you seem to be looking at £700-£1000 for an MOT failure and £1200-1500 for a mint looking one with full ticket, seems hard to justify buying a project and throwing £500 at it rather than just buying a decent one to begin with. However it would primarily be something to tinker with in the garage rather than drive often as my wife and I both have modernz for every day use so buying a good one would kind of defeat the purpose of the exercise.

buy the best you can afford

 

There will.be tinkering required

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try and get one with a build date after July 04 and before November 06 as these are the best available and most of the problems like dodgy gearboxes etc have been ironed out.

It surprised me the amount of small differences on the later cars that you don’t actually see my favourite is the boot override cable which you don’t get on the early car so I can’t use the boot on mine lol

All the little changes though can be retrofitted to the earlier cars but even suspension and brake callipers are different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try and get one with a build date after July 04 and before November 06 as these are the best available and most of the problems like dodgy gearboxes etc have been ironed out.

It surprised me the amount of small differences on the later cars that you don’t actually see my favourite is the boot override cable which you don’t get on the early car so I can’t use the boot on mine lol

All the little changes though can be retrofitted to the earlier cars but even suspension and brake callipers are different.

 

The midland gearbox is the main thing causing me to lean towards a later one however I much prefer the styling of the early ones (although I suppose I could fit pre-facelift bumpers that being the only real external difference) plus an early one is more likely to become a classic...in 50 years...maybe (just look at the premium of a '59 mini over a '60 these days.) I'm not by any means thinking of it as an investment but I am still sore after selling my Mk1 Super Deluxe in 2002 for less than a quarter of what it would be worth now.

The other consideration is do I push the boat out a bit further and go for a Cooper S, seems to be a few around for £1-2k (probably been thrashed to death though), might mean more work/pain but more rewarding once sorted...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's a YReg-ister for the early ones.

 

Ours was built in Sept 2001, which was when they had already started ramping the volume.

 

I reckon the Y reg ones which were built preLaunch will be a thing in 20 years time

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mines also a September 01 car so just missed the Y plate and was originally registered in Glasgow then spent most of its life in the Milton Keynes area as the service stamps are from a mini dealer in that area.

I still have some TLC stamps in the service book do you think they will repair the car under warranty lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That said, the 59 Austin mini sevens and the Y reg Bini Ones and Coopers, both followed the Austin tradition of launching a car that was radical but underdeveloped.

My Dad had a brand new 59 Morris mini and had 3 gearboxes under warranty, and apart from an Avenger in 1974 has only ever had Cortinas, Sierras Mondeos and focus since.

 

Great cars but launched with problems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good work.

 

Looking for something similar myself to scratch an itch, the problem is around here I'm struggling to find anything even close to that price. Up here you seem to be looking at £700-£1000 for an MOT failure and £1200-1500 for a mint looking one with full ticket, seems hard to justify buying a project and throwing £500 at it rather than just buying a decent one to begin with. However it would primarily be something to tinker with in the garage rather than drive often as my wife and I both have modernz for every day use so buying a good one would kind of defeat the purpose of the exercise.

 

...they have plummeted in price here; mainly due to the draconian insurance stipulations here; anything over 15years old is either hard to insure, or very expensive, or they refuse to quote at all...

My mate's son in law bought one recently for €300; an 03 1.6 ;mini one; with 3 months test n low miles; tho had a cracked front bumper n busted spotlamps; it was in his my mates yard for 2 or 3 weeks; I had lined up a 'better bumper' (in red) n some spot lamps Ive had in a box for ages - that I was was going to give him; but I was out there today, n its seems he sold on to a mate of his as a 'garage courtesy car' in 'as is condition' for the 300 he bought it for...

 

...this is an exception of course; but they are usually 500/600 with some test left, on donedeal etc...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Well I can’t believe my luck today as after changing the lock set I bought off Faceache for £80 and finding out the seller had sent me the wrong set and that nothing worked I thought I would change the lot back to the original set as at least that way I would have working wipers of a fashion and windows that went down and low and behold I put the original ECU back in and the car started making beeping noises.

To cut a long story short everything came back to life and works perfectly, I think it must of heard my comment about taking it to the bridge or WBAC and I can even get in the boot.

I have no idea how this happened as its not even got the original BC1 so my guess is witchcraft.

So next job is to fit my set of Wipac Spots which are the same as these and a Parrot Bluetooth that I took out a scrap Peugeot and I’ve also ordered a new set of discs and pads for the front as I think it’s got a warped disc and give it a full service. 

 

B411E9B7-996E-48C6-92FD-835D20B3A09E.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/3/2019 at 8:29 AM, New POD said:

That said, the 59 Austin mini sevens and the Y reg Bini Ones and Coopers, both followed the Austin tradition of launching a car that was radical but underdeveloped.

My Dad had a brand new 59 Morris mini and had 3 gearboxes under warranty, and apart from an Avenger in 1974 has only ever had Cortinas, Sierras Mondeos and focus since.

 

Great cars but launched with problems.

Reminds me of Windows 95 and its "patches"....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem is I paid via PayPal friends and family so I have no comeback and when the locks arrived I did phone the seller up and told him he sent me the completely wrong locks as the 2001/2003 Bini’s have different Keys and BC1s to the 2004/2006 Bini.

The seller told me that it might need a bit of coding afterwards but the system is completely different and I did ask for a set that would work on a early Non aircon car and sent him chassis numbers etc so I doubt I will get much luck.

But the company is A Mini specialist breakers.

The easy way to tell is by the keys.

 

D5946BDE-038C-4DB3-8570-2A93DC131FA0.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would of thought if someone as mechanically inept  as myself would know this then a specialist in breaking Mini’s would know the score and I did tell him it had to be an early lock system.

 I’m not having much luck with garages etc at the moment as going into work this morning I could still smell the back osr brake sticking after I got someone to change the rear calliper and pads and when that didn’t work I was told by him it was the handbrake cable so he changed that so it looks like I will have to take the thing apart myself and refit the pads.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like a right pain in the backside but if it's any consolation all your pain is my gain (or something) in that I feel I am learning a lot about these early MINIs from this thread so will be well armed if/when I face similar problems.

Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the spot lights, that's top of my list of things to do after I've done the important things (like passing an MOT). Was a bit put off by reports that some needed coding in to the car but it seems that the Wipac ones don't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So will these work independently of the main beam then through the toggle switch?

I've got a blank switch on the centre console which would be nice to use (because OEM look) but seems that the whole bank of switches would need to be replaced and would likely result in complicated rewiring rather than just slotting in a switch as in the good old days.

I'd prefer them to work with the main beam tbh but I'm sure I've seen kits that do this without coding being required. Not looked too far into it yet as I want to get the car MOT'd and given a bit of a shakedown to be sure it's in good shape before I allow myself to get carried away with the cosmetics (and believe me the wish list is growing!)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...