Hi all
Our newly acquired Mini 1000 has a problem. Well, a few actually but the main one is this.
There is a tie bar that steadies the engine, as you face the windscreen, just to the left of the carb. It looks like it originally was connected to a metal bracket that comes out from under the clutch fluid reservoir but this bracket seems to have sheared off and a crude attempt to fabricate a bracket and then use one of the reservoir fixing bolts to hold it.
The trouble is I gave away my Haynes manual with the last Mini I sold so dont know what the bracket is supposed to look like so I could maybe weld a new one on and also dont know what is involved in removing the clutch fluid reservoir.
All help VERY gratefully received, as ever!!!
Thanks!
Stuart
Edited by Pugugly on 24/05/2008 at 19:43
|
We had one of these once - I think I may have the Haynes somewhere, I seem to remember that this was a common problem and that the mounting is a cheap replacement part.......
I will venture into t'attic for you shortly.
|
That is very kind PU! Thank you very much
|
That stabiliser is certainly a very important part. They didn't have it on the first 850 Minis but as soon as Cooper variants appeared it was quickly added, and being such a good idea remained thereafter.
I seem to remember that all Mini engine mountings are subject to fatigue and damage, but with a bit of knuckle-barking and ingenuity they can be changed without taking the works right out. It's well worth making sure all the mounting rubbers are good. The difference between good and bad here, in the way the car feels and behaves, is very considerable.
Good luck stuartl. You seem to know what you are doing.
|
Cheers Lud!
The ironic thing is that I already have a pair of lower engine mounts and tie bar bushes that I bought for our old mini but never fitted them! I will happily fabricate a bracket but as I said it would be handy to know what the original looked like and most importantly the procedure for removing the reservoir.
|
I can post you the Haynes if I still have it.
Somehow despite several MLCs of late I can;t see me buying one !
Edited by Pugugly on 24/05/2008 at 20:31
|
PU that would be great, could you email me stuartlathey@hotmail.com and let me know what you want for it?
>>>Somehow despite several MLCs of late I can;t see me buying one !
Thats what I said, then did........ : o )
|
|
|
|
Ah, the old Mini top engine stay, repairing it and supplying (usually) the rubbers must have kept workshops and parts suppliers in profit for years at one time.
I hope the parts are still as cheap and readily available as they used to be, certainly not difficult to repair.
|
|
doctorchris, the stay is fine and I have the rubber bushes, its the bracket it attaches to that I have a problem with!!
|
It's been a long time since I last dealt with one; but I seem to recall the bulkhead-end mount of the steady bar was welded to the crossmember.
|
|
It was certainly a common thing for the bracket to shear through.
|
|
|
|
Does anything here help? See fitting instructions tab at top of this website as well. tinyurl.com/6cwff8
|
|
|
The bracket is a flat plate with IIRC a raised edge which sits under both the clutch and brake master cylinders, so their fixing bolts hold it in place. I remember replacing one many years ago where the hole for the steady bar had enlarged. Replacement is straightforward, but access is awful. It requires removal of both clutch and brake master cylinders as their actuating rods pass through holes in the plate. The connections to the pedals are by clevis pins, and you remove the split pins from these whilst on your back in the drivers footwell. It's all to easy to drop the pins when you replace them and they fall into an inaccessible recess of the car (yes, I dropped one). Remove clevis pins, undo master cylinder bolts, remove master cylinders (it does need the hydraulic pipes removed as you have to lift the cylinders so it's a bleed out job at the end), remove plate. Replace in reverse order, as Haynes usually says. Have fun!
JS
Edited by John S on 25/05/2008 at 11:18
|
John, even though it is unlikely that I will ever own an old style mini, your description of this repair was a fascinating piece of motor maintenance litreature that will soon disappear into the mists of time. You see, any modern car that reaches the point of a repair of this complexity just gets scrapped.
Maybe we should all get together on this site and publish a book of such repair stories.
My own favourite story is about repairing Triumph herald gearboxes and clutches from inside the car itself. Indeed, on one occasion, the gearbox repair involved hours of work but the cost of 4p for a broken circlip within the box.
Happy days.
|
For goodness' sake gentlemen, fabricate the bracket and slot the holes through which the clutch and brake master cylinder pushrods pass. You can then free the cylinder mounting bolts and fit a new bracket without removing the clevis pins or disturbing the hydraulics.
It's a horrible piece of "afterthought" design and does not warrant a major rebuild - with 4 mounting bolts, the bulkhead end will be stronger than the mounting for the bushings anyway.
Hasn't car design improved.
659.
|
659FBE
Not just the push rods - the brake and clutch cylinders are fixed onto studs welded to the bodywork. It's just one of those jobs that needs some dexterity, not a short cut.
JS
|
I'm aware that the studs are fixed - this actually makes the job easier. If you slot the holes in the bracket and release the 4 nuts holding the cylinders, all you have to do is press both pedals to lift the two master cylinders a bit. The hydraulic lines will bend sufficiently to allow this.
659.
|
I believe the OP's car hasn't a plate in place, but if there is, it would need cutting to remove it, which is probably as difficult, given the location, as taking off the cylinders. As I say, not impossible, but not the easiest of jobs.
JS
|
|
|
|
Yep, done those too! My 'favourite' is removing and replacing the steering rack in my pal's Mini to replace the worn plastic bush that caused MOT failure. All day for two of us. Bush cost pence!
Actually the Mini job isn't a 'write off' scenario, but it takes dedication and contortionism!
JS
|
|
|
|
|
