So it looks like the mini is off the road again. Last time I took her for a drive it dropped most of its oil and coolant and ended up making the rest of the journey home on the back of a tilt tray. My first thought was that I had blown a head gasket but the compression test has come up okay. Called in the reinforcements tonight so some guys with more know how than I could look at it and the prognosis is still unclear. It looks like the belt for the water pump has lost tension so the pump could have stopped working and the engine overheated boiling the coolant. This could have happened, but the engine never got excessively hot on the Microtech hand controller and it doesn't exactly explain the oil. Apart from these issues looking for the cause of the oil and coolant loss I came across a broken weld in the subframe shown in the photo below (You can also see some of the oil that has made its way from inside the engine to all over my engine bay). So it looks like it may be longer than I first thought before I am back on the road again my only hope is that the engine wasn't without oil for too long and there is no damage to the bearings etc.. Do you guys have any further ideas on the cause of the coolant and oil loss? After speaking to the guys tonight it looks like the best plan of attack for now is degreasing the engine, refilling the oil and seeing where the leak is coming from and hopefully will give us an idea on what's going on.

How is the lower braided line in the photo , is it just the way it's sitting against the subframe or has it been rubbing and worn a hole in it ?

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No mate, your first step is to repair, or have repaired, the subframe before you do anything!

Last thing I want to see is the engine fall out onto the ground (or worse), while you are running it to find the oil leak.

Lets be pragmatic here!

Cheers,
Tricky

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"Not Speeding Officer..........Qualifying"

I'll sell you one of Tricky's frame if you want it.

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.

bloody hell - zero strength in that weld, and there's no penetration on the one to the left of it either

maybe while the motor is out and you're getting the subframe fixed (and all the other welds / braces checked) fill it up to the top with cheap oil, you'll see where it's leaking soon enough - like sports says, it'll be something like a hose worn through

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

hee hee,,,, now we are starting to see the results of exactly what i was on about a while ago with jap engine swaps & the "Engineering Certification" allowances

sorry to see this tho man,,, no one likes seeing other peoples miss-fortunes

looks like the front pulley seal is leaking for starters,,, but hey,,, i`ts anyones guess from a pic on the net,,, fix the frame,,, top up the oil,,, clean all the leaking residue up ,,,& run it again & have a good look see.

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

Having the motor solid mounted to the frame there is nothing that you can do to that weld that is going to fix it up strong enough to it wont crack... Needs to be re designed to fix it properly.... As you know the right frequency/vibration or whatever will cause the toughest steel to crack like a tooth pick. I have had welds on the brothers sirion powered van crack numerous times and was told each time that they would never crack again, but sure enough it cracks about every few months and the alternator goes to crap everytime...

As said before i would pull the motor out check the frame right over.... Fix it all up then locate your oil leak...

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If you want more inches, stroke it
Life's a garden.... Dig It!
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20746

Yes Gordo, thats one of the prime reasons, there is no give in the mounting system to soak up shock loading. If the motor was rubber flexibly mounted, then that may not have happened. With the solid mounting, the stress' and strains have a habit of being channelled into the weakest point, like the path of least resistance, hence why things keep breaking repeatedly at the same point. Until you change how the the forces are channelled, then you will get the same result. Flexible mountings change this channelling, they also dampen harmonic vibration which is also another factor for things breaking.

I thought we fixed your brothers van, has that mount I made broken?

Cheers,
Tricky

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"Not Speeding Officer..........Qualifying"

subframe welder 2, Starlet Minis 0.

(modded for business name)

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.

Certainly could be welded better. It will need a gusset if you repair it as is. Alternatively, cut out the mitre and put an Short Radius elbow in there (Schedule 40 ought to do). You will really need to clean all that oil out to get a decent weld.

For the stresses this engine can produce, I think it would be unrealistic to expect no breakages on a "one off" custom subframe, especially a very light tubular one. Surely the whole thing about custom made subframes is that there is some trial and error? I know I have had to redo things two or three times. I wouldn't be tarnishing this workshop over this.
And yes, you will get greater stresses & harmonics with a solid mounted engine - but you also get the ability to handle much greater torque without screwing with your steering, and more power to ground while keeping mass to a minimum (yes, I'm solid mounting two engines at the moment).

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Too many cars, and too little time.

Yes, the first frame I had made was attrocious. Irronically I think you know own it awdmoke?

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.

Yes, it's currently sitting on top of my carport roof.

I wouldn't use it in it's current form, but it will be modified to fit in a moke. Coming from an engineering background, I am pedantic when it comes to design & structural welds. I don't even rate my own welding good enough - I usually just tack it and get someone else to weld it!

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Too many cars, and too little time.

Almost 3 years no cracks...

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225hp atw on 14psi. 1/4 Mile no idea. Take one 1971 Mini Clubman, one Starlet GT Halfcut, Simmer over a warm MIG Welder, and Voila Minstar! www.mpdesign.id.au

And driven daily, without mercy!!

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"Not Speeding Officer..........Qualifying"

not true Matt the plumbers crack is coming along fine

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Roundies and Clubbies(except vans) are both ugly that is why I have Midas and a van
1293 Mini Midas Bronze,1275 Clubman van