I took the opportunity to go back to the "crime scene" to look at the pothole that Mini hit a week ago. It is always good to know how bad a pothole that was that Mini survived.
I have always knew the inside lane there has very rough pavement. The problem is they deteriorate rapidly as it is a very busy thoroughfare.
there are two sets of pothole on the driver side
I call the the closer two the first set, and farther down the lane the second set
this first set has the appearance that has been patched for more than a week
you can see the second set has a darker patch which I think was the pothole the Mini took the hard hit
Because the pothole has been patched up, I was unable to see how it was when Mini hit it.
filling up the Mini with Costco petrol to prepare for the upcoming track day
I then started a tech inspection to make sure everything is shipshape. I checked all the fluids and are all good except the oil is at mid point of the dipstick indicator. I feel better if I just add 1/2 quart to bring it to the top.
One scary thing with aluminum cylinder head is the spark plugs has a tendency to work loose. Should a plug got blown out by the combustion some thread damage is inevitable. The trade off of frequently inspecting the plugs is you have to disturb the spark plug cables - which mean they don't last as long.
all the plugs are tight; I took the opportunity to clean the ignition cables of all dust accumulation; I also carefully set the cables as far apart from one another as possible
The ignition cables are all in excellent shape, so I will postpone ordering a set of NGK. I notice there is a trace of oil on the intake side of the intercooler. This indicates there is compressed air leak. Sure enough all four fasteners are a bit loose. I knew I did not tighten them last time I have the intercooler out. I didn't want to over-compress the rubber coupling. Now I realize the cast aluminum clamps are designed that you tighten the fasteners until the two halves of the clamps are in a fully (metal to metal) engaged. The clamps are design to ensure the rubber boots will never be over-compressed if installed properly.
I then notice the outlet side rubber coupler is offset. All four fasteners are also not properly tighten. Once I reseated the rubber coupler properly I could tighten the 4 fasteners until the clamps are fully engaged.
I clean off the last trace of dust on the ignition cables and space them the best I could
Inspecting the adjustable lower control arms at the rear, to my horror one of the locking nut on the passenger side has worked itself loose. The same nut on the driver side worked loose but I caught it when Mini blew the header. Fortunately the inner lock nuts have not work themselves loose so the alignment has not change.
I added a dab of red Loctite and tighten all four lock nuts
the lower engine mount damper arrived with a set of stainless steel brake hydraulic lines for the rear
this is how the Lemforder engine mount damper look
you can clearly see the MINI/BMW part marking has been ground off
to compensate the slight slope of the driveway I drove the Mini's rear wheels up onto 2x4s to get it level for accurate oil level inspection
I also check all the wheel lugs as well as proper tire pressure inflation. All the windows are wiped clean and the Mini got a wash. The Mini is all ready for the track day.
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