R56 Walnut Shell Decoke

[GERFIX]

Has anyone on here had the Walnut Shell Blast decoke done on the inlet side of the N14 engine? If so where and what results? Or can anyone tell me where in Scotland this is offered?

[Mon the fish]

Do you have a warranty? Might be able to persuade a dealer if so

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[N16SHP]

Based on a thread from Total Mini, most of the main dealers have the kit but not all of them know what they are doing with it. There is also a huge variation in price (The average seems to be £280 but John Clark in Aberdeen for example are charging £345 although I'm sure they'd move on the price). I'm considering having it done as the car is running really poorly at the moment but getting it checked over by a trusted garage first before doing anything.

[Mon the fish]

It's worth bearing in mind there is no cheap fix to this - redex etc won't touch this as it's a DI engine. Once you've got it done, get some catch cans on there ASAP

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[Alex from NM]

I wanted to know who ate all the nuts but MINI were unable to give me a satisfactory answer :)

[ELFMAN]

Is this 'Coke Habit' mileage-dependant? :idunno:

[RobSco]

Read this and it's not even April 1st... Quite hard to believe... Makes you wonder who thought of this but here's a video of the work in question... :thumbs up:


http://youtu.be/R-HlWELr4Zk

[KenL]

What is worse is that people are having to pay for this.

MINI must know that it is their design that is causing this.

The fact that MINI dealers have access to this shows that they expect it to happen!

[Mon the fish]

All DI engines are suffering from this, it's not just Mini. This is why Audi are now putting port injection onto their DI engines also.

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[Alex from NM]

Is this 'Coke Habit' mileage-dependant? :idunno:

mine went at about 70k. Heard them going as low as 12-14k. Absolute pot luck by the sound of it


What is worse is that people are having to pay for this.

MINI must know that it is their design that is causing this.

I personally reckon they knew it was going to happen, just not the degree it is. The PCV goes back into the inlet manifold, so how could it not do long term damage? I think the problem is compounded though by the very high oil usage which I do think was a design oversight. 1 litre of oil every 1k miles? This is not acceptable. And that oil is vapourising under the high pressure and heat of the N14 engines and being forced out through the PCV's. If you want to have a quick check yourselves take off the pre-turbo air pipe and check for oil in there.

[Mon the fish]

Port injection - sometimes the old ways are the best...

This will happen to all N14 engines at some point, no point ignoring it

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[KenL]

Is this only an S problem?

[Alex from NM]

Is this only an S problem?

Yes, the cooper and one use ported injection. The fuel washes over the inlet manifold and valves before entering the combustion chamber and cleans them up.

The diesels also appear to be fine but I don't really know much about them to be honest.

[GERFIX]

It's definitely a big problem on the S. Here's a link with before and after pics.....

http://www.totalmini.com/forum/55-2006-current-2nd-generation/55-my-r56-decoked-walnut-blasting-machine-bmw.html

One of the Mini forums shows a guy who did a 40k+ miler and an 80k+ miler with before and after pics and they looked almost identical in the befores. Low mileage doesn't mean no coke!

I notice on Total Mini there's a dealer in Glasgow doing the decoke for £300 inc VAT.

Also, with regards to the walnut shell thing, this is taken from an eBay seller in Salford.....

"Unlike sand and other abrasives, walnut shell granules don’t wear metal – they only remove loose deposits that aren’t part of the intakes original design. In essence, walnut shell blasting only removes what is necessary, which is why it has become the most viable solution for cleaning intakes."

Linky...... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Walnut-Blasting-Engine-De-Coke-for-Mini-R56-Cooper-S-JCW-Countryman-Clublman-/290952198469

[Gismo]

Hmm, a catch can will be ordered very shortly from Saiko Michi :thumbs up:

[Mon the fish]

N18 engines maybe not as bad, but all DI engines (inc RS4 for example) will eventually suffer

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[Gismo]

Sure he means Audi.
I'm not taking any chances, i will install one as a precaution, i'm also gonna fit an Alta CAI just in case i get cold air in Florida :Whistle:

[Mon the fish]

Yep, RS4. Just using that as an example, it affects high-end stuff as well

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[Alex from NM]

Also the chap off eBay is shames off minitorque and he knows his stuff :)

[GERFIX]

Ah, I hadn't realised they were one and the same....

[Mon the fish]

Fit CCs and budget for it as part of your maintenance schedule

[ELFMAN]

OK, here's my 'Really Dumb Question of the Week':
How can you tell if you're 'Coked Up'? I take it there is a noticable loss of performance? :idunno:Or is there a trace of white powder on the Intake?

[stoney]

OK, here's my 'Really Dumb Question of the Week':
How can you tell if you're 'Coked Up'? I take it there is a noticable loss of performance? :idunno:Or is there a trace of white powder on the Intake?

It will be rough on tick over and prob feel dull when on the power so to speak

[Mon the fish]

Fault codes as well

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[ELFMAN]

Cheers folks, handy info as usual.

Mine feels fine, but then again it has only done a tiny mileage. Bit disconcerting though that the engine designers (of all makes) seem to have either missed this blot on the horizon, or chose to ignore it. Surely if an engine develops this problem (especially at lower miles) it should be the responsibility of the manufacturer to 'decoke' F.O.C.?

[Mon the fish]

Mini are covering this under warranty if you shout loud enough, and say the right things.

But you're right, for a small gain in fuel economy, it gives owners a big headache further down the line. But if the car is out of warranty, and the manufacturer has no more responsibility for it, do they care....? Are they just building cars to last the typical warranty period, and sod what happens after that?

- - - Updated - - -

This may be my new excuse for why the R53 likes a drink - it's keeping the engine clean :smilewinkgrin:

[Alex from NM]

Cheers folks, handy info as usual.

Mine feels fine, but then again it has only done a tiny mileage. Bit disconcerting though that the engine designers (of all makes) seem to have either missed this blot on the horizon, or chose to ignore it. Surely if an engine develops this problem (especially at lower miles) it should be the responsibility of the manufacturer to 'decoke' F.O.C.?

Not so much as missed it, just tactically overlooked it. Took keep emissions down its no longer a viable option to vent crank gasses to atmosphere so they have to end up back in the combustion chamber