Belt drive housing: is this a breather?
Turbo Mini Forums

Guys,

I've got an old mini spares belt drive kit on my new 1380 motor. it's slightly different to the one currently available, in that it's a dowel type, with an all alloy cover that's split into two halves so you can inspect the belt.

Anyway, when I assembled the engine, I saw this stub sticking out from the casing:



Now looking down the back of the engine, it doesn't look like this can possibly go anywhere:



Sticking a small screwdriver into the hole confirmed that it goes nowhere - dead end.


So, I built up my engine, and I've got the strangest issue with oil going everywhere at the timming case end of the engine, it's spraying off the fan over everything.

So, this morning I've had the rad and engine mount out, had the crank pulley off, to find everything is bone dry inside the casing, and everything between the block and timming plate (half moon seal area) is also bone dry)

THen I tried to unscrew the 10mm stub stucking out of the timming cover:



What the buggery is this? there's a 1mm hole, that from what I can see will go through the housing to the engine, but why would any breather be this small?

I'm fairly sure this is where I've been spraying oil from, I just don't get what it's ment to be for?

Mr. Prawn, the friendly Crustacean- slowly making steps towards forced induction.

Yes it is a breather, block it up with a bolt and some sealant. Well that's what I did and it's not a problem.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

BELT DRIVE!

Cheers Will, I soon found out it was a breather earlier on when I stuck a bit of pipe on it and blew down it, to find air came out of the oil cap breather!

I've just spent a few hours making up a bit of a home brew breather system using a few 9mm hose tails i found and an old catch tank from my A3, will stick some pics in my build thread later.

Joe, what's so terrible about belt drives? I've heard you and PaulH suggest they're evil, but never any evidence of what problems people have had....

Mr. Prawn, the friendly Crustacean- slowly making steps towards forced induction.

If I'm honest on all my cars that do mileage I have a chain (even my quad cam 3.0 flat six has a chain, must be fooking huge!).

But I like the belt on the hillclimber, works a treat, look ace and does the business.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Edited by Sprocket on 24th Jul, 2010.

haha, fair enough, that's bad enough!!!!!

Mr. Prawn, the friendly Crustacean- slowly making steps towards forced induction.

I do actually still quite like them and will continue running them on my 5 ports, i just wont be chancing it again on the 7 port (assuming the heas has survived this time)

didnt bat have a belt on his that has been through hell and back?

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

Run a chain people Belt drive offers no advantages. WHY CHANCE IT.