Maintenance check

摘要

After collecting Hana-chan's newly bored engine block I thought I should check over my other two Minis before becoming too engrossed with rebuilding her engine and gearbox. Alba is my current daily driver so, after doing his oil change, I decided to inspect his running gear. I jacked him up onto axle stands and I grabbed his front wheel at the six o'clock and 12 o'clock positions to check for wheel bearing wear. There was a little bit of movement indicating that a wheel-bearing change will be required in the near future. Along with the movement I could hear a clicking sound from somewhere underneath. Further investigation led me to the pot joint gaiter on the left hand side. It had split all the way round, resulting in a loss of grease and likely increased wear of the ball bearings. The right hand side pot joint gaiter was in much better condition, with only a short split. Time for a quick addition to an order of parts via the internet to Simon at Mini Spares.