Among other issues that I am in the process of fixing on my 2010 Cooper S I decided to remove the tensioner to take a look at it due to having heard the rattling noises that are associated with them. My intention was to replace it even if it looked OK. Anyhow, imagine my surprise when in the process of unscrewing it I noticed that the plunger end was not coming out. I removed the bolt portion and the spring came with it then I used my magnet to retrieve the plunger. Has anyone else had this happen, from all the pictures that I have seen of tensioners they are all one piece.

 

This is a first for me, I have never seen a tensioner fall apart like this!

 

Lucky me, I am looking at ordering a new one just now but would like to ensure that I get the latest and greatest. Is there any way to determine which is the latest available?

 

I'm fairly certain that ECS Tuning can make sure you get the correct revision, if the dealership is to inconvenient to get too.

Gotta tell ya' though, that pic kinda scares the crap out of me.

 

Scares the crap out of me too but I think I am in for a few more surprises before I get this thing fixed. I pulled the plugs and #2 was oil fouled, could be related to the valve cover which I am also replacing. #1 plug had a piece missing from the center insulator and the other two were black as 2 in the morning. I have P0055 code that I cannot figure out because it is referencing o2 sensor # 3, I can only find two of them but I cant find resistance specs to determine which may be causing the code. I get 6.3 ohms on the post O2 sensor and 3.2 on the upstream one. There were a bunch of other codes for misfires which doesn't surprise me. Anyway, thanks for the info, Ill check them out.

 

What a lemon!!

Don't get me wrong, I love my R56, but jeeze only 4 years old and you have a leaky valve cover, effed up tensioner, and a fouled plug. You are a better man than I, I would run it off a cliff and collect insurance and never look at another BMW product ever!

 

Its also got 105,000 miles on it. But then again so does my Mazdaspeed 3 and it has been bullet proof so far even though I kick the crap out of it on the Autox courses. As far as the Mini is concerned, it's my wife's car, it becomes mine when something goes wrong or if there is a bill to pay. So just to keep the peace I will fix it.

 

You need to perform at least a leak test and or a compression test on those fouled cylinders. On another note when you put a lot of miles (150K, freeways miles) on a new car quickly at least in my experience it does not wear as much as if you put the same number of miles on it over 10 years versus 3 year period. I've seen countless cars that were only 1-2 year old that had over 150K and drove like a brand new car.

 

I was all set to do a compression test only to find out that mine does not fit the plug thread on the mini. Is there anything that doesn't need a special tool on this thing. The mileage doesn't really concern me, I bought it with 90,000 on it last year, however, I should have gone through it a lot sooner given that I had no service history on it. I did check into the timing chain recall and was told that it had already been performed on the car. So I am surprised that I have to replace the tensioner. Fortunately I do not see any damage to the chain guides so I might just get lucky with replacing the tensioner. Worst case I am hoping for is a having to clean the valve seats or replace the seals to rectify the oil fouling but I wont hold my breath on that one. For now I plan on getting the majority of the basics in order to see if it will at least run. However, the P0055 code is bugging me. Do you have any idea what the O2 sensor resistance should be or where I can get the specs?

 

When you find that out I'd love to know also.

 

I don't suppose you would consider checking yours if its working ok and let me know what reading you get? Or if our sponsor ECS read the forums maybe they could check a new one and post the specs for us. I've ordered my new tensioner from them and plan to buy the O2 sensors as well if I need them.

 

O2 sensors don't provide a resistance. Their signal is a voltage that is generated by the sensor.

Unless you're talking about the heating element in it?

 

Sorry about that, the code I got P0055 referenced heater resistance bank 1 sensor3 even though I can only find 2 O2 sensors. I measured the resistance on both of them and get the post convertor sensor a 6.3 ohms and the upstream at 3.2 ohms. So I am not sure which if either of them is correct.
Would be eternally grateful if someone could measure theirs for comparison and possibly help out others who run into this issue.

 

The one thing I don't own is a volt meter, in the next few month I'll have to get one.

 

So I got the new tensioner and put it in. I also bought a compression test kit from harbor Freight that covers 10, 12 and 14mm. Filled up the oil and disconnected the fuel pump fuse to carry out the compression test. Here's what I got:
Dry 100, 0, 60, 90
Wet 120, 0, 150, 140
This just keeps getting worse and worse.
Anybody have any idea of the cost of a stock re-build or 2nd hand motor.

 

Did you perform the compression tests when engine near operating temperature or when cold? In any case you need a rebuilt engine, it would cost much less if you had a specialty shop rebuild your engine with upgraded forged pistons, forged rods and head work. Looking at about $8000 compared with a new engine $12,000 from Mini USA. Lots of members go this route when running 250HP+ tunes because the upgraded parts can handle the increase in heat. It's still better than any stock engine.

 

R u effing with me, if so, I hope you are having fun. What difference would it make what temperature the engine was when I get a ZERO reading on one cylinder. Its pretty obvious that I have a serious problem but as yet I have not taken the engine apart to determine the full extent of the issue. If you are trying to be funny, I don't appreciate it. This is a major kick in the nuts for me and not something that I need at this time. And no, I will not be going with the forged head, forged rods route either. I will rebuild this stock engine with stock parts and will not, cannot, afford to spend 8K on a motor rebuild.

 

Wow, its amazing how much censorship goes on here. Notwithstanding the deletion of posts. Either way, I'm glad I made a backup to document my ongoing issue, wherein some members have been helpful and others have been basic . Its unfortunate that the Moderators take it upon themselves to censor and edit posts.

 

I believe the moderates wanted to keep your thread productive and not lose it to posts of insults, I sent you a friendly PM for our misunderstanding. I never meant to offend you in anyway.

 

Thread cleaned up again....

 

Land of the free. Yeah who ever told you that is your enemy-Rage Against The Machine.

 

Ok so I have calmed now and kissed and made up with Systemlord but the mods gave me a warning and some penalty points. So back to business, I have been looking around for a used motor and have found a few newer 11/12 model years but don't know what the difference is to my 2010. Can anyone tell me if the 11/12 motor would be an option?

 

It is the "land of the free" as long as you abide by the laws and rules set forth for a civilized society.

The mid 2011-2012 engines are N18 engines, our engines are N14's, just make sure you get an N14 for your year. I believe in 2009 the MCS moved the Vanos to the exhaust cams, 2007-2008 the Vanos was on the intake valves.

 

This is my first post here, so hopefully I do it right. Today I changed out the tensioner in my 2008 MCS (43,000 miles). It came out in pieces like your photo shows... my heart sank. :( I installed the new tensioner #11314609482 that I bought from ECS (fast delivery! Thanks.) No more rattle! I've only drove it a short distance so far but I'm hopeful. Had to do a quick search to see if anyone else had their tensioner come out in pieces, this was the only posting I found. Thanks to all who have posted before me on this forum; you've been a great help!

 

I'm not a mechanic, I don't even play one on the internet . With that said, your low compression can come from one of two causes. On the block side it may be a hole in a piston or some broken piston rings. On the head side, it can come from a burnt valve, a broken valve spring or a serious crack.

As the compression is low in the other cylinders, I think it may be the result of carbon build up destroying your valves (I've seen pic's of those destroyed valves here) and negating a good seal.

Diagnosis will require removing the head, but you may find you don't need a new engine, just a new head (maybe) and a complete valve job instead of a whole engine. Good luck, my friend.