Hey guys and gals. Got another issue that I need help with! I got my radiator, radiator support, and new fender liner (driver side) installed today and the car is running smoothly... except for this terrible rattling noise that has manifested. I noticed that the black rubber pieces has popped out from the crank pulley (it's a stock pulley) and the pulley is wiggling when running (causing the belt to move as well); scorching hot when off. There are black plastic shavings and metal dust on the ground around the area of the pulleys. The belt is brand new and when the car is off, the belt seems fine. I also noticed that the idler pulley has been polished to a shine...

I believe the crank pulley needs replaced, but I'm scared to death of messing with this pulley. I am not sure of the difficulty or if there is a good chance of messing up the timing. I'm not even considering the reduction pulleys to replace it.

I just want to know what is involved with replacing the crank pulley and is it something an intermediate DIYer could accomplish. Also, is there ball bearings inside of the stock crank pulley? This would explain the metal dust. Thanks in advance for any replies!

 

And by rubber pieces, I mean what the arrow is pointing to. Also, outside of this God awful noise, the car is running fine. No error lights, no rough idling, no other noises, nothing...

 

stock is two metal rings...and rubber in between...
the rubber starts to slip and separate from the metal...
You CANNOT mess up timing with changing it...the timing belt is INSIDE..different parts, and function...
I DID pay my MINI guy to change it...I used an ATI...different design, and it simply works better...engine was actually SMOOTHER when done....PRW has a cheaper version some folks use....
AND DO NOT PLAN ON DRIVING MUCH...
once it starts to fail..the miles left can be counted in the TENS....and then low rpms, and loads...
if it slips too much..you loose the waterpump, SC, alternator, and AC Sententiously. So you MUST STOP in FEET.

 

I saw one that ALTA has... It's a lightweight pulley that's same size as stock... If I WERE to go this route, would I just replace the pulley or would I also need the harmonic balancer as well? I'm guessing the harmonic balance is what the rubber is separating from...

 

the pulley IS the HARMONIC balancer!!
going the alta route means you are removing the balancer from the car....

 

Oh okay... I'm learning. lol I've done pretty every other form of repair/maintenance on the car but pulleys. Would getting the ALTA crank pulley be wise? How does it work without a balancer? I saw the prices of the ATI... ALTA goes for $130. I maybe able to swing the PRW at $260 tho.

PRW vs. ATI, who wins?

 

Been debated many times...
I went ati...was before the prw was widely available...
Guys who build and take apart motors, like waymotorworks and revolution motor works (RMW) say don't do it...it is hard on the bearings..they say they can SEE the wear...
Folks who sell parts, like M7 or alta say don't worry, they can save you $$.... many users have put the lightweight units on cars, used them for a couple years, then sold the car...

 

I've got a lightweight pulley, my car was out of commission and I didn't have the cash for the balancer style pulley. Anyways I have the Ireland engineering pulley which is exactly the same as the cravenspeed. Did lots of research and pmd many guys who had been running them for thousands of miles before I put one on my car. Car runs like a top and is silky smooth. That being said I wouldn't buy one that doesn't have a solid design, as in extra light with the spoke designs such as alta or m7. All that said if I had had the money when my car was broken down I would have went ati for the piece of mind.

 

So are the PRW pulleys recommended as a cheaper alternative to the ATI? Or should I just pony up and buy the ATI? I hate spending that kind of cash when I am trying to get into a rental house and have student loans coming due... But I don't want to have to deal with this again and this maybe the last time for awhile that I have expendable income. My Mini has been through enough!

 

Prw should be fine...Honda guys have been using the brand for years...just not as pretty as the ati.
Just be careful of non MINI vendors...I have seen the wrong size one for sale listed as "MINI".

 

I was looking to support our guy at Way Motor Works. Plus, maybe he'd allow me to drive into Atlanta and pick up, since I live maybe 40 minutes from his shop.

 

In the non-mini?
If you try to get there in the MINI..you might want to consider having him do it..bet be about an hours labor...remember mine was pretty fast when the shop did it...sure beat having it fail, then needing a tow and maybe a head-gasket...
I've been to his shop too when I was on a trip that resulted in me spending an afternoon at the pdk airport...he is a few blocks away from it.

 

No way. The Mini is parked till I get this part bought and installed.

 

Reposting this in here:

I was FINALLY able to get an impact wrench to take on my crank pulley repair. Got a Craftsman 8 amp electric impact wrench and made easy work out of getting the 15mm bolt out. Put the pulley puller onto the crank pulley and ended up snapping one of the M6 bolts. Ran out to Lowe's and bought new bolts and a bolt extractor tool. Got the snapped bolt out and started cranking on the puller... My pulley was pretty seized on there... Got really hard to crank the center bolt until I heard POP! ... Snapped another one of the M6 bolts and about took off my fingernail on my pinky in the process (it's a nice shade of black and blue right now). Got another new bolt and gave it a third try and this time around the puller did its job and got the old stock pulley off the Mini. Then installing the new PRW pulley was a snap.

My Cooper S is running strong and the biggest thing I notice was the gear shifts seem MUCH smoother now and a lot of the engine vibrations are gone. Don't believe there was any performance increase other than that this is a superior product over stock and longevity. I'm still hesitant to be happy because this car has been one thing to the next, but for now I am happy to have my Bernie back on the road with an upgrade. Next is to complete repairs on my front end damage and then I'll be looking at picking up the WMW Ignition package.

 

I shredded 2 of the stock ones within 4 or 5 months