Hey guys,

I have an '03 MCS and my motor's exhibiting a serious death-rattle from the bottom end. Having had a couple of other gear-head friends take a listen (with the serpentine belt removed) it sounds suspiciously like rod knock. With over 120K on the clock, I'm not surprised. I was really hoping it was just the belt tensioner or S/C drive, but removing the belt pretty much ruled out those "easy fixes."

What are my rebuild options? I haven't pulled the motor yet to determine the severity, but given the age of the motor I was thinking a full rebuild might be in order. Does anyone offer rotating assembly kits, or rebuild services at a decent price?

I'm out of the loop as far as Mini resources go, so I could sure use some advice. I don't mind getting greasy, but if there was a way to get a rebuild done by someone else for a reasonable fee I'd be a whole lot happier.

Thanks,

Brian

 

Drop the Pan, Pull the bearing cap and see what your looking at.

 

if you in socal there are many that can do it . east coast mid to south also .otherwise grab a haynes for the specs and quirks of the mini and bring to a reputable machine shop in your area .

 

Many years ago I bought a quite reasonably priced "factory rebuilt" motor for my 2002 from the BMW dealer, wonder if MINI will offer similar units?

All I had to do was swap over the manifolds and dist and accessories like the alternator and bolt it in the car, ran like a champ from the first turn of the key and was an easy swap for my old 200k motor.

 

First make sure the crankshaft vibration damper’s elastomer hasn’t separated from the hub. When they first begin to go they only make rattling noises, but when full blown torn, they sound bad.

At this point it’s only speculation, drop the oil pan as has been suggested. For low cost lower end repair you have to do it yourself; http://www.metroplexmini.org/forum/s...ad.php?t=25969 for example.

For less effort find a salvaged motor.