About two months ago I had a 15% pulley installed on my R53. After my initial problem was fixed, a new one surfaced.

On a cold start, I have a horrendous belt whine that does not ever go away completely, but gets less audible after the engine is warmed up. Mini dealership has replaced the idler drive pulley and I've already gone through two belts-- issue remains. I just picked the car up from the dealer this morning and they still haven't fixed the issue. They told me to use belt lubricant because in their opinion the issue is caused by my aftermarket pulley. (which is ******** because the car was in twice before that pulley install for belt squeak / whine) Anyone have any suggestions?

 

Hi!
I will try a smaller Gates belt. Also make sure your pulley still aligned.

wp4ldu

 

If the belts are alighned...there should be no whine....and wear should be minimal....belt lube will likely make the belt slip...
If the pulley is on tight and stright (you did use a tourque wrench when it was installed right?) then switching to a Good Year Gatorback belt might help with the noise...while it is not the most popular belt, the backing will help with the noise a bit...but like I said...check everything first! I would also spin the altenator by hand when the belt is off to ensure the bearings feel good..if they are failing, it wil scream/whine a bit sometimes....
Do you have a tension stop just incase you throw/break a belt? I would install one ASAP....Detroit Tuned makes the best IMO...no rattle, and a simple desgin.

 

Sounds like you either have something wrong with the pulley, or it is misaligned. There shouldn't be any new noise from the belt after a pulley install.

 

thanks for the replies.

Would a local mechanic be able to align (or attempt to) the pulley? Or is it something best suited for the mini dealership? I want to avoid going back to my mini dealer (princeton mini) because they just dismiss the issue and want to replace the whole supercharger assembly.

 

Who installed the reduction Pulley?!
They should be able to align it....it might not be on perfectly....can you see it wobble?

 

I can't see any movement in the pulley when the car is on. Also, I had a tune shop put the pulley on but they, like the mini dealership, have been less than helpful in resolving this so I would rather not deal with them