So what happens if the timing chain breaks?


Yeah I am serious. My tensioner and that whole are is making a pretty good amount of noise now. Yeah I thought I had the time and the skill to fix it and apparently I have the skill but I do not have the time.

 

You stop DEAD in your tracks, and break out the Credit Card! OUCH...

 

Bent valves, damaged pistons, teeth ripping off the cam sprocket/crank, High possibility of snaping the head off of a valve wedging it into the aluminum parts (head, pistons). Ya it's probably going to be an all around BAD and verry expensive day.

 

dude no way.
I'm so sorry to hear. what's your current thought? tow it away?

 

Motor will go bye bye.

If its just the tensioner...its extremely easy to fix. Start there...before you freak yourself out.

 

My wife's 2008 MCS was just in the shop. The timing chain itself did not break, but it was making noises when the engine was cold for a long time, and finally (with the recent cold weather) these noises got really loud. It turned out to be the timing chain she had been hearing. Apparently it is driven, in part, by the oil. The car was low on oil and probably had been for a long time. As a result, the belt was not tensioned properly and teeth had broken off the sprocket into the oil pan. At the end, the check engine and oil lamps came on, and oil sprayed all over the inside of the engine compartment. I didn't look at the service record, but at the very least they had to fish those teeth out of the oil pan.
Short version: if you're having timing noises, first thing to do might be to check the oil level. If you're skilled enough to replace the timing belt yourself, I'm guessing you already did that.

 

Sell it,Trade it or fix it.

Sorry to hear that you now have a ticking timebomb on your hands.


The best day of my r56 Mini ownership experience was the day the guy who bought it paid me in cash.Luving the 1M!

 

Oh gawd no it didn't break. I was just wondering I have to get the tensioner and chain and all that fixed but the car still runs just really crappy. Nothing is broken. Just needs to be fixed before it breaks.

Sorry didn't mean to sound like it went all weak titty up.

 

Oh ya and the oil level is fine. I check it all the time to make sure.

 

How could that happen? Your supposed to check the oil for her! Didn't you know that?

 

Replace the tensioner... hopefully that will help for the time being...

 

I am having the tensioner, chain, guides, and crank sprocket replaced. Just because of the whole fiasco with the supplier not giving MINI the right length chain(either too short or too long) and the possiblity of it just tearing another tensioner up. That is just me though.

 

So many of these tensioner problems are due to low oil levels. I can only imagine how much less tensioner discussions there would be on NAM if people would just take care of their damn cars like they should. I'm not discounting your technical ability, but all others who totally neglect this task.

 

i think it's because 1. mini tells you oil changes aren't needed for 10-15k miles
2. the oil dip sticks are a terrible design.

 

Totally agree

There is nothing wrong with the dipstick design, it's the fact that the dipstick passes through the timing chain guide, to get an accurate reading, pull the dipstick out far enough so you can see the rubber seal, leave overnight, this will allow the oil to completely drain out of the chain guide, and will not interfere with the reading in the morning!

 

As always Czar, good tips, Thanks .

 

GM went through something like this back in 2004 and 2005 when the GTO came out. This car was sold to non car people who thought just because the car uses synthetic oil and told you when to change the oil that you did not have to check it for full. This led to multiple engine failures because people were just not checking the oil level.

I gotta tell you when you use the HP in those engines you will use some oil. The LS1 and LS2 motors are tanks that you can beat the living u know what out of them. But if you don't keep the oil level up in em it doesn't matter how tough the engine is it will fail. GM actually came out with a special bulletin that told customers you HAVE to check the oil. Geeesh. Doh really.

Anyway sorry to be a smart aleck but it just makes common sense to me. Oil, all other fluids and air in the tires. If people just did that on a consistent routine tire use would be reduced and engine failures would be reduced on a wholesale level I would guess.

I drive my GTO really really hard. It has 113K on it and runs perfect. If I pound it I have to add some oil. If I drive it in a normal manner I rarely use oil. People drive there Mini's hard. It's hard not to because they are so much fun.

 

Damn you! If I could have gotten an allocation, I'd have gotten a 1M as well.

 

I guess since owning my 07 MCS and reading all the issues on the tensioner, I've gotten to check all my fluids about every other day. Only takes a minute and I get piece of mind. I change my oil every 7K and inbetween changes I only lose about 1/4 to 1/2 qt oil. Not bad. Found my coolant reservoir was bone dry one day (just checked it the day before). Found the thermostat leaked. No harm and fixed but if not caught, no telling what could have happened.
Preventive maint. I swear by it.

 

Should have been quicker off the mark, I've got one too, picking it up on 12/16/2011 Traded in my Countryman S all4.

 

Exactly, it's what I have been preaching on these boards. If you hadn't caught that chances are you would be one of the posters lamenting how your engine fried and it's all Mini's fault.

I check both of our Mini's daily for oil and other vital fluids.
Every Sunday evening I add to the list tire pressure.
We also rotate the tires every 5000 miles.

Doing this is easy and it ultimately adds enjoyment to your Mini experience.

 

Yes there is something to be said in the oil levels. Yes I take care of my car. Now like stated before I have an 07 and there was a defect in the length of the chain. I was one of the unlucky ones to get the death rattle. Well I ignored it for awhile considering I am out of warranty and now have to pay for it out of pocket. I found someone that can do it and is not going to rape me to the floor in price.

http://www.motoringfile.com/2008/02/...sed/#more-6447
http://www.motoringfile.com/2008/07/...al-fix-coming/
http://www.motoringfile.com/2010/01/...problem-again/

 

It's good that you can get it repaired at a decent rate. That will help.

Good luck on your repair journey.

 

As soon as I heard they were opening up allocations for military sales I called the dealer. They told me they'd had deposits since the prior October. Oddly, I haven't seen a single one on the road yet. I wonder how many backed out? Oh well, maybe if they'd have told me how far down the list I was I'd have waited but they couldn't tell me anything so I went with my JCW, which I don't regret for a second. It FAR more fun to drive than my E90 M3.

 

Czar, your email address doesn't work anymore. What's your newest addy?