Hello all,

Cooper S, 2011, N18 6MT, owned since last September at 57300 miles, now at about 60700 miles. Oil changed in Feb with synthetic. I've been commuting about 180 miles a week since late March as a result of the pandemic rather than use the MBTA commuter rail that is my normal mode of transport (changed hours, not a fear of others).

Wasn't sure if this noise was due to warmer temps but now it seems quite loud to me. I've listened to a number of videos of MINI engine noises but am still concerned that this is louder. The car runs fine and no codes from the Schwaben tool. It seems vey noticeable at idle but I don't hear it when cruising at 50mph. Attached (I hope) a video of initial start up (cold) and idle

cheers
MacMini34

 

Check your accessory belt, tensioner, friction wheel and water pump pulley. Sounds like something in that area to me.

 

^ this. Timing chain problems aren't too common on the n18 engine vs the n14. On my 2012 with 70k miles, the problem was the water pump pulley, which is a common problem.

 

Thanks, I had searched and seen a thread where the belt was the source of a similar noise. Seems like another recent poster also has a similar issue. I was thinking it's time for a belt change anyway and have looked at videos of the procedure. Seems doable for an amateur like me.

Some other questions:

Should I also do the pulley, tensioner and friction wheel too? The latter is a bit more complicated due to the tight space. I was thinking the pulley should be changed at a minimum.

Quality of parts. Hmmm, our friend at ECS Tuning list 8! different brands of tensioner ranging in price from about $40 to $160, 4 different friction wheels from $50 to $170 and 4 different pulleys. I'm not inclined to buy "genuine MINI " because I suspect they don't actually make the parts themselves and slap a big markup to have MINI on the box.

But ECS also has a genuine MINI kit that has belt, tensioner and friction wheel for a lot less than the separate parts.

What to get? Analysis paralysis!

Is it worth dropping the $41 on the Schwaben Tensioner tool? I've seen in the videos that there are work arounds rather than using this tool but if it makes life easier...

Cheers
MacMini34

 

If the source of the noise really is just the belt, its replacement is very easy and straightforward. Since the effort required to change it is minimal compared to replacing any of the other mentioned parts (especially the friction wheel), I wouldn't change them unless required. Check that the water pump pulley's surface is smooth and evenly covered (it could well be it that causes the noise) and that the friction wheel's pulley (or rather the bearing inside it) turns smoothly and has no play.

My 2010 LCI base Cooper's factory friction wheel, crank pulley and waterpump pulley were all made by Dayco. When replaced (unecessarily as it turned out) at roughly 37K miles they were all fine with no visible wear or damage.

Regarding special tools to release the tensioner: a straight (!) head 30mm (for N16 and N18 engines) or 21mm (for N12 and N14 engines) wrench (preferably no longer than 1 foot in total) is sufficient. I wouldn't pay premium to get a "special tool" for this purpose, especially if the overall quality is lower than standard tool wrench quality (as many of these "special tensioner tools" are).

 

Agree with above. Just use a wrench. My Mini N14 has the original friction wheel and pulley at 150K. I just replaced the water pump and considered doing it all at the same time but everything looked great and the bearings felt tight and sounded good. Now that I know how to get in there, I don't mind if I need to in the future. But looking back I wish I did everything - pulley, friction wheel, crank gasket, water pump, cross pipe and t-Stat housing. if you go all the way and do the valve cover gasket and coils, you'll be done for another 100K

Febi and Dayco have been good to me - no sense in paying for BMW brand.

 

Bought the water pump pulley and MINI belt from ECS to get them here for the weekend. Nearest dealer is in Boston and an hour's drive away and don't feel like the hassle of driving in. Replaced plugs and coils not long after I got it due to misfire at around 4500rpm. No problem winding "Barry" out now those are changed.

30mm are hard to find! Decided on a "quality" Pittsburgh 14pc spanner set from Harbor Freight for $40 that includes a 30mm. Hope it works. Don't mind adding to my tool collection and these chromium carbon steel pieces hopefully last my needs.

Yes, I researched the heck out of these and went with an N18 hoping to avoid this problem, but since the belt is on the timing chain side I was a bit worried.

General question: Is there a way to see the belt without going in from wheel well? I poked around a lot and could spy the tensioner but cannot see any belt at all. The A1 autoparts video gives a very clear demo on how to change the belt so will follow this method.

Thanks all for the advice.

cheers
MacMini34

 

I forgot to mention that it needs to be a 12-point wrench. A "6-point" (as open wrenches are) will not be able to turn enough in order to press the lock button if placed from below (like in that A1 video you mentioned). The open wrench will probably only work from above if the lock bridge is removed:
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...-panel/FvC2sPe

The downsides compared to going from below is a bit more work and having to re-adjust the headlights after re-assembly.

Is this what you bought?
https://www.harborfreight.com/Metric...-Pc-63063.html

No. That includes both checking the belt's condition as well as replacing it.

 

Hi George,

Thanks
MacMini34

 

Go in through the wheel well - it is the easiest. Not sure on the n18 but on the n14 there are a few grounds and electrical connections and the upper engine mount on above the pulleys. I take a few minutes to remove these and there is a ton of space - make sure you support the engine if you do this and remove the lower mount. Hope that is not confusing. A1 is pretty reliable on video demos.

 

I did my belt, and water pump pulley through the wheel well, on an N14. Yes it was uncomfortable in a PITA to work in there, but that being said, i didn't have to unmount my engine, or mess with anything on the topside of the car, Pop the tire off, and remove the liner, and bob's your uncle your there. Its a tight fit getting parts in and out, but patience and persistence gets er done.

 

Many ways to do it. I find it easier to remove the one long bolt for the lower mount, the few bolts for the upper (WHILE A JACK IS BELOW FOR SUPPORT) Then move the engine up and down for access.

 

30mm straight(!) wrenches not easy to find locally and the HF one has enough angle to be hampered by the a/c pipe from below, but I can get a small amount of leverage from above (2 person job). Is it necessary to lock the tensioner out of the way? I can feel the belt loosen a bit, but what I have discovered is that the friction wheel is still firmly in place. Now the A1 chap pulled the tab with ease and let the wheel go with the tab coming out about 2 inches. My tab only comes out about half an inch and doesn't seem to want to go any further with a fair amount of effort applied. Am I missing something here?

One fastener in the wheel well cover decided to strip its head requiring a drill to remove.

Oh and my 2 day delivery of new belt for which I paid extra for hasn't materialized.

This job is a lot easier on a lift where you get a better view and aren't cramped up lying on the ground!

cheers
MacMini34

 

100% timing chain. mine sounded exactly the same

 

Worn timing chains usually make a rattling/thrashing noise which at low wear levels disappears as the engine gets hot. They don't produce such a knocking sound, at least not without at the same time throwing codes. MacMini34's car does not throw codes.

Do you have a recording of that noise? Also: did you fix it yourself or did you have it fixed? In case of the latter: are you positive that neither the water pump pulley nor the belt were replaced at the same time?

 

just put it in the shop a few days ago. rattles alot when cold and the engine sounds a little off but not bad when warmed up. mine would rattle a bit more on idle when stopped in a drive-through for a few minutes. didnt get a video but if you search youtube for mini death rattle youll hear it. some sound a little different based on if the guides are broke or worn. It cost 2,600 bucks from my local shop replacing ALL parts (kit is 500-700) with oil change and turbo feed replacement. don't go to mini dealer, find a shop that will use websites like ecs, mini mania etc. all mini parts for half the price.

 

I have seen plenty videos with death rattle. None of them sound like MacMini34's engine recording in this thread.

 

 

Barry the Cooper throws codes now! However, one was related to HPFP and the other was exhaust Vanos stuck. Both caused the half check engine light, both went away on their own quite quickly and Barry has behaved normally since. I enquired on the forum about the HPFP code coming on but clearing itself and got no responses. I have 2 months left on the HPFP extended warranty.

I have a Vanos solenoid to change out at some point. Today, Barry went to the "car hospital" to get his hatch and rear bumper repaired/replaced since he got smashed into a little over a month ago. He'll need an oil change fairly soon and I'll look at changing the solenoid after that.

And while I have your attention, can I selectively erase codes on my Schawben scanner? I'd like to erase the Vanos code but keep the HPFP one. From what I recall the manual wasn't too clear on that.

Jeremyj - your sound is very much like mine and a drive belt replacement fixed mine. Was a drive belt part of your big repair?

Has anyone tried one of those boroscope type cameras that you can get for smart phones? I think it should be possible to inspect the belt with one of those.

cheers
MacMini34

 

Is this your car?

Quote from video description:
"UPDATE: Turns out the serpentine belt was shredding and knocking up against certain components on the engine bay....wow...."

 

wasnt my car, just googled and pasted and didnt read the coments. here's another with pieces in the engine.

 

This is death rattle. And it sounds nothing like MacMini34's car.

Let us go back to topic and not clutter this thread any further.