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I am tired of removing the last bolt on the water pump pulley drive assembly...
I am tired of removing the last bolt on the water pump pulley drive assembly - every time I have to remove headlights, u-frame, jacking up engine, engine mount, etc, etc.
Where in US we can buy the low profile socket set (like that in 14:44 of the video)?
(Thanks to The mini specialist showing the details on youtube.)
Or any tool can access the last bolt without loosening the engine mount and get that bolt from the bottom? It has to be some sort of ratchet (or ratcheting wrench) with the socket just deep enough to reach yet the ratchet has to be very low profile.... and the handle has to be like 8 inch long for the swing.
Something like Tite-Reach on amazon?
Any 11mm ratchet ring spanner will fit, as long as it is not unusually thick (the longer, the better). Look for a flexible one, whose head can be "fixed" to any angle by tightening a small screw. There is no need to buy the full WERA set of low profile sockets and ratchet. If the socket falls out of the ratchet, use some chewing gum.
I watched all 3 parts and read the english description. BIG THANKS!
I am having exactly the same problem - noise and vibration. I changed the "friction pulley" (or I called it drive assembly above) and still noise.
Now I know I have to check out the groves on the crankshaft pulley and try a different belt. I am using a Continental belt.
Questions.....
What belt is good (besides OEM expensive one)?
Where do I get that special 10mm socket? With it (and a proper 11mm ratcheting wrench, no need to remove the engine mount from the top, right?
Found the socket on ebay.
Search "WERA 8790 FA 10mm"
Oh man, hope this will save me from taking everything apart to get to that bolt next time I need to work on it.
So far I have only installed a Continental and an SKF branded belt myself. I don't remember the SKF causing any vibration or rattling noise when new. The factory belt (possibly Dayco?) had already run for about 17K miles when I bought the car and was already worn on the outside.
Can't give you much hope that you will save yourself from removing the engine mount to reach the top fastener of the friction wheel assembly. You may succeed in doing it from within the wheel arch if your 11mm ratcheting wrench is very long (i.e. more than 10 inches) but it will be difficult to "hit" that screw.
The ratcheting wrench I got is only about 5 inches long so I didn't even get to try and had to remove the engine mount (including the chassis side of it which is not removed in the video you linked) in order to reach the screw from above (having raised the engine slightly). I didn't remove the support bracket which is removed between at 17:45 in the video you linked.
After having done everything I found a different video in which the engine was dropped quite far down and the top screw of the friction wheel assembly was reached with a regular socket from within the wheel arch. Unfortunately, I can't find it anymore.
But if I may ask: why do you want to remove the friction wheel assembly? If it is rattling like in my case, then it is very unlikely the cause. You can clean the tracks of the crank pulley with a shortish, flat head screwdriver without removing either the crank pulley nor the belt.
If you want to replace the friction wheel beause of a high pitch sound its pulley makes (as clearly audible in the first two of my videos), save yourself the work: the new, original, OEM friction wheel assembly (made by Dayco) I put in makes exactly the same high pitch noise as the old one. If the friction wheel pulley turns smoothly and (very) easily, I wouldn't replace it.
Forgot to mention: BMW's instructions to its service stations do not include any removal of parts besides the wheel, wheel arch cover, serpentine belt and water pump pulley (which can be removed from within the wheel arch without any further, prior dissassembly of parts) in order to replace the friction wheel assembly. Apparently, the ratcheting wrench they prescribe (and which looks longer than mine) allows technicians to reach the top screw from within the wheel arch.
Right. I have rebuilt the engine and ding ding noise coming from that area. Immediately I changed the belt. Still same problem. So I changed the fiction wheel assembly. The problem is still here.
Now that I know I can clean the track of the crankshaft pulley (some wire/disc brush with engine running without drive belt) and may need a belt without the branding print, I might not have to remove everything to get to that top bolt.
We are documenting this so that other guys can save some time.
Conclusion is that if the pulley on the fiction wheel assembly is not making noise, no need to remove it - too much work. To test, you can hand spin it while it is release position.
Check the rubber on the water pump pulley, check the cleanliness of the tracks of the crank pulley. Make sure to use a belt that have no branding (no continental. ) OEM belt might be a solution.
I have a longer 11mm flexible-head ratcheting wrench. Next time I need to do get to that bolt, I will see if I need to remove the engine mount.
If someone else already has the answer, please chime in.
One thing might help. Download an app called Spectroid and use it to see the "frequency" of the noise. Compare to the RPM of the engine, length of the belt, diameter of the pulleys, etc, and with some math calculation, you might be able to pinpoint the source before even removing the wheel. I have not tried. If someone gets to this before I do, please let us know the calculation and results.
Last edited by Derek Chung; Oct 3, 2020 at 08:11 AM.
Forgot to mention: BMW's instructions to its service stations do not include any removal of parts besides the wheel, wheel arch cover, serpentine belt and water pump pulley (which can be removed from within the wheel arch without any further, prior dissassembly of parts) in order to replace the friction wheel assembly. Apparently, the ratcheting wrench they prescribe (and which looks longer than mine) allows technicians to reach the top screw from within the wheel arch.
I watched all 3 parts and read the english description. BIG THANKS!
I am having exactly the same problem - noise and vibration. I changed the "friction pulley" (or I called it drive assembly above) and still noise.
Now I know I have to check out the groves on the crankshaft pulley and try a different belt. I am using a Continental belt.
Questions.....
What belt is good (besides OEM expensive one)?
Where do I get that special 10mm socket? With it (and a proper 11mm ratcheting wrench, no need to remove the engine mount from the top, right?
I hear ya! I was there back in July thinking a drive belt change was going to be relatively straightforward...
I bought the OEM belt from ECS and it had, if I recall correctly, "Gates" printed on it. The Gates one was about $6 cheaper. The local autoparts places sell Continental branded belts for below $10, and I would really like to know if there is a difference.
I ended up going in through the top, removing the engine mount. The replacement friction wheel (Dayco) went in more easily than I expected. I bought some ratcheting ring spanners to help. Of course I couldn't apply proper torque as there was no way to get a torque wrench in there but hopefully with 3 bolts holding it on it will stay it in place.
It seems MINI ownership comes with the need to expand one's set of tools significantly - those tite-reach wrenches look interesting and access to a lift would always be nice.
With Serpentine belt tool, that WERA 10mm socket, a long 11mm ratcheting wrench... Next time I need to replace that fiction wheel, I will see if I have to remove half of the car...
