Hey guys! I wanted to pick the brains of the forum to find out what has happened to my Mini. I have a Mini Cooper S, 2005, with 72,000 miles. I was out running errands tonight, and when I went to start it up, the battery light was on. I had one more shop to run to, that was only about a minute drive away. When I got out of the car, I noticed a burning smell, that smelled like burning popcorn and dogs. Being a little concerned to get on the highway, I drove around the parking lot, and about 30 seconds into the drive, still in first gear, every light on the dashboard lights up, I lose power, pedal to the floor, still moving, but no speed or RPM registering. I manage to pull into a space, and cut the car off. I popped the hood, then started the car back up. Noticed a faint rattling near the alternator, but no smell. All lights were off on the dash, except for the service engine light. Drove the car home, along the way, the car didn't act like anything was wrong. Now parked until we can figure out what's going on. Alternator? Or something worse? Thank you in advance!!
Alicia

 

Have you had the battery checked? Could be an alternator...The smell, how does the belt look?

 

I want to think that when the alternator goes out so does your power steering. Take your car or just the battery to an auto store and have it tested to see if you need a new one.

 

Something similar happened to an older car of mine and it turned out to be the Accessory(serpentine) belt. Since I just got my mini im not 100% sure but on my older car it ran the alternator, power steering and AC. Might be worth looking into.

 

That is the same thing that happened to my Mini last winter...it was the serpentine belt (broke) and then the battery went dead, lights came on, engine died. I believe that you can see the belt from the passenger side of the engine. You may have also seezed one of the rotating parts like a water pump, alternator, AC. The belt is an easy change. On mine the idler pulley for the water pump went out....

A good suggestion is for everyone to replace this belt at about 50k no matter what Mini says.

 

Barefoothoodoo is gen 1; eddie07s is gen 2, so comparisons are not likely helpful. And, neither generation has steering powered by the serpentine belt. Nevertheless problem may be belt-related, also consider the crank pulley.

 

When the belt goes, sometimes the pulleys crash together, negatively affecting future belt life. Get a tensioner limiter cable (Detroit Tuned), replace the belt - but first, thoroughly inspect those pulleys, as little burrs or chips in the pulleys can grind that belt to death, quite fast.

I know from experience that if you lose an alternator, you don't lose p/s unless you turn the car off and back on, or if you drain the battery so much it goes "hypothermic", gradually shutting off all ancillary electronics to keep the engine running, then eventually shutting down the motor (and electronic throttle) once the batt. voltage is insufficient to run it.

OEM alternators are NOT cheap ($700+) so shop around. Aftermarket rebuilt alternators mainly don't last, according to independent opinions from both Chad at Detroit Tuned and Way from WMW at MOTD this year. You do have to go to "service level 1" to replace the alternator, which takes a few hours of labor - so don't chimp on parts. You do NOT have to crack the coolant or a/c systems to do so. It's a 3-4 hour home job if you kinda know what you're doing. replacing the alternator is 3 bolts and 2 plugs. unfortunately you have to remove most of the front end to get there!

Oh, and you CAN drive home from the Overlook to Fontana (~350 curves in 20 miles) on a fresh battery, no alternator, and no power steering, but your arms will be a bit sore.

 

I have both a gen 1 (04) and a gen 2 (07)...both have an electic power steering pump; they don't run off the belt.

DixonL2 outlined what happens very well...gen 1 or 2. When the computer starts shutting things down, the power steering goes with it. However, 20 miles on the battery...I got about 4 before it died, but then I had the headlights set to auto-on and couldn't turn them off.

There are some differences between the setup of the 2 cars (like the idler pulley for the water pump), but the starting point to check on either car is the belt and then check the rotating parts. I also agree, that while it costs more, go with Mini parts. Aftermarket is a crap shoot.

One note...the belt is easier to see on a gen 1. On the gen 2 it is covered. Because I couldn't find it hanging somewhere, I thought the alternator went. I did some research and found that of all the parts on the Mini the alternator is probably the most reliable but still check it - FWIW.

 

The smell you smelt may have been the rubber on the damper starting to slip...
they sometimes start to slip...then catch...rapidly getting worse.
The oem crank shaft damper is what all the other pullies are attatched too....when it starts to slip, the alternator will stop, but so will the SC, and the connected waterpump...so you can drive a short distance.

No matter what the issue is, it sounds like you will be getting your car in to get it looked at....so like all internet car repair, it is just a guess....a shot in the dark.

 

Thank you so much for all the suggestions!! Nice to know what we could probably be looking at when we dove in!
Okay, so tonight, hubby and I rolled up our sleeves, and went to testing.
Battery charge was tested by voltmeter, and came out good-the battery is only a couple of months old.
Then, we tested the battery with the car on, still good, until we added in the electronics in, then charge went down quickly.
Smoke started at the serpentine belt, and belt was not turning. When we first started the car tonight, we heard the rattle like bearings on something going bad. Belt appeared to have tension on it, but rubber residue on idler pulley.
Battery light flashed on when the smoke started up, and service engine light still on...but probably throwing codes due to the Christmas tree light effect when this first happened.
Tried the car again without anything else electronic on, and belt still not moving, and smoking again, along with battery light flashing on.
Any ideas from here? What should I do next? Thank you again!!
Alicia

 

Wait a minute, how could it be a broken belt or wrecked alternator if they were able to drive the car home without further incident?

Unless I missed something.

 

I am not very sure about ur problem but 4 months ago i was having the same problem. I changed the battery, and problem solved!

 

Sounds like you've lost the crankshaft damper. The "pulley" at the end of the crankshaft - the one that turns everything else - is not a one-piece-of-metal kind of thing, but think of it as having a center core attached to the outer rim with rubber. When that rubber lets go the crank will spin but the rubber will rub against itself (creating rattle and eventually smoke), the belt won't turn - in other words, do what you're describing.

Other thing might be one of the other pulleys has seized (generally alternator, but could be idler pully or s-charger). Only problem is... then the belt would be turning and smoke coming from that pulley.

I'm guessing crankshaft dampner. Aftermarket units ARE available, and likely cheaper than stock - check the ads in the most recent MC2 magazine, that's where I saw 'em, but someone oughta chime in here. An independent should oughta be able to do the work, and labor may not be too bad. I believe there was even a write-up in MC2...
Heck, it's probably cheaper than the alternator!

And no, it is definitely NOT safe to drive! Good luck, let us know how it goes!

 

If the crankshaft pulley were gone then there wouldn't be anything to "smoke" the belt, would there...I understand what you are saying about the rubber in the pulley, but can that really happen (just asking, don't know myself; just seems odd)?...This seems to be a jammed bearing somewhere else. The smoke is likely coming from the crankshaft pulley sliding on the belt as the belt is not moving.

Whichever, the belt will only last a few minutes this way before the pulley burns through the belt. More than likely the bad bearing loosened up, with the stop and start you did, the first time it jammed which allowed you to drive home. Now it has jammed again, but this time seems to be for good.


...but as was said...this is all a guess....But what I do know is that it is time to get it to someone who can fix it. If your mechanic is only a few miles away, you can probably drive there. The belt will break on the way and you may make it on the battery (I didn't get very far). I would not do that as you don't know if that will damage more things. I don't know how dangerous this is but I do think when my belt went it damaged other parts. The other option is to go get AAA for a year (~$50) and then call for a tow. In either case the belt is shot and whatever the problem is it needs to be fixed.

If it is the supercharger (and they do go), I have seen them listed, used, on NAM here...worth a shot vs full price.

 

By the way, BarefootHoodoo ...nice checking under the hood...

 

I think Dixon is correct the crank pulley is connected with rubber. It broke on my 2005 s and the belt stops spinning and the smoke is likely the rubber from the crank pulley burning. I could''t believe that a pulley would just be coupled to the motor with rubber but it is.

 

First of all, let me say thank you, thank you so much for the replies!! I really appreciate you all taking the time out to help me with my dilemma!

Okay, so we're going to start with the crankshaft pulley, and see where we go from there. Does anyone recommend any particular aftermarket one? I am not concerned with more power, just the best one for longevity. We will also change out the belt, of course.

Should we change out anything else while we have the area open? Like crankshaft seal, or water pump? We replaced the timing belt on our VW Bug, and changed out as much as we could while down there. Wanted to catch as many things before they had a chance to fail. Hopefully once we get the area open, we'll be able to see anything else that might be fried.

We've been fortunate that this has been our first major repair on the Mini. I think these 100 degree plus days here in NC just threw the Mini over the edge. We'll dive into it next week when we have our vacation time. I have been driving our VW Bug TDI, and let me tell you, I miss my power! Nothing will ever beat driving a Mini!!
Thank you again, guys, you rock!!
Alicia

 

I got a replacement pulley from Alta and it was pretty easy to replace. It's also much lighter. Check the belt tension-er they often get damaged if something happens with the belt system. I had to replace mine. Good luck

 

I STRONGLY recommend replacing a dampened pulley with a dampened pulley.
ATI makes an aftermarket one...there are two or 3 different brands around cheaper than OEM.

 

+1 on that. Our little 4-bangers are not the best balanced engine in the world, and given that the crank is driving a fairly fragile (relatively) supercharger and a $750 alternator, I'd want it driving them smoothly. There's a really good aftermarket dampened pulley available, just don't have the MC2 mag with me here at work...

It, of course, COULD be another accessory whose pulley seized, stopping the belt and allowing the crank pulley to burn the belt. Only disassembly will tell for sure - anything you get over the internet is pretty remote from getting your hands, eyes, and nose into the engine compartment!

What I'd do while I'm in there:
- Tensioner stop cable: Detroit tuned, $20
- Check all other pulleys for wear, and check if they banged against each other when the belt broke (if the belt broke). If so - REPLACE IMMEDIATELY. That belt revolves a tthe speed of the crank pulley, and a very small imperfection in a pulley will grind away at the belt MANY THOUSANDS OF TIMES per minute. You do want 25,000 miles out of your next belt, not 10-15 miles (or less).
- If you were considering a 15% supercharger pulley, now's the time. Yes, you will wear your supercharger out 15% faster, but they're pretty robust. Yes, you will notice the extra kick in the pants on acceleration. Your call, but doing it now means purchasing the right sized belt only once.

There may be more but I'm no mechanic, just an internet phenomenon. OK, I"m not even that.

Good luck!

 

I know this is late and you've probably had this fixed already, but for anyone else out there researching: I had a very similar problem on my 2005 MCS and it was the crankshaft damper. A few weeks ago, immediately upon startup, I heard a rattling noise when I gave it a little gas, power seemed to be low, then all the lights came on the dash and power was completely cut off. Tried starting it again, but then there was a burning smell. I drove it back to my friend's house a few blocks away and had it towed to a mechanic a couple days later. I wouldn't drive it far in that condition.

The funny thing is I had just purchased the car with 67,000 miles on it a week earlier, and during a pre-sale inspection that I did with Luis Sanchez of Precision AutoWerks here in Miami, he told me that with the amount of miles my car had, a crankshaft damper was a typical replacement that needed to be made on these minis. He was right on the money, because it went a few days later. He was the mechanic who fixed it and the car has been running great.

Highly recommend Luis if you're anywhere near South Florida.

 

Funny that this thread is a year old, and just this month a very good mini friend of mine had his crank pulley/dampner (they're one and the same part) "go away" on him - with almost exactly the same symptoms as above.

Kinda strange, but as he and I were exchanging emails earlier this month I felt a sense of deja-vu... not completely remembering this thread... and now this comes up!

Would be interesting to know what really failed on BareFootHoodoo's car!

 

I'm curious. Do you have this installed on your car? Reason I ask is that I installed it when I did the 15% pulley last spring. Only three months with the part installed and it's broken, useless, and apparently without support; I've tried contacting the seller and the manufacturer with no response....

I just want to know if this has happened to anyone else, or if this is a fluke occurrence. Obviously my belt hasn't broken, it seems this part has just 'come apart'; which is worrying because if it falls apart without any load on it, how will it react when it needs to do its' job??

 

[quote=312griso8v;3594337] if it falls apart without any load on it, how will it react when it needs to do its' job??


Personally I was a little disappointed in the DT design. It just didn't seem sturdy enough to hold the tension if the stock unit failed. Yours isn't the first one I have read about that came apart. I plan on ordering the Alta version this weekend.

 

hmmmm, mine was OK when I last looked at it but it's been almost a year, have to check...