Hi everyone, long time reader, first time poster. I appreciate any input you may be able to provide though I have not contributed to this forum in the past.

I have a 2003 Cooper S JCW Stock with just under 22K miles. Recently I have started hearing an odd "squeal / whistle" only on cold startups (ie after a day or two of not having started it). There are two prominent squeals and within seconds it disappears. It is almost a whistling more than a squealing.

I also find that after the initial startup, it idles quite high, near 2K and drops to around 1K after taking a while to heat up.

Here is a link to my video of the startup sound: .



Can anyone help diagnose this sound?

 

There are a lot of things is could be. You're best bet is to get someone to start the car for you and when it makes that noise stick your head down around the motor and try to hear if you can make out where it's coming from.

 

Could be one of your pulleys. Belt tensioner ? Adjusting pulley ?

My 05 R53 has the same kind of metal, whistling, sound but it's continuous through all phases of driving for the past 600 km so I've had it inspected and was told to replace the belt tensioner and adjusting pulley.

I won't have results until the end of this week.

 

Hey BRG, just got back from the Dealer and that's exactly what they told me after a $120 inspection charge. The Hydraulic Tensioner pulley is likely squealing from cold/age/inactivity. Their top "Mini expert" says that he has seen it happen a lot and at this point wouldn't bother changing out the part just yet since the sound disappears once the car is warm. The cost is approximately 2.5 hours + parts (the assembly comes as a whole arm and pulley for over $400 from the dealer).

Can you let me know if that sound goes away for you and what your cost was? I will likely be dropping in a 17% pulley and will do this tensioner at the same time.

 

$115 Belt Tensioner
$ 25 Adjusting Pulley
$ 14 Belt

www.pelicanparts.com

If you feel like doing the work yourself it's not difficult but it helps to have the tool to release the belt. Pelican Parts sells it and considering the savings $$ on parts you may want to consider the tool, $80 - $100

I also picked up engine mounts because mine are defective.

$ 68 upper engine mount
$ 31 lower engine mount

Insatllation of the mounts overlaps the work on the belt tensioner so it shouldn't take to long.

How much is all this ? $360 ( Still not as much as the one OEM part of $400 )

 

Sounds like an idler pulley but that doesn’t explain the high idle.

22,000 miles. Maybe your Mini is just squealing to be driven.

///Rich

 

BRG, I have worked on cars before so I am pretty sure I can handle a tensioner swap. Thanks for the price list gotta start the ordering. I am just shocked at how ridiculous and varied dealer prices can be.

I think I was being paranoid about the high idle, its likely due to the fact that its a constant -20 degrees C in ottawa right now and I believe there is some fast idle mechanism for cold weather startups...the idle normalizes when engine warms up.

Speaking of paranoid, I think I may have caught a random ticking sound... maybe the chain tensioner tapping :S. Oddly enough, that came once for about 10 seconds and then disappeared--haven't been able to reproduce it since. I'll try to post a video if I can. Damn this cold.

 

Gates 38404 Belt Tensioner at amazon for 78.

 

Wait till a warmer day....
with temps that cold it stresses EVERYTHING....it might have taken a couple of seconds to build OIL PSI and VOLUME...
High idle is normal for cold...