Hi everyone I'm new to posting but have been reading for information for a bit. My newest issue is an engine knock I checked eBay and heard a seemingly identical noise bein the death rattle from te TC tensioner. The noise is there engine at all temperatures does not go away as it warms and goes up and down w Rpm. The only time it seems to stop for all but a second is on the release of the clutch when the gear grabs and the car begins to move. I replaced te tensioner last night it seemed all too easy and the old tensioner seemed to be working fine. Good amounts of oil I it and that dripped out and the new one went right in w no effort. Noise is still there. Any ideas I really need to try to fix my mini and I'm praying its not a rod bearing or something tht requires a new engine I don't have much money.

 

first gens dont have issues with the tensioner, you need to figureout where the noise is coming from, if its from the valvetrain, you could have spun a bearing..... if its in the tranny, it could be the dual mass flywheel

 

R50 has a conventional flywheel.....
What are you using for oil? Syenthic 5w-30 or maybe a 0w-40? Thicker oils can cause issues...
Only times folks seem to have tensioner issues on gen1 is after an engine,/head rebuild when material has been removed to deck/level the head/block....other than that...pretty rare...
Try pinpointing the sound...listen through a tube or use a long screwdriver... One end at your ear...other at different items...might narrow down the area the sound is coming from....

 

Thanks for the replys to help me figure this out. Does the fact tht it stops for a second while releasing the clutch help narrow anything down? Sticking my head I there it seems like the noise is coming from the very top of the engine but maybe it's just cuz that's closest? What on the top end of the engine would tick like a diesel

 

Zippy are you from New Hampshire? If so where a bouts I'm in Manchester car is at my work in hampstead

 

I'm down in Hudson...
I've had great luck with getting stuff done at Greasysgarage down in woorchester (woosta...lol..can never spell it)...ma (such a reasonable shop rate...it is hard to go elsewhere)....a bit of a haul...mini's are getting more common...3d (a BMW shop) in Hudson has had a few folks start to give decent reviews, but priced like a BMW shop....and the dealers..nice that we have one in Bedford... Better than trecking down to Peabody MA....

 

I think kensington auto works works on mini's as well... id give them a call to make sure

 

Yeah the Bedford mini is 5 minutes from me but I called them when I wanted my power steering looked at before I got the recall paperwork and they wanted 120$ just to look at it. There's so many garages and shops in Manchester there's a dozen in my rd alone I have to think one has experience with minis. I also have work on my envoy done in hampstead that claims to have a few minis he works on. I just want my damn mini fixed I miss this car