Hey gang, can you mechanics among us diagnose any engine issues based on a youtube video of my car idling? What can you pick up? Anything wrong with the engine I need to have checked out?

 

Videos are set to private.

 

Set to public now....

 

Looks like you need an expansion tank, sounds like low speed burned up on the aux fan and the ticking sounds like collapsed lifters.

 

Are there issues you are concerned with in particular? The expansion tanks does appear to have some leaks or a bad cap. I don't hear any noise that concerns me terribly. Most chain driven engines have some chain noise, I hear some of that. The fan is noisy when it kicks on and runs for a very short time. Other than that, specific concerns would help.

 

It just sounds rough to me with a ticking sound. I'm not sure if that's normal or normal for this type of car. I just noticed the leaking from the brown tank, what tank is that? There's also some leaking around the black tank next to it, what tank is that?

Also, I have the rattling noise when the gear is in idle and the car in neutral. The rattling also gets louder and more pronounced if you give it a little gas but still goes away when the clutch is pressed in.

 

The brown tank is the coolant expansion tank. The black tank is the power steering reservoir. The coolant tank should probably be replaced before it completely fails, luckily its fairly inexpensive to replace with an oem unit. The power steering reservoir is likely leaking from the hoses on the bottom, some folks have had luck replacing the one time use factory clamps with a standard screw style clamp. The hoses run about 75-100 bucks each if your replace them. Keep an eye on the fluid level in the p/s reservoir if it gets low you could over heat the pump and burn it up. It does use a special fluid, CHF-11S, I would recommend sourcing a can , so you don't get stuck needing it and not having it.



I think the rattling noise you hear when the car is in neutral is the throw out bearing, dual mass flywheel, or a combination of both. Its a labor intensive job to replace those components but an aftermarket clutch kit made by Valero can be had for about $400. It will replace the troublesome dual mass flywheel with a more traditional solid flywheel.

 

Thank you kind sir! I got the Valeo clutch kit already, got the Alta Pulley 15% kit and looking for a good exhaust before doing the clutch work so it can all be done at the same time.

Can you clarify the low speed burn up on the aux fan and collapsing lifter possible issue?

 

The fan issue is a common one on first gen MINIs. There is a resistor that controls the low speed on the fan, it burns up and causes the fan to only run on high speed. The resistor alone can be replaced or you can replace the entire fan assembly. A quick search here on the forum will give you plenty of reading on the matter. Just search low speed fan.
I cant say anything in regards to the possible lifter issue...I didn't hear anything in the video that sounded out of the ordinary. I would do the other work you have planned, and go from there.

 

Thanks Deranged! I have the car booked in on Monday to have a safety check and Victoria roadworthy and rego.

I have a leak of somekind on the garage floor and took better pics of the coolant overflow but more importantly the power steering res tank. Is this motor oil on the ground and what could be the most common leaking area?

Also, is the clamp and aluminum hose original?