2010 Justa Manual with 11K miles. A few thousand miles ago my Mini developed an occasional rattle which seems to be coming from the bell housing area. It occurs in only 1st or 2nd gear when a less than perfectly smooth shift has just been made or when traveling over an extremely rough road in 2nd gear.

The rattle now occurs several times everyday and was not present at all in the first 5K miles.

You can produce the rattle with the engine off and the car in 1st gear, if you rock it fore and aft.

It appears to be excessive backlash/play, perhaps in the ring and pinion, spiders, loose carrier bolts, etc.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd like to get as much info as possible before taking it to the dealer.

Thanks,

DOC

 

If the rattle is easily demonstrated, I wouldn't waste a minute asking here or investigating. I would make an appointment ASAP and get it to the dealer. That's what a warranty is for.

 

Anybody else?

DOC

 

My first guess would be the dual mass flywheel. Those things can fail at any mileage and when they do they take the entire clutch assembly with them. Definitely have the dealer check it!

 

I would think increased lash in the final drive would be accompanied by an audible whine on and off throttle.
The dual-mass flywheel theory is a good one, although I have no idea what kind of sound, if any, a failing flywheel makes. I was kind of thinking the lowest engine mount, the one that ties the back of the block to the crossmember to limit rocking (forget what it's called).

 

It's not the lower motor mount. The NM insert is installed and the mount is tight. The noise definitely eminates from inside the bell housing/diff area. It's in the right location for the flywheel, but as the poster indicated, I too don't know what a deteriorating dual mass flywheel might sound like.

DOC

 

The local dealer (Inskip in Warwick RI) claims to be unable to determine the source of the rattle. Interestingly, the Clubman S auto loaner provided a huge step forward in the diagnostic process. When stopped at a traffic light with the trans in "driive", the motor coughed when idling and almost stalled. The whole vehicle shook and I heard the exact same rattle as my Justa manual produces when a less than perfect shift is completed. This eliminates the clutch/flywheel as the source because the auto does not have them.

I had suggested to the dealer that the sound seems to be coming from the spider gear/diff area. My experience with the auto seems to support that.

Their offer was to start removing and replacing parts. If a replacement fixed the problem, it would be covered under the warranty. If not, parts and labor are on me. I passed on the offer.

Anybody have anything to add to this?

Thanks,

DOC

 

Vehicle now has almost 19K miles. The rattle is about the same as at 11K miles. I'm going to forward this thread to Way Motorworks.

Is there any other source of Mini technical info that might be worth seeking out?

DOC

 

This ^!

I'd suggest having another Mini owner with DIY skills in your area take a listen to help you determine if this is an issue. In my experience some times little things mean big things. But sometimes they are just little things--as with medicine a second opinion is good research.

You have a new car with a warranty, find a better dealership to give it a look. Make sure you keep written copies of the original dealer diagnosis and any subsequent dealer diagnoses. Should you have a future failure those documents will be your 'get out of paying card' for something a dealer was informed of but couldn't or wouldn't fix. A warranty is peace of mind until you try to use it and the dealer won't honor it. Best of luck!

 

My Mini is going in for another annual inspection/service soon. I am trying Herb Chambers in Boston, MA, this time. Can anyone shed additional light on this topic, given another six months of collective experience? Car now has 28K miles and the rattle is about the same as it was at 19K.

Update: HC SF Casey Dx problem as an upper trans mount. Just drove 50 miles after replacement. 23K miles of aggravation is gone!

Inskip in RI claimed they could not pinpoint the problem. (See previous posts.)

Thanks again to Casey and Mark Ravin at Herb Chambers Mini in Boston.

DOC

 

Bump