Hi All,

I just picked up my 2013 R56 Cooper back in April and am loving it thus far. The overall performance of the car given its obvious lack of power is pretty impressive and it handles very nicely!

Over the past month and a half, I have noticed a peculiar ticking noise coming from the engine at idle after either being driven for an extended period of time.

Any of you guys have an idea of what this noise could be? I've had the car looked at by the dealer and they think its fine, but the car has almost stalled in the middle of an intersection once and also on the freeway while accelerating from 1st into 2nd in stop and go traffic and im not sure if this is related to the ticking noise...

The noise is not consistent, and has only happen 4 times since ive owned the car for the past 2100 miles. It seems to be temperature dependent as well.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!



https://www.dropbox.com/s/kfh6regksg...604_190309.mp4

 

BUMP. Any advice???

 

That description of exactly when the noise happens and the drive-ability issues you've experienced(related to each other or not). Say exactly that to a service person at the dealership. They need to look into it, it's under warranty and it has bogged/cut out/nearly stalled already. If they refuse to do anything for you, or give you the "It's not doing it now, we can't do anything". Go to another reputable dealership near you and tell them where you bought it and how poorly they've treated you. If I were a service writer or manager at a repair shop and someone told me how poorly they'd been treated, I'd bend over backwards to earn their trust and business from then on out.


The car is brand new, under warranty, and doesn't run/drive flawlessly TAKE IT IN!

 

I just got the car back from the dealer on saturday, and after letting the service advisor even drive the car home overnight and put over 100 miles on the car, they reached the conclusion that the ticking noise is normal "injector noise".

I'll be taking the vehicle to Irvine Mini this coming week as there was yet another hesitation in acceleration today when accelerating in 3rd gear.

Talk about a ruined new car ownership experience :-(

 

Yeah, that's normal for direct injected motors (the steady ticking sound at idle, not the hesitation).

 

I immediately wanted to say "direct injection vehicles tick. You will notice it a lot at idle and not usually when all the noises of acceleration kick in." when I saw the thread. The reason I didn't is all the other details he mentioned. The fact that he claimed it was only once in a while or only when it was warmed up. I can hear my top end tick pretty much any time my car is idling, regardless of temp.

 

I was under the impression that Naturally Aspirated R56 Coopers were not direct injected.

Could definitely be wrong.

 

I never noticed the link to the video to see it was a non-S. And yes, non-S is port injection so injector tick it is not. Are those motors solid lifter?

 

Do you guys thing the dealer is just trying to blow me off? I'm mildly concerned about the intermittent hiccup in acceleration as It has happened to me not only while at busy intersections, but also now while accelerating out of lower gears....

For you engineers out there, anyone suspect a CAN communication error with the drive by wire accelerator?? I have some experience in automotive engineering and am aware that software can be quite the culprit at times.

 

I'm not an engineer.... But I play with cars for a living... Even pulling -one- wire off the throttle setup for a brief second... Will cause a code to set and the throttle to go into limp mode for the long haul (until a key cycle or code clear)...

Did the dealer offer to have you listen to any other car on the lot? I know the DI setup causes a lot of noise from the head area... Makes for a very noisy top end..

But even a non DI motor can have loud *** injectors.. Cam noise... Etc..

Try an oil change?

 

I suggested an oil change but the dealer reassured me that the oil was ok. Im assuming trying to get an oil change before the recommended interval would be like pulling teeth

 

Dealers always say, "it's normal", when they have used up their automotive knowledge and can't troubleshoot it anymore because they don't know where next to look!

 

As someone who used to work at a dealer, and someone who teaches people at a college level how to fix cars..... this is not true.

The best thing the dealer can do if its normal is show you another car (off the lot) that makes the same sound or does the same action... I used to do this all the time, if often put everyone at ease and answered the customers concern.

Customers often had amazing "scientific" reasons as to why things happen (planet alignment, super hearing, "But it should have..", "I paid too much for a car that does this.."..)

Not saying the OP does not have a valid concern.. but a simple side-by-side comparison could be the answer.. and prevent needless repairs... who would want to have a head torn apart on a brand new car only to have the same issue when its put back together?

At 1900 miles, and listening to the OPs video again.... frankly it sounds like a lifter issue... I've had a few cars where as the lifters rotated they tapped as they spin around... keep in mind, this was on one of my personal cars that lasted 300,000 miles before I sold it... the tap was cyclical and could come and go at idle like clockwork... (It was a VW, and it was very common.. and was harmless..).

 

It happened in the beginning when Mini released the 2007 MCS models, owners were hearing a horrible sounding engine which later was found to be the infamous timing chain tensioner issue. They said that that was normal also, except we all know better!

When I first start my MCS up every day I hear what sounds like a ticking that an injector solenoid would make, but after my engine warms up it goes away for the rest of the day. The sound is coming from behind the engine towards the right side where the power assist is located, below the head. I'm not worried about it though.

 

It sounds like a lifter to me, too.

As danjreed said, you should be able to listen to other cars and see if they make the same noises. I have a stable of Subaru daily drivers for my kids, they all make alarming noises but they all make the same alarming noises so I don't worry about them.

Since this is a MINI forum and no one has yet said, "my car makes that noise, too", I'd keep taking it back until they address it unless they can demonstrate (to your satisfaction) that the tick/tap is characteristic of the engine.

Fortunately, you still have some years and miles left on your warranty!

 

I'm with them, if "it's normal" have them take you out to hear another one or two on the lot. If they can not prove, in that manner, that it's normal(and unless it's consistent and on a solid lifter car it shouldn't be), then someone needs to address it.

 

Instead of concentrating on the noise, I would emphasize the hesitation problem, which might or might not be related, but is a big concern for the OP. That might indeed be a software issue, correct?