The 2007 "Grinding" Noise or "Rotating" Noise Upon Deceleration Thread
 

This is not the 3rd to 2nd clutch squeal.
This is not some heat shield vibration.


Those who have this issue will know.

It is a "grinding", "rotating" noise upon deceleration which gets more prominent as the car heats up. It becomes annoying to the ears and is not normal. My dealership tech has driven in the car and verified it.

Many have made comment on this issue in other threads. I thought it might be advantageous to make a thread where we can post our actions toward this problem and if they worked.

Me first:

My car is a 02/2007 build date.

Tech heard it and thought it was the tranny, so we replaced the tranny and noise is still there. So we have one data point: it is not the tranny making the noise.

Anyone else tried flywheel, clutch, etc. with any success?

Thanks for any input.:)

Something with the turbo perhaps. Points to consider:

• As it heats up clearances get tighter
• During deceleration it is bleeding off boost, i.e. a unique operating condition that matches the occasion of the noise

Other thoughts:

• a bearing that only has thrust applied during deceleration - you said the transmission was changed, I assume the differential was changed also, i.e. not moved from the old tranny to the new.

Suggestions: use a schematic or manual to identify every single rotating item that could possibly be the source and work through them one by one. Tedious perhaps, but thorough. I realize no manuals are available for the '07, but perhaps MINI can provide an exploded view of the drivetrain for your use.

Best of luck and keep us updated.

Yes, they swap out the whole tranny and LSD together. It seems these days replacement far outweighs trying to "fix" the part.....which is fine with me.

Hi ficcion,

A question for you: does it occur only on "coast" (i.e., when you are engine braking, so in gear but no throttle being applied)?

Hey I had some noise when the clutch was depressed it went away, they told me it was the flywheel but when I got to the dealership they replaced the clutch. That was back in October, lets hope it holds. so far so good.

Does it happen with in a certain RPM range? I had what I think is a similar sound, hard to tell with out a video/audio clip. It happened between ~3100 RPM all the way down to 1000 RPM. Fix was a loose A/C compressor bolt. My car was built week 17.

If you're posting about a duplicate problem - please ensure you include the week your car was built - that would indicate a possibility of a defective component versus a defective design.

Yes, coasting or deceleration only.

It can happen during any deceleration, even at higher RPM's then you mentioned. It is easier to notice when decelerating in 1st and 2nd gear. It is a rotating sound upon deceleration that gets louder as the car heats up, not a rattle or buzz (just for possible clarification). Hope that helps.:)

I might try to get some audio but it has been cold here in Denver and the sound is not as significant.

I have had this noise in my R56. The sounds were pretty much exactly as described by ficcion. Only differance is, I believe at times I could duplicate a similar sound even on VERY slow acceleration, but this was very difficult to do and therefore not consistent every time.

My transmission was replaced, however before it was, I also started having the "3-2" squeal associated with the clutch. So when they replaced the transmission they also did the clutch, flywheel and throwout bearing. This took care of all noises. Sorry I can't help you narrow it down ficcion.

When I was going back and forth to the dealer about little things, I also noted a problem when I engaged the cruise control. When I set to any speed, there would be a very slight acceleration or lunge as if I tapped the gas, whether if I set it while coasting or holding a constant speed. When I got my mini back from having the transmission, clutch, flywheel and throwout bearing replaced, I never had this problem again.

This is because BMW/MINI techs in the states are not allowed to crack open a transmission. My SA explained to me there is only ONE place in the UK that is allowed to do that.

TWON,

This is great info because it means there is a fix for the rotating noise!

This is the first post I have seen where somone has actually fixed it. It might be a shotgun approach but at least the noise is gone. I will ask my dealer to do the same for me as I don't want to go in multiple times hoping a single item will fix it.

Thanks.

Glad I could help :thumbsup:

Well....changed the clutch, flywheel, and throw out bearing...and the noise has not gone away. The dealer and I thought we had it figured out. There is not much more that rotates that we can replace.


My dealer has been great about the issue. Very helpful in every way. The problem is they are just as perplexed as I am.

Going in next week for further diagnostic........