When shifting from 1st to second, the back of my intake/airbox will hit what looks like a resonator box just under the back of the firewall.

Upon closer inspection, there is a red sticker about 1x3 inches in size between the contact points stuck on this 'resonator', which on my car is obviously scraped up due to the impact. There is a U shaped tab on the rear of the airbox which contacts the 'resonator' box when engaging second gear after a WOT first under heavy acceleration.

The sound inside the cockpit first reminded me of when an old highschool buddy's Toyota Tercel engine broke mounts and slammed the firewall. It sounds like a slow moving baseball bat hitting a small tree trunk.

Does anyone else have this issue??? I did just have my tranny replaced so maybe they forgot a few nuts and bolts.

 

Yikes.

 

Can someone please check the red sticker on your car? Let me know if its scraped off.

Also, try rocking the engine front to back with your hands My engine rocks about a 1/4 inch.

 

HOw many miles do you have on it? It could be a worn or malfunctioning motor mount.

 

send a PM to MiniGuru; he'll know.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words...

 

Here are a couple pictures of mine (2900 miles). I've only had mine WOT in 1st to 2nd maybe 3 or 4 times. That tiny white mark (sorry for the blurry pictures) near the center is where that piece on the airbox has made contact with it. It has slight tears in the sticker, with sticker material on the protruding part on the airbox.

You said you have 1/4" of play in your engine? I can lift up on the right side of the intake/airbox and get about 1/8" - 1/4" of play on that side (drivers side). Is this the same play you are seeing? The engine does not move a bit, just the side of the intake, along with the air line to the turbo.

Attachment 30366

 

On the first generation, I'd suggest getting a Texas Speedwerks engine damper (www.txwerks.com). Someone may be working on a similar solution for the second generation MINI.

 

Thats the exact sticker alright, however mine is much more scored up then yours, and only after about 3-4 wot 1st to 2nd gear shifts. (2000 miles)

Are you getting an aggressive clunking noise when you shift, indicating the impact with between the airbox and the resonator?

If I put both hands flat on top of the valve cover I can literally rock the engine front to back about 1/4 inch, and it seems to maybe move a bit more on the transmission side of the drivetrain.


If a torque brace or engine damper is built, I will surly buy one. I got one on my rx7 and its like night and day.

 

I haven't notice any sounds from impact. I just checked my car and can't move the engine at all. It doesn't seem to have any play when rocking it back and forth from the valve cover.

If it was me, I would take it back to the dealer and show them the play, the sticker rubbing, and have them open up some hoods on new models and see if they have that kind of play. Obviously a new car wouldn't have the sticker damaged, but you should be able to see if any have some kind of play in the mounts.

 

The sticker is there for just that purpose: show contact between the box and firewall.

It's an indicator for worn engine mounts.

If you's is making contact allready... bring it back to the dealer right away.

For referance... my car has a half dozen autocross sessions and three track days under its beltline... no contact whatsoever.

 

I have the sticker, no rubbing, and can't sway the engine at all... Take'er in !

 

I noticed that sticker on mine. It is all cut up Looks like I'll be making a service appointment for it.

 

Can anybody verify this red sticker issue for me? If anybody has had this issue, and had documentation of the problem as well as the repairs. I would greatly apreciate a copy of it. The local Mini Dealership is telling me the sticker is there for air box alignment purposes.

 

Well, even if Mini placed the sticker for alignment purposes, they should be able to tell that all that motion may not be normal. Forget the sticker and it's purpose and just have them look at the amount of deflection and check all the mounts. Its tough to go against them if they say it is "normal or within parameters." though if they were smart they would fix it before it gets worse.

 

I do have the car in the shop today and I have asked them to check the mounts. They are also changing out the radio due to dead pixels. They're going to chase a horrible rattle that I can't seem to find. They're going to address the excessive wind noise that I'm getting from the sunroof and they are going to try and get the scoop replaced under warranty with a CF one because the stocker is starting to melt. So far, the Mini Hawaii service department blows the sales department out of the water as far as customer service goes.

 

Uh oh.. That sticker let's MINI know you've been pushing the engine really hard. If it's scraped up it voids your engine warranty.























just kidding! I have no idea what it's for but it's stuck to the sound generator. I highly doubt it has anything to do with the engine mounts. The cooper does not have this sticker.

 

Is the sound generator tube loose? I suggest taking the airbox out and make sure that it fits snugly into the partition.

 

For whatever it's worth to this discussion:

I checked mine over the weekend while I had my head under the bonnet. It had a sticker right where folks are describing; as I recall, mine was a bright green color, but I'm going from memory there. It had one spot in the middle where it was snagged/torn, but otherwise it was intact. I tried rocking the engine to see if there was any play -- none at all. In fact, it got to the point where I was able to gently rock the car by pushing on the engine cover, but there was no movement in the engine.

This sticker looks to me to be ideally placed to get snagged/torn by the airbox cover (with its protruding tab) any time someone removes/replaces it to examine the air filter -- especially on mine, since that someone would potentially have to negotiate the airbox cover around the strut brace.

This is all purely speculation on my part, but I don't believe the sticker we're discussing is intended as a so-called "contact indicator" for loose engine mounts; it seems to me that if the engine rocked rearward far enough (under heavy acceleration) to cause the airbox to impact on that point on the firewall, the airbox itself would probably get damaged, knocked loose, or possibly even broken off. I tried wiggling around my airbox; it's not loose, but by the same token, it's plastic and not nearly as sturdy as the engine or firewall...