I've been getting the playing card in bicycle spokes noise for the past few weeks and finally pulled the liner to look at my damper. To my knowledge this is the original 2002 damper with 78000 miles on it. It has this what looks like a crack pretty much around the entire pulley, but I can't really tell if it's just the seam between the metal and rubber or if it's a crack causing the noise.

I also noticed that when the car is running, the damper doesn't look completely straight. Comparing it to the other pulleys in the system, it kind of wobbles very, very slightly. It looks as if it was a photo that's not completely in focus, the edges kind of blur, I would say less than 1/16". Probably more like 1/32".






Any insight would be helpful. Thanks.

 

get a haynes manual and an ati super damper and do it yourself .

 

I'm definitely going to do it myself, seems like an easy swap. I'm going to follow this tutorial:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...oem-tools.html

I'm just curious as to whether the current damper looks ok or if it needs changing. I just want to be positive that it's making the noise.

 

looks pretty normal from my house

 

Such a quandary. The visible wobble when rotating would bother me. Sad part is you won't really know if it's going bad until it explodes and damages everything else nearby. I went the lightweight Alta 2% route 45,000 miles ago but wouldn't necessarily recommend that. There are a couple nice (and spendy) dampener crank pulleys out there or go to the later model OEM. Don't put the '02 version back on. There are some threads on the subject here and there.

 

If your going to replace it definetly get the new ATI damper, they are lighter and much more reliable. I've installed a bunch no problems.
http://www.waymotorworks.com/super-d...ulley-r53.html

 

Cheapest 05/06 damper I've found is around $360 and the ATI is $400.

I'm curious as to the longevity of the ATI though. It seems like a fairly new product...

 

i think ati has been around for quite some timeand have a great racing pedigree . they just applied known good tech. to the construction of the minis' damper .

 

That's what I figured. I've heard nothing but good things on other applications, so the Mini should really be the same. Looks like it's time to take the $400 dive...

 

Save youself money and call Jan @ RMW. He has a crank pulley that will do the job and save you money. It's a fluid damper, that will do the same job as the ATI and put$$$$ back in your pocket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Just ordered an ATI from WMW. While the current damper doesn't look excessively worn, the vibration really worries me, I feel it is putting unnecessary stress on my bearings. I also ordered a redesigned belt tensioner tool on ebay for $65. Just need to rent a crowsfoot puller from Autozone now.

 

awsome man . i can say without doubt if you were gettin' the card in spokes noise "that damper was junk" . so good on you for pulling the trigger .

 

any basic three hole puller will do just get the proper bolts . also you will need the proper threaded rod . 12mm i think but get a haynes manual . maybe 40.00 bucks . i worked with a guy that put dampers back on with plenty of lube and a impact gun but i wouldn't . just get proper rod .

 

Eventually, it will look like this...........

 

When you do replace it, replace the main bearing seal same time.....they are a known leaker and you will be right there at the time. It's like a 2 dollar rubber gasket frm MINI.

 

The service records that I received actually show that the front main seal was replaced at 50k miles

I actually have a Bentley manual to work with. This project doesn't seem like it will be that difficult. Like I said in a previous post, I'm going to follow those instructions posted on how to replace it without the OEM tools.

 

That must have been noisy, Gray Raven. Good tip about the main seal.

 

Plastic Knives,
Any follow-up pictures w/ the Ati in place? Did it cure the problem? Could you tell any difference with the lighter unit?

Thanks for the informative posts, too

 

Still waiting for it in the mail! Haven't gotten a tracking number from WMW yet. The order was processed on the 19th so earliest shipping date would have been this past Monday. I should be getting my tensioner tool Friday.

I will keep you all updated with my results!

 

It's on the way via ups. I'm down an employee right now, but I'm making sure stay on time. So I'm looking to hire someone new, but good employees are so hard to find.

 

No worries. That's all the info I need. Thanks!

I hear ya on good employees are hard to find. We just had to fire an employee yesterday for stealing cash out of the register. I guess hard times bring out the thief in a person .

 

Well I received the ATI Damper today, a very nice product indeed. Went to Autozone and used their loan-a-tool program to rent a puller for free. Then I went to Home Depot, purchased 3 M6 bolts and washers (I hope they are long enough!)

I also picked up a Husky 3/8" torque wrench (chose Husky for the lifetime warranty and convenience of Home Depot). It does 20-100 ft/lbs. I could have purchased the 1/2" 20-250 ft/lbs wrench for $4 more, but it was excessively long and I feel I would get hung up a lot. Up to 100lbs should cover most everything on the car except the axle nuts.

Here are a few pictures of the pre-install. Expect the install in the next few days.



In this picture you can see:
tensioner tool
torque wrench
ati pulley w/supplied M12 allen bolt and washer
M6 bolts and washers
harmonic damper puller kit
blue threadlock
10mm allen socket I had left over from my old 7M-GTE headbolts which will help the installation immensely

short of a standard toolkit, this should be everything I need for the project.

 

Looks nice. Let us know how it goes. Did you get the stock or 2% pulley?

 

Stock.

 

Did the install today and it went surprisingly smooth except for one problem, not having an impact gun! I ended up running out to HD and picked up up a Dewalt, which I will probably return and buy something cheaper online .

Onto the pics!

Fender liner out:


When I took off my belt I found this! This belt is under 5000 mi old. What could be the cause?


My Savior!


The removal is very, very easy with this tool. There's absolutely no reason to purchase the OEM tool IMO. I used the supplied allen head bolt that came with the ATI damper to press against which worked perfectly.


OFF!


Using the supplied allen bolt and washer to press the pulley on. I didn't need to heat it up at all.


The allen bolt only pushes up to a certain point, they you use the oem bolt to finish it. Once the bolt no longer turns, back it out and check to make sure the pulley is flush with the crank by looking through the center hole. If all is well, put blue loctite on and tq down to 85!



My only concern is when I was torquing the bolt. Even with the brakes pressed firmly and car in a high gear, the crank still had a bit of twisting play in it. I would say the crank turns about an 1/8th or so while I was applying pressure. Once pressure was relieved, it twisted back (I'm guessing this is play in the dual mass flywheel springs).

Do you all think this twisting will effect the torque value drastically? I cant see any way around this short of the oem BMW tool 525-135.


All in all, this was an easy project. Well worth the effort. I drove past some guard rails and there's no more fluttering so it seems to have fixed the problem.