I have recently noticed a very audible ticking noise coming from my engine when resting @ idle. 2009 MCCS, 12500 miles. Has anyone else noticed this on their MINI and/or have any thougths on the matter ?

thanks in advance.

edit - I have never used anything other than the highest octane Sunoco fuel and had an optional dealer serviced oil change @ 6000 miles.

 

ok so using the sites search function it would seem the majority believes this noise to be caused by the DFI and perfectly normal. It has however been a while since anyone has posted on this subject and I am curios if anyone has been told anything different from their service department ? If this noise is normal, I find it a bit odd that it just recently started and wasnt noticable since day 1.

 

the other explanation is valve lash, which should NOT be happening given the automatic adjustment built into the head

i wouldn't put up with it for a second unless i got a darned clear explanation that i believed thoroughly

i'd take it up with the dealer

note whether the engine temp affects it would by my suggestion - less audible when warmed up?

check oil carefully, 'cause stuff happens once in a while

and get a proper answer

(and then report back pretty please?)

sounds like a wart on a beautiful woman to me...

Charlie

 

Hey, I get the same ticking on my 3 month old Cooper S but only on acceleration after it warms up on almost a daily basis. I finally took the car in and for some reason the car would not make the noise. So now I have to keep a log on the ticking and then bring it back to figure out what it is. ughh

Anyone else have this?

 

Mine ticks at idle too.

 

I had the dealership look into this, when I took my car in Saturday for the 1 year oil change.

The SA said the noise was due to the Vanos System and that it was completely normal.

My symptoms were no ticking during a cold start, but once the engine warmed up a little bit, I could hear an audible ticking noise at idle and at low RPM when accelerating.

 

Ticking is normal. Direct Injection.
Knocking when cold, they say is normal (yeah, right) HLA's
Hydraulic Lash Adjusters.
After mine sits for a few hours in the cold, I can hear a slight knocking from the camshaft area until she warms up (HLA's). After about 15 min. it disappears and all I can hear is the "normal" ticking of the injectors.

 

Mine is ticking. Neibour's Horizon Blue is ticking. Couple of MINIs from faraway stopping on lights were ticking too... Should be normal then...

 

Mine has the ticking. Had dealer listen to it when I had it in for service and they said it is normal injector sound for a direct injection engine.

Our direct injection (DI) engines make some weird noises and idle about as close to a diesel as you can be and not be a diesel. Our fuel pressure is almost 2000 psi with these DI engines and I can understand how injectors that can close against such high pressure could make more noise. Every MINI I have listened to makes similar clicking sounds.

 

It might be piston slap Sorry I couldn't resist

 

thanks everyone. I have a scheduled oil change in 3000 miles so I will mention it then but Im not gonna schedule a service appointment before that since the general opinion seems to be everything is ok.

 

Mine too, but only when I take my foot off the clutch (in neutral of course). It's pretty subtle but (even) I can hear it every time. No biggie.

 

Mine used to tick quite loudly as well until I changed the oil (myself). I filled it so the oil went to the top of the dip stick, instead of half way up like it was originally. The ticking is much less noticable.

I've read some other posts where owners have had their oil changed at the dealership and they've "overfilled" the oil as well. Sounds like the fill level they recommed in the manual might not be quite enough.

 

I have 1,700 miles on my MINI and noticed this ticking sound for the first time today. Never heard it before and it was disturbing.

I was waiting for my order in a drive through. I think it was exagerrated a bit because the car was cold (Arby's is about 3/10 of a mile from my house.) and I had my window down while waiting right next to the building. The ticking sound bouncing off the concrete made it seem very loud.

Glad I did a search on this... I was prepared to call the dealer on Monday and schedule an appointment.

 

I have MCCS with 1900 miles and noticed a small tick while waiting in a drive through a few days ago. Tick was only at idle at first but now I'm getting a squealing sound at idle after the engine is warmed up. Doesn't sound normal. Going to dealer tomorrow.

 

my eclipse had such a lovely racket of knock, lifter chatter, and a grumbling pig rich idle with all accessories on in the winter that it literally sounded just like the VW diesel rabbit that was next to me one day. chalk that one up to some high lift street/drag cams on stock lifters (yeah yeah) and an aluminum UDP that ran the alternator just a bit too slow with the added strain of the AC/defroster. I could hear the thing knock some days across the parking lot if I started it on a cold night. blip the throttle, get a nice little belt squeal, and it was loving that cold air. then the clutch started to part out and I found the mini.

anyways, unless it's vividly audible and doesn't go away, you have nothing to worry about. If you put in some 280+duration cams, expect that to come back, hehe. I never did this to my eclipse, but with those cams that I had if you turned the intake back 4deg and the exhaust forward 4deg, you had V8 loping coming from a 4 cylinder

 

Okay, this ticking thing is very strange. I have a 08 base Cooper (non-S). The engine doesn't always tick, it is loud and it comes and goes. I almost think it is an exhaust issue. However, I know for a fact that it is not just on my car, the loaner 09 the dealer had running waiting for me last month was ticking EXACTLY the same, it would come and go. With that proof the dealer still wasn't exactly sure what it was. However, they did supply me with a MINI notice about the ticking noise being the vacuum pump generating, which would explain why it comes and goes. My car has always done it since it was new, now I have 32,000 miles.

 

+1 to this comment.

Mine is an '08 MINI (not an "S"), manual trans. 30,000 miles, give or take.

Tick, tick, tick since new, every so often, at idle. Mentioned to my dealer when it was in for service, they wrote on bill "could not duplicate - check again at next service". Fair enough - I can't duplicate it either, it either does it or it doesn't for no apparent reason. Car runs fine otherwise, other than a very occasional rough idle immediately on startup which clears up almost as quickly as it appears.

I've just gotten used to both these things, they don't seem to affect anything as the car runs fine at all times. I'll mention it again at my next service, due in a month or so - but I'm not holding my breath for a solution.


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mine ticks sometimes at idle, whether the engine is cold or hot. The dealer thought it was due to a loose timing chain and replaced the tensioner, but it still ticks.

 

Interesting experience on resolving my MINI's ticking- while at the dealer to replace a failed high pressure fuel pump. The dealer figured out it was a dirty/plugged intake solenoid valve for the camshaft adjustment (VANOS). They replaced the valve, and she runs quiet, just like new. Zero cost on warranty. A little different story than the usual dealer answer "normal for a MINI".

 

It is not the High Pressure Fuel pump for me, since I don't have one with the non-turbo engine. The noise persists for me.

 

may be still worthwhile to have the intake solenoid valve checked/cleaned-- worked for me

 

It is the direct injection system. The same ticking noise you're noticing was on my Lexus GS300 as well. It is documented on several Lexus forums that it is normal. It doesn't seem right, but it is, and not an issue.

 

Ok, but so if the ticking ONLY happens when you are in neutral (clutch not pressed), I presume something else is wrong?

There's an audible ticking sound ONLY when I am in neutral, and I do NOT have the clutch pedal depressed.

I call it the "Mysterious Ticking Noice" - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4

 

Sounds to me like flywheel chatter. Especially if it goes away when you depress the clutch. Fuel injectors sound a bit different. They do tick, but it is perfectly normal.