i just got my car back from the Albany mini cooper dealership because of a failure to start problem, which was caused by the ignition switch..

Now that i got that fixed, i hear a noise when my rpm's hit about 5,500.

It sounds almost like a screech,hiss. also seems to only happen when i accelerate fast, if i dont accelerate fast it doesnt make the noise, its not a rattle, and i think its coming from the passenger engine bay. Im gonna take it somewhere soon but i wanna get some insight, anyone hear of this before?


btw my car is a 2005 with almost 50,000 miles on it.

 

A Leaky intercooler coupler or bad belt ?

May have to have someone rev the engine while bonnet is up.

 

I would bet, your belt is slipping...

 

Have you ever replaced your SC belt? If so, what size are you using...if you have the stock belt, and it is worn a bit, it may be slipping at high rpm's.

 

I have the "Alta performace package". If i'm not
mistaken, it comes with a new belt. if the belt is slipping at high rpm's, is it safe to drive (just casually) around town?

 

Change it ASAP....if you keep the rpm's down you should be fine for a few miles....but if it is slipping, it might have excessive wear, or have other problems that could cause it to fail, leaving you stuck on the side of the road, and costing you some real $$$ for other parts that can be damaged when the belt breaks.
I would look at the belt...and maybe feel the backside...if the ribs are ok, and no fabric from the cords are showing, you should be OK for around town for a week or two at low rpm's....but if it is oily, the ribs are worn, or can see fabric, then it could be getting ready to go....also the tennsioner could be getting weak, causing the belt slippage....
Either way, get it done/looked at...You can pay a $ now or $$$ later.....
It is generally recommended that when you use non OEM belts that they be changed every 2 years or so on a 15%, and yearly on a 17% or greater...the aftermarket belts are good, but not quite as heavy as the OEM Conti-Tech belts...so most folks opt to stay safe...and the belts are cheap, and once you have the tool, it is a 15-30 minutes job.
One thing....how long ago did you put the Alta Pulley on?

 

I got the alta package done in march, when I brought it to the dealership a couple weeks ago they said the belt tensioner stop was loose, touching the belt, so they tightened that back up. probably the reason why the belt may be going...

 

The Alta style stop is known for rattles.....it could be rattling again...I have heard of a few folks (local and on here) who had the same problem, and it was removed...might be the stop...it is awful early for the belt to be slipping/screeching.
The Detroit Tuned Stop (cable style) has none....but it is good to hear you are running a tennsioner stop....

 

i just checked the belt, one side of it looked a little worn, im not an exert in this type of diagnostics though, i just scheduled an appointment at a local mechanic, im glad i got this info from you guys first, thanks a lot! again, NAM is the best.

I'll post what the problem is when i figure it out.

Also, the Alta belt tensioner stop, if my belt did fail, that would prevent major problems, correct?

 

If it works as advertised, yes!
If one side looks more worn than the other (left or right, as opposed to front-back), then you might have an alignment issue causing the noise..it should be wearing evenly.

 

PM me your contact info and let me see if I can help. Also please see if you can see what part number is on the belt. Also can you get some pics as how the tensioner stop is mounted and what the belt looks like? Thanks!

 

So the mechanic said the noise is from the alternator, caused by the belt, and the belt is a bit worn. However, they said they can't do it and to go to the mini dealer (2 hours away, I did two trips within the past month).

Luckily I am taking a mechanics class and my instructor is very good, and said he'll teach, help me change the belt and stuff. so now all I gotta do is figure out where to get a belt, what kind do I need? where should I get one. Thanks everyone!

And I will still take pictures and post them
when I'm done

 

Get a hold of Jarid at Alta, he'll get you the belt you need. But you will also need a belt tensioner tool.

 

Thats meee!!! Im still waiting to find out what belt was on there in the first place. LEMME KNOW!!!

 

The belt is about a 15-30 minute job....and it is not a big deal if you have the tennsioner tool...it is harder to do the belt cheange without it, but most pro's should be able to get it done, heck many folks on this board have done it without a tool when they had too.
If you local guy can't do the belt, and would send you to the dealer for the alternator, it might be time to get a new shop...while it is different to do them on a Mini, it is not super hard...heck a few folks have changed an alternator in a driveway with minimal tools...not super easy, but no reason a shop should send you away unless they are afraid to do a bit of research, or don't subscribe to the right manuals online...

 

Hope you can read the part number on the belt, and you can clearly see the wear on just one half of the belt. Do you guys think the noise is from the belt slipping? Is this minimal wear on the belt or is this very serious..

I already bought a new belt and will be attempting to put it on tuesday night, if not tuesday, it will be done on Thursday. i will post the results.

And thank you everyone, and a special thanks to Jarid

 

Putting a new belt on will likely be just a temporary solution...it looks like the belt is rubbing......you need to find the cause of the rubbing....and you are lucky you caught it before it broke..that does look pretty bad!! (not sure from the earlier posting, but I think you fixed it...rubbing tennsioner stop?).
Good to hear Alta has made contact with you!! Half the battle with custmor service is getting in touch with the right person...once you have done that, most companys do a pretty good job (when most folks would agree that the company should do something due to a product not working as advertised...but some folks can never be made happy, so there will always be a complainer, thinking if they complain, blog, etc that they will get something for nothing. The trouble that any company faces is seperating out the honest consumers and weeding out the complainers who by defination, will never be happy!!).

 

YAY that's mee...again!!! Hmm the numbers on that belt look a tad weird as it doesnt look like a Napa belt.. I will do some more digging when our purchasing manager gets here today to confirm/deny that the belt is correct. Thanks!!

 

Tomorrow is the day a buddy of mine and I will be attemting to fix this problem. and change the belt. The mechnic last week was convinced my alternator needs to be adjusted because he looked at "TSB" and it seems to be a common problem, what would he mean by the alternator adjustment...? he says that's where the noise is coming from, I just want some
tips before we start. Thanks

 

Just an FYI that is not the belt you purchased from us. It looks to be the OEM belt.

 

Sounds like a load of BS.
My guess is that the wear has occured since the pulley was installed..so it is likely it is out of alighnment. The fact that it appears that they reused the oem belt, and not the new one you provided (a new/nearly new oem belt can work, but it will stretch, and slip, so if it is off, just put a new shorter belt on, they are cheap at about $20 or so, and labor is done already)... Things that make you say hmmmm...if the belt had any wear or was not nearly brand new, re-using it is akin to malpractice. This also makes it likely that he does not have the proper belt tensioner tool, hence the re-use of the old, loose belt, and the reason he wanted to send you to the dealer for a beltchange....
The only adjustment that I know of that you could make on an alternator is to ensure it is properly aligned...but this should have been an issue before the pulley install...if it was, then look at it, but if it was quiet...what suddenly made it an issue?!
The fact he is talking about doing something on a tsb without looking at the car, and he told you to bring it to the dealer for a belt change kinda points to this guy may be working beyond his comfort zone.

 

PS
if you don't have a tensioner tool, a socket as a fucrum, and a pry bar should work....and watch your fingers!!

 

Okay, I ended up replacing my belt in my garage, pretty easy but had to look at diagrams of how it went back on after

But, ITS STILL MAKING THE NOISE, but now it's happning at 4,500 rpm's instead of around 5,500...


Somebody please help, I'm gonna be bringing it to a shop soon or maybe drive 2 1/2 hours to the mini dealer....

 

The alignment must be off...or the tensioner is bad....
Was the spring and gas strut on the tensioner in good shape? Was it stiff? Did the little gas strut on it show any signs of leakage? That and i'm asuming you spun the different pulleys by hand, to check the bearings were ok....even the idler pulley, or the tenisioner pulley can go bad....did you rev it to see of you can determine where the rub is occurring or see belt shards stuck to anything, or any polished items near where the belt runs? The old belt in the Pic's showed extreme wear, and most likely a rub...Keep the old belt to show to the person who works on the car, and since you have a pulley car, with a non0standard belt size, bring one with you....they might be kind enough to install it when all is fixed!

There is no magic is car repair...just detective work, knowledge, and hardwork.

 

The tensioner was stiff, but I didn't check for leackage. and yes, I checked all the pulleys and the bearings were okay