The reason why some had to replace the timing chain components more than three times is because Mini unknowingly install the same defective tensioner responsible for the chain failure. To think it was a $30 part that was responsible for completely destroying an entire engine is mind blowing! I still have my defective tensioner for keepsake, you can see exactly where it got stuck on the outside of the piston. It's shiny only in a certain spot on the outside of piston, that's where there's friction even if you were to push it in by hand. The machining tolerances where to tight.

 

I bought a £25 eBay tensioner as mine started to rattle infrequently, removed the original and manually operating it showed up how sticky it was, replacement much smoother action.
O and a heads up, a uk N18 owner has had noisy timing chain confirmation from his dealer, looks like mini have a lot more to think about than just the N14 calamity engine.

 

Lets say that there was never an issue with the tensioners at all, there are still going to be those that go bad like everything else. The N18 engine hasn't had nearly as much failed tensioners when compared to the N14 engine. The N14 engines tensioners started acting up just a few hundred miles of the cars life.

Imagine you just purchased a brand new 07 MCS and within a few hundred miles your tensioner is already failing. Back then the dealer were saying that the rattle was normal, sometimes when a tech tells you that something is normal it means they don't know what the problem is. At this point techs give up because they don't have the expertise to troubleshoot any further.

 

Maybe, but I still think its early days to definitely say there will be no cam chain rattles on the n18 (the odd rogue one aside)

 

It seems my timing chain and tensioner are going out only after 10,000 miles except it doesn't have the cold start-up rattle at all, it happens only after 20 or so miles after the engine reaches full operating temperature. You can hear the timing chain sliding against the upper chain guide, it's slowly getting louder. No rattles like last time, just the sound of a chain sliding against the top guide. I had the timing chain components replaced almost 2 years as of Jun 28th! I know that my Mini dealer warrants the labor and parts for 2 years, what is the warranty mileage wise or is it unlimited mileage?

Is it 2-Year/12,000 mile warranty? I can't believe this is happening again!!

 

I ran into the same issue as you, I had to replace my timing chain and guide, and then about 1.5 years later it started happening again where I could hear the rattling, turns out this whole time I've been running my oil low, not enough to turn the oil light on but low enough to where it causes damage, and the sucky part is i've been reading the oil dipstick wrong ever since I owned the car, so I switched over to a cravenspeed dipstick and I can read it much more clear. After I changed the timing chain and guide again with warranty, I made sure to check my oil levels weekly. Its been 4 years no issues.

 

I have been religious about making sure the oil never drops below the half mark, I also have a CravenSpeed dipstick. At every oil change (5000 miles) I have only burned through 2.5 quarts of oil. Other than that the engines in excellent shape, compression is very healthy also, where it would be if the engine were new. I'm going to give it one more try with a new timing chain and if it every comes back to haunt me again this Mini's gone! Either that or replace the tensioner once a year.

 

Has anyone every heard of a timing chain/tensioner going bad without the cold start-up rattle, I have heard of people having no warning at all, then needing a new engine. The fact that when I raise the rpms above 1100rpm the sound goes away, to me that tells me my oil pressure is too low for the tensioner at idle.

 

I was having the rattle at start up and it would go away after driving it for a few seconds or revving it past a certain RMP but replaced the tensioner myself and that's all gone away. Cheap part and easy to do yourself. The longer you wait the worse it'll get.

 

Half full is too low. Keep her full!

 

My tensioner has only acted up maybe 10 times and only for a few seconds or as long as I'm idling, I'm not hearing any rattling just the timing chain barely gliding across the upper guide rail. It's a mild noise especially when compared with the first time I heard the rattle 2 years ago and never has it happened on a cold start this time around. It's not like it's slacked off while driving because anything above 1100 rpms and the tensioner doesn't act up.

The interesting aspect is if I turn off the engine for 5 minutes and then start her up again the noise is gone and may not return for weeks. I guess since it hasn't gotten really bad yet I think a new tensioner will solve my problem. How many miles have you gone on your new tensioner? My part number indicates mine to be the longer version when it was install almost 2 years ago. (Part#1-11-31-4-609-483)

Tomorrow since it's still under warranty I'll have the Mini dealer measure the chain slack so at least I know where I stand, then I'll go ahead and replace the tensioner if it's not too bad. If it was out of warranty I would still have it measured and replace tensioner.

No what I meant was half way (middle mark) on the dipstick and not half full quart wise.

 

Is measurement of your timing chain covered under warranty if the dealership believes it sounds ok?
This last winter my 2013 started having the cold start rattle at around 6K miles. It would take about fifteen minutes to quite down. The dealership said it sounded OK.
Now that it's much warmer I've noticed the cold start noise is considerably quitter.
My Mini is still under warranty and is also a CPO so I should be covered under a warranty until 2018.
My thought has been to just drive my Mini until warranty is about over and if I still get the cold start rattle in the winter like I do now, ask the dealership to measure the timing chain.
Thus I would be curious if they would be required to do tis under the warranty?

 

If your dealer or any dealer measures 68mm your chain is stretched beyond the specified maximum, they would have to replace it because it's long enough that it can jump the teeth on your cam gears.

 

Yes I understand this but my question was if the dealership you take your warrantied Mini to because you believe the timing chain doesn't sound right believes it sounds ok, is the dealership obligated to check the chain tensioner and slack under the warranty or will they charge you for the initial check?
If they choose to charge for checking your timing chain tensioner and chain slack, what is the normal charge for this?
We really love our little Mini Cooper Coupe and would trade it for the new BMW engine equipped model if only the coupes had this new engine installed in them.
We have little to no faith that the timing chain issue has been resolved for the N12/14 or even the N16/18 engines (ours is an N16). But given how much we love our little coupe we are willing to bight the bullet and keep it as long as we can develop a proactive course of action to insure we don't end up lunching our engine due to a timing chain issue by replacing it when it shows signs of impending failure.
In addition to the timing chain failures I've also heard that the vacuum pump can fail and cost you an engine also. Do you have any information you on this you could share? Is there any way to be proactive on this issue that would help to keep one from lunching and engine due to a vacuum pump failure?
Having followed many of your postings here I've come to respect your knowledge and would ask to tap into this knowledge and ask advise.

 

My SA told me that when I bring my Mini in on Wednesday that they'll need $150 to check the chain slack and if it's beyond its limits they'll replace the timing chain components under my 2-Years/unlimited mile warranty that ends June 28th. However if they find out my chain is within specs not only am I on the hook for the $150 diagnostic fee but the 1 hour labor and the cost of a new tensioner equaling $315, $150 diagnostic fee, $165 labor and the cost of the new part which I already purchased.

The reason why I'll be paying for the tensioner is because it would be nearly impossible to replicate the sound of the timing chain rubbing on the upper guide, it happens every couple of weeks. I have never had any cold start-up rattling since it was replace almost 2 years ago, only after a lengthy trip. You don't always get warning when the tension is about to fail, there are those that had no warnings except for a collision of valves and pistons.

Since my timing chain was replace 2 years ago the timing chain and tensioner were updated once! My stuff was replaced in 2013. I'm going to start replacing my tensioner every year regardless if I hear a sound or not!

 

Thanks for the response and your path forward with your Mini.
It seems we are on the same page as far as not having blind faith in Mini Coopers' having successfully solved the timing chain issue.
Replacing the tensioner on a regular schedule as a proactive preventative maintenance move makes good sense given that it is a cheap/easy do-it-yourself type job.
In my case I plan to leave everything as is while still covered under full warranty, but as this warranty is nearing expiration I will do exactly as you are doing by having the tensioner replaced and chain measured and from then on have this done on schedule as preventative maintenance.
I think I would prefer to schedule this based on mileage rather than time, say every 15K miles.
The only other concern I have that could cause catastrophic failure would be the vacuum pump.
Everything I've read on this pretty much claims that if you keep your oil clean and full, vacuum pumps will not seize up, but that is what they were saying about the timing chains and we both know this is not entirely true.
It seems that a leaking O-ring may be the culprit that causes the pump to start sucking oil leading to low oil levels and therefore causing the pump to seize up lunching the engine.
So what/where would one look for in order to be proactive in preventative maintenance when dealing with the vacuum pump.
Certainly making sure oil levels are kept full and noting any abnormal increase in oil consumption would be in order.
Any signs of oil leaks that could be related to the pump would also be an indicator of impending failure.
Beyond this should one go the extreme of just pre-emptively replacing the pump every so many miles or years?
Seems a shame that the pump failures are primarily due to a cheap little O-ring but (at least as far as I know) the replacement O-ring is not available and therefore requires the much more expensive purchase of a whole vacuum pump.
Replacement of this pump is a relatively easy do-it-yourself job if only someone would make a replacement O-ring.

 

I thought someone figured out that O-Ring as a separate part?

 

My understanding is that the outer O-ring is replaceable but the inner one is not.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...asons-s-2.html


If anyone has knowledge of replacement O-rings for these vacuum pumps that are available could you please post that information here?

 

Pulled my cover off and discovered pieces of plastic around chain guides. The chain and guide and tensioner were replaced by previous owner. Is there an actual recall on replacing the timing chain assembly? I live in Orlando.

 

It's not a recall, it's a campaign. A campaign is within Mini/BMW and is them covering the repair without anyone forcing them to do so. I'm sure all the lawsuits forced Mini/BMW hands because no one wants a judgement to be ruled against them in court. Bad publicity!

 

If the previous owner had the timing chain tensioner or even the whole timing chain assembly replaced under the so called "campaign" than it will no longer be part of the campaign and Mini Cooper will have removed it from it's list as having been fixed.
The only recourse you would have would be if the replacement timing chain was still under the two year warranty.
The fact that it was once replaced and failed again pretty much confirms what I and others have been saying, that Mini Cooper has not fixed the problem and it will eventually fail again.
This just re-enforces what I and Systemlord have just been discussing and that is, if you plan on keeping your Mini Cooper long term you better be putting in place a preventative maintenance program that replaces your timing chain tensioner and measures your timing chain on frequent schedule.

 

MY DEALER IN TEXAS replaced my JCW timing chain free after 40k and 4 plus years. FREE. Courtesy of Mini. They know they're crap. Also 75 bucks for the Craven dipstick? hahaha I'm not a dip. That's ridiculous. Insane. Just let the oil settle overnight and drip off the elbow tube so there's no catch oil when you pull the stick out. i.e. Just check the oil in the morning. Not after driving for hours. 75 bucks someone is making a ripoff fortune. Not going to get hosed owning this car. That's why I have a 100K warranty hahaha. I was forewarned. But still love it!

and yes low oil is on you. Mini turbos drink oil. check it weekly. keep it topped off and changed frequently.

 

Thanks so much for the replies. The previous owner had the entire chain assembly replaced and tensioner well over 2 years now. On 11/01/13 I received a letter in regards to having the tensioner and timing chain checked for wear and replaced if needed. Now, I took this letter to Orlando Mini same day, and all they did was look down in the engine and check to see if it was there so called "updated tensioner." Actually there exact writing on the repair invoice is: "Found Timing Chain Tensioner has an edge and no further repairs as describe in item # 3 Per bulletin #11 04 13. Defect Code# 00 11 08 03 00..etc." Now, per the letter from Mini/Bmw it states that the timing chain must be checked for wear and replaced, if necessary. I should of demanded them to check the chain that very day. Does anyone think I have a chance of them looking into and potentially honored what the letter says since it was never checked properly in the first place?

 

Hmm, check your oil often, but be prepared to have to wait overnight to do so.
No, I need to know the oil level while out driving around or on a road trip, stopped for gas or something. That 'insane' dipstick allows me to do that, when ever I want. And they're not known for breaking off inside the oil dipstick tube and sliding down into the oil pan either, something the stock dipstick has done to people as well.
That 'ripoff' Craven Speed Dipstick is much cheaper than an engine, and I too have extended warranties on both MINI's....

 

CHECK THE OIL ONCE A WEEK. Not every day. Or like 500 miles. I put that on in a week. If you only put a couple hundred miles let it go a few. Be reasonable. And you'd have to do something really screwy to breakoff the stock dip in your crank. I'd say it's impossible unless you're a gorilla. I know the N14 engine has issues but it's not designed in Mexico. hahaha

RE TIMING CHAIN REPLACEMENT - All dealers are different. Some are d*cks and don't have leverage with Mini USA to replace a chain past the campaign and some like mine do. I'm with a huge dealer that does tons of business, so they obviously have leverage. Plus the guy would have had to replace it under the extended warranty I bought through CarMax so the dealer was getting paid and I was getting relief either way. Whether CarMax paid it or Mini USA. You got to size up who you're dealing with on this issue. It's a grey area issue that Mini wants to keep grey. Try a different dealer. But it's not a grey area problem when that chain rattles. It's not good and needs to be replaced. Out of your pocket or theirs.