I need some guidance please.

As we all know, everyone's timing chain and tensioners will eventually need to be replaced due to Mini's strategy of planned certain failure in an effort to prop up their service departments and keep them profitable. Well...my tensioner finally broke and mine has come up for replacement, along with my main water pump. Out of warranty, I've been quoted $2600 by Mini to replace both.

I've been through this before with the turbo oil feed line and bought an aftermarket part and fixed it myself for 95% less. I'm not afraid to get my hand dirty if it will save me money.

My question...What is the most economical way to get this timing issue repaired?

Is it independent shop, buy parts and tools and do it myself, Mini...etc? The threads regarding this topic are sooo long and chalked full of good information but in the essence of time, I would like someone very familiar with this situation to give me your recommendation. I appreciate the help.

 

Did it break completely and drop parts into the guides? Or just not functioning like it should?

If parts are missing your best bet is to tear it down and replace everything, about $300 worth of parts from my research. Time is up to you, you'll need the camshaft locking tools to do it which are another $200ish. Next would be the independent shop most likely coming in cheaper than a dealer. If you have one you trust and short on time/technical know how probably a good option.

If just the tensioner failed then the first step would be to measure the chain deflection with a tool that replicates it. Then that will tell you if you need just a new tensioner, or a new chain assembly. I think the consensus is that the new/longer tensioner will only buy you a little bit more time before you'll need to do the chain assembly anyways. I measured mine this past weekend and its not bad, so going to get a new tensioner, then hopefully sell it not to long after that.

For the water pump I've only read and it seems like a fairly easy fix with some tutorials floating around.

As for suggestions to do the work vs having it done, if your comfortable and have a good mechanical sense I think it shouldn't be to hard. Just wouldn't do it if you were in a hurry. Hope that helps

 

Call Detroit Tuned. They have done quite a few...

Office: 586.792.6464

 

Not functioning like it should, for now. Although the dealer said they put a mirror in the head and told me it was broken. I figure if it were broken I would be a lot worse off at this point than noise at start up. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I get lots of racket at start up but calms down as it warms to operating temp. Although I'm seeing signs it may have jumped timing...rough idle, hesitation on acceleration when it's cold, etc...

 

If your getting a loud rattle at cold start your upper guide is done and the noise you are hearing is the chain slapping against the upper guide due to excessive chain stretch, so throwing a longer tensioner at it will do nothing to solve your real problem. Another thing to note, if your rattle is audibly noticeable you've more then likely broken more then just sections of the upper guide off, but more then likely parts of the physical chain guide which are now floating around in your oil pan as well as your oil pump pickup.

The rough idle and hesitation is more then likely a combo of things, I'm almost willing to bet your vehicle is not only having to compensate for timing related issues, but carbon build up issues. If your vehicle has or exceeded 50k, and has not had any sort of carbon cleaning service performed to its intake runners that is your rough idle @ cold start and running.

Now as for who should do your timing chain service, you could do it yourself, but honestly if you don't have the proper tools to do it, it will cost you about as much in parts, tools and personal time as it would to probably pay an independent shop do it. Now, if you decide to have an independent shop do it, please make sure its not a hack shop, and the shop is going to do the job properly (as well as your not the guinea pig) using all new parts, not like some vehicles I've seen that have had their chains serviced to find the only things that were replaced were the chain, upper guide and chain guides (and they all failed again in a short period of time). Allot of shops think they can reuse the crank bolt and both cam shaft bolts, but they TTY bolts and are 1 time use. Another thing to note is, allot of shops are still using the old information per tq'ing procedures as well as i've even seen some shops that are still using the older tensioners.

So choose wisely, and if at worst, buy the parts directly from MINIUSA and provide them to the shop of your choice.

Good Luck.

 

Great advice guys. Thank you!