I've been told that cracked pistons can be caused by the cat (1400 degrees after turning off the engine) venting into the turbo and then to any open exhaust valves into the combustion chamber is another cause of cracked pistons. The cat in the DP is only 6" inches from the turbo, thank god there's an aux water pump!

 

You've been told wrong.

If either of those situations where the case, *every* car with a turbo and a converter would have "cracked" pistons.

The converter is far enough away from the combustion chamber (even on reactive manifolds) that it is not an issue.

On a 4 cylinder, at least ONE cylinder has an exhaust valve open upon shutdown.

Cracked pistons happen because of:

Hydrolocking (water ingestion) (cracks, bends connecting rod)
Detonation or preignition timing errors (melts edge of crown or burns ring lands)
Severe carbon buildup. (causes preignition, melts edge of crown)
Running excessively lean (lean A/F ratio) (same issue as preignition)

Just a few examples.

 

My story...

2009 Mini Cooper S (Hardtop)
Purchased used August 2012

I've been hearing the metallic, clunk chain noise since about October 2012. When it got especially loud, I added a 1/2 quart of oil and that seemed to calm it. My financial situation just did not allow me to spend $1-2k to get it fixed. And yes, I was fully aware of the ongoing risk, I just couldn't swing it. Found this forum in August, and saw someone mention Mini *might* be coming out with something towards the end of October ...so I waited. Fast forward to yesterday...

Called 1866-Ask-Mini ... rep said no recalls but I did have an extended warranty on the high pressure injection pump (10yr, 120k), cool. No service actions/issues etc that she could find. Told me to hang up and call my local dealership as they often have more information than the call center ... which I did (Mini of Westchester - White Plains, NY).

I told the service center receptionist I was calling about the Timing Chain Service Action and wanted to know if my car was eligible. She took the last 7 of my VIN, and said yes you are, can you come in on Nov 12, we'll need the car all day? YES I CAN. I asked what was involved and she transferred me to a SA ... he said ... "we measure the chain, if it's stretched we replace the chain and tensioner, guide rails, etc."

My brother (who is very knowledgeable about mechanical stuff, although mostly VWs, LR Defenders & Toyota 4Runners...) will be coming with me, but any guidance from you all is appreciated!!

 

My local mini dealer said the service action was only on the "S" models.

 

Does anyone who had there chain and tensioner replaced under the "campaign" recently have the part number for the chain and tensioner? Mine was replaced May 2013 ..

Chain 11-31-7-516-088
Tensioner 11-31-4-609-483

Just want to verify that I have the updated parts.

Thanks to all ...

2010 MCS Convertible

 

Just got my official recall letter in the mail today!
It does not state they will be replacing, just "checking for wear and replaced if necessary"... Sadly this is motor number two the first one went due to a bad timing chain last year at 116k, it just happened to be the Second timing chain put in the car! Hope they got this one right...

Ever seen one of these up close and in person?
My bicycle has a more durable looking chain and gear set!

Maybe they will replace mine, I am 90 miles to my local mini dealer so they best make it worth my while!

 

got my letter as well. need to call for an appt (I'm about 90 miles away so it's a PITA). good thing is, no matter which way it goes, we're covered.

 

Here's the letter I rec'd today



It is not a mandated recall (OMG, the exhaust tips WERE)

had this arrived last week I might not have left the MINI community ....

still a Mini owner tho

...
2014 Focus ST ...Tang' Scream ... full leather Recaro, 250 HP, all the bells and whistles

less that a marginally optioned S

 

I've been lurking in this thread for a while. I haven't gotten a letter yet but I brought my car in because I definitely had the issue. They replaced the whole timing chain assembly free of charge. The part numbers I have for the what got installed are:

Chain: 11-31-7-516-088
Tensioner: (for some reason the report is showing 2 tensioner parts) 11-31-4-609-483 followed by 11-31-7-534-833 further down the list.

I also got the turbo heat shield done.

 

I believe the 833 is the tensioner rail and 483 is the tensioner.

Greg

 

Thanks for sharing the letter and your frustration with MINI, as evidenced by your prior posts as well as the fact that this letter was torn in half, is obviously appreciated by we who have been in similar situations. I agree it's too bad that this letter came to you too late and MINI should have stepped up to the plate earlier to keep enthusiasts like yourself in the fold.

As to this issue I think that everyone who has been following this thread should chime in when they get their letters and what service MINI has given them. We just bought our '09 MCS last month and registered with MINI and the owner's lounge almost immediately. Hopefully we'll be in the loop.

 

I went to the dealer this morning to try and get my timing chain assembly replaced under the terms of the service action but it turns out my car had the new tensioner installed already. I should have remembered that, since I bought it used but got the service records ...so my SA told me that the service action does not apply to my car. Fortunately it wasn't a complete waste of time since I needed the turbo heat shield applied on the oil line.

 

Did the new tensioner solve the issue with your car? If so, how long have you had your car?

 

I didn't have any symptoms of the cold start rattle up to this point (I wanted to preemptively get the new tensioner in case) and I've only owned the car for about 6 months. I bought the car with 39k miles and now i'm almost at 45k with no problems yet and I believe the chain tensioner was replaced at 27k miles. To try and make sure the rattle doesn't cause a problem I'm planning on doing oil changes every 5k miles.

 

I've been playing with my defective tensioner like those stress ***** and have noticed very black dirty oil seeping out that looks like it might have a fine grit around the cylinder that gets pushed out when there's oil pressure. I believe dirty oil contributes to some of the failed tensioners!

I had my timing chain components replace during the Summer June/July time period, still get a slight noise for the first second because there's no oil in the tensioner as it's all in the oil pan.

 

Good to know about that brief noise on startup, I feel like I might be experiencing that but since it goes away so quickly, I am not worried about it. I should check my oil level more often though...although the dealer did a multi point inspection and found it was within spec, I haven't checked it for at least a month.

I'm hoping that by doing these oil changes I prevent any damage to the tensioner due to dirty oil, so we'll see!

 

My ac is noisy as well. My chain was at 72.4mm but it wasn't any noiser than the ac compressor.

 

I'm thinking about trying some 0W-30 oil, I've heard here in one of these two timing chain threads that members tried the 0W oil when their cold start-up rattle began and for a short time it made things quiet again. Although I don't know if there is any truth to it. The only thing that bothers me is the 0W I'm told breaks down quicker, again I don't know if this is true, but I'm doing a ton of research today to find out.

 

The 0 simply refers to viscosity when cold. A 0 'weight' oil will be thin and is able to lubricate parts quicker but also will not protect as well since it is thinner. The 30 is the viscosity when hot. For breakdown, make sure to use a full synthetic and preferably one that meets BMW/MINI ratings.

With that said, oil is like coffee. Everyone likes theirs a bit different and swears it is the best.

 

I've run Mobil 1 0w-40.

No way does that break down faster, I've had it tested in the past.

Flows faster in cold weather... That is a key factor in limiting wear in startup.

 

Hi, in august I brought my mini for the death rattle. The dealer said it neede a chain and tensioners for $2700. I decided to wait it out. I Recieved the mini voluntary recall letter and called the dealer. They said they would check it and see if it needed it and only then would decide what it needed. I pointed out my previous service and that they charged me $100 to check the timing chain - which I doubt they did since no bolts were loosened- and that they said it needed replacing. They were silent and then stated that I might be right. It sounds like they don't want to do the work, but in my case I'm going to force the issue now.

 

The first oil change I did, I decided to use Mobil 1 5W-30 before realizing that the 0W-40 European blend is recommended. Partially it was because there was a huge sale on them at Autozone :p but anyways next oil change I will probably switch over to the 0W-40 oil. Don't really expect much of a noticeable difference though.

 

Good thing you have records of them telling you it needs replacing earlier. You better push them, you deserve that timing chain replacement! Plus perhaps a refund on the diagnosis from last time?

 

I only paid $1827 to have my complete timing chain components replaced, I'm sorry but $2700 is dishonest and overpriced! That's almost double what I paid for the same job in Irvine, CA. I bet they were just trying to milk you dry even though it might not have needed it, so if they start backpedaling and saying it doesn't need it now you have proof there were lying!

 

Do you live somewhere that has another MINI dealership within a reasonable distance? I'd get my records that show what they recommended. I'm sure they printed out a nice price quote for you. And I'd go to a different dealership. I don't know why they would NOT want to do it now, some manufacturers don't pay FULL rate on recall work, but they still get paid. It's the difference between a paid job and no job. Why would they fight it now?