Hello Everyone-

In this episode of Mini Detective involves a faint constant ticking I hear only on light/normal acceleration or step lightly on the gas while parked. Once I let go of the gas in either situation the ticking disappears. When I hear the ticking it is located under the gear shift lever and the lower center part of the dash. It's been happening the last 2 days.

I found these threads below have people experiencing it, but there seems to be no clear answer or I don't see it:

• https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...metronome.html
• https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...elerating.html
• https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...se-idle-2.html

Can anyone shed some light on this? Checked all my fluids and such all is good. This sound has never happened since I have owned the car for a year. I drive a 2009 Mini Clubman S Automatic.

 

The second link sounds like the issue I'm experiencing and it only happens after the engine has been driven more than 20 miles, I usually hear it when I get to work and/or after arriving at home from work and it's happening more often as time goes on especially when the weather is HOT. You can hear a tapping noise at idle and hear it even more around 1200 rpms but not any higher than 1500 rpms.

Thing is I know what is causing the tapping sound, a partially collapsed lifter. The first time I heard the noise it was equally loud as the timing chain rattle, I could hear the camshaft lobe smacking the partially collapsed lifter. It's heard every fourth compression stoke on the intake side which is close to the firewall.

It's only one lifter though, if you listen closely you can hear a tapping sound a millisecond before the cam lobe hits the partially collapsed lifter. I'll wait till it gets worse because I have 4 years left on my extended warranty.

Hope this info helps you and anyone else who finds this thread.

 

This ticking noise I'm have sounds different than yours I think. I don't hear it at idle at all. If I slightly press the accelerator bring it up past 1,000 rpm then the ticking will start. But, as soon as I let go of the accelerator the ticking stops. Immediately. Like, start and stopping a sound button. Same goes for while driving. I can go 55mph and have the rpms arond 2,000. As soon as I let go of the accelerator and coast the ticking stops. The rpms are still just below 2k, so why am I not still hearing the ticking? It's so bizarre. It's almost like it's vacuum related.

Unless a liter would at like this? Because I am obviously no expert.

 

You need to have someone step on the accelerator so you can listen from the engine bay to pin point exactly where it is coming from, one thing is for sure, it's mechanical.

 

I am quite sure that the noise you are describing is the vaccum pump. Mine makes the same noise. Whether its good or bad I cant tell you. Mini techs said its normal, but a failure of the pump would be catastrophic.