Well guys, it seems my car is quite screwed. I was driving, when all the sudden I heard a loud thud and grinding. I shut the car off and popped the hood. It seems that something happened with the engine and it fell into the radiator and the fan on the driver side of the car. I'm really hoping it is just a faulty engine mount, and that it didn't ruin anything else, but I think I did, and here's why: I found two metal rings, about and inch and a half in diameter, under the car when I stopped. I wasn't able to get a look under the car to look at damage, but I did find the rings on the ground. They were caked in black, thick grease. And I have no idea where they came from.

Does anybody know where the rings could have came from, and what could have gone wrong with the car? Right now the car is at my mechanics house, but he won't be back until Monday so.... I'll also attach some photos of the engine and the rings I found.

Thanks so much guys!

 

Those look like they're from your CV joint on your axle. If the mount broke, it could have also broken your axle. Or, if you're lucky, just your axle broke. Did you by any chance replace an axle with an inexpensive aftermarket axle?

 

So it sounds like you're on the right track. By the angle of the motor it looks like possibly a mount broke, which let the engine shift and then it pulled on the CV joint breaking it. One of the most common parts to deteriorate on the MINI are the engine mounts. The rubber that is contained within the mounts becomes old and brittle, and doesn't perform a good job of isolating the drivetrain from the rest of the chassis. Can read some more on it here if needed. As for the ring. If the CV uses large roller wheels then that may be what is in your hand. Most CV's use a steel ball, maybe 6 of them, but I have seen some with a roller that has a bearing in it, which appears to be what you're holding. It may have three of them. Make sure your friend checks the car completely for any other further damage it may have caused. Let us know what he finds!

 

I did have the CV axels replaced last year, they were whatever AutoZone had in stock. I'm guessing the mount did just give out, I live in Arizona so the rubber was probably really dry. Thanks for the help, I'll let you guys know what went wrong when my mechanic gets back.

 

If it turns out to be the axle, AutoZone's in-house brand has "lifetime limited warranty", although I wouldn't trust replacing it with the same thing again!

http://www.autozone.com/drivetrain/c...mString=search

 

I'll look into the warranty on the CV axels, my mechanic is good friends with the local AutoZone we deal with.

Now another question: what mounts are on the driver side? There's a lower mount, and the transmission mount, right?

 

Actually, sorry, what year is your MINI S? I know some changed between production years. Otherwise, the DIY tech article I posted here has pictures of all the mounts. Figure 29 towards the bottom is the transmission mount.