hey all... new here.. 4 days ago i picked up my new(to me) 2008 mini cooper s with the N14 engine...from the first day i noticed THE rattle upon start up so now ive spent 4 days between having a little bit of fun with it, researching the interwebs and youtube for procedures/walkthroughs/explanations etc and worried to death that my timing chain/guides etc might commit suicide lol... its been a nerve racking few days....

first off... info on the car
2008 Cooper S hatchback
1.6L turbo n14 engine
automatic steptronic
soooo much fun

a buddy of mine who has a couple cooper S' both 1st gen and 2nd gens and is a bimmer tech in georgia advises me to first do an oil change on it with euro 0w-40(cast/mob1) over the man rec 5w-30 and see if it quiets the noise. he tells me that doing so and the noise stops would indicate a weak tensioner... not that i doubt his knowledge, but does anyone else see any logic in this? is it plausible?

next, if the noise persists, what are the odds that just the top guide just needs replaced or is it just better to R&R the whole set up for good measure?

ive rebuilt a couple motors in my past but mainly stuff that was tinkering lol had a 400hp eaton m45 supercharged/NO2 powered pontiac sunfire.. but that was 10 years ago and had a lot of support from qualified mechanics... but this mini scares the crap out of me so im taking it to the qualified mechanics to do the deep engine work if needed... so im hoping for a simple fix but ready if its not

thoughts? insights? i want to start being able to enjoy this car without wondering if/when the engines going to grenade lol other then this one issue, the rest of the car is clean and tight as a drum and its an absolute joy to drive! im officially hooked and being the top gear nerd i am, i finally understand what james may meant when he said "Everyone should own a mini at some point otherwise you’re incomplete as a human" its a fantastic car!

sorry for the rambling, just nervous

thanks again everyone!

 

First thing I would do is call a Mini dealer and see if you are eligible for the timing chain replacement 'campaign'..

 

The 0W-40 Euro Blend oil meets the specifications set by the MINI/BMW, ACEA and BMW LL-01 specifications. The thinner weight oil will increase flow rate/oil pressure. Most 5W-30 oils do not meet the same specifications including Mobile 1, and many other 5W-30 oils. However Mini's 5W-30 oil meet the specifications listed above as it's of Castro blend oil. There have been several member's report that after they started hearing the timing chain noise that a 0W-40 oil quieted down the noise for a short amount of time, once the timing chain is stretched it's too late so if you have a broken guiding its most likely too late for the timing chain.

It's more important to keep your oil levels top off because when you run you oil low you not only loose oil volume for the tensioner, you also can starve the vacuum pump. If your vacuum pump were to seize up it would cause as much damage and more then a timing chain coming off both cam sprockets, it's happened to other member's and destroyed there entire engines!

Beware, N14 engines burn through quite a bit of oil, some good some not so good so check your oil every time you gas up to determine how much oil your going through so you can plan on a routine schedule of adding oil. I burn through 1 quart of oil every 1500 miles, Mini USA considers going through 1-1.5 quart of oil every 1000 miles to be normal.

It's really not normal it just a lack of ingenuity, creating a system to return oil vapors to the oil pan is what they should have done in the first place which is exactly what they did when they came out with the N18 engine in mid-2011 because of all the carbon buildup on intake valves, pistons etc.

You should have your intake valves looked at by an independent Mini specialised shop!

 

I'd agree with AZ... Good luck to you!

 

I'd agree with Systemlord as well... (I owned a 2008 MINI Cooper S and drove it for 75,000 miles)