Hey All,

Last night cranked the Mini and got a loud engine knock at idle. It is a base model 2007. Pulled the spark plugs and 3 of 4 have oil around them. Figure I need to do a valve cover gasket near term. In the meantime I replaced the spark plugs and the knock still exists. Vehicle has ok power as I drove it a mile or two. Attaching a video of the knock as it is not the typical normal ticking that the engine usually makes. Any ideas where to start?




Aaron

 

sounds like a timing chain tensioner. also did you check the oil level?

 

 

That quite a bit of oil...did you check the timing chain?

your PCV (integrated into the valve cover) could be bad too.

how many miles and where're you located?

 

We are in Black Mountain NC - so it sees a lot of hills and curves. 141k miles on it. Other than water pump at around 60k miles, I've never had any major issues with the engine. I have not checked the timing chain or PCV. Guess I'll look up DIY on those and see how involved it is. The vehicle is at my workplace so I either need to drive it home (about 25 miles) or have it towed home to really begin taking it apart.

 

it's not a terrible task. check this site and bookmark it

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r56-cooper-hat/

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...th-lid/FuW0XvK

I take it as your mini is not turbo, right?

 

Looks like some good info on that site. Thank you!

Yes it is a naturally aspirated (non turbo) model. Figured I would get in too much trouble with the S model. :-)

 

most of my minis are turbo and only had 1 justa (nonS). the power and response makes you forget the issues they have lol

im driving an 08 S, this thing is a bullet. they key issue with these cars is oil. otherwise the leaks and squeaks are "normal" and easy to fix (for me at least since i do the work myself )

 

Finally got a chance to remove the valve cover. See pics. I don’t see anything that stands out. Is there a way to check PCV valve and timing chain to see if it is one or the other or both? The timing chain appears tight but I’m not sure exactly what to look for.

 

I'm pretty sure your upper chain guide should look like the one in this picture (credit ECS Tuning). Take a close look at yours, I think you're missing some pieces of plastic. My top guide broke on my '09 turbo (making the same noise) and I removed the oil pan to make sure there wasn't anything broken off of the other chain guides. I removed a piece of the top guide that was jammed in the oil pump pickup, then I installed only a new top guide and a new updated tensioner, and everything has been fine since...however, the best fix would be a whole new chain, guides, tensioner, sprocket, cam sprocket bolts, etc.

 

Your picture shows the updated version. The OP's pictures indicate the engine has the OE top guide and very likely OE main guides and chain.

 

Yes, looks like the older version. Could switch to the newer version and i dont see any of it broken. Can you peek in on the side guides and look for anything missing or broken. Sometimes you have to drop the bottom pain to see this.

 

Owned the vehicle since new so I'm fairly certain it is all original. I've peeked down in and can't get a good look at the side guides. Will try to drop the oil pan this evening to see what I can see. At the very least I'll probably order a new valve cover and top guide. Thanks for all the tips. I'll post again once I've dropped the pan.

 

Played the video, that racket really sounds like rod knock. Inspect the big end of the rods when you have the oil pan off. I suggest you don't drive it until you determined the cause. Also suggest you pull the pan before ordering parts that you may not need. Not sure that a Base is worth putting a new engine in, if it is a bad rod end.

 

Before you take it all apart, take a listen to the video in the thread below. A bad vacuum pump sounds similar to yours.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...mp-delete.html

 

It's true that worn vacuum pumps are noisy, however, the OP's audio is pretty intense for a vac pump.

It would be a quick and dirty test to pull the cover off the pump, remove the vane and run the engine for a few seconds (literally!).

 

Pulled the oil pan and did not find any bits or pieces at all in the pan or along the bottom screen of the oil pickup. The timing side guides look intact and the top guide as well.

I’m thinking of ordering a new valve cover, put it all back together and see. Thoughts?

 

I agree with thefarside. Sounds like a rod knock. Have a mini mechanic listen to it before you throw money at it. I also recommend towing it.

 

 

I wouldn't order a new cover yet, just in case you find out your engine is bad. My bet is on the vacuum pump. I use a long screwdriver as a stethescope to listen and pinpoint noises. If you put your ear up to the handle and the other end up to a component, you can usually find a noise. Just be careful, sometimes a noise can be very loud when you find it.

 

Status update:

So I eventually had to punt and send it to a real mechanic. They diagnosed it as a bad tensioner pulley, replaced said pulley and new serpentine belt and voila no knock! They road tested and it misfired on coil 2 so they replaced that coil. I’ve been driving it for a couple days now and the knock hasn’t returned. However it is down on power under decent to heavy throttle. Very heavy throttle causes a check engine light and code p0015. Research on this site points to camshaft sensors or Vanos solenoids. But hey I have my Mini back!

 

Glad I was wrong.