I've had my mini for 10 years now, was expecting big problems eventually. Anyway, when the car is ticking over I hear this noise. No warning lights and car seems to drive ok.. Mechanic says I need to replace / repair the entire engine :(

Any ideas?

 

check the serpentine belt and the water pump pulley for missing chunks. start looking for another mechanic too.

 

Oh! So you think it might not be an engine failure then. I had someone on youtube suggest it was the rods? I think that's serious.
That's promising! I might get BMW to look at it and tell me exactly what it is as I have no idea.

Like I said, drives fine ( a bit jumpy in high gears)

 

This

And this especially!

 

At least this the cheapest task.

I had a friend who went to two places with the same issue as yours and was told he needed an engine. to his surprise when he brought it to me, it was a $10 fix.

Generally speaking, an engine knock gets louder and faster when you rev the engine. in your case, it just gets faster! it is easy to diagnose by yourself if you have the space. lift the car, remove the wheel and spin the engine while looking at the belt and water pump pulley.

finally, if you want to know if it is an engine knock, the sound should almost disappear when you disconnect the coil pack of the effected cylinder!

 

Wish I was in Philadelphia as I would bring it to you!

in the UK though, shipping would be an issue

thanks for advice, I was starting the feel it was the end. Most recondition engine outlets seem to be scam artists.

 

Oh boy...it would still be cheap to fly me there than an engine replacement lol

 

haha true!

 

The strange thing is it all started since I had left the car on the drive for a month due to the covid19.

 

I started it up earlier with the noise and put my ear near the engine bay. The noise seems to be coming from the driver side of the car (Right hand drive) Is that where the belt is located? The noise gets faster but less audible as I rev the engine.

 

If the belt is on the right side, then yes, that where the noise should be.

Also, for sanity check, make sure the engine has the right level oil.

 

When it started happening I checked the oil, it was low but not empty. I've had a small oil leak ever since I got the car and nobody could find the source. I always topped it up each month. It's on the right side if I am sitting in the drivers seat.

 

Common areas of leak would be the main seal and oil filter housing gasket.

 

Just watched your video. Sounds like the noise within the crank case ventilation, that repeated knocking noise is intake cam driving the HPFP. The fact that you can hear it is because there's an opening due to a loose connection or cracked piping. I've snapped a diagram for the most likely component to check on:


Hope this helps. Happy motoring.

--
Pete

 

@MiniToBe

I just got a call back from BMW and apparently a belt had chunks missing from it. Noise gone now.
However as in usual fashion, they found other problems (Timing chain tensioner) so I'm not going to get off that lightly it seems.

Thanks for your advice! You were right!

 

I am glad....it is typical for dealerships and some repair shops to maximize their income specially when this issue wasn't as juicy. The timing chain tensioner itself is not bad of a DIY. replacing the whole kit is a bit more involved BUT not that tough either. I charge $350 as a job, but I can imagine 600 to 800 bill. The kit itself depending on where you buy it from is less than 200...I buy the 60 ones lol and been serving me fine so far. you can find mini enthusiasts near you who can take on the task and charge you much less than the dealer or shops..