Since the 10K service I've noticed a sound like a loud click coming from the vicinity of the left front wheel when I hit the gas or let off the gas. It is particularly noticeable in parking structures (where all noises are magnified). At first, I suspected loose wheel lugs but all was well when I put the wrench to them.

Anybody else notice this sound?

 

I have that AND a soft swishing sound when maintaining a steady slow speed like in a parking lot. Seems to be about once per wheel revolution. I haven't taken the wheel off and looked for the source, but I'm suspecting a bad wheel bearing.

Rawhyde

PS I have the groan too...

 

Hey Johnna,

Not a big deal at all. Just got this handled yesterday...service guy knew exactly what it was when her heard it. It's the axle nut that needs to be retorqued...something I wouldn't do myself but very quick for them to do (one would need a torque wrench and bend part of the nut somehow). He says it's fairly common with MINIs...he's done "100s" of these. The fact that it happened at your 10K may just be purely coincidental. I'm almost a 100% sure this is your problem. Does it sound like two billiard ***** hitting each other? If so, then that's what it is.

 

Thanks! That's the kind of info that makes NAM so great. I'll have it looked at ASAP!

PS I want your car. Hey, wait a minute. Except for stripes, red dash and debadge, I have your car!

 

BMW Z3 coupes had this same issue. The cure was to install a one way valve in the fluid line. There was a Technical Service Bulletin covering the problem. One would think the MINI and BMW would chat once in a while to see if there are any common problems.

 

Thanks!

I'm over 100 miles from my dealer. I'll look this up on my TIS CD and find the torque spec and tighten mine up!!!!



Rawhyde

PS **EDIT** I looked it up on the TIS CD. BMW calls for 182 N-m, then peen the collar of the nut to the flat on the driveshaft. For inquiring minds, 182 N-m is 134 ft-lb. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I didn't even have to dig out my trusty HP48SX calculator to do the conversion.

 

Good Friday morning I took Dingo in for the tensioner pulley, idler pulley and belt replacement to cure the noise I mentioned earlier. They wouldn't give me a car so I could get some breakfast, saying the fix would only take an hour and a half.

3 hours later its done and I head out on the 80 mile drive home. Traffic is very heavy (noon in Milwaukee) so I decide to get out of town and get some food after things clear out a bit. Because of the traffic I didn't have a good chance to punch it until I left the interstate half way home. So I'm entering a nice fast sweeper 2 laner, I punch it and all of a sudden I've got a screaming banshee under the hood and a noticable loss of power. WTF! The damn serpentine belt is slipping! Normal driving its OK but goose it a bit and the screaming starts.

I still haven't had any food and I'm getting real peckish, but I need to get back to the dealer in case they close early on Good Friday. So I drive the 40 miles back, whip into the bay and calmly explain that the damn belt they put on is slipping. They don't believe it of course until the mech hops in and revs the engine. Man, with the hood open the sound was horrendous. Both the mech and his boss have a sick look on their face (it really was a horrendous noise) and I'm thinking Holy S**t what did they do?

Well, off they go to fix it, I (being peckish) tell the service dude I want a car to drive - NOW! No problem, they get me a Mercedes so I can drive to Perkins and finally get some breakfast.

When I get back Dingo is ready to go. Whew! Turns out the JCW belt as delivered to them was longer than the one they took off. They had another (correct sized one) in stock and everything seems to be fine now. Knock on wood.

 

Thanks for the specs Rawhyde I went to a local lube and brake shop and they torqued up the left one. The right one was OK. Now all is well with no more billiard ball clacking..

 

Glad to help! I'm even more glad that it fixed it! I was tied in other activities this weekend, so I haven't fixed mine yet. I have about another 500 miles until I change my oil again (I do it myself every 2500 and let the dealers do the free ones), so I plan to fix mine later this week. I put on 80-100 miles per day, so it won't be long.


Rawhyde