I tried to search and searching is a pain when your frustrated .

Saturday I went on a great MINI run with a incredible groups of folks. Only problem is the weather, tons of rain. We splashed water everywhere and then on the way home my car developed a noise. It seems to happen anytime the car is warm and the A/C compressor is on or when the radiator ran runs.

Could it just be that the belt is very wet still and needs to dry out? I haven't driven the car much since saturday so not much time to dry out.

Other then this noise the car runs and hauls but normally. Any clue? Randy of WMS is in town on Sat-Sun and if I don't run to the dealer between now and then I'll ask him to look at it. But till then can anyone put my mind at ease

 

what kind of noise?

may be a belt or tensioner?

what year and make?

 

Fan is louder then usual suddenly.

I don't know what it is..

Car is (as in my sig) a 05 MCSa with 6k miles.

 

The air conditioning compressor is belt driven and at the right side of the car,it runs on the same belt as the supercharger and alternator The A/C has an electric clutch that engages when needed. If it goes bad, it can be noisy when engaged, or not engaged depending on the type of failure.

The cooling fan is electric and is at the front behind the radiator. In most cars this is thermostatically controlled, but also forced on by the air conditioning. I am fairly certain the MINI does it the same way.

Then there is the power steering fan which is under the car. It responds power steering fluid temperature.

Last, there is the "cabin fan" which blows air into the car for heat or air conditioning. It is some where behind the glove box.

So when does the noise occur, and from where?

J. D.

 

Mine's making the same horrible noise. It appears to be when the fan goes from low to medium speed. I watched the A/C clutch engage and disengage and it doesn't look like that.

 

It sure sounds like its coming from the main belt (side where the supercharger is). The fan comes on @ a stop and when the A/C is on. Even when going down the highway.

Randy Webb will be in town this weekend and I think I'll ask him to diagnose it then work on a appt with the stealer. I'm just so busy to drop off my car.

 

Mine has been making a random, high pitched noise that I can't figure out what it is. I brought it in for the harness recall and they updated the software last Saturday, then Sunday I went on a run. Now this week I've started hearing the noise. I'm not sure if it is the same thing you guys are talking about though.

 

Sound like grinding or vibration? Mine sounded like a Gravel Truck... It would only come on when the AC came on... I jacked the car up and found the noise coming from the Power Steering Fan! Took 20 minutes at the dealer to be replaced.... If I started the car w/o the AC no noise, if I started w/AC the noise would start just as the AC was kicking in... The noise originally was just a loud fan, then vibration then grinding and humming... now it is fixed

 

Yep, exact same thing happened with my 05 MCS right at 10,000 miles and was the same nasty grinding noise, and it was also the power steering cooling fan. The Mini tech that changed mine said he'd seen more than what he thought was a normal amount of them in the last couple months coming through bad. Replaced under warranty when i had my regular service done, all happy now.

 

At first I thought it was two metal parts in the engine rubbing, so I checked the oil and all was fine. It is sort of a metal on metal rubbing, whiny noise that seems to be most noticeable between 2000 and 3000RPM and when getting on and off the throttle quickly. It's not too loud...just a soft, high pitched squeak. I don't think it is the actual engine, but maybe the transmission or a driveshaft or some other engine accessory component.(It sounds sort of like noisy brakes but the brakes aren't on.) It has been doing it without the A/C on since I haven't used it all week. I guess it could be that power steering fan...I'll have to have them check that at the 10,000 service if it doesn't get any worse before then.

 

my rig just started making a quiet, subtle noise...sounds a little like those toy cows that moo when you turn them upside down. I only hear it when the revs raise and go down, like it might be coming from the tach.


as far as the fan noises, you probably need a new fan unit, a few hundred$.

 

Thanks for posting that info. Even though it sounded like the noise was coming from the radiator fan area, I put my car up on ramps and listened/watched to see what made the horrible sound. It was the power steering fan! After shutting off the engine, I removed the two 13mm nuts holding the PS fan in place and disconnected the wiring. The sound is gone! I'll just leave it off til I book an appointment with the dealer for some other warranty items.

The best way I could describe the sound of mine would be Darth Vader screaming as if he were played by Howard Dean rather than James Earl Jones. YAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! A very, very, unpleasant sound.

 

Had the Webb listen to my car today. It does sound like my power steering fan. Figures

 

Sadly, it looks like even the 'redesigned' fan (the only change was adding a grille) is still affected by dirt and water collection around the motor by the fan blade, leading to eventual failure. The only way to stop this from happening is to open up the part of the blade hub that forms an upturned 'cup' around the motor so nothing can collect and sit there. Even some strategically placed drain holes can help..