Hi everyone,
I am new to the group and now own a new to me used 05' MCS which is pretty much stock apart from a new K&N airfilter. The odometer shows about 148k kms and it has the 6 spd manual trans. I have been looking at the Mini's for sometime now and finally got the oportunity to buy one. I thought it was a great deal, picked it up for a great price knowing it needed a little TLC. I am hoping to put some performance upgrades in place later this year but for now am just going to get it back into shape. I have put the new air filter in as the previous owner, by the looks of it, had no idea it used one. I have put in a new set of stock spark plugs and have addressed the common oil leak from the sensor oring. Will be replacing the leaking thermostat and gasket this week and by the looks of the waterpump as well as it is dripping too. Other than that I am excited to finally own one of these amazing rides and can't wait to have some fun with it.
Recently I have started to feel a vibration through the steering wheel and now more noticable through the floor boards as well. Started out very slight at 100-110 kph which was only felt on a smooth strech of highway between home and work. Now it has become pretty much constant on all types of pavement and is coming in at 80 right on up to 120 at which point it is much more noticable.
Thought it may be a wheel balance issue at first but you don't drive through it and it seems to follow more around engine rmp and starting last week I now have an oil leak of some type right where the bell housing for the trans bolts to the engine. It was only a drip or two at first but after a 300km trip yesterday it is now much worse now and I am a little concerned about driving it much further but pretty much have to as it is my only source of transportation. If I had to explain it, it feels like a ujount gone on a rear wheel drive, that type of a faster vibration, not sure if it is internal to the trans, engine or axle shafts.
Sorry for the winded story but just trying to explain the best I can and after looking at a number of posts I am hoping someone out there may have some thoughts, seems to be a pretty great bunch in this forum with a bit of knowledge. Any feedback appreciated.

 

Welcome aboard! You bought a good model. The 05 and 06’ are the ones to get. It might be a good idea for you to take the car to a good knowledgeable Mini mechanic to give you a good "physical" on your new ride and check out it’s overall condition. Now for your question- It could be a number of things as you described. You are all over the place as to where the noise is coming from. With 145k miles, it could be anything. First try and locate the corner of the car where the noise is. The simplest solution would be tires. It could very well be a wear pattern making a noise at speed. It could also be a bad wheel bearing, axial shaft/cv joint, or worn control arm bushings. Look at the tire tread for any uneven tire wear. Play around with the tire pressure and move the tires around, do a cross rotation and adjust the pressure. That may identify a bad tire issue. If no changes, you can zero in on other places.

 

Thanks a bunch, hoping to find a lot of great info and to meet a bunch of other great mini owners such as yourself. I absolutley love this car, a blast to drive and there are so many possabilities when it comes to customizing.
I unfortunatley live out in the Crowsnest Pass in Alberta, closest Mini dealer is Calgary which is about 2 hrs away. I am going to talk to one of the local mechanics today and see if he may be able and willing to take a look. I will also play around with it a bit see if I can't do a bit better on the diag.