After having no luck in Colorado, I finally found a mini that I liked in San Francisco. I flew out on Friday to pick it up and began the 1200 mile journey home. I stopped in Elko, Nevada for gas and noticed it was much noisier than it was the last time I stopped. It is a 2006 JCW. I have driven it 560 miles and it now has 51013 miles on the of odometer. Car seems to be running OK, but I am very nervous about driving it when I don't know what is causing the noise.
I did go through a rough patch of dirt road on a side trip, and there is a chance I hit a rock. I would like to believe it could be the power steering fan, but it sounds like it's coming from the top side of the engine. I plugged the exhaust pipe with a shirt to check for exhaust leaks, and I don't think that is the problem. I have no tools with me, no service manual, and no experience with Minis. I am 850 miles from home and 200 miles from the closest Mini Dealer.

Any and all help would be appreciated! I'm will upload a video in another post so you can hear what it sounds like.

 

I apologize for the poor quality, but I am in the parking lot of a strip mall. Noise does seem to be congruent with the engine RPMs.

 

That yellow thing with the loop in it. Did you pull it out and check the oil level. They get noisy like that with not enough oil.

 

Yes, I started there. The non-Mini dealership did an oil change (approximately 600 miles ago) before I bought it. They said they used the spec-weight synthetic oil for the motor. The oil is clean, and so is the antifreeze. There are no idiot or check engine lights.

 

Does it quiet down when you put it in gear and drive off? With out any idiot lights, steady engine temp and the oil is OK, you should be OK...easy for me to say from here though.

 

As the RPMs increase, the " normal" sounds drown out the unsettling sounds. Engine temp gauge never went past the halfway mark.

 

If I was 10 miles from home, I would keep going, but I am 850 miles away. I have 320,000 miles on my diesel truck and have been driving it for 13 years. I know it well; I only have a few hours experience with Minis . . . my comfort level is very low.

 

Fly'n Brick
I recorded another clip in response to your comments. The sound is less pronounced because I was sitting in the vehicle this time (so I could rev the engine).

 

I realize that it's the weekend, but I would try contacting that MINI dealer and seeing if they can be of any help. Turning around and going back 200 miles might be a better choice than going another 850. You might also be able to do some searching and find an independent MINI service place that's even closer. I don't think that just pushing on is a good idea.

 

I agree about not driving it too far. A local LEO stopped to see if I was ok. He said there was a decent motel close by and told me he would try to check on the car once in a while. I ended up driving it about a quarter mile to the hotel. Hopefully others will see this thread and offer additional insigh,t or information about available resources. I normally carry an assortment of tools when on a roadtrip, but this time I did not because I flew out to pick it up. Maybe some sleep and daylight will bring the issue to light!

 

I was on unable to identify anything that looked out of place or leaking this morning, so I started the engine. When it was cold, the noise was minimal. But as the engine warmed up the noise Level increased. I drove through the parking lot at slow speed and noted the noise begins to diminish around 1500 RPMs and is nearly indistinguishable by 2000 RPMs.

 

Timing chain? Just a thought. Maybe a bad tensioner or guide.

 

I have thought about that as well, but I have no way to check it. Nothing is open until tomorrow, and there are no Mini mechanics (dealer or independent) within 200 miles. I talked to a couple who has a gen 2, and they travel to Salt Lake when they need work done.

 

Have you considered an independent BMW shop? They often have the ability to help out.

 

I have, Fly'n Brick posted a link in another thread for independent shops. The closest shop in any direction is more than 200 miles away. I am not convinced the car canl go to hundred miles causing serious damage to something. Nothing in Elko Nevada is open on Sunday. Unless I find somebody who can diagnose this for me today and deem it safe to drive, or find someone who has a truck and trailer (who I would gladly pay), I'm going to try to rent a U-Haul truck and car hauler tomorrow and take it to an independent shop in Salt Lake City. I may have to leave it there, and fly back to Colorado because I don't have much vacation left. I will need some time to pick it up when it is finally drivable.

 

I called every shop I could find within 250 miles, and they were all close on Sunday. None of them provided after our contact information.

 

I'm sure you saw the Mini Dealer in Salt Lake at "4767 State St, Murray, UT 84107" if you can't haul it there, just take it easy as long as no lights come on you should be ok. Of course the better course of action is to haul the poor wee soul. Good Luck.

 

as stated above, I believe you have a bad chain tensioner. It's a relatively easy fix if you have the part. Do not drive the vehicle unless it's to put it on a trailer.

 

I did, but thanks for taking time to give me the address. Salt Lake is just too far away and to desolate to attempt driving it there.

 

I agree with you about the trailer. I have no idea how to get to the chain tensioner in the parking lot with limited tools. It may very well be a chain tensioner. If you've ever heard a car that needed a valve adjustment, or had bad lifters, it sounds a lot like that. The part that still has me stumped is why when it's cold it doesn't sound too bad, but it gets worse as it warms up. My experience has usually been just the opposite.

 

This YouTube video should help:

 

NC Trackrat,

I found that last night as well and I am pretty sure that it is what it is! I hope it is just the tensioner itself, and nothing else was damaged. I've been trying to find the part in town where I'm at, but it is too small and no one has one in stock. I may still have to rent a truck and car dolly to take it to Salt Lake City and fix it there unless I can find that is closer. I would hate to rent a car to drive 200 miles each way to pick up a part and find out that does not fix the problem. I'm still 200 miles from the part or a mechanic. At least I am pretty sure what the problem is now. Thanks for taking the time to respond and to post a video link.

 

The Part is here: make sure you get the new seal and screw plug so it will not leak when the new one is installed. 11317510801 All I can think is get one here and overnight it or have a local dealership send one out. We have 3 that ship in 1 day.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...tensioner.html

 

Thanks for the info. I called, you guys are currently out of stock (all brands). Best case is you could get a non-On my way! shipped to your location tomorrow and then you would have to ship it to me (in the middle of nowhere).

 

Welcome. Yea, we usually have them in stock. But just right now they are not. Get it on order if you want. Otherwise you will have to get it towed to salt lake or have it fixed local. We ship to MINIs in the middle of nowhere all the time. Guam... once shipped MINI parts to Addu city, Maldives ( must be the only MINI there )