Maybe we need a sticky for the 3-2 Squeal?

I've got an early-build R56 (12/06) that I bought new in mid-June. It had 423 miles on it from test drives and I got a very nice deal.
Nice until the Squeal started. The loud screech when dowshifting from 3 to 2.
It's been discussed here and on other boards and isn't considered "an emergency" by the dealer.

My other issue is the extreme heat generated under the bonnet. The bonnet itself gets so hot that you can get a 1st degree burn by touching it after a brisk drive.
I've brought it to the dealer once already and they say that it's normal.
On the 4th of July I took the car for a good motoring. I stopped on a mountain-top at a rest area to have a look around; the fan kept running for a while after shutting downt the car. When the wife and I returned to the car it smelled like it had been on fire. It had the very strong acidic/nasty odor of burned plastic.
The dealer considers that important and I have an appointment for this afternoon.

Has anybody noticed anything melting or burning under the bonnet of an R56 S?

 

Hot bonnet is another issue my dealer said they never heard of before and then said it was normal.

 

I told them:
If that's the case, give me a temperature maximum (IN WRITING) that is acceptable. I will buy an infrared thermometer and take sample readings after spirited driving and keep a log. I'll even measure it in the shade.
If those temperatures exceed your functional parameters or those of the NHTSA, we'll have to have another talk.

A bonnet shouldn't get hot enough to cook bacon. I'm not talking unpleasantly warm; this thing gets HOT. Like a pizza oven.
Depending on Global Imports response, I'll decide whether or not to open a file with the NHTSA.

 

I like the way you think!

 

It does get mighty hot IMO. There's that black insulator under the bonnet. I figure if it gets too hot that thing will show burn marks or something.

 

sure would be cool if you had some kind of hood scoop.

 

Errrrr, ummmm, like one that functions?

The car has never done anything wrong when driven for less than 45 minutes. It's unlikely that the dealership will drive it that long...

 

They've found the transmission faulty but couldn't find what melted under the bonnet. A new trans has been ordered and will be installed Tues/Wed next week ---- I should have The Flying Squirrel in time for the Phil Wicks track days.

I turned in the Malibu and have a Fusion; almost as raunchy.

 

Good luck.. sorry I haven't responded earlier.. my car goes back in next week again for the same issue.

 

Do you have a thermal probe you could attach to the bonnet just to get a read of the temperature? I do have one, but I have an MC, not an MCS.

However, my MC does not have any insulation under the bonnet. But in Texas, the hoods/bonnets will get hot enough to cause first degree burns just from sitting in the summer Sun all day.

The only burning odor I ever noticed was the little bit of cosmoline still seeping from the bonnet onto various hot items under the bonnet. That cleared itself up pretty quickly.

 

Arnbut , did your Mini squeel for them on a test drive or did they diagnose it some other way ?

 

They told me they heard the squeal; I think they took it for a long drive.
They seemed pretty eager to help yesterday; the manager came out and told me that they'd work with Mini to do whatever was necessary to get things right --- even if it meant finding me another car if the repairs failed.

As for the burnt plastic odor, not cosmolene --- that smells more oily.
I have 17 years of fleet management experience and have smelled many different sources of combustion under a variety of hoods.
It only happened one time so it's hard to find it. Could be a wire touched something and fried the insulation --- if so, something will stop working or short out eventually.
I'll get an infrared device to measure the bonnet's temperature extremes; ambient temps and/or direct sunlight don't impact the bonnet temp after a brisk drive and reading taken in the shade.
Experiments have been conducted with black vs. white motorcycle helmets in southern California; there was less than a 1 degree difference on the inside of the helmets once they got moving --- and the internal temperature matched the ambient, not the "in the sun" temp.

We'll see which Flying Squirrel I get back from the dealer.

OR

 

Well, we dunt(tm) have any shade around here so bonnet temps are always extreme. I'll take a reading on mine, if you like.

 

Interesting. I never thought it made any sense that the color of (say) the top made any difference in how hot the car got inside. Like sunshades. They can't make any differece in temperature. They sit in the same sun that the car does. Nice to hear evidence to back up my hunch.

 

Yes; do that.
Drive hard for about an hour and shoot the hood with infrared. If you can pull into the shade it's better --- just to put the sun theory to rest.
I'd like to have a data sample with other cars.

BTW, Mini is unable to tell me the nominal temperature range for the exterior of the bonnet ---- or for the engine! Isn't it odd that there's no temperature gauge on the R56? If I keep this car I'm fitting a proper temp sensor.

 

Arnbut Skuzzy doesnt have the turbo which is whats causing the heat.

 

I only have an MC. It will not get as hot as an MCS will. And the Mini does have a temperature readout available in the computer. A diagnostic computer can display the temperature from the sensor.

 

Maybe a stupid question, but why doesn't the Mini have a temp read-out versus an idiot light?

 

The Mini temp guages aren't continuous. There is a band of temps where it shows "normal". And when it goes up, it's really bad. This is on the 02-06. On the older Minis, there was a way to get the sensor data to display on the odometer, so you could get accurate temp readings from the engine. Don't know if you can do this on the R56.

Two guages that every performance car should have is water temp and oil pressure. Oil temp coming in a close third....

Matt

 

Does anybody know the official nominal water temp range on the S?

For most cars/bikes that I've owned it's been between 160 and 195 F.

Since my car's at the shop for a few more days, I can't mess about with it to see if it will show me a temperature. I've looked before casually and didn't see the feature.
I'd still be interested to know the bonnet temps on the normally-aspirated car too. It's relevant as a baseline.
I'll be bringing an infrared device to the Phil Wicks School next weekend. That should be interesting...

 

are around190 or so street, going to a bit over 200 on the track. Don't know about the turbo cars..... I guess you can use this for reference....

Matt

 

Something I plan on fixing as soon as Craven has the guage pods available for the R56's.

Arnbut there will be another '07 MCS at Phil Wicks next weekend, later build. You should be able to get some comparable temp readings from him too.

 

So there'll be 3 of us with R56's? Cool.

I have my infrared gun ready.
I shot the hood of the rental car; surface temperature of 80 degrees after running all day (same as outdoor ambient). Maybe I'll shoot my R53 this afternoon too for reference.

 

Duplicate post post from other thread:

Woo-hoo!
I got my car back yesterday with a "remanufactured driveline". Warranty invoice showed $2800 worth of work...

The initial feel is wonderful. I never noticed that the transmission was notchy previously --- it is buttery-smooth by comparison now. The banshee squeal is gone so far.

I'm tracking her tomorrow with Phil Wicks at the Talladega Gran Prix. We'll see how it performs and I'll be checking the bonnet temperatures of everything around me.
R56's at the dealer (including mine) had bonnet temperatures ranging from a low of 235 to a high of 240 degrees after a run. That's the exterior of the car, on the bonnet --- that any passing child might touch while you're in the store buying a block of cheddar...

 

They could never film a Whitesnake video with the R56S!