My car sits at the dealer with the very same problem. Timing chain tensioner came loose causing and small oil leak. The worst part is the engine recently had all the timing chain parts replaced due to the cold engine rattle and all the work was done at the dealership. If this came loose and backed itself out then the Dealership didn't tighten it correctly, not the factory. Maybe they should consider putting some Loctite on them!!!!!

 

I believe there is a "Design Flaw" in their current engine which has not entirely been addressed by the "redesigned" tensioner. Right now I do not believe that they know what to do to correct it. They are attempting to work through various fixes.

Dr. D

 

Curious, Does anyone know how to set up a survey on this site to determine how many have had the problem and if yes what model year Mini they own ??? I'd love to know if problem has showed up in a 2011. And I mean the cam chain tensioner problem only

 

Sounds like we may need to break out the safety wire pliers. This is scary sounding.

 

This just happened to my girlfriends 09 MCS which is about 10k miles out of warranty. She was on the highway in rush hour traffic and I'm concerned she drove it too far after losing oil pressure and may need a new engine.

 

I GUESS WE COULD SET UP A SEPARATE PROBLEM LISTING AND ADVERTISE ON THE SITE FOR EVERYONE WITH TIMING CHAIN/ TENSIONER PROBLEMS TO LOG THERE VEHICLE SPECS AND YEAR

 

FYI, car was towed to dealer last night, they are going to submit a claim, fingers crossed this can be dealt with amicably. We are told the engine is toast and we will be looking at a $6-7k bill otherwise.

 

Add me to the list. Oil everywhere down the right side of the car. Dealer said Timing Chain Tensioner seal. How do I know if it did engine damage?

 

So no one sees small amounts of oil dripping prior to the massive oil leaks? It happens that fast huh? Scary...

 

There were three drops of oil under my car. I don't often see thr garage floor under my car. I cleaned it up thinking it was from the last time my son's car was in there. So not much of a warning. No odd sounds.

 

it is that fast. I had no warning and suddenly the oil pressure light came on. It had just had an oil change at the dealer one month previously. The tensioner and chain were replaced by the dealer and then in approximately 3 months i had catastrophic failure (timing chain tore and ripped out- cylinders locked and engine damaged requiring replacement --under warranty). I think this is a design flaw and not related to parts or tightening. As far as damage to engine, they have to inspect it and you almost have to take their word about it (you can tell easily if it is damaged by the way it functions --electronic monitoring and sounds)

 

Well, as I am typing my Clubman S is over at the dealer.

Last night on my way home from work I noticed a momentary flash of the oil light as I stopped for a traffic light. I immediately pulled over into a parking lot and shut it down. Checked the dipstick... No Oil!

I looked all around the engine area but I didn't see any obvious signs of oil leaking until I looked at the back of the motor between the head and the firewall on the passenger side of the car. Oil was everywhere. I took a step back and looked at the side and back of the car... everything from the middle of the passenger door back was covered with oil.

Called Mini Roadside and they sent a flatbed. I thought about this situation for a bit. What if someone at the dealer decides to drive the car before they check out why its there. I had a couple qts. of oil in the back of the car so I added one just in case.

The tow truck guys didn't want to start the engine to move it so they pushed the car the few feet so they could get a cable hooked onto it. As they looked at their hands they were covered with oil and there was a big puddle on the ground where the car had been sitting.

So, that's how my day is going.

 

Check my oil on a Wednesday it was nearly full. Next day had tires installed, they mentioned I had a oil leak. I drove thirty miles from the time I checked the oil, and had lost nearly a quart. Towed to dealer problem with the timing chain tensioner seal. It was spraying oil under pressure. Scary how quick it happens. File complaint with NHTSA, oil spraying on hot exhaust.

 

Manually check the tensioner when refuelling. Use a towel and swab up back there.

 

Doubt whether that would be helpful in predicting a tensioner event. I had a catastrophic engine failure and replacement in my 2009 mini clubman s under warranty. The failure occurred 2 months after the initial tensioner related oil leak was repaired by the supposedly updated/corrected timing chain. This is clearly a design problem which may take a lawsuit to correct. My wife wants me to trade it in but I cannot bring my self to do it yet, but any additional problem may trigger me to trade it in. Must have trust in your vehicle

 

I completely understand what it is...

What i am saying is to manually check for leaks or loosness when you fill up to avoid a catastrophic failure. Better catch it early than when you spill your guts over the road.

Not disputing the fact that there is manuf. error**** but prevention will help folks not end up in a messy situation(no pun intended).

You can relate it to changing your oil every 3k vs waiting for 15k per dealer instruction.


The tensioner doesnt shoot out, it has to back out due to vibrations/resonance, if you were to catch it backed out you would know whats coming kinda like a loose wheel, you can catch it before it falls off.



PS: the tensioner is the only big hex bolt on the back left corner of the motor(if your facing the engine) easy to get to and inspect i do it myself every fill up when i also monitor my oil level/tire psi's.

 

Got my car back today. They replaced the Chain Tensioner and Crush Washer under warranty. So I lost a day, it could'a been worse.

 

Is the new crush washer copper?

 

Sorry but I don't know what the crush washer is made of. The invoice says replace timing chain tensioner but nothing about the crush washer. The tech told me the replacement tensioner has a new crush washer that is different from the original but we didn't talk about what material it was made of. Seems this happens enough that there is a service bulletin or two on this issue.

 

Argh!...Today I found my '10 has been blessed with the tensioner oil leak, and I'm pissed. Noticed a couple days ago, an oil drip in my driveway (I park in a garage). Figuring it might have been someone visiting (my oldest daughter), I discounted the spot. Went for an errand today, got back home and parked in the garage. I notice a second drip spot in my driveway, so I'm thinking WTF.

Look under my car in the garage, and there's an oil drip on the floor...now I'm really pissed. Put in on the ramps, crawl underneath, and bingo...wet with oil on the right side of the engine. Using an inspection mirror and LED flashlight, I trace it all the way up to the tensioner bolt head that's wet and wet underneath.

Called MINI of Loveland to get her fixed, but can't get in til Nov 7th. SA tells me it's been pretty common, that and valve cover gaskets. Said to keep an eye on oil level, and if it gets worse to call right away.

I was hoping I wasn't gonna be a victim of this, but it happened. Mine is an 09/09 build '10, special ordered and built first assembly week for '10s. Bolt isn't backed out, it's flush to the head. But she's wet none the less, and time to get her fixed up I guess.

Damn I hate oil leaks...on any car!

 

How many miles on the odometer? Have you put a wrench on that tensioner? Some were not torqued properly at the factory, causing leaks and backing out. It's good that you caught this early.

It takes a a 27mm wrench and should be torqued to 65 newton meters.

Dave

 

That is scary they want you to drive around with it leaking/loose , considering the possibly damage that can be caused by oil leaking and chain tensioner coming loose.

It would be as dangerous as driving around with a loose drain plug, I would tighten it up as Dave suggested.

The new crush washer is also aluminum but with shapes cut into outside edge of the washer when prior one was round. The change might just be to make it identifiable from the factory fitted washer??? Thickness and material look the same to me.

 

10Zero,

I just went through the Timing Chain Tensioner oil dump thing and I'll tell you it's a potentially devastating problem. In my situation the thing backed out and dumped all my oil on my way home from work. I was pretty lucky that I noticed the oil light flash as I braked hard at a traffic light. I immediately pulled into a parking light and shut it down. My car never ran out of oil but many others have and trashed their motors completely. The major problem here is that it isn't a regular leak. The oil is actually being pumped out of the engine under considerable pressure. It can all be over in minutes.

I wouldn't wait, you need to have this addressed NOW! Tell your Service Rep that you think it's leaking from the Timing Chain Tensioner and not the valve cover gasket. I bet they will get you in tomorrow!

I wouldn't mess with this problem! Good Luck

 

Not loose, it's seated to the block, I'm looking at it all the time now. Just seems to be oozing from around the washer, if that is a crush washer.

 

15,000 and some change. No wrench to it, figured MINI can fix this thing. Appears I need to move a few things out of the way in order to properly get a wrench on it. MINI can fix it, not my job at this point. It's not backed out in any manner, just oozing around the washer.