My 07 MCS is coming off warranty soon and I am getting worried... So I visited the dealer and got some info to share.

I have had 4 chain tensioners and it still rattles, not so often and not so loud but it does, I have a new fuel pump and the other day after 2 years with no sign of trouble It lost all power again. Not sure about my clutch either... And all this in 13,000 mls

On the rattle.. They say it is caused by the turbo being mounted high and it robs the chain tensioner of oil. Also that its very important to keep the engine full to the line with oil, any less and the rattle is more likely to occur.

On the carbon deposits. They say only one car has come in with bad carbon deposits on the valves, But they did confirm problems with the injectors and I was told that the injectors should be removed and cleaned every 15,000 mls.

On the fuel pump they confirmed that I have a 10 year warranty.

They had no Idea on my power loss.. The same happened 2 years ago, they removed the inlet manifold, looked, saw nothing and it went away.

They also assured me that any repairs have a 2 year warranty, and that they would not "leave me hanging" on such things as the rattle and power loss.. .. This dealer has been Ok so far, I'll keep my fingers crossed as I have a feeling I'll be back!!

Anyways I intend getting that car in and trying to convince them to do the full timing chain repair and get the power loss problem looked at, at least it registers my problems before I loose my warranty.

 

Anything they tell you about being ok after the warranty period get that in writing.

 

Are they just replacing the original tensioner for the 4th time.... ? part No. 4

They should be doing the whole shabang, including a new guides, side rail, timing chain and the new upddated longer tensioner bolt when not replacing these parts ! There's about a dozen parts they should be replacing for this fix esp. if it's chronic.



There is also this exp of a cold clatter sound as well:

MINIs are equipped with hydraulic lash adjusters (HLA) which automatically adjust valve lash, compensating thermal expansion & contraction and wear in the engine valvetrain. That tick-tick sound is not the HLA making noise, but the engine valve slamming against the valve seat as it closes. When engine oil is thick from cold or from using the wrong engine oil (i.e. SAE 20W-50), air can get into HLA, turning them into pneumatic lash adjusters. The air inside the HLA compresses instead of lifting the valve, and then the valve opens late. As a result, the valve also closes early, missing the cam's closing ramp which ordinarily decelerates it so it doesn't make noise or become damaged. The higher the engine RPM, the higher the closing velocity, and the more risk of damage to the valve.

There are a couple of cures for cold start noise. First, make sure you're using the proper engine oil: full synthetic SAE 5W-30. Second, park on a level surface. Parking on a slope will exaggerate the problem since it reduces the level of oil in the HLA reservoir. It can take several seconds of engine running for the oil pump to refill oil galleries, and until then, the HLA must depend on the oil within its reservoir to maintain function until pressurized oil arrives. Third, have your dry lash adjusted to 0.75±0.25mm. Due to engine manufacturing tolerance stackups, your MINI could have up to about 3mm of dry lash at each of its 16 valves. Dry lash is the clearance between the valve tip and the fully compressed HLA when the follower is on the cam base circle. (If you measure dry lash between the cam and the roller follower, be sure to correct for the rocker arm ratio.) The higher the dry lash, the higher the likelihood of air ingestion and the greater the volume of air that can be ingested and the more time idling to purge it. The TriTec engine's dry lash is adjusted by installing lash caps on the valve tips. The R56 PSA engine's dry lash is adjusted by installing a shim beneath the HLA. A side benefit of adjusting your dry lash is that the HLA will have higher hydraulic stiffness, and that will increase the valvetrain natural frequency, potentially enabling higher RPM operation.

 

I just took mine in and all they did was change the chain? I feel jipped.

 

wow, in 3 years, you only put 13k miles on the mini. anyways, with your problems and the low mileage, it looks like the mini is a lemon and i would just get rid of it before warranty runs out or get and extended warranty.

 

'Kay...I've had most of the problems described here on my 09 MCS with 18K miles on it. Just got a CEL yesterday with power loss and a noise (rhythmic low thump) from the hood. I am towing it to the dealer as soon as a snowstorm here clears.

So far, in the last 2 years I've had the car:

1. I've had the intake manifold replaced due to moisture freezing and giving a CEL and low power under 20 degrees F
2. I've had my warping chrome hood scoop replaced to one with a heat shield beneath
3. I've had my tensioner and timing belt replaced (timing belt had stretched to 69 mm and out of spec)

A (probably rhetorical) question: will my MINI ever be "reliable"? In other words, as they (dealer) fix these issues, are they installing newly designed parts so that these problems don't happen over and over again?

I'm frankly getting nervous, My MINI Comrades.

I bought this car because my other car is 23 years old and I got a job 40 min away and didn't want to drive my old baby into the ground. Now, even though I love my MINI to bits, I am wondering if I should sell it and get something less problematic and (very important!) with a dealership nearby. The only two dealerships in my state are 45 and about 50 min away, respectively.

 

Yup all they have done is the tensioner x3 (or is it 4?), part Costs about $30 I believe, and Yes, I am going to push hard for them to do the full monty this time..

13k.. yes its my wifes car really I don't drive it much All I seem to do is sit there listening for problems, TBH I hate the bloody thing now. She doesn't bother, It could be clattering away and have no boost and she would probably not notice!!

I prefer driving the classic, its more reliable -- and quieter!

 

Thank you so much for such an informative and thorough post. This repair was made last week to my 2009 Cooper ClubmanS, with 29K miles. Will this completely fix the problem or am I looking at repeated repairs?

Hubbie is considering the Countryman, which has the same engine, but has expressed concerns over this issue. What can I tell him?

TIA

 

uh, since Ive had so many engine problems relating to the valve train system on my 09 S, inc 3 tensioners, I would NOT recc. these cars to my worst enemy, if I had one. When my warranty is up in 22 months, the car is gone.

And FYI the engine in the 2011 S's are tweaked to incorporate full Valvetronic. The jury is out here. So my above non-recc. is for pre-2011s. The 07-10 turbo Prince engine is a ticking time-bomb.

PS I should add the naturally-aspirated MC Prince engine seems to be a lot more reliable than its turbo problem-child.

 

That is correct. If U have repair work done under warranty just before your 4/50K expires, that work would be warrantied for 2 years from the date of the work.

 

 

I don't mean to annoy anyone with this, but many posts refer to the rattle, the noise etc. Is this speciific to the "S" engines only or can "justa" engines also develop this issue? Seems to me, apart from the obvious prerformance
differences, the engines should have the same basic parts and therefore
share many of the same wear issues.

 

I just bought a new 2010 cabrio non turbo. So from what i have read here, the death rattle is specific to the S engines. Please tell me this is true!

 

Like you I seriously looked at dumping it soon, but when looking at how much that will cost I decided to stick with it.. Its only got 13,000 miles and regardless what happens It wont cost as much as I need to pump in to get another car, with the the low depreciation on Mini's it doesn't make sense..

I am going to sell the Classic Mini though, Time to move on to another project there..(LOL.. Maybe a 2007 Cooper-S)

PS my key stopped working yesterday, remote works but it wont turn the ignition on... 3 months of warranty left...

 

Turbo, I drive similar mileage to you, actually even less (6.5K in 2 years). I've had the ful SIM110207 servicing done, no repeat problems. The HPFP is warrantied for 10 years. I'm installing an OCC and going to do annual Seafoam treatment. If the clutch only lasts 30K (hopefully more), that's still 5 years off. For those of us who drive low mileage, in terms of repair per/mile the cost could be very high, if you consider it repair per/year of ownership, the cost is probably equivalent to any other vehicle.

Terry, your "classic" is fantastic! How many miles? Love the "You've been Mini'd" window decal

 

Aaargh..
08 Cooper S wouldn't turn over this morning. Cranked fine but wouldn't catch. First tow truck driver tried to boost it. Nada. Second one said he'd hook it up and tow it to the dealer. While I was waiting for him to finish he came and said he got it started after he had lifted the front end.
I drove it to the dealer who said it would have been better if they had not gotten it started as now it is running fine and they can't replicate the problem.
It sounds like the HPFP to me and I told them that. They are now telling me it was probably due to the battery in the key being low causing a no start. Sounds like a load of cr*p to me. My confidence in this car is shot and I will be returning it at lease's end for sure.

 

^ I just got my water pump replaced at 18K miles after CEL and low power. Now two days after running fine, CEL again! GRRR!

The light went off on its own after about 8 minutes. Dealer told me to try again and drive it and see if I get another CEL. If I do, it's gotta be towed (again!) to the dealer.

I am getting VERY nervous about this car's reliability. I got it in Nov 08 and it's an 09 MCS.

 

MINI knows there is a problem with the tensioner. This will stretch out the chain ever so slightly and throw everything off...then you get the car runnign rich and hello carbon issue.
This should be a recall item and MINI will do nothing until enough of us complain. How long did they deny the fuel pump issue?

 

Starting to think I bought a Ducati,,,,

I have 60K on my 08 S and am all to familiar with cold start noise. over last couple weeks I get a lower clatter sound at speed, hear it most coming off throttle on ramps. If I hammer it it goes away, sounds like I am down 4 qts of oil but I'm not. Did Seafoam about 4,000 miles ago, doing again tonite.

 

Well the Dealer took the car in kept it for 4 days I picked it up and they had done the full Monty on the Timing chain.. chain, sprockets and all.. Happy about that.

Last night I drove in the dark and the RHS headlight is pointing up in the sky (I guess this was removed for access to the timing chain area.) , My wife is complaining of a "noise" when taking off which I heard myself once, sounds like an old car horn, we had a similar sound early on when dropping down the gears. probably clutch judder, so Back it will go..

Tick Tock Times a ticking..

 

A whole lot of incorrect information in this post.....

 

Final update ... I hope..

The clutch finally gave up at 13,000mls. Its never been strong and it was finally slipping in 3rd pulling from 2000rpm. It started having a horn like sound when taking off, This had also been heard on downshifts when the car was new, Then they "deglazed" the clutch.. i.e burned it out.. I could smell it for days.. Luckily I had made them note that in the service records so when they started on the "you may have abused it" malarky I pointed that out.

Give them thair due they talked about making me authorise the costs but in the end they covered the lot (including a new flywheel) with no issues.

I must say that driving it now is much nicer, Its nice and tight. I think that clutch was always on the edge from the day I got it...