Change my oil according to Mini recommendations covered under first 40,000 miles. that is once a year or every 15,000. There was no oil useage until 4 oil change after about 5,000. Now it uses a quart every 1,000. That the dealer is telling me Mini recommends checking every 3rd gas fill up and add 1/2 to 1 quart is concerning. I.ve owned an Audi turbo and mitsubishi turbo with no oil useage. If oil useage is "normal" then why did it not use oil until around 50,000?.

My brake pads and rotors were replaced under initial service at 30,000. Kind of ridiculous in my experience of other vehicles, now only 22,000 miles later Mini says it needs rotors and pads on the front again. I have not gotten down to the tabs yet so there is a bit of pad left. I have never replaced rotors on any other vehicle ever in 40 years.

That the timing chain isn't an issue with my engine is a relief, but if this engine is so good why are all Mini's now being supplied with BMW engines. They are all getting the 2.0 L in 2015. Tells me they know the 1.6 has major issues not disclosed.

 

While a bit off topic here, the control arm bushings get replaced with some regularity. Give Way a call (www.waymotorworks.com), He's well known around here. The job is kinda fiddly, you have to take a lot of stuff off to do it, but it is certainly doable in your garage. You'll find a lot of trhreads including a couple of DIY threads describing the process. The leaking rear shock is so easy its boring, but there is a work of caution, be very careful with the bottom shock bolt that threads into the suspension control arm. the aluminum arm is very soft, and with the high torque ratings on the bolt, its REALLY easy to strip the threading on the arm.

 

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That the timing chain is no longer an issue on the N18 1.6 is still an unknown and time will only tell.
Is it improved over the older N14? Maybe they changed the tensioner but doubtfull anything beyond that on the timing chain assembly.
Some have made claims that the timing chain problems have been remedied on the N18 but as far as I can tell this is more based on wishful thinking than actual established fact.
Has anyone a factual document showing the specifications of design differences between the N14 and the N18, in specific the timing chain design differences?
I know they've done something with the valve timing to help with some of the carbon build up issues but have seen nothing on the timing chain assembly.

 

Recently replaced the tensioner on my 53k 2010 fcjw, it had just started to intermittently make a brief rattle on cold start, and I purchased a unit off eBay stated to fit both N14 and N18 engine's, so there's some doubt in my mind that there has been much changed on the n18 engine to think that it will not suffer from cam chain issues.
On the subject of the tensioner itself, the replacement was the same length as my original (no history in paperwork or from dealer to say it has ever been changed before) tension of the spring felt the same, but the action was smoother, very noticeably so, and this i think is the root cause and has been stated by others before ....tensioner is machined with too tight tolerances, due to the extended oil change schedule, debris can accumulate inside the tensioner body over time due to not being cleaned out via regular and more frequently changed oil, these accumulations allow the tensioner to back off tension wise and allow the chain to slap around against the guide rails, and wear and stretch occurs, if this is not taken note of, and allowed to continue for too long, the chain stretches beyond the measurable limit the tensioner can work to, and the death rattle sets in, mine so far now is silent, and I think I caught it early enough not to have major issue's I hope, (time will be the final judge though) so if you have only just started to hear a brief rattle on cold start, change your tensioner and do more frequent oil changes.

 

Given all the reports of failed timing chain tensioners/chains by people following short oil change intervals, it is hard for me to believe debris in the oil is the cause, or even a contributing factor, to the problem.

 

Not able to quantify my feelings, and they are just that, but having felt the action of the new tensioner compared to the original removed one thatt had been in there for just over 50k, that's what it seemed to me.

 

Mini took the timing chain system from the justa cooper for the N18 engine since it was the only system to fall back onto that didn't have issues. Mini wasn't about the develop the N18 engine with such a problematic timing chain components that were in the N14. I can not confirm or show you the facts of what I'm telling you, it's based off a years worth of digging through this lovely forum.

I will have owned my MCS for a year on March 13th!

 

If the timing chain assemblies are interchangeable between the "justa" and the "S" engines then in all probability the timing chain assemblies design would be identical between the N12/14 and the N16/18 engines.
The most likely reason there have been significantly more timing chain failures in the "S" models vs the "justa" models probably has more to do with the fact that the "S" model tends to use significant (significant means you have to add oil between changes) amounts of oil between oil changes, creates much more heat and is driven more agresively than the "justa".

 

It gets HOT in there, have you ever opened your fill cap right after shutting off the engine and seen all that vapor flying out of there? Never have I seen so much oil vapor (and blow by) flying out the oil cap, it wants out! I meant to say that the timing chain is similar in design to the justa coopers. The N14 timing chain even resembles that of a BMW, the BMW one is just a thicker beefier chain. It's not interchangeable though.

 

Maybe they shoulda gone with a gear drive cam assembly, used to run them in some of my older "hot rods" and loved the "whine" they made getting a lot of attention as you drove by (didn't hurt that the engine was loping with a radical cam either).
Haven't really looked at the timing chain set up in the N12-N18 but would wonder if an after market would be there for someone to develop a gear drive to replace the chain drives? I think a lot of Mini owners would sleep a lot better knowing they had a fail safe gear drive in their cars and if you put in the "noisy" type that would be an attention getter.

 

But you know, aside from the tensioner issue, I believe the other relevant factor is that the guide system is all plastic or some such synthetic that doesn't hold up. I had about 90K on my S and suddenly I began to hear it making the tell-tale noise so I took it to my non-dealer mechanic to have it replaced. It had been replaced about 30K miles previously by the previous owner. I had him save the parts for me that he replaced and the tensioner was really OK, it was the guide system that was coming apart. One point where a pivot pin goes through had cracked off. Just a very small little piece we weren't going to chase, but the guides were about to implode on their own accord. The parts I'm referring to are the ones that are bright shiny white when you look at the kit in the parts pictures on all the part vendor sites. That stuff just won't take the heat for so many miles when it gets brittle and starts to come apart.

 

Totaly agree, using plastic in that type service is just asking for trouble.

 

I totally agree with you on the plastic guides getting brittle do to heat (valve cover/thermostat housing anybody!), plastic doesn't like to expand and contract like metals do. My brother in law has 87 Toyota pickup truck with 300k+ on it and he purchased metal guides for his timing chain. He has had two broken guides since he purchased new, third set had to be metal! Once his chain derailed when he was sitting at a stop light, he got lucky.

 

There are a number of plastic chain guides on other manufacturers that don't fail like this. VW and Chevy come to mind. I believe the latest parts are revised, and I'm curious if anyone has had them fail yet. Fingers crossed here...

 

My sportbike have used plastic cam chain guides in every one I have owned.
These bikes routinely see in excess of 14K rpm's and have never failed. These engines are engineered to take these stresses, as the Mini engine. I dont know weather the part, or the engineering, or both is the problem.

 

If either the part(s) or engineering is the problem then I don't think they were engineered to take the stresses the turbo motor is throwing at it.

 

Plastic guides are fine being used in many other applications, the fact that the tensioner is the route cause of the timing chain issue's, and when it fails to tension the chains correctly, the slack chain whipping about breaks the guides.
A camchain correctly tensioned and lubed fully will run for many thousands of miles happily, the two points mentioned fall down on the N14 engine, tension and lubrication.

 

All I can say is that when I had my chain done and inspected the parts a month ago, the plastic was beginning to disintegrate, particularly around the pivot pin mounting holes. One side is so very thin and a wee piece of it was missing.

 

I know what you're saying, but if the guides were under engineered and they were too thin for the normal stresses placed on them, every N14 engine would be failing which is not the case, there are thousand's out there running quite happily on the same plastic guides, it's when abnormal loads are placed on them that fatique sets in and they can break, plastic is after all quite a brittle substance and it does not react well to shock loads being placed on it, slack timing chain's being one.

 

In sept 2012, Mini dealership told me that I need my timing chain replaced (on my 2007 MCS) and I had to pay for it. I was out of warranty period.
I eventually had it replaced at an independent dealer at a lower price.
If a recall/campaign is in effect, then what happens to those people who paid out of pocket? Has anyone gotten any reimbursement for the timing chain replacement?

 

You would get reimbursed what you paid to have it fixed just like I did, Mini didn't have a choice with numerous lawsuits in multiple states! That would be bad press loosing all of those lawsuits. The UK is a different story, perhaps not enough lawsuits to dent Mini's reputation.

 

You'll need to take it up with MINI USA, they may or may not reimburse since it was done by an independent. I'm sure there are many running engines that have this issue, it's scary. Mine was running with debris in the pan. No doubt in my mind the original parts will fail on every one, it's a catastrophe just waiting to happen.

 

The problem is even if you're lucky enough to get it replaced on Mini Coopers dime, no one really knows whether what they are replacing it with is that much better than what failed.
I think there have been cases reported here where some have experienced more than one timing chain issue re-surface on the same car.

 

Most Assuredly, the replacement parts are the same for the past several years, including the tensioner. The latest campaign is to assure everyone has the latest tensioner. My chain has been done twice in 90K miles.