I've had this noise for over a year now. It started happening last winter, then went away while the temperatures were over 40 degrees or so, and now has come back. The noise is louder and more present the colder it gets. And when the car warms up, the noise diminishes and goes away.


I thought it used to happen only when the car was moving, so I was assuming something in the suspension was scraping or grinding, or possibly it was a heat shield noise. But recently on mornings when the temperature is in the single digits, the noise happens when the engine starts. I popped the bonnet when it was happening, and the noise is coming from the area near the radiator fan. The fan was not moving - is it supposed to be?


I can only describe it as a scraping or rattling noise. It sounds like a fan blade that is scraping the shroud, or maybe it sounds like a bearing that's lost all its lubricant.


The car is a 2003 MINI R50 5-speed with 95,000 miles.


Any ideas what it might be?

 

Could it possibly be the belt tensioner at the front of the engine .... I know those buggers can make some weird noises. These stethiscopes w the rod mounted to them are pretty good to isolate noises, think they're a little less than 20 bucks at the auto parts store ...

 

Not sure what it is but it's definitely not the belt tensioner. I brought the car to a garage last winter for brake work, and asked them to diagnose the scraping noise while they were at it. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate as it warmed up, and they didn't hear the noise. They replaced the belt tensioner, however, because they said it was flopping all over the place, so it may well have needed replacement - but when it got cold again, the noise was still there.

 

ever look at the PS fan?