Sorry to hear about your woes pdx. Having resurrected my 2002 from the ashes, you can well image what my answer is. Like Shawnnn, I can hardly imagine yours is toast. Your mechanics sound like the stealership I initially brought mine to. Do you have any way to trailer the "wee car" down to MA (I'll pm you my shop's info if so)? Otherwise, like Shawnnn recommended, maybe post that you are looking for a good indy shop in Portland.

By the way, what engine codes did it throw?

Damn, and I was just about to post an update in a day or two, when I found some free time.
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I had been meaning to send along an update on the car about 2 weeks ago, but have been too busy at work. However, given recent events, I find myself compelled to sit down and write it out now.

First, the good news:

In March 2015, as a result of the noise in the video posted earlier in this thread, I brought the car to the Indy shop. They identified broken timing parts as the issue for the noises in the video. In addition to replacing the timing chain, tensioner, guides and rails, I also had them do a bunch of other work including, but not limited to, a complete clutch replacement, replace both front axles, replaced the low speed fan, and replace the leaking oil pan gasket (since it was easily accessible with the clutch being done).

After all the work, the diesel sound the car was making in the video was gone. However, I was still having issues with the car. Specifically, the car had a high idle (at or around 1200rpm) and it was constantly throwing two codes:
P0171 – system too lean; and
P0507 – Idle Air Control System RPM Higher Than Expected

Two weeks ago I was finally able to fix these issues. What the problem was is that the vacuum hose (that goes from the intake to the fuel pressure regulator) was bad on both ends. I ended up replacing the hose and safety wiring both ends so they could not slip off the nipple in the future. In addition, I also asked Detroit Tuned to modify their the heavier spring they put in their bypass valve. That has also helped a lot. I’m happy to say that the idle is back to normal and the car hasn’t thrown any codes in the past two weeks.

Now on to the bad news:

So, last night, driving home from work, again out of the blue, the mini starts doing the same thing she did the last time she made a trip to the Indy shop (and, as well, the time before that too) -- doing an impression of a Ford 7.3L diesel. I made another video of the Ford 7.3L diesel sound she’s making:

June 30, 2016:

IMG 4160 - YouTube

Now mind you, this is only two months after the Indy shop identified broken timing parts as the issue for the prior noises and replaced the timing chain, tensioner, guides and rails.

Just to be sure, I watched the prior videos I made (before the car went into the shop) and the noise seems to be the same, and emanating from the same place:

March 6, 2016:

IMG 3846 - YouTube

January 31, 2016:

IMG 3787 - YouTube

In addition, the timing (no pun intended) between these incidents seem a bit curious.

To be honest, I’m just at a loss. This car is the most obstinate son-of-a-BlTCH I've ever had the displeasure of running across.

You know things are not well between you and your R53 when, instead of calculating miles per gallon, you’re calculating miles per timing chain parts (let alone other replaced parts).

Perhaps the handwriting is on the wall and I’m just to blind to know or too dumb to see it. Maybe it’s time to just part this Not-Unbreakable Lump out. Or maybe I should just drag my grumpy, lazy *** to the kitchen and have another cup of coffee and see if you guys have any words of encouragement....

Thanks for your consideration guys.
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Wow. That stinks. Meant through my own mystery noises this year and can empathize with the frustration.

But don't give up!

I would start by asking the Indy to check their work. Maybe something failed early or came loose.

After that it is back to the usual suspects - oil level, all the vacuum hoses and intercooler boots seated, harmonic balancer, belt tensioner, chain tensioner, cam & rocker/lash adjusters...

I didn't find my mystery demon until I pulled the head and was diassembling it for a trip to the machine shop and noticed the cam had been damaged. If I had pulled the rockets and cam to inspect them carefully before removing the head I would have saved a ton of work.

Some of the chain tensioners seem to have a very short life, but it takes maybe ten minutes to pop it out and check for someone that's done it before.

 

Yup, I've already reached out to the Indy shop. They've said just get it up to use and they'll "have to get a look/listen to see what’s going on." The trouble is that, as I've mentioned before, the shop is about 100mi away. So, I have to rent an auto transport trailer ($$$) and haul it up there using the thirsty v10 Excursion ($$$).

As for the tensioner ... the Indy shop has said they use nothing but OE parts. Would that be right that an OE chain tensioner would crap out in just 2 months?

I've watched Mod MINI's YouTube vid (love his how to vids!) regarding replacement of the timing chain tensioner and while its a little cramped, replacement looks pretty straight forward. The only trouble is I wouldn't necessarily know (assuming it was the tensioner) if the guides and rails were destroyed in the process. I was thining it might be a cheap an inexpensive way to rule out the timing chain tensioner as a possible suspect. Then if it continues to make noise or additional noises, I could always bring it up.
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If you want the shop to back their work, I wouldn't futz with it. Just leaves you open to them claiming you broke something. If you don't want to spend the money and time to take it back, it isn't a very hard DIY. The catch is that unless you remove the valve cover during installation (and most try to avoid, but maybe you want to do that first to inspect for any loose parts) you need to reinstall it under tension which is a pita.

 

Got word from the shop last night ... yet another collapsed timing chain tensioner.

Seems like I may want to keep a few of these in the glove-box as spares....
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Where are the bulletproof aftermarket chain tensioners??!? I want one!!!

 

My question to them was ... how many MPT's (miles per tensioner) will I get with this one. Needless to say, they were not amused ... but I was!
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Ugh, man it never ends. I've never had a car throw so many CEL's. Just drove home from work and she threw a P0304 code, “cylinder #4 misfire”. This kind of makes me real concerned because what started this whole mess/thread was the car throwing a similar code but different cylinder (P0303 code, “cylinder #3 misfire”). FML
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