I posted earlier in this thread about my squealing belt problem that started on the way home from the dealer and quit at ~2000 miles. Well, now I have ~7500 miles and my tensioner pulley has failed. I heard a low rumble/grating sound when I got home on Friday and checked it out on Saturday. While the engine was running, I could watch the tensioner pulley move back and forth. I removed the belt and jiggled the pulley and found an eigth of an inch of lateral play. When cold, it made very little sound, but after the engine got warm, the noise began. So I ordered the part and will install it next weekend. It would cost me more in time and gas to drive three hours to the dealership and have them replace it. Plus, I've never had a dealer or shop touch my vehicles after I drove them off the lot, so why start now. :smile: Of course, if the S/C failed, I might be more inclined to put the original pulley back on get it warrantied since it is a little more expensive.

Steve

 

Just to provide more data on this subject:

my january 2005 build cooper s with dealer installed jcw package did have a brief belt squeal upon start up between mileage of 600 and 900 miles... only at start up and for less than 3 seconds... probably did it 10 times or less... no squeels between 900 miles and current mileage of 5900.... will tell dealer at 10k check up....

 

Sadly I have to jump onto this thread now as well.

Picked up on Friday, on Sunday went for a drive and there was a horrendous squealing when above ~2k RPM or so, dropped by the dealer and my MA asked me if I would leave the car with them. I agreed and have a nice MCS Cabrio instead for a bit.

Car had just over 100 miles on it when it started, with the bonnet up.. the noise was so piercingly loud from the pulley area.

 

The service department checked the pulleys, the alternator alignment and belt tensioner as per the service bulletin, belt still squealed. They ended up replacing the belt and the problem went away.

 

Installed new tensioner this weekend. No more bearing noise and no new squeal. I am still using the original belt which looks perfect still. There was virtually no lateral "play" in the new tenstioner pulley. It looks like a quick press out and press in bearing replacement if I can find a source for the bearing. Be nice to have a spare for cheap.

Steve

 

My 03 MCS now has 82,000 miles on it and the belt is squeeling like a POS chevy cavalier yet again!! This problem is nothing new to the Mini's...at least mine anyway. This didn't happen the first year but in the second year, I had the belt replace two times and the tensioner replaced once. Each repair effectively fixed the squeel for several months but never for too long. While all previous issues were fixed under warranty, I am on my own dime now and not too happy with this latest occurance. I had an extended warranty to 75,000 but that's gone now.... I called my service rep to see if there is a recall or a known fix and he was checking into it but of course I never heard back. I've tried belt dressing but that doesn't work. It seems to always start when the belts get dirty...previously during heavy rain driving and this time during the first big snow of the season. I've lived with it for several weeks now hoping it'll mysteriously go away but no luck. I don't want to have to pay to have this fixed. Is a belt change in the garage posisble? How about the alternator adjustment...is that a DIY task?

 

after getting myself into an irritated state, when I got home, I dug up my records and here's the summary...received my new MCS in Mar03, Jan04-belt replaced for squeel at 27,252 miles...along with the clutch (different story). On Jun 1st, they replaced the belt and the tensioner at 35,860 miles. (apparently a simple belt replacement is a temp fix) Nine months later, after a garaged winter, the tensioner and belt were again replaced with 59,348 in Apr05. Now, with 83,212 miles on the O, the belts squeel like a stuck pig. It appears that a belt replacement alone doesn't do the trick. A belt tensioner and belt replacement will quiet the beast for 25,000 miles. With plans to drive this thing into the ground, do I have to look forward to financing a belt tensioner repalcement every 10 months or 15k miles? As much of a pain these cars are...at the end of the day, I just can't get enough of them and simply lean on it through the back roads and all is well :-)

I must admit though that "Bahamabart" and "1FSTMINI" summed it up the best....

Its not a squeak or a squeal - its your MCS saying "I want a 15 pulley!".

BahamaBart


Mine was screamin for a 19%.........After whining for so long, it got its way!


1FSTMINI


I might just have to follow their lead on this perpetual problem.....


Jeff
03 MCS CR/B - Helix 1 ball exhaust - Koni SA - MC front bar
"looks like its time to retire the G Stock setup and go SM"

 

I have an 06-S, auto trans with less than 2k on the O. First time it did the squeal was under "full to the floor" load @ about 6 grand. Then it started to do it simply crusing at about 80 MPH. If I backed down about 3 MPH it would go away for a few minutes then it came back. Did this 4 more times so it's going into the shop tomorrow. I sure hope East Bay Mini's service group is as good as their Sales group was.