I've had my '06 MCS for 13 months now. I was driving home today and noticed a disconcerting noise coming from the front of the car. Here's what I know:

1. It sounds like a grinding or a rattling, loose metal on metal kind of noise, coming from the front of the car and definitely not interior trim.
2. It is most noticeable in 4th gear at around 40 MPH. I can't hear it in 5th gear due to road noise. As I downshift to 2nd, it completely disappears.
3. There is no rattle when idling.
4. It grows in volume and intensity immediately after I take my foot off the gas. I can make it quite loud if I get the car up to 3500 RPM and immediately take my foot off the gas.
5. The noise stays the same whether I have the clutch in or out, whether I have my foot on the brake or not.

Any ideas? Anyone experience anything similar?

 

I think I have the same problem. After installing a clutch and light flywheel I have a grinding noise when releasing the gas and coasting in gear. The higher the rpm and load, the louder the noise. It only takes a small bit of throttle input to stop the noise. The noise will fluctuate with the road surface. I think is sounds like a garbage disposal. At first I thought it was something I did or an issue with the new parts, but I now I think it is the differential. Mine seems to have a lot of backlash. I will be replacing the diff this month and hope to put an end to it.

Does this sound like your problem?

Edit: I just saw #5. Mine needs the clutch to be engaged.

 

It sounds exactly like a garbage disposal! Perfect comparison. It sounds like a similar problem, but mine continues when the clutch is not engaged and it does not disappear with throttle input - though the noise is at its worst immediately after releasing the gas.

 

That's wierd because mine is worse in lower gears. I can be in fourth and barely hear it, then down shift to second and it gets really loud. I can play it like an instrument using gear, throttle and engine speed. Mine will completely stop once I disengage the though.

I have been driving it this way since the clutch/flywheel install nearly 60k miles ago. I couldn't find any info on the issue so I decided to wait until had the gearbox out again. Hopefully I'll find something because I hate not knowing what the noise is.

How many miles do you have? any drivetrain mods? What do you think?

Oh yeah, my noise is strong on the driver's side.

 

I had the same problem with my car as well as the dreaded ticking/clicking sound whenever you accelerated or decelerated quickly. Mini service tightened the axle nut which took care of the clicking sounds as well as the rattling/jingling sound I got whenver I was at 4,000rpm in any gear.

 

Let's hope it is not your SC rear gears chewing themselves up becaue the lube is dry. This is a reported problem starting at about 50-70K. If you are hearing the noise, its probably too late.

YD

 

Sorry to bring this back from the dead. Im having the same issue and no one can diagnose it. What was the fix for this))

 

Would send the guy a PM at this point. After all these years he's still 1st Gear which means not a lot of logging in and posting. He may not even own the car anymore. Should get an email notice from your PM which might trigger him to respond. Failing that would start a new thread and link this one in it.

From his (your?) description above and recent personal experience would suspect wheel bearing(s)/hub(s).

Any way you could record the audio (and possibly video showing rpms, gear shifting etc as you drive) and post it ? A tall order but might help narrow this down for those who have seen it before.
Hopefully others will weigh in to help resolve the issue.

 

Sounds like a supercharger issue, or belt tensioner.