1st Gen R53 Cooper S Check Your Belt Tensioner Damper

Good luck, then. Let us know how I works out.

 

While we are on the subject of belt tensioner, I found this on Amazon with FREE shipping nice little deal, might just pick one up for the hell of it.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Gates-38404-Belt-Tensioner/dp/B001KQJRDO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355633578&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+cooper+belt+tensioner"]Gates 38404 Belt Tensioner : Amazon.com : Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31nd-uIROyL.@@AMEPARAM@@31nd-uIROyL[/ame]

 

I have the Gates unit on my car now, FWIW. Looks and works like OEM.
I'll probably buy another as a spare.

 

It is the exact same piece made by the same manufacturer.

This is one of those parts that MINI rapes it's customers with on the price of the part. :banghead:

 

Hey Scott,

I hate to break the news to you but the new ALTA tensioner part is just a small spherical bearing ended end link. Yes it offers tension for the belt but it it is not self adjusting i.e. manually adjusted and has no dampening at all. Just like the stupid solid lightened crack pulley they sell. ALTA makes very poorly engineered parts with cheap materials that will destroy a motors bearings via unhampered harmonics.

Back in the day when I was nieve and looking to upgrade my new Mini I too found ALTA parts and bought them. Every single part was of poor quality and failed or did not fit correctly.

I give ALTA crap because I call it the way I see it. I also do not want others that are new to the Mini community make the same mistakes it I did and waste money on crap parts.

 

Oh we all know your opinion of Alta....seriously.

I know what the damper replacement is, and I stand by my opinion. We all ran un-dampered/tensionered engines for years w/o issue AS LONG as you checked the tension periodically and made any adjustments necessary. Remember checking the alternator for proper belt tension? All the current OEM design does is to supposedly eliminate the need for periodic maintenance.

And I completely agree with you about the crank pulley and some other parts, but my experience with a few of their parts has been just fine. I just refrain from giving a blanket statement like you do of them.

 

Well to each their own.

 

back from the dead.
i removed engine from my 05 JCW and see tensioner shock is completely dead
started brousing and found this. wonder if it has the same dimensions?:

[ame="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-r129-w140-w201-w202-w126-w124-Belt-Tensioner-Shock-oem-Stabilus-new/281564893958?_trksid=p2050601.c100085.m2372&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D37338%26meid%3D96ee09ad53f54899ba3745d22d01c2c2%26pid%3D100085%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D281725159108%26clkid%3D6586628990479736461&_qi=RTM2247628"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-r129-w140-w201-w202-w126-w124-Belt-Tensioner-Shock-oem-Stabilus-new/281564893958?_trksid=p2050601.c100085.m2372&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D37338%26meid%3D96ee09ad53f54899ba3745d22d01c2c2%26pid%3D100085%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D281725159108%26clkid%3D6586628990479736461&_qi=RTM2247628[/ame]

 

back from the dead.
i removed engine from my 05 JCW and see tensioner shock is completely dead
started browsing and found this. made in Germany by the same company. wonder if it has the same dimensions?:

[ame="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-r129-w140-w201-w202-w126-w124-Belt-Tensioner-Shock-oem-Stabilus-new/281564893958?_trksid=p2050601.c100085.m2372&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D37338%26meid%3D96ee09ad53f54899ba3745d22d01c2c2%26pid%3D100085%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D281725159108%26clkid%3D6586628990479736461&_qi=RTM2247628"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-r129-w140-w201-w202-w126-w124-Belt-Tensioner-Shock-oem-Stabilus-new/281564893958?_trksid=p2050601.c100085.m2372&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D37338%26meid%3D96ee09ad53f54899ba3745d22d01c2c2%26pid%3D100085%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D281725159108%26clkid%3D6586628990479736461&_qi=RTM2247628[/ame]

 

I now replace mine every two years along with a new belt since I do not drive my MINI as much as I used to since I work from home.

 

The entire assembly or just the damper?

 

The whole assembly because they same part are cheap on Amazon Vs the Dealership. ($225.00 + at dealership)

The belt for a 15% pulley is: Gates K060535 Multi V-Groove Belt https://www.amazon.com/Gates-K060535-Multi-V-Groove-Belt/dp/B000C2SIXC/ref=pd_bxgy_263_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VA1K8WSC2V16TYVVRGD5

$92.00 https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-38404-Professional-Automatic-Tensioner/dp/B001KSDZOY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467728792&sr=8-1&keywords=MINI+belt+tensioner

Gates tensioner $129.78 https://www.amazon.com/Gates-38404-Belt-Tensioner/dp/B001KQJRDO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1467728792&sr=8-3&keywords=MINI+belt+tensioner

BMW part $158.09 + $12.55 shipping
: https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Drive-Belt-Tensioner-Pulley/dp/B016J1FWM4/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1467728792&sr=8-8&keywords=MINI+belt+tensioner