1st Gen R53 Cooper S Most liked posts in thread: Is this sound normal?

It might be a case of young ears versus old ears, kinda thing going on here....

I carry a set of these around with me, they are quite handy in locating those hard to diagnose engine sounds...
Yep, just got my hair cut...


Then I switch to these when I'm driving the MINI....

 

In the video, as you moved closer to the fuel tank vent valve, its the black cylindrical doo-dad, to the left of the intake horn, the ticking increased.

My '03 MCS ticking fuel tank vent valve (say that 10 times quickly) would tick loudly at idle, give it some revs, it would go but return when back to idle. This started after a few months in storage. After a good thrashing spring drive last year, the ticking was gone!

One year later, car is in storage. Ran it for 15 - 20 minutes the other day. Damn ticking at idle is back!!! Again noise goes unless at idle. Difference is, this year I KNOW THE FIX, a good thrashing!!!!

Add it to the possibilities, also a much cheaper fix.

 

And a heck of lot more fun to boot!

 

Don't you just love proving "those" people wrong if it didn't need it it wouldn't state that it needs it.

 

Maybe we should get one for Justa Jim and then he could be in half the conversation from remote PA.

 

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

That sucks..... And I feel your pain.

I was told by MINI of Allentown that the only thing that my car needed was new tires (which they put on but that was a fight but another story).

I found a lot of things that the car needed.... about 3k later I've just about fixed everything, so I am with you there.

I don't mind... I love the car and now I've done everything to get it mechanically sound. Some of the money was spent on fixing some cosmetic issues as well. I never tried dealing with the dealership. My experience with them was so bad they will never touch my car.

Good luck with the repairs!

 

The audio is not very loud; sounds faintly like supercharger lobes knocking.

Remove the belt, rotate the SC pulley by hand, if you don't feel anything "knocky", start the car with the belt off. If the knocking is gone, probably the SC failing.

There are other possibilities, but begin diagnostics with the supercharger.

Have you had someone press on the clutch pedal to see if the noise goes away?

 

A good old fashioned Italian tune up is a good suggestion & as Nathan said big fun.

My swag is the belt tenstioner....

 

Good luck.

I bought my '06 in January, so I've been trying to get a baseline for how my MCS should sound. If the "ticky-ticky" noise is what I'm thinking, it's normal.... kinda sounds like a little diesel?

FYI- my MINI was originally purchased at Prestige

 

Yeah, it's normal..... it's the lifters I was told.

 

Might as well if it's under warranty.