MCS r56 - guidance

[Vtom89]

Hi,

I have never owned Mini before, but I've decided to give it a go, as it's exactly the kind of car I fancy.
I've decided to go for MCS r56, preferably 2007-2008, chili pack. My budged it around £4.5K, I believe this could get me a decent one.

I'm aware that it runs on N14 which I've heard can be bit painful...
- Timing chain tensioner
- fuel pump
- excessive oil consumption
- coked up

Bit novice into all of this, so was wondering if you can help a bit what questions shall I ask once I view any Mini. Or basically any tips what to look for.

Cheers.

[jimmy156]

- Timing chain tensioner

If this is going you will get the "Death Rattle" often described as a metallic rattle coming from the side of the engine with the timing chain (left i think.) It will be worst from cold start up.

The problem is all of the MCS engines sound like a bag of spanners on tick over due to them being direct injection. I have watched numerous "death rattle" youtube clips and cannot for he life of me tell the difference between an engine with death rattle, and a healthy one. Maybe it's more obvious when you are hearing it in person, not from a youtube video! I guess if the car has already had the timing chain issue sorted, that would be your best bet.

- fuel pump

Yes these do go regularly and are pretty expensive to replace. I was quoted around £700 by an indie before i managed to get a goodwill payment from MINI to cover the cost (the pump had previously failed around 2 years prior, so i have had 2 new pumps in about 2.5 years.) The first time it went i didn't get any warning other than the light come up on the dash and "limp home mode." The second time the car started to hesitate under load for a handful of journeys before i got a plethora of warning lights and messages comes up. Apparently regularly running them very low on fuel can exacerbate the issue, i now fill up on 2 or 3 bars before empty, rather than the very very last minute!

- excessive oil consumption

Some do, some don't (mine doesn't, although i have the later N18 engine). The real issue here is that the dipstick is nigh on impossible to read, so check carefully and regularly!

- coked up

I have heard about this, but have no real knowledge about it!

I believe the general consensus is that if you can stretch to a post 2010 car, with the N18 engine, then its worth doing as points 1 and 4 were largely sorted with this revision. If not then try and get one that has had some of the issues already sorted, along with the documentation to prove it.

Edited by jimmy156 on Tuesday 21st February 11:35

[kayzee]

Coke build up is carbon that needs clearing out with a walnut blast. Costs around £150 to £200 I think depending on where you go.

[Vtom89]

Thanks both!

Does it still need any further maintenance / replacement if timing chain and fuel pump been replaced before? Just want to find out if replacement of both sort the issue for good or does it need to be regularly checked / replaced again in the future.

In terms of decoke - how often this needs to be done?

Any other things you'd suggest to take note of while purchasing MCS second generation?

Thanks.

[rigga]

Roughly every 40k for a walnut blast, though don't expect your local BMW dealer to know what you're talking about, or even have the equipment, a mini Indie would be your port of call, think mine was about £150 at the time, did felt perkier once done.
Replacement fuel pump and cam chain kit does not ensure the problem will not resurface unfortunately, do be extremely vigilant on oil level.

[SlimJim16v]

I believe there was an uprated timing chain tensioner? Also using a 5W40 ester synthetic may offer increased protection, with ensuring it's kept topped up.

Checked Ms 16v's new Cooper at the weekend, took 2l to get to halfway on the dipstick.

[Maracus]

I had my High Pressure Fuel Pump replaced 18 months ago at a MINI dealer for around £300.

It is a 2010 N18 and uses next to no oil.

[MrC986]

I've an N14 engine & although I've only owned it 12 months (& it's done 80k in total with me adding about 3.5k), mine's had a new fuel pump during my ownership (about £450 for the part as BMW hiked the prices up), a rocker cover leak fixed & the normal sticky rear brake caliper issue. Mine had had a timing chain replacement about 2 yrs before.

Yes, there's a train of thought on the sort of oil you should use, not letting the oil run low, running super unleaded & also not using the car just for shopping trips I.e. proper running of the engine rather than short journeys! Mines been tweaked quite a lot (without internal upgrades), but I can say having owned it a year, that for the weekend use it gets with spirited driving, it's a great little car.

Try and find a car with the big ticket items already dealt with - there's plenty of choice generally although if you're after a car with a JCW aerokit, they're more scarce given the original cost of the kit.

[bazza white]

I would say watch out for some that have just had the timing chain tension replaced. This is not the same as having the chain and guides replaced. The tensioner simply delays the inevitable. I bought a tensioner to replace mine as it was a bit noisy. Dug the spanners out to find it had already been replaced doh.

I had the chain and a decoke at the same time for £760ish. Fingers crossed this will see me through my ownership.