Supercharger rattle and gear change. . . ?
Discussion
I need a bit of advice from those in the know;
This weekend I picked up a 2006 Mini Cooper S from the BMW dealer in Maidenhead, it’s the very last of the Supercharged cars and is the ‘Checkmate’ edition. It has a full BMW service history, has 46k on the clock, very straight, very tidy and runs well. I am quite fastidious when it comes to my cars and there are two minor things that I need to know if they are ‘normal’ or not.
Firstly, when starting from cold (overnight) there is a very small rattle for about a second while the oil pressure builds up (I am guessing its from the Supercharger), it only lasts for a second (or less) and does not come back unless the car is left for 12 hours or so. Is this normal? Is it the start of bearing failure?
Secondly, 2nd gear into 3rd, 4th gear into 3rd and 3rd to 2nd can be a bit ‘stiff’ – it might just be my gearchanging (previous car was a Volvo V70 with a wide/smooth gearchange), but wanted to check and see if there is any known issues with the gearshifting.
The car has a full BMW warranty so if it does have anything on the way out I would like to get it fixed in the next 12 months before the warranty expires. . . .
Thanks in advance!
This weekend I picked up a 2006 Mini Cooper S from the BMW dealer in Maidenhead, it’s the very last of the Supercharged cars and is the ‘Checkmate’ edition. It has a full BMW service history, has 46k on the clock, very straight, very tidy and runs well. I am quite fastidious when it comes to my cars and there are two minor things that I need to know if they are ‘normal’ or not.
Firstly, when starting from cold (overnight) there is a very small rattle for about a second while the oil pressure builds up (I am guessing its from the Supercharger), it only lasts for a second (or less) and does not come back unless the car is left for 12 hours or so. Is this normal? Is it the start of bearing failure?
Secondly, 2nd gear into 3rd, 4th gear into 3rd and 3rd to 2nd can be a bit ‘stiff’ – it might just be my gearchanging (previous car was a Volvo V70 with a wide/smooth gearchange), but wanted to check and see if there is any known issues with the gearshifting.
The car has a full BMW warranty so if it does have anything on the way out I would like to get it fixed in the next 12 months before the warranty expires. . . .
Thanks in advance!
The start up is nothing to worry about but do keep a look out for oil level. The gear boxs do some times have problems but this dose not sond like one. Try taking anothere mini S for a drive and see how it is. The oil in the gear boxes is not that good (will not brack down) but putting a good fully sin. oil in may make it feel like you want.
This isn't a direct reply so much as a comment and a question.
My Mazda MX5 has a supercharger fitted so I know they are sealed units with a small amount of oil in the gearbox on the SC nose. They aren't completely maintenance free but they are effectively as you aren't expected to have to change that oil.
That does mean though that there shouldn't be any rattle from the SC and usually if there is any noise it doesn't go away after a few seconds as it doesnt rely on engine oil pressure. I suspect your rattle comes from elsewhere.
Now the question. The SC fitted to my '5 is an MP62 but is made by Eaton, the same as the M45 on the Cooper S. They are sold to aftermarket with a 100k miles warranty. Does this SC warranty also apply to the SC on the Mini? It would seem odd to me that an SC I can fit using a kit to my '5 would have a better warranty to one fitted by a mass car manufacturer.
My Mazda MX5 has a supercharger fitted so I know they are sealed units with a small amount of oil in the gearbox on the SC nose. They aren't completely maintenance free but they are effectively as you aren't expected to have to change that oil.
That does mean though that there shouldn't be any rattle from the SC and usually if there is any noise it doesn't go away after a few seconds as it doesnt rely on engine oil pressure. I suspect your rattle comes from elsewhere.
Now the question. The SC fitted to my '5 is an MP62 but is made by Eaton, the same as the M45 on the Cooper S. They are sold to aftermarket with a 100k miles warranty. Does this SC warranty also apply to the SC on the Mini? It would seem odd to me that an SC I can fit using a kit to my '5 would have a better warranty to one fitted by a mass car manufacturer.
The noise should not be the SC but the engine. As it uses quite thin oil (correctly they will not work well on thicker oil) etc it takes a small amout of time to get the oil round. The SC minis have a good engine with not many problems and are better than the new turbo cars but not so good on mpg.
OK, I also have a FIAT Barchetta which has a similar noise from the variator - if I leave the car for a couple of days without starting it I get a rattle for a second while the oil pressure builds - but then it goes away. I assumed that it was a similar scenario with the Mini rattle, which incidentally didn't happen last night or this morning when I started it!
I did experience some fantastic pops and crackles from the exhaust on the way home from work last night when I decelerated or coasted in gear - fantastic!
I did experience some fantastic pops and crackles from the exhaust on the way home from work last night when I decelerated or coasted in gear - fantastic!
Notchy gearbox is common. We have a Focus ST with probably the same gearbox as your volvo and the wife clunks it into gear, as used to driving the mini. We have changed the gearbox oil, just as peace of mind with synthetic stuff, made it a bit lighter but not much. Also lift the gear gator up and spray grease the linkage and ball, that helped too.
It could be the cam chain tensioner showing signs of wear, or the belt tensioner.
MadDad said:
I need a bit of advice from those in the know;
This weekend I picked up a 2006 Mini Cooper S from the BMW dealer in Maidenhead, it’s the very last of the Supercharged cars and is the ‘Checkmate’ edition. It has a full BMW service history, has 46k on the clock, very straight, very tidy and runs well. I am quite fastidious when it comes to my cars and there are two minor things that I need to know if they are ‘normal’ or not.
Firstly, when starting from cold (overnight) there is a very small rattle for about a second while the oil pressure builds up (I am guessing its from the Supercharger), it only lasts for a second (or less) and does not come back unless the car is left for 12 hours or so. Is this normal? Is it the start of bearing failure?
Secondly, 2nd gear into 3rd, 4th gear into 3rd and 3rd to 2nd can be a bit ‘stiff’ – it might just be my gearchanging (previous car was a Volvo V70 with a wide/smooth gearchange), but wanted to check and see if there is any known issues with the gearshifting.
The car has a full BMW warranty so if it does have anything on the way out I would like to get it fixed in the next 12 months before the warranty expires. . . .
Thanks in advance!
This weekend I picked up a 2006 Mini Cooper S from the BMW dealer in Maidenhead, it’s the very last of the Supercharged cars and is the ‘Checkmate’ edition. It has a full BMW service history, has 46k on the clock, very straight, very tidy and runs well. I am quite fastidious when it comes to my cars and there are two minor things that I need to know if they are ‘normal’ or not.
Firstly, when starting from cold (overnight) there is a very small rattle for about a second while the oil pressure builds up (I am guessing its from the Supercharger), it only lasts for a second (or less) and does not come back unless the car is left for 12 hours or so. Is this normal? Is it the start of bearing failure?
Secondly, 2nd gear into 3rd, 4th gear into 3rd and 3rd to 2nd can be a bit ‘stiff’ – it might just be my gearchanging (previous car was a Volvo V70 with a wide/smooth gearchange), but wanted to check and see if there is any known issues with the gearshifting.
The car has a full BMW warranty so if it does have anything on the way out I would like to get it fixed in the next 12 months before the warranty expires. . . .
Thanks in advance!
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