Low speed rattle from front right??

[rntheald]

Hi
We've got a 2005 Mini Cooper S which is great apart from one (at the moment!!) small rattle / tapping sound. At walking speed over rough roads, and at idle with A/C, light etc on, (i.e. very low tickover) there's a strange rattling from the front right area of the car. It sounds like it's coming from the engine bay area, (so not inside car), and sounds like a pipe catching / vibrating but I've spent ages looking and can't find it!! Any help tracking it down would be much appreciated

thanks
Richard

[MINI-Morgan]

Make sure all the heat shielding is secure and not loose.

[Root Ginger]

You might need to bend the manifold heatshield slightly as this causes a similar problem to the one you're describing.

[rntheald]

Hi
Having a further look it appears to be coming from the right hand side engine mount area - anyone else had this problem?

thanks
Richard

[Adam81]

Hi i also currently have this problem coming from exactly the same place my car is going in to the garage tomorrow to have the windows sorted (leaving streaks!) so i will mention it to them then.

I will Let you know the results

Adam

[Squeaky]

Tap the pillar finisher gently toward the bottom, you'll probably find your rattle is the finisher chattering against the wind screen.

[MINI-LOVER]

Quote: Originally Posted by Squeaky

Tap the pillar finisher gently toward the bottom, you'll probably find your rattle is the finisher chattering against the wind screen.

i have the same problem, ill try doing what you said, see what happens...

[rntheald]

Did you have any luck with the dealer Adam?

When I dropped ours in this morning it refused to make the noise! Left it with them to investigate.

thanks

Richard

[rntheald]

The dealer has "repositioned" the power steering pipes which were catching, the noise is much reduced but I'm sure there's still some noise from that area. Anyone any ideas?? It's no the trim BTW.

Thanks
Richard

[SaratogaMini]

I have a 2005 MCS and I am getting the same rattle. When I turn the car on it rattles a couple of times. It is like a light knocking. I hear it most during low speed driving on rough roads. It sounds like it is coming from the lower right of the engine compartment. It is not loose trim inside the car.

I am taking the MINI to the dealer in a week or so to work on the boot rattle, engine rattle and the fast clock. I will post results.

[GregMini2]

MCSC 3 weeks old/new.
I just found the rattle that was driving me crazy. Front right, behind the glove compartment. Took it to the dealer. No rattle. The weather was warm and the rattle was not there. So decided to find it myself. It was the windshield fluid container located on the passenger side inside the right fender. I'm sure there is a way to tighten it some how, but the temporary solution was to use some weather seal (used for doors and window) between the neck of the container and the body of the car. It stops it from vibrating and no rattling now. Drove me crazy for two weeks. The only rattle left now is the small window on the driver side. When it's all the way up it makes some noise when going over uneven surface.

[MiNiGuY]

Quote: Originally Posted by rntheald

Hi
Having a further look it appears to be coming from the right hand side engine mount area - anyone else had this problem?

thanks
Richard

There are two master cylinder pipes which pass close to each other in the area you specify. On some models they were held apart from each other by a black platic clip. If this has fallen off, its possible the two pipes are rubbing/knocking.
This isnt applicable to all models, so its just a possibility, amongst the loads of possibilitys it could be. I mention this one simply because the master cylinder is mounted to the bulkhead allowing noise from it or any connected pipes to enter the cabin quite noticeably.

[Damo]

If its coming from the front right get the engine mount checked out. I know of a few people where this has happened. It usually a small knocking noise as you pull away. Check for oil having leaked from it.

[Damo]

Quote: Originally Posted by rntheald

Hi
Having a further look it appears to be coming from the right hand side engine mount area - anyone else had this problem?

thanks
Richard

Yeah the engine mount itself, get it checked

[rntheald]

They have specifically checked the engine mount at my request as I've heard of other problems but the dealer has said it's ok!! Any other ideas???

Richard