Mcs r53 2005 engine tapping top end due to lack of oil
As my parter started her mcs this morning to move it quick i noticed a slight rattle/tapping, after moving it i then went and re started it and gave it a rev and the tapping stopped, so left it ticking over to warm up. Came back out to it 5mins later to find it tapping again, no oil light on and the tapping picked up speed with the rpm of the engine, i turned it off and checked the oil (didnt evan register on the dipstick) put a litre of oil in which bought it 3/4 way up the dipstick max/min lines, hoping that would cure it it hadnt, oil light does work and wasnt on before topup so has not run seriously low but has enough to do some damage, any ideas? Again its a tap not a knock and sounds top end related.
Oil light will only come on when it's far too late so don't rely on that!
Is it more towards the left side as you look at the engine from front? If so it's possibly the chain tensioner, with his you'll hear it at idle but under load when driving it will vanish
Yes it is from the left hand side of the engine, if it was the chain tensioner would that make a noise due to lack of oil as im pointing it towards that?
It's partially due to the lack of oil.
The tensioner puts pressure on the timing chain with oil pressure, so not enough oil will mean not enough pressure, so then it rattles,
They do have a tendancy to stick as well, especially if oil changes not kept up with.
They cost about £25 from MINI and once you've worked out how to do it, it's simple to change. Are you handy with spanners?
Hi cheers for the reply im quiet competant with the spanners, does it involve removing the timing chain? And would topping it back up with oil not tension the tensioner back up? Maybe this might be the best thing to change due to price first? Is the a guide anywhere on how to change it?
If it's got stuck then no amount of oil will free it back up.
No need to remove chain. Down the back of the engine there is a oil/water heat exchanger with 2 pipes on (maybe 4 I forget) Just above this on the back of the engine block is a 19mm bolt. An offset spanner is the best thing people have found to remove this bolt due to lack of room there. Simply remove bolt, remove old tensioner, pop new one in and then refit bolt. Start engine and the new tensioner will expand and tension the chain.
If you're struggling to find the bolt from the top, remove O/S front wheel and arch liner. This makes it easier to see the heat exchanger and the bolt above it.
What I would also recommend is to give the engine a flush through and then change the oil and filter too. Search ebay for 'forte engine flush'. The filter needs a 36mm shallow socket, again found on ebay.
Just to confirm i bought a chain tensioner from bmw yesterday for 27.92 inc vat and fitted it lastnight, 19mm goose neck ring spanner down the back of the engine, cracked the bolt then wound it out finger tight, swapped tensioners and nipped it back up, took 5 mins, now it is as quiet as ever, real easy cheap fix, after rubning it up to temperature making sure it was solved i dropped an engine flush in it and took it for a steady 15 minuite drive, came home and dropped the oil then refilled with castrol edge 0w30. The car now runs and sounds very very smooth. Happy days ;-)
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