[Lukesweatman]

2009 Mini One 1.4 petrol r56. 6 speed

Have had a nightmare to say the least!
Bought with misfire and long story cut short piston 4 near enough melted and head past the point of repair so managed to get hold of second hand engine. Changed all anciliarys over and did timing chain as it was ‘down on power’ but ran. Fast forward engine in and running all seemed good no eml lights etc. Went and put petrol in about a mile down the road and went up the slip road for the motorway not under any major load 2500rpm I hear a ticking and then what I can only describe as bottom end knocking. Got it back to the workshop checked timing at crank and cams with special tools and all was ok new chain, tensioner etc all see perfectly fine no signs of oil starvation. Realised chain for oil pump had major slack in it but after doing some googling I beleive this is normal so had sump off to look to see if crank bearing had spun and low and behold all seems fine! No scoring etc and seem to be getting plenty of oil. Turned oil pump by hand after removing and spat oil everywere so presuming that’s all good aswell. But there is lots of tiny bits of swarf in oil and cannot for the life of think what to look at next as nothing obvious is standing out. also have had it running without alt belt and tensioner to eliminate that. Noise doesn’t go away with clutch in.
Ran generic diagnostics before I did anything and had misfire on all 4 cylinders with a vanos fault but dismissed after checking timing.
Can crank pulley sprocket ( bottom timing chain sprocket) be on backwards if this is a thing and spin on crank any genuine help would me very much appreciated! Completely lost next step was either push it in a river or put shells in and hope for the best before it goes in the river because it owes me about 30 hours labour

 

[mike1967]

have you checked the water pump coating on its pulley what happens from non use is they rust under it and crack and when do makes the jockey wheel knock like the car needs a bottom end, also check jockey wheel is shinny all over its surface as can rust across a line do same trick,,,
way to tell pair of long nose pliers reach up from wheel arch engine running and pull the plastic tag on jockey wheel all way out if noise goes then its that,, little tip you must always when refitting the jockey wheel after fitting the aux belt and jockey wheel pull this tab out to reset it ,, failure to do so will strip the coating off water pump pully after a few miles from painful past dealings

 

[Lukesweatman]

Yes checked the rubber coating and all seems fine nothing missing, have the other tensioner so may try that for what it’s worth but pulled the belt tensioner tab and removed belt then ran so apt and water pump were not spinning and still there, in all honesty I’d read about that and was what I was hoping it was going to be. Does the vanos have to be reset after timing chain, could it be a that like a top knock or lifters? And I emphasise it is definatley a knock not a rattle. Still doesn’t explain the little bits of swarf in sump though. Only tiny particles but enough to make to me worry something a miss

 

[mike1967]

meat debris in sump on a engine that has not just been rebuilt would be a warning sign, that said might be from a failed top guide on timing chain in its history common, the vanos spockets do need to reset adaptions for them, another common issue is get a jammed or tight vanos codes this will make them sound like knocking and can be due to failed vanos, or oil control solonoid or the oil control rings in end cap on camshafts the new rings are plastic the old style are metal and tend to destroy the camshafts when wear, i would do oil pressure test first off if very low then maybe oil pump or big end or mains damaged, trouble with a used engine is not really knowing what you got and these engine are a box of chocolates