GP Mk I (R53) Supercharger failure ? Repair or replace

GP Mk I (R53) Supercharger failure ? Repair or replace

Author
Discussion

Pip1968

Original Poster:

1,362 posts

211 months

Wednesday 24th April 2019
quotequote all
I believe this is what has failed after only 60,000 miles. I was sat in traffic wondering where the diesel car was only to find the noisy diesel engine was in fact mine. I did consider timing chain but having spoken to others it seems it may be the supercharger.

I was wondering what route most have taken in this situation. BMW will replace it as a special order (not likely before middle of May 2019 and £1,300 (not sure incl or exclusive but knowing BMW excluding VaT). I spoke to 1320 who said they had no recommendations for repairers/rebuliders.

Open to suggestions/recommendations.

Pip

Elliot2000

785 posts

183 months

Wednesday 24th April 2019
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I’d get it confirmed it’s the supercharger before shelling out on a new one.

Timing chain tensioners go funny on these engines and can make an awful racket.

Why don’t u disconnect the alternator belt and run it and see if it still does it

E-bmw

9,979 posts

159 months

Thursday 25th April 2019
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Elliot2000 said:
Why don’t u disconnect the alternator belt and run it and see if it still does it
Because that will leave the car without a water pump!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pip1968

Original Poster:

1,362 posts

211 months

Thursday 25th April 2019
quotequote all
Presumably though if the disconnection is only temporary and the engine is not allowed to get up to full operating temperature no damage will be done and will allow enough time to listen to the engine - ?? (I am only a tinkerer).

More importsntly though is has anyone successfully gone the supercharger refurbishment route?

Pip

aka_kerrly

12,490 posts

217 months

Thursday 25th April 2019
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E-bmw said:
Elliot2000 said:
Why don’t u disconnect the alternator belt and run it and see if it still does it
Because that will leave the car without a water pump!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And what? We are suggesting taking the v belt off and firing up the engine... It will be immediately obvious if the charger was the source of the noise long long before you need to worry about the engine overheating.

Elliot2000

785 posts

183 months

Friday 26th April 2019
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E-bmw said:
Because that will leave the car without a water pump!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hmm - I’m not talking about permanently removing it, running it for a very short period to confirm the noise or not is not going to cause any problems is it? Won’t be much difference to almost all modern petrol engines with electric pumps or like the newer minis mechanical water pumps that do not run all the time

E-bmw

9,979 posts

159 months

Friday 26th April 2019
quotequote all
All very well & good but there will be no water pump, no supercharger, no alternator, no idler, no tensioner, are you really going to narrow it down which it is?

benjipeg

217 posts

212 months

Friday 26th April 2019
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hey there - i have had my r53 for a few months now and i would check out the facebook page for r53 owners there are lots of people on there who can recommend rebuilders or who sell replacement already rebuilt, mini worxx (tewksbury) and the mini guy (wirral) are both highly rated on there,
hope this helps
ben

aka_kerrly

12,490 posts

217 months

Friday 26th April 2019
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
All very well & good but there will be no water pump, no supercharger, no alternator, no idler, no tensioner, are you really going to narrow it down which it is?
That's the point. He wants to establish if the ENGINE is making an awful noise.
He can spin the alternator, the waterpump, the tensioner and charger by hand an likely feel if any of those have wrecked bearings

Elliot2000

785 posts

183 months

Friday 26th April 2019
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
All very well & good but there will be no water pump, no supercharger, no alternator, no idler, no tensioner, are you really going to narrow it down which it is?
Because as I put in the original post - timining chain tensioners can go funny on the early minis and make an awful racket similar to what the OP was Describing. Taking the belt off will show if it was the tensioner or something else like the supercharger - which can also then be manually checked

I’m not sure what bit your struggling with

Edited by Elliot2000 on Friday 26th April 20:20

E-bmw

9,979 posts

159 months

Saturday 27th April 2019
quotequote all
Elliot2000 said:
Because as I put in the original post - timining chain tensioners can go funny on the early minis and make an awful racket similar to what the OP was Describing. Taking the belt off will show if it was the tensioner or something else like the supercharger - which can also then be manually checked

I’m not sure what bit your struggling with

Edited by Elliot2000 on Friday 26th April 20:20
Yes, they can, I own one & have had to change the tensioner for exactly that reason, but the cam chain is completely the other side of the engine & completely unmistaken for the supercharger for exactly that reason.

Elliot2000

785 posts

183 months

Saturday 27th April 2019
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
Yes, they can, I own one & have had to change the tensioner for exactly that reason, but the cam chain is completely the other side of the engine & completely unmistaken for the supercharger for exactly that reason.
Noises can emanate outwards from the original area, so it’s notnalways straightforward to locate where the noise originated from.
As for other side of the engine- not exactly sitting poles apart is it? super charger sits just in front of the head with its pully on left hand side. Cam chain is on left hand side of the engine, tensioner on the back of the head. Chain noise can emanate right across the rocker cover area



humpy999

195 posts

194 months

Monday 29th April 2019
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E-bmw said:
Elliot2000 said:
Because as I put in the original post - timining chain tensioners can go funny on the early minis and make an awful racket similar to what the OP was Describing. Taking the belt off will show if it was the tensioner or something else like the supercharger - which can also then be manually checked

I’m not sure what bit your struggling with

Edited by Elliot2000 on Friday 26th April 20:20
Yes, they can, I own one & have had to change the tensioner for exactly that reason, but the cam chain is completely the other side of the engine & completely unmistaken for the supercharger for exactly that reason.
On the OP's R53, the cam chain is the same end of the engine as the ribbed belt? They are literally next to each other separated only by the oil pump end plate?


Edited by humpy999 on Monday 29th April 07:32

E-bmw

9,979 posts

159 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
Yes it is at the same end of the engine, but the tensioner & guides are at the rear of the engine & the noise comes from the rear of the engine, hence why I said they are at the other side of the engine.

The belt/supercharger is more at the front and is easy to tell it is not from the rear, which is what I said.

Elliot2000

785 posts

183 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
Yes it is at the same end of the engine, but the tensioner & guides are at the rear of the engine & the noise comes from the rear of the engine, hence why I said they are at the other side of the engine.

The belt/supercharger is more at the front and is easy to tell it is not from the rear, which is what I said.
rolleyes



??

R53rider

186 posts

95 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
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E-bmw said:
Because that will leave the car without a water pump!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come on!!!!!!!!!!! Only for a minute or so, from cold. Not going to harm it. Come to that leave without an alternator. Shock horror.

R53rider

186 posts

95 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
quotequote all
benjipeg said:
hey there - i have had my r53 for a few months now and i would check out the facebook page for r53 owners there are lots of people on there who can recommend rebuilders or who sell replacement already rebuilt, mini worxx (tewksbury) and the mini guy (wirral) are both highly rated on there,
hope this helps
ben
A man with sense on the right club for R53s!! Best suggestion to date. Only place to be. Think there are now 6,000 members. Tad more focussed than this general 'any MINI' forum. And huge amount of technically sound advice. I would also add, for those who generally dislike FB forums, this one is astonishingly tightly admined. Think there are currently about 22 admins. So any inappropriate posts, rudeness, keyboard warrior-ing ....... and you are off.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/154538898666141
FYI Ben, I'm the guy who organised the club dyno day on Sunday at Road Rage.

R53rider

186 posts

95 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
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E-bmw said:
Yes, they can, I own one & have had to change the tensioner for exactly that reason, but the cam chain is completely the other side of the engine & completely unmistaken for the supercharger for exactly that reason.
Completely incorrect. Again! The cam chain and the SC belt drive are both on the left of the engine as you look into the engine bay.

R53rider

186 posts

95 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
quotequote all
Worth first off changing the chain tensioner. It costs about £30 and is usually the reason the car sounds like a tractor.
It is very rare for the SC to fail.
Was at Brands track evening last Thursday and a mate's car limped in, sounded horrible, belt turning, or appeared to be, v jerkily. Both thought it must be the SC - the SC pulley appeared to be stopping randomly.
Turns out it wasn't the SC. The crank pulley had eaten itself.

E-bmw

9,979 posts

159 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
quotequote all
R53rider said:
E-bmw said:
Yes, they can, I own one & have had to change the tensioner for exactly that reason, but the cam chain is completely the other side of the engine & completely unmistaken for the supercharger for exactly that reason.
Completely incorrect. Again! The cam chain and the SC belt drive are both on the left of the engine as you look into the engine bay.
Yes they are one is at the back where the noise comes from & one is at the end & external, VERY EASY TO TELL APART as I keep saying.