Background
MINI Coopers are beautiful, fun to drive, and are the ultimate hot hatch. And they have always had timing chain issues.
The N12/14/16/18 Gen 2 'Prince' engine design is a technologically advanced, powerful, and very fuel efficient power plant. As it is in such widespread use, its weak spots are well-known, and proven solutions have been developed to address them. Having worked in hundreds of them, we at CarHavn know them very well.
Like a fine Swiss watch, your engine has a precise internal mechanism where the power generated in the pistons is transmitter to the camshafts. The timing chain job is to transfer that power to the crankshaft, which turns the transmission. This needs to happen very precisely, as the engine turns approximately 500-7000 times a minute.
The Issue
A combination of materials, design, and lack of frequent maintenance cause MINI Cooper timing chains to fail relatively early in their lifespans. We have seen broken guides at 50K miles. Generally, the timing chain in a MINI should be replaced before 100K miles.
The most common conditions are:
- Guides cracking due to brittle material, 10K mile oil service intervals, or manufacturing defects
- Tensioners losing tensile power, which leads to a stretched timing chain.
- Material of the timing chain, which stretches over time.
Symptoms
A failing timing system has some specific signature symptoms in this engine.
- The 'Rattle of Death' - rattling in the timing chain area
- Elongated crank times (sometimes0
- A Check Engine Light on (sometimes)
- Diagnostic Trouble Codes set in the car's computer (sometimes)
The only sure way to check for timing chain stretch is to use a professional scan tool or software to measure a specific value in the engine computer - the camshaft adjustment values.
