Not sure if this is the same, as the issue i've recently had with an early BMW MINI i bought, but that was crankshaft pulley.
In my case the car was chirping, like a canary (very strange), and the noise changed with engine speed. The new MINI has a dual mass crankshaft pulley, essentially steel inner and outer sections with a rubber ring in between to act as a damper. The MINI has a common fault where the rubber breaks up over time and the weight distribution of the pulley changes, meaning vibration and funny noises.
Changed the pulley and car runs perfectly. Worth noting on the MINI there is a 99p oil seal behind the pulley, also a common failure point, so worth changing while it's all apart.
Looking at the link it seems the A series has a similar rubber damper set up, but this was only up to 1996.
http://www.minispare...|Back to search
Can't tell if the post 96 mpi item has the same.
http://www.minispare...|Back to search
If so check for missing chunks of rubber, this may be the cause.
Edited by humph, 11 July 2018 - 11:48 AM.