Wife and I drove about 40 minutes today to get some stuff done. well we didn't much done.

we stopped for breakfast and get back in the car turn it on...yellow engine light comes on and it is running really rough.

limp it to an advance auto parts to get the codes read.

P0300
P0303
P0304

first time it has thrown codes like this. Hottest day of the year so far as well.

so what you bet it is? won't find out till sometime next week. got it towed to the local shop as it needed some other stuff check anyway.

I'm betting head gasket leak between 3 and 4 causing bad compression.

2008 justa with 88k miles.

Really hating cars right now....

we pay off this car and it goes to absolute hell. water pump starts leaking, thermotat housing starts leaking, oil filter housing starts leaking coolant, axle seal is supposedly leaking, oil pan is leaking, valve cover starts leaking.....

My 88 MR2 runs like crap, bogs under 3k, won't idle right...

Down to my 04 chevy colorado....waiting for it to break now.....

 

think we may end up just ditching this car..

paid it off in may, ext. warranty ran out in may, car went to **** and we have put almost 4k into it since then.

88k miles and it completely falls apart. Much to my wifes dismay, we will nevre buy another mini or german car for that matter. My wife loves this car but prtty much screwed once your warranty runs out.

 

P0300 - Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected
P0303 - Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected
P0304 - Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected

What I suggest you do is switch around your coil packs. See if the misfires follow with the pack. It sounds to me you have either faulty spark plugs, wires, or faulty coil packs. When was the last time these were replaced? There are other options as well that are listed here. Here is a great DIY that can help you with the replacement if you do not wish to take it to a shop/dealer.

 

is there a test on the coils one can do like read the resistance between points?

 

also assume withthese cars a decent ODBII reader can clear the codes or does it require some super special mini device?

 

Most OBD readers will be able to clear the codes they can read. Relatively few readers can see all of the codes; there are a number of MINI- and BMW-specific ones that most readers don't know about.

Note that a number of codes will come back if the underlying condition is not fixed, and we have heard some people say that they were unable to clear specific codes with their particular reader.

 

Did the car overheat? Are you loosing coolant? If coolant in oil it changes color and consistency. If no coolant in oil then your head gasket is okay. The misfire could be something as simple as your plugs so pull those and check them. Testing the coils is a good idea but you can't just pop them in different holes because #1 they probably won't fit due to spark plugs wires different length and #2 the firing order will get messed up and car won't run. You have to completely disconnect the coils from wires, then swap. A simple code reader will turn off your light if that's all that's going on. If it's not the spark plugs or coils, then you just have to go through the list making sure you have air, fuel, and spark. The minis are notorious for bad carbon build up on intake valves so check some of the carbon buildup threads to see how to fix. Good luck.

 

no overheating, no weird color of coolant or oil.

I want to pull the plugs BUT... 12 point sparkplug socket needed and I can't find one anywhere.

has indivisual ignition coils per cylinder so....why cant you just swap them

wonder if a 14mm 6 point and a magnet will do the job.

i'm going to get now it is carbon issues...which we are in no way going to pay to fix that. I suspect it would be a bunch of money. If I cant swap plugs and coils we are going to limp it somewhere and trade it in even if we only get a few thousand for it. Cant keep tossing money at this car anymore. 4k in last 3 months alone on top of the 5k we spent to pay it off completely at the beginning of may.

too bad when mini does those scope inspections they cant tell out bad it is. we just had one of those done in may.

sucks either way...

 

I doubt your coils are bad so I wouldn't worry about that. It could also be your fuel injectors which is easy to replace. Best thing to do is pay MINI to diagnose which should run around $120-$140. Then do the work yourself. You can pull the intake manifold and inspect yourself and you might save the diagnosis fee.