Earlier in this thread, somewhere, I had written that I too had the engine light come on in position one and two - dash and speedo on 2008. My dealer fixed it on the first try. Owners manual says loss of power, could cause emission failure. My dealer says there is bulletin out on this. They went to the catalytic converter due to a Mini bulletin and they also said some reprogramming was specified. My invoice says "found fault 276a for cat converter performed sim 120208 and replaced cat converter def code 1832919600; labor 0057197 FRU; RMFD exhaust manifold with C:182019; 31MI hex nut:072000; 31MI gasket with heat protection:188520; 31MI clamp:189999. Problem solved. I too live in an area that can get cold temp's (-10 degrees f) and have had no problems since this diagnosis and fix. Really..........I don't read where anyone else has even considered this or has questioned their dealer, but, I am happy and still motoring problem free! It may not be the only fix or problem for the light, but, consider it my fellow Mini friends. This may be your problem too. Hey, Mini says it was the fix. They were right. Take care.

 

One Question,
Have you driven it since you had the fix with snow on the mini or driven it to work while it was snowing and had to brush the snow off after work? Thks CJ

 

I have taken it to the dealership to have a fix done. I'm not sure what the part # is yet, I will post that shortly. But, so far it only lit up once, then I turned it off and on again and it cleared up. So far for the last 3 weeks with the weather changing up and down to extremes and very windy it hasn't happened again. Good sign, but this could still be a variation of the earlier fixes without the extra tubing off the manifold.

I'll look at the invoice later today.

 

Follow up on fuel: I don't believe the ice in the throttle body problem is caused by "wet" fuel. The local stations that cater to snowmobiles and the like have non-oxy premium (91 oct.) so I have run that 99% of the time (wow does gas mileage suffer without it). I still have suffered with the CEL for ice in the throttle body, although far less than before I had the moisture catch can "fix."

 

It dumped a crap load of snow here in Edmonton today. It's windy, and was about -8C here. Short drive to work...will find out later tonight on the drive back whether there are problems. Fortunately or unfortunately, here in Edmonton, it seems "Old Man Winter" can strike at any point...so it appears we'll have a few more test days before the summer finally arrives :P

 

It's been over a week now since I got the new manifold fix installed here in Edmonton and as Neo pointed out the weather has been all over the place, lots of snow and cold and melting, but I have had no issues.

 

My service advisor also was quick to blame the fuel I use, or fuel "in general", blaming that blasted ethanol for everything.

Correct me if I'm wrong (chemistry geek here), but the reason for adding "dry gas", which is either methanol or propanol, is to solublize the condensation (water) in the fuel so that water separation doesn't occur and no freezing ensues. The alcohol (dry gas), has a polar ("water-like") character and a nonpolar ("gasoline-like") character. The polar part of the alcohol dissolves the condensed water and the nonpolar part of the alcohol also will dissolve in the gasoline.

Therefore, added ethanol in gasoline wouldn't "make the water form" or "cause the water to separate out" as my service advisor suggested. Perhaps it might cause other issues, but I can't see how frozen throttle valves or gas lines could result from added ethanol. Also, why would added ethanol be such an issue for MINI anyway? It's not like it's anything brand new. Ethanol has been added to gasoline for years. As long as the octane is sufficient, it seems that MINI engines and engineers should be able to "handle" added ethanol as a fuel additive.

 

I'm not sure if I'm reading all this wrong, but is everyone assuming the fuel has something to do with the engine light, or with the frozen throttle body?

I can see it having something to do with a rough idle on its own, if the fuel isn't burning properly or whatnot. Changing grades of fuel or fueling up elsewhere could definitely alleviate a rough idle issue.

If, however, it's being associated with the frozen throttle body issue, it's definitely not the case. Might I remind everyone that these engines employ direct injection, meaning that the fuel is injected directly into the engine's cylinders, just before the compression cycle. The throttle body makes absolutely no contact with fuel in any way - it's basically a glorified air valve, nothing more.

Apologies if I'm reading posts wrong, but I thought I'd just clear the air....

And, Rysani, glad to hear your new and improved PCV valve system is working on your S! It's definitely good news! And, as you pointed out, we're definitely in for more long winter days, according to the forecast (I'm just outside of Lloydminster, on the Saskatchewan side of things).

 

frigid frigid weather here in Edmonton now....we're sitting at around -22C. No issues with start up or low power, with driving short distances. We will see how car reacts to more sustained cold weather over the next couple days.

 

Got my Clubby back from Desert Mini of Vegas, delivered on a flat bed and running like a thorough bred!

Here is their diagnosis "2427 Vacuum line wastegate hose incorrect install/loose short test fault code 2885// Test plan perform general visual inspection // Smoke test found vacuum line hose loose from factory//Reinstalled vacuum line and resmoke no leak found//Clear fault and test drove for 10 miles no engine light on.

Service was top notch - did not cost me a penny, and a big thanks to John Astle, SA!

 

-27C here today. The MCSa has been parked outside and hasn't experienced any problems one start up. Weather is expected warm back up to 0C by the end of the week, but it would appear the fix has weathered the storm. I will post updates if anything out of the ordinary transpires...otherwise this will be my last post on this item. Good luck to everyone.

 

Thank you much. I also had the latest fix. Nothing like your temps, but the fix has weathered the storm, such as it is, here in NJ. I'm done here too, but would like to hear if anyone w/ the "latest fix" had continued problems.

 

Thanks to you both for posting.

My MINI S goes in Monday. I sure hope there's a stored code in there! I'll let you know what they do to my baby, but I'm a bit encouraged that there are some success stories here!

 

Hey TK76911S, which mini dealer did you go to? I just took mine to morristown 2 weeks ago, and they were the ones that told me its the gas. I literally dropped the car off, left the dealer and was gone for about 20 minutes and got a phone call from them saying that it was the gas and the only fix is a $175 fuel injection treatment. which i declined.

 

Well like Neo has said the weather here has been brutal for the last week and is now warming up. I have had no issues what-so-ever even with my short drives to work. Looks like this fix is the one we were waiting for and I can stop posting on this thread. Huzzah!!

 

and you were right to decline it. What a sham.
It's ironic that anyone would say the problem is with ethanol, when it is a drying agent like other gasline antifreezes (methanol and isopropanol).

 

Yes! Exactly what I was saying above. And the MINI service advisor was trying to push this reasoning on me! Sheesh.

My MINI goes in on Monday. *fingers crossed!*

 

So, after a couple of weeks of nasty weather, and lots of short trips, the new manifold seems to work. No problems starting or running.

We have not seen a repeat complaint on this site since the fix - which bodes well.

The testing grounds of Manitoba are turing sour though. It was 8C today, and not getting below -10 in the forecast.

Good luck to all.

 

My MINI S went in yesterday and late yesterday I got a phone call saying that they were overnighting a new manifold for the car. So...it seems I'm also getting a new manifold. I sure hope this is "the fix"! Thanks to everyone for posting your experiences. It's warming up here in CT and I probably won't be able to tell if the manifold fixes the problem until next winter.

 

Is there anyone out there who can confirm that MINI is putting the PCV bypass (those four fancy hoses) into production on all its new vehicles produced since March? I'm definitely hoping so!

 

^ rosvick,

Are the four hoses you're talking about the same as the new manifold described in this thread?

 

Sorry for the confusion. Technically, yes, it's the new manifold design, but there have been two updated manifolds in the past. This current one has a PCV bypass, which vents directly back into the manifold, after the throttle body, instead of before it, which was causing the body to freeze. See Post #270 (a few pages back) to see photos of the hoses I'm talking about. This is the fix that seems to be working, from what I understand here.

 

^ Thanks for clarifying, rosvick.

I actually printed the photos in post #270 so I can compare with my MINI when I get it back. It's in now and they ordered a manifold.

Do we know if the "new fix" consists of this method or is MINI trying any other fixes? If the four hose fix pictured previously does the trick, I sure hope that's what I'm getting.

 

Bettehead, I certainly hope that you're getting the new hoses under the bonnet! Best of luck!

 

^ Thanks, rosvick.

I got the car back today but it was pouring rain and I didn't check under the hood for the hoses yet.

Taking a tip from mini coop, see below:

My invoice says the following:

CUSTOMER STATES ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY
CAUSE: Intake manifold leaking
1161550 Removing and installing intake manifold
330 WMC
1 11-61-7-595-078 Intake manifold 116010
FC: 1161124800

PERFORMED SHORT TEST AND FOUND FAULTS FOR THROTTLE VALVE JAMMED. PERFORMED TEST PLAN AND FOUND WATER IN THE INTAKE AND WAS ADVISED TO REPLACE INTAKE MANIFOLD. REPLACE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND CLEAR FAULT MEMORY. TEST DRIVE.

I hope this will fix the problem, although I probably won't know 'til next winter.
There was no charge for the service above, but I requested an oil change even though my car has only 3100 miles on it and I got charged for that.

Um...what should a MINI dealer oil change w/synthetic oil go for??