Also there are two top cam sensors on the R56 both the same part number best to replace both together I got both for like £55

 

New Injectors in this morning.....made absolutely no difference.....strike 3 lol time for the ecu/dme transplant this should be fun

 

Long day......... new injectors made no difference and sadly the ECU/DME did nothing except turn my abs warning lights on lol same car runs great till it warms up then the misfire at idle starts and the EML comes on.........Phew almost out of options now

TO DATE

changed plugs
changed coils
changed cam sensors
changed crank sensor
new injectors
new fuel pump
new dme/ecu

also tested the engine for combustion fumes in the water came back fine

lemme see that leaves....

valvetronic issue----unlikely no codes shown
or Valve stem seals------possible

Or indeed a burnt valve-----very likely---any way to test for this guys ?


either way i've had enough now might be time for a motor swap and i can diagnose with the engine out.....

 

A compression test will show a burned valve.

I hope it's not that...

 

Looked over the two posts mentioning the compression and leak down tests done, and I am not sure I am seeing that it was done correctly or maybe the description is confused?

Fuel pump was of sufficient specs in pressure? New fuel filter(s)? No kinks or pinches in the fuel lines?

 

Hi Rockaz i'm gonna redo the compression test today haven't checked the fuel pressure yet the fuel lines all look ok and the filter is non existant in these models its integrated into the sender a small gauze pad.....ive uploaded a video of what happens once it starts playing up.....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjPW...ature=youtu.be

 

Pawea......since you and I are having the exact same issue,.......have you measured the timing chain to see how much slack is in the chain? I've been told by other members of this forum that a stretch of only 5mm can cause our symptoms of P030x Cylinder X Misfire.
As you and i discussed, I ordered new cam sensors. If the cam sensor swap doesn't fix my problem, the timing chain, guides, tensioner, and crank sprocket are my next project.
Good luck buddy
Ed

 

Hi i would have no idea how to do that man from what i hear special tools are required plus the cost of doing the timing may not be worth it i can get a complete motor from a peugeot 308 with 9000k on it for £500 that i could do myself....just wanna be sure tho in case its something really stupid i've overlooked......i redid the compression test today when hot and just after the misfiring began not sure what to make of it tho....heres another wee video clip...........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q40x...ature=youtu.be

 

Hi guys pulled the valve cover today all looks sweet the timing chain looks to be in good condition with zero play looks like its been replaced not too long ago maye someone can tell by these pics if it looks ok......was speaking to a mechanic pal today had a look at the car he thinks its a vacuume leak somewhere...after seeing the symptoms in person......where tho thats the question i checked all the obvious lines.......

 

Welcome to this weeks waste of money at this rate i'll have a new car albeit with a bad idle lol

PCV HOSE
NEW MAP SENSOR

might as well have hit the pub........lol no difference

Now next weeks waste of money begins with a break for the sabbath

Looks like if i disconnect the exhaust Vanos valve the car runs fine........no bad idle
strange as i cleaned and swapped them last week and it made no difference,guess cleaning cant always solve problems if the component is faulty........
Anyway just a quick update have a good weekend everybody

 

Ok folks think I'm approaching the grand finale here seems to be an issue with the valvetronic vanos system if I unplug the exhaust solenoid valve the car runs fine......so I replaced the solenoid today car ran fine for a while then started playing up albeit worse hmmmmm........maybe I need to replace both,or indeed as I have read on a few BMW and Peugeot forums of similar problem when using the incorrect grade of oil which when hot is too thick resulting in vanos operating problems..........gonna be a fun week ahead lol

 

Pawae. How are you removing the VANOS? Where is it located and how difficult is it to romove? Maybe I should check that too, my car has the same symptoms. It seems to run much better when I removed the camshaft sensor. Ran great when it was not connected to the car. I ordered a new one....but I've been out of town for the last week.

 

Hi man the vanos solenoids are located on the left hand side of the engine just below the oil dipstick for the exhaust one 10mm bolt the inlet one is directly opposite the exhaust one on the Inlet manifold side same 10mm bolt both have a two pin plug.........then the main vanos motor is on the right hand side of the inlet manifold if viewing the engine from the front looking straight at it....... Easier to remove if you remove the air box and air inlet ......although I haven't touched this yet as I think you need to retract /rotate the cam shafts to release this these are a big source of problems on BMW engines and indeed on Peugeot engines same as ours........the minute I disconnected my exhaust one the car ran like a wee gem for a day no problems at all cept for the code because it was disconnected

 

Ok the issue is deffo with the vanos system or some related component,when i disconnect the Exhaust vanos solenoid the car runs perfect,i replaced the solenoid today for a known good one as soon as its connected the car runs like crap again.......crazy.....i'm wondering if i need to replace both the exhaust and inlet together strangely no vanos error codes are being shown at least ive narrowed it down....trouble is these damm valvetronic systems are like a can of worms with so many components relying on each other lol

 

With the new solenoid, reset the ECU/DME maybe?

 

thanks for the help guys Looks like the timing is off a tooth thats the only possible explanation left for the symptoms makes sense as the chain looks new and the tensioners are perfect looks like someones done it recently and have'nt set it correctly very easy to do from what i've been hearing..... question is do i drop in a replacement motor which i can do myself or do i attempt to check the timing chain, bearing in mind i don't have the correct locking tools needed....i'm thinking cost of a timing kit and hassle/not knowing what to do...........think the replacement motor looks like the way forward at this stage

 

Pawae. You can get the timing tools off ebay or online for around $100 USD. I understand it is time consuming, but not a difficult job.
If you start with a used motor, you may be staring over with someone else's problem.
My vote is to fix what you have. Keep me posted. Ed

 

I hate to give you bad news, but your cylinder head maybe cracked. I was having the same problem as you are, idle and misfire issues. Now what really sucks is that you will have to get a new head from the dealership. I had an independent shop that only specializes in mini , do the repairs. They tried a replacement head, but it was just as bad. It cost me nearly $3000 for the head by itself. The upside is that I have a 3/36 warranty on labor, and a 2/unlimited on the head itself from the dealership.

 

I'm afraid you may indeed be correct man that was the only two things i have it narrowed down to either timing off or a cracked head or block,sadly i missed the used motor i had lined up pissing about with silly things lol should have just dumped a new motor in from the start would have saved myself some serous headaches..........

 

Hi ED on the surface it seems like a straightforward job but in reality its far from man,as there is no CLEAR guide to doing it correctly..... from what i've found seems more like an art than a science.....the cam chain was replaced on mine very,very recently from what im told obviously done incorrectly.....the procedure is ......no timing marks to go by,so rotate crank until pistons are centred, then EX AND IN markings on the cam face upward, then lock crank and lock cams.....??????????? WTF lol, remove sprockets hopefully with out disturbing the cams and or crank......it's just not as clear as i would like compared to other timing i've done where you have clear marks top and bottom......i mean how do you even know its been done correctly ? then you have the added headache of the vanos and valvetronic system is it set correctly did it reset correctly ? madness the more i read about it the less i wanna tackle it man lol.....not like me to avoid getting my hands dirty but this seems all too vaugue for my understanding......

 

Pawea, is your problem intermittent or does it happen all the time? I'm having idle and power loss issues as well, and I'm just starting to diagnose it.

 

Now I've diagnosed it to a constant man lol only happens when warm and the valvetronic system kicks in ......about 90degrees Celsius cars been running great tho recently since I've unplugged the exhaust vanos solenoid apart from the check light that it's unplugged .........what are your symptoms ?

 

Pawea.....haven't heard from you in awhile. Have you been able to fix your idle issues?

I have found if I unplug the Intake Camshhaft sensor, my car runs perfect. I replaced the sensor last week and plugged it back in....however, the car ran like crap again. I found a guy in town that seems to be knowledgable on Minis, so I took it to him. I'm waiting to see what he has to say. Ed

 

Hi Ed whats up man.....if you replaced the sensor and it still runs bad you might need to reset adaptations via INPA or DIS i tried it with my new vanos solenoid didnt work for me its crazy when i unplug the vanos solenoid car runs great also,i'm not wasting any more time on it man... i got a cheap 18k mile motor from a citreon c3 goin in today i'll keep you updated on the swap been pretty easy and straightforward so far