My 09 Cooper S is having some issues. Rough idle and the check engine light are on, the OBD reader is telling me there's a stored P115D (Mass Air Flow Sensor) code, and a pending P1497 code (not sure what this one signifies). My initial thought is to clean the MAF and reset the code, but I'm worried this P1497 code might indicate a larger problem at hand. I'll describe what happened below:

I took my 09 Cooper S (which is unfortunately freshly out of warranty) to my first Autocross event. 3 laps in, I got a check engine light . I parked and read the code with an OBD2 scanner and saw that it was reading the P115D MAF code. We let the car cool down, cleared the code, and then tried to start the car again. The engine would start nicely, but then immediately stumble and die as the revs approached idle. After multiple attempts to start, we disconnected the MAF sensor ( by unplugging the cable). With the MAF sensor unplugged, the car started up and ran just fine. I then parked the car, reconnected the sensor, and walked away for some cone duty.

After letting the car sit for two hours, I attempted to start it once more, and it started up just fine (albeit with the CEL and limited power). I was able to drive it home, and just now to the autoparts store. The CEL is on, and the car idles somewhat rough, but it drives fine.

Could this be a purely MAF sensor issue?
Is the pending P1497 code more ominous?
What steps could I take to further diagnose this issue?

Thanks for any advice.

 

I haven't run into any issues with the MAF sensor, but did just have a run in with my Mini throwing the P1497 code. I would keep my eye on it. P1497 means there is a downstream throttle leak, which could be a vacuum line or more likely the valve cover.
This thread talks about this issue, and replacing the valve cover was really only a half hour job to do in my garage. No more vacuum leak since!

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...cuum-leak.html

 

check for leaks, the pipes, etc