...when the car is cold, at idle if you don't give it some gas, it tends to want to sputter and die. It does this until it's warmed up.

Richard[/QUOTE]

Does this happen to anyone else or is this an isolated incident?

 

Does this happen to anyone else or is this an isolated incident?[/quote]

sounds like a vacuum leak, exhaust leak or possibly a small fuel trim adjustment on the tune

Richard, bring the car by when you get back I'll read the fuel trims.

 

On a related note... my car is throwing rich codes for the past couple of weeks maybe once every few days... short term fuel trim is going to 20-21 occasionally which is triggering these... and is often in the mid-high teens at Mid-Revs... I'm going to be checking for leaks again...

I sure wish I lived near Jan...

 

Cool will do Jan, thanks!!

Richard

 

I've had it happen a few times when it is really cold and I try to take off too quickly; than again my car has not been tuned yet. Another one needing you to come east Jan...

 

I want to come east.....there's great brew in Philly

 

Come east after you ship the header and cam to helix so they can install it before you are here to tune it.

 

Slightly off topic, but what are you using to measure fuel trim?

 

ScangaugeII

 

Yeah same here Jan, although it would be nice to install your goodies once it warms up a little (no heat in my garage!!) I'll suffer a little frostbite to get your cam and header on in time for a tune from you. That is if you really WANT to come out east....hehehe

Steve

 

Ok... let's have a little fun ............

EVERYONE TOMORROW CALL HELIX AND SAY ..............LET'S SCHEDULE A TUNE DATE

Maybe a few days of this will put a fire under Eric's bee-hind

 

I have an appointment with him this coming week. If the "tune date" is concrete, I'm definitely in. that will safe my trip.

Lets make this happen.

 

Agreed - I have ordered Jan's cam and header in Dec - once they come in I'll book the install and then wait patiently for Jan to come to Helix and tune some more magic into the car.

 

My MINI needs you to check as well. Mine always happens when the ambient temp is lower than 35 degree F.

See you at Helix.

 

consider it done!

 

I have already bothered Eric and Ralph enough about getting Jan to come in for a "Tune day".
See you when you come East somday Jan.

 

mini idles super low some times, and begins to shudder, but at other times it idles at about 1200 rpm, but usually this is only when its cold outside and goes away after the car is warm. The car only randomly has a rough idle (drops to below 700 rpm) but after a few shudders it seems to realize that something is wrong and raises the rpm's on its own.

 

I liked the bad ole days with my TR7 when I could twist a screw on my Stromberg carb...

Not really...

 

same here.

btw, eric beat me to it today. sent an email saying that the move was coming along...but the dyno day was "a ways out"

 

must bug Eric more...................

 

its sad that I had to sift through almost 10pages of BS just to learn about a product im interested in because of a couple people :( but oh well,
I still have a couple questions that I want to clarify.

1. Will this cam have chance of causing some reliability concerns? (i get a little freaked when i start thinking bout internal parts). Is there any trade offs other than a possible decrease in mpg?

2. Is the install something any halfway competent mechanic can do easily, or would i be better served to find someone who is more familiar with MINIs, even if it means driving several hours? I drove 5 hours, one way, just to get an RMW tune, so roadtrips arent a big deal if I need to do it.

3. should i get jcw injectors now, or will they only benefit me at the very top end? (where i dont often push the car)

 

Longboard

 

sorry if i was one of those people. regarding #3...you do not need bigger injectors with the cam. however, you will want them for the tune

soccerbummer, i didn't have the initial low idle/shudder phenomenon this a.m. then i remembered i had this problem with my e46 m3. turns out it was fuel related. i filled a different brand gas yesterday and had no issues despite the 25 degree weather. so try different gas and let us know how it goes.

 

i did, and it fixes the problem most of the time. When i ran 87 octane i actually had it shudder to almost stalling once, but now i only use 93 octane. every now and then the car starts vibrating a little harshly, but most of the rumble is just noise now. Now it mainly idles high some times on cold starts :P, to the point that i can smoothly let out the clutch without hardly touching the gas and it wont yoyo or stall. Once its warmed up though most of my issues disappear.

 

I mentioned the idle issue because I knew others experienced it as well but may not have been quick to point it out. But it's not a problem as long as you realize that it could happen. It's my understanding that other cams actually suffer a lot more idle problems and if that's the case, then some one installing a cam for the first time, might not realize that this is somewhat typical with cams.

For me, it's just another peculiarity of my MINI that further keeps the wife or anyone else from driving my MINI, lol. I use only 91 Octane from Chevron or 76 and like others have said it happens only when its cold and it goes away when warmed up.