Hi
That should be "valve cover gasket replacement".

I'm in desperate need of some help. My car no longer idles. It was fine until I replaced a leaky valve cover gasket...smoke test now shows no leaks, but the car doesn't idle, it just dies.

The entire saga is here (I'm triple posting in desperation):

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...placement.html

Does this seem familiar to anyone?

Does anyone know how to reset our cars' idle control settings?

 

I have to think that you knocked off a vacuum line or a electric connection. Aside from throwing oil all over the place, I think the car should run fine with no cover at all. You have to triple check every single wire and hose and make sure they are in tight.
Fuel injector rail and all wires are right there where you said you got ham fisted for a bit.

 

They can get it to idle by keeping the throttle body open with a bit of hose - adding more (metered) air to the system...I don't know if this points to there being no leak or not - but tomorrow they're gonna let it idle in this way and then spray some carb cleaner to see if they find any other leaks.

My bet is now on either an electrical connection, or some issue with the idle control setting...

I'm going to get the car back before the weekend, then start searching (again)...

 

I would go back and check the work - specifically what was removed in the process of replacing the gasket.

- spark plug wires - examine for wear or swap them out temp from another MINI.
- Coil pack connector / harness - do not over tighten this coil pack. It will pull out the brass gromets seated in the valve cover.
- PCV valve hose connection.

 

You've disconnected the vac line in this process located UNDER the I.C but should throw a code . sel on ?? OBEY

 

I checked all the vacuum lines about 5 times.
And the shop has checked them all again...

How's this:

If you take the intercooler off, the car idles - makes a noise like a rusted chainsaw, but it idles pretty nice and smooth.
Put it back and it dies...It wants some extra air - 'cause the throttle plate is shut. Pretty consistent with it idling when you keep the TB open.


I'm getting the car back this afternoon - will remove the fuel rail this weekend and check the injector o-rings...and all the vacuum hoses under/around the fuel rail.

There must be a way to reset the throttle position sensor on our cars (I've found techniques for Loti, Nissans, Mazda's etc)...and one for Mini - which didn't work for me (or this is not my problem

M

 

Nope - sel has been off through all of this...Except right at the beginning when I had a "high idle" error code - because of what I assumed was a leaking valve cover gasket...once the gasket was replaced, and the error code cleared I haven't seen any other errors.

I'm going to remove the IC, fuel rails, injectors, etc and see if I see hose that's fallen off or damaged.

Heck , I think I'm even gonna go as far as removing the throttle body, cleaning it and refitting.

 

did you replace the o-rings on the injectors...I think they are kind a one shoot deal....if they were out, new o-rings should be used.
I do find it odd it will idle with no IC, and you have that sound....but I have never heard the SC running with no IC...so I don't know if it is odd.

 

You keep saying valve cover gasket and leak at the same time. Are you sure it isn't some other gasket? The reason I say this is the oil cap doesn't effect any engine management I ever heard of, so a valve cover gasket will just leak oil but There shouldn't be any issue with the engine other than that.

I have heard the chainsaw when I had a boot off a bit on the intercooler. It isn't a pleasant sound. Just for he haws maybe clean the intercooler with some brake cleaner, if it were clogged it would effect idle too.

 

So something - and I'm not sure what it was the valve cover gasket any longer - might have been the IC boot (I sprayed carb cleaner on the valve cover gasket on the left of the engine, behind the IC boot)...was leaking air...

I thought it was the valve cover gasket - but as HRM says that should have had zero effect on anything.

Anyway, when I replaced the valve cover gasket I also stopped this other leak (IC boot?)....

THEORY:
Here's my theory on what happened:
So, there was a leak...not big enough to stall the car, just big enough that it could idle at 2,500 rpm with the throttle closed...the ECU adjusted the throttle position to fully closed to get the idle down...And somehow stored this setting where a "normal" reset couldn't clear it.

When I fixed the leak, the setting was still in effect. So, I would start the car, it would close the throttle immediately and die. It had no time to adjust the throttle to idle - 'cause it died immediately, it never idled.


FIX:
Create a leak, then close it off slowly to give the car time to adjust the idle itself...

I unplugged the PCV valve hose...started the car and it idled at 1,100 rpm...

Then I slowly moved my finger across the open end of the hose...slowly making the air getting sucked into the manifold less and less...giving the car time to adjust the throttle position...after 20 seconds the hose was totally closed - with the car still idling...

I plugged the hose back in...let the car idle for a few minutes (perfect 900rpm)...turned it off...restarted -> still fixed.

$400 later (at least I got a new battery and IC boot).

 

That was a great idea. Glad you got it fixed.