Had some slightly used headers installed yesterday (along with the jcw suspension). Not 5 minutes after leaving the mechanic shop my Service Engine Soon light comes on. I thought it might go away so I drive home. I called my nearest MINI dealer/service center (4 hours away) and tell them about the light. They tell me that I can schedule an appointment but it's $100/hour just to look at it plus the cost of whatever they need to do. Is this my only and best option? It will have to wait a couple weeks since it's such a long trip. Is there anything the mechanic that installed the headers can do? I've heard about an O2 sensor. Is this what this is? Thoroughly confused. Thanks for your help.

Marc

 

im thinking it may be the sensor on the headers

 

What brand of header is it?

 

I was told Milltek.

 

Any strange sounds coming from the header?

Best bet is they forgot to reattach the 02 sensor(s).

Do you have access to floor jacks, jackstands, or a lift? It'd be pretty easy to spot.

 

If the light came on that quickly then there must be a problem with the front O2 sensor. Probably not connected correctly. Take it back to the people that did the install. They should be glad to recheck it for you.

 

No strange sounds at all. I'll call the mechanic right now. He's a family friend so he won't charge me for checking. Taking it in the morning. Thanks to all that responded!

 

Go to your local auto parts store and have them hook up the OBDII tester (FREE) they will tell you what the problem is and of course try to sell you the part.

or like i have purchase one and you can do it yourself.

TuffMini

 

Any update?

 

I dropped the car off at the shop about an hour ago. He said he'd check the sensors since that's what everyone thought it was. Hopefully it's ready by 2pm CT since that's when I have to go to work.

 

***UPDATE***

Just got off the phone with my mechanic. He hooked it up to his computer and it was the catalytic converter. He's going to replace it with a universal magnaflow and have it ready by noon.

 

Did you happen to find-out what code, or codes was triggering the SES light? If so, please share, thank you.

 

I will ask about the code when I pick up the car.

 

I/we would truly appreciate it...

I have had an issue that has bascially grounded me for about a month. Diagnosis, and minimal time to troubleshoot has pointed to an O2 sensor as a possible culprit... and I did do a header swap just prior.

Thanks again.

 

I'd wait if you could!!!! That Milltek Header should have a lifetime warranty on it! You should be able to get a new header from Milltek! I've read of a few other people on NAM that have had the same issue with their Milltek Headers.

 

Milltek header can run hot when used on the track but 5 minutes after install is not enough time to cause trouble in the cat unless it is defective.

Milltek needs to be contacted if the cat is defective and they can replace the header. Talk to your vendor. I know it's a pain to have to fuss with waiting and reinstalling the header.

Moral of the story be careful about adding headers, Service engine soon lights often come on and O2 sensors front or rear can be unhappy.

I've been through two Milltek headers now and recently had SES light on with normal street driving. Comes on, everything seems OK, light goes off after a few days then comes on again then goes off after a few days. Didn't check the code. Never had a driving problem. Now the light has been off for a month and all is quiet.

If I had to do it all over again I'd stick to the stock header. I still have it in the garage as back up. Some owners put the stock cat in the Milltek header and that seems to work OK.

 

Thanks for your input minihune. I bought the header used so I don't know how comfortable I am contacting stratmosphere. If this quick fix doesn't fix the problem with the SES light then I will either contact stratmosphere about the problem or just switch back to the stock header. I had my stock header for sale but I think I'm going to go ahead and hold onto it for a little while.

 

I've dealt with Stratmosphere and they were helpful. Even if used, the header has a warranty. If it is less than a year old then it might be worth contacting them. If it's very old and was from a tracked MINI then the Cat is likely cooked and that is the problem. When the header was installed the cat core could become dislodged or loose (mine was) and just rattles around. This can also lead to cooking your resonator (depends on your cat back exhaust design) and I had to replace that as well (milltek cat back). Once the cat malfunctions the SES light comes on.

I'd expect that if you replace the cat it may do OK so it is up to you. Good luck.

 

He hasen't gotten to it yet so I'm putting the job on hold until I contact Stratmosphere right now. Wish me luck!

 

I just contacted Stratmosphere and Greg told me to call back on tuesday after he contacts Milltek. He said that the warranty is a year but it's not transferable. He thought that the best he could do was offer me a new one at a discount. Considering how much these things run, I doubt I'll purchase a new one. At this point I'm leaning more towards putting the stock one back on and being done with it.

 

Good Luck!

 

OOps TOO LATE

 

OK, thanks for the update.

I didn't want to put my second Milltek header back in and have it burn up the cat like the first one did. Not sure about any differences in design with the new one I have.

I did ceramic coating of the new header to help to reduce heat and will be watching for any problems.

Next step is cut off the cat and replace with stock cat or aftermarket cat.

Then if needed next step would be to go back to stock header but not if I cut off the stock cat.

OBX and other headers can be used with aftermarket cats. Sometimes similar SES light problems.

The reality is for street driving header upgrades aren't really cost effective. You can't see the cat and your cat back exhaust is already doing the bulk of the positive gains from an exhaust upgrade. Plus less trouble with SES lights with the stock header setup.

 

What codes can one expect with a cooked cat?

 

My mechanic didn't remember the codes and I didn't have time to have him check it again since I was already running late for work.