Ok, I'll try to make this short and sweet, and see if anyone has any sort of insight...

2 weeks ago: car wouldn't start. Had plenty of juice, just wouldn't engage the starter at ALL! We tried to pop start it, after disconnecting the battery to try some other things. Pop-starting didn't work, but after we tried twice, it started right up. Yay! But then, my amp didn't work and the AC wasn't engaging the compressor and was REALLY hot.

1 week ago: the AC is working at this point, magically, so I start reading on here about the amp problem and get really scared. I decide to check the fuses, pull them out, see that they're good, put them back in. Turn on the car, the radio works. YAY!!!! I drive for a week with no problems.

Yesterday: I'm driving home from NC (to Nashville) and run through a MAJOR storm. After I get out of the storm, I notice my steering wheel controls don't work, the HU volume control doesn't work, the blinkers on the outside of the car work, but the gauge lights that blink don't, the headlights will turn off, but the gauge lights are stuck on.

I stop, pull fuses for all of the above. Radio still doesn't work, gauge lights for the above still don't work, but everything on the outside of the car still works. I drive home without a radio. I make one stop, car starts fine, stop at a gas station, car won't start. Try to push start it again, still doesn't work. Radio doesn't work. Gauge lights have gremlins.

I don't know what to do. I'm selling my Mini as soon as I can get it fixed, which sucks.... but I'm out of warranty. It ran out ONE month ago.

Has anyone had these kind of electrical problems? My fiance is an ASE certified technician, but he doesn't work on Minis... so if it's mechanical or electrical, he can fix it.

Any help would be SERIOUSLY appreciated.

 

More info would help...
Model+year....
when you say it had pleanty of juice...did the batteryget a load test or just a voltage check?

 

2005 Cooper Convertible.

Voltage check. Though even when the car was off, the negative contact was popping like it had a load. Unfortunately, Q's meter was locked in his toolbox at work, and mine's fried, so we couldn't really check and see what was going on.

 

These cars have been known to do some pretty odd stuff just before a battery dies...
you could borrow one temporaily from a second car....and see if the issue goes away....it seems odd...but with all the computer controled stuff...strangeness happens....
Next, just check the computer cables on the bcm, and engine computer are both snapped on tight, and the grounds (both in the trunk and under the hood are tight).
Simple, basic, free checks before you dig deeper.
if the battery is the oem battery....I would suspect it might be leading cause....a full load check, or simply dropping in a different one for a few days I suspect may suddenly fix things...
If all that stuff checks out....
going to the dealer or looking closely at the wiring harness might be a good idea...they sometimes choose to reload fresh software since it is possible something got corrupted...

 

Thanks Zippy, I will try that. I'm sure Q will do a thorough check of whatever he can with the electrical system. I'm really hoping I won't have to take it to the dealership... they're RIDICULOUSLY expensive, and I don't really have a lot of spare cash floating around at the moment.

 

Original poster, I hope your car issues have been figured out.

ZippyNH: Is there a diagram that would show where/how to check the locations for the cables on the BCM and engine computer that you described? I'm having some sort of electrical issue, but not with the battery.