My son has a 2015 Mini Convertible with a misfire on cylinder one.

We will change the coil but he and I disagree on which cylinder is #1.

Standing in front looking at the engine, is it on the right of left?

Thanks.

 

Major note: you've posted in a 3rd generation forum (F series MINIs, but the model year 2015 MINI Convertible is a 2nd generation (R series, specifically R57).

2nd generation and 3rd generation engines are not the same. 2nd gen would be an N series engine, 3rd gen would be a B series engine.

In both cases cylinder #1 should be the one closest to the front of the engine, which is to the left based on the vantage point you described (standing in front of the car). The front of the engine will always be where the crankshaft pulley & serpentine belt are located.

I mention the question of which generation the engine actually is because you will find statements that cylinder #1 is "on the same side as the timing chain." For 2nd gen engines (N series) this is true, because the timing chain is on the front side of the engine. For 3rd gen engines (B series) this is NOT true, because in those engines the timing chain is at the rear side of the engine (meaning the side where the flywheel and transmission are). So if you see conflicting information about where cylinder #1 is, citing location strictly based on the timing chain location, that's why.

Hope this helps.

 

Excellent, thanks!

 

CJV2 brought up a good point, so I looked up the firing orders for N series and B series engines. CJV2 is correct; you can't say the #1 cylinder is on the timing chain side on a B series engine. Just to clear up any questions; here are the pics from the service manual. The front of the engine being the side where you find the harmonic balancer.

Here is the firing order for the 1.5L B36 engine. Pretty easy to remember!


Here's the B46, 2.0L engine; Cylinder numbering and firing order are identical to the N series engines.



I can only imagine how much confusion BMW would have caused if they moved Cylinder 1 to the rear (timing chain side) of the engine with the B series engines. It's bad enough you now have to pull the engine, separate the transmission, and remove the flywheel to replace any timing chain components. Who in the heck though that would be a good idea? Why should we care about perfect 50/50 weight distribution of the engine ... it's the car we are driving not the engine.

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