***Apologies for posting this here if it's not the right place***

Hey all.

Please take a look at this and shed some light if you can.

Odometer under 2000 miles. Fuel was in reserve. Vehicle indicated 30 miles to empty. Went to Shell and put in some 93 octane. On I went for a 10 mile drive. Parked. Got back into the vehicle after 1 hour and drive 15 minutes/8 miles. Vehicle notified me that tire pressure was low and to inflate to specification and reset TPMS. Checked vehicle status and saw all tires were low but had 30 psi or over. Stuck in traffic. 5 minutes later vehicle notified me of a "Drivetrain Malfunction" -- Here's where things got dicey... Sputtering, rough idle, after a minute the vehicle stopped, wouldn't start. Put the vehicle in park. Waited about minute. Tried to start the vehicle and it did. Was only a few miles from home so I took it easy and got home. Waited about 30 minutes. Started the vehicle and after what seemed like a normal start within 5 seconds "Drivetrain Malfunction" came up again. Turned off the vehicle and it hasn't been started since. Checked the tire pressure with my gauge and pressure varied between 32-35psi. Not sure how these two could be connected, but figured it's worth mentioning.

Vehicle was towed to dealer. Sad that she's there and not at home. Bummer. Hope it's nothing serious and perhaps a software issue.

Any ideas as to what's going on? If not anything to pick me up would be appreciated.

Cheers, fellow Motorists.

 

Sounds like it may be water in the fuel, or at least that's the first thing I'd check for.

 

Really? Is this common? How does this even happen?

 

Usually a good way to avoid it is to avoid gas stations that are rundown and have a low turnover, but sometimes the best gas stations get bad fuel.

 

Thanks. This gas station is active. Let's see what come back from the dealer. Hope this isn't the case. Not sure how it would work with my warranty.

 

The other thing you shouldn't do is run the fuel tank down to 'reserve' level. That issue has been discussed a number of times on this site and it seems that doing so causes problems with the high pressure fuel pump.

 

Duly noted. Whatever the diagnosis I am not running my vehicle this low ever again.

 

Ouch hope it turns out OK. Other issue could be bad data going to the computer. That TPMS sounds like you were having a network issue if it spread to other sensors it can totally cross everything up. Bad reading from flow sensors etc will totally confuse the engine etc. If the engine can't talk to the rest of the drive train same issue.

 

I experienced the drivetrain error too on my F60. Happened one time while cruising at highway speed. Low power, rough running, could barely maintain 60mph. Pulled in to rest stop and took a break

Upon restart about 20 minutes later, got the same error but I drove off anyway. Within a few seconds, the error cleared and car ran without any issue. Still had couple hundred of miles ahead of me so I hoped for the best. No recurrence on the rest of the trip.

Took to dealer a day or so after my return and they found no error codes. They did perform a software update however. There have been no issues since.

My guess is your TPMS error was coincidental. You may just need the update to correct the drivetrain error malfunction. Could have also been improperly tightened gas cap. Dealer asked me of I had just gotten gas refilled as that can cause the problem. Not the case for me however.

 

I have been cognizant of this just so I am never the person who is called out for it. LOL. Not sure with earlier models, but the 2017 CM fuel cap tightens to about a half turn and stops. Essentially you can't leave it improperly tightened.

Appreciate the feedback. I have my phone near my at all times for that call. Will keep y'all posted.

 

UPDATE!

Just received a call from my service advisor...

Issue is with the EKP Module, which what I believe is the Fuel Pump Control Module. They're going to replace it and see if that's the root cause. This is the first time they've seen this issue with a 2017 CMS All4, so if it isn't the EKP Module they'll keep working on it until resolved. @mikey_t, you were onto something...

WRT the tire pressure, they say that it is very sensitive and even if pressure is off by 1 psi it will warn you. What's odd is that TPMS showed all 4 tires as under-inflated. They're going to inspect, inflate to spec, and hope that fixes it.

Over all I'm very happy with my dealer's service department. Here's to hoping they fix her up soon!


Waiting for another call tomorrow with an update.

 

Another Update...

Service said that there is water under the rear seat. I think I know how it got there, but isn't the fuel pump control module/relay behind the rear passenger seat up around the seat belt? Or is it somewhere else? If it is under the rear seat I know that maybe a couple of ounces of water spilled and if that's all it takes to break the module then we have a bigger problem... We're expecting a child and there will be spills. If a couple of ounces of water will ruin the fuel pump control module/relay then this might not be the right vehicle for us with a kid about to be brought into the world. Service also mentioned that if water is the cause of this issue then it might not be covered under warranty. There is no way I'm going to be paying for this. Just totally confused as to how a few ounces of water can break down a car....

 

" confused as to how a few ounces of water can break down a car...."

Welcome to world of MINI ownership. If i remember right, i believe the module is located right next to the fuel tank beside the rear drivers side wheel. I had to replace mine a few months ago because i 'over-filled' my tank.....

 

What was wrong with your 2017 Countryman? You never gave the final update?

 

Got her back today. Turns out it was the Control Unit for the Fuel Pump. The unit did suffer some water damage. I was told the unit is underneath the rear seat, which is where water would've gotten in. Once the control unit was replaced the technician performed the fuel pump electronics activation procedure. Drove the vehicle home things seem to be back to normal. I was taking it easy during this ride. I'll be more spirited tomorrow. There's no doubt that I'll be getting a seat cover. Any suggestions?

The Tire Pressure issue was just a coincidence. Turned out the pressure was low. When pressure was set back to specifications the TPMS was reset and all seems good there too.

 

Hope that the fuel pump computer was covered under warranty!
As a side note on the TPMS- I have always been told that the sensors will generate a warning light when they detect a 5 PSI differential. Normally tire pressures will increase and decrease with highway driving and length of driving time. You may see a warning light on a cold morning and wonder why it goes away with highway driving.....One consideration is to use Nitrogen instead of compressor air. Of all places, Costco uses Nitrogen fill and will use green plastic air stem caps to indicate that. We used to buy nitrogen fill and keep it at the house years ago for winter driving. Now I don't bother with that and just go to Costco. Winter will yield the highest rate of false alarms due to the condensation and wild temp swings. No need to spend days at the dealer and have them fuss with warranty paperwork only to write FNF ( fault not found).
This is an area where you can con control your time. Also learn how to use your TPMS reset feature. You don't need to go to a dealer if you refill air or have a tire replaced. It only takes a few minutes with the proper button pushing sequence.
Good luck and enjoy the ride!

 

Yes, all covered under warranty!

No Costco around me but I will keep nitrogen in mind.

Thanks for your reply and info.