good description of the trouble ,to fix it


two words

catch can



(or buy a new redesigned car )


https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...catch-can.html

 

It is easily solved by combining conventional fuel injection with direct injection. So it was designed to fail. Like so many things on this car it seems.

 

I just don't care to have oil all through my intercooler and intake tubing looping around the left side of the engine only to be inhaled by the intake valves. I rather take a shortcut because you're not going to catch all of the oil even if it were 50 % percent.

 

Thanks for the reply/posting. I see the issue stems from the direct injection versus injecting fuel into the intake that washes oil vapor away during the induction cycle. I spoke to another MINI dealer today who quoted only $600 to do the walnut blasting. Car goes in next week - and the catch can/bottle project begins.

 

Thanks SystemLord, catch can it will be after the walnut blasting. Then later, a big valve head and other silliness : )

 

Hopefully you can find it for even less $ than that. Motoring Magic in Thousand Oaks did mine for $445. That's a long way from Costa Mesa, but if MM can do it for that much then perhaps you can find another vendor down your way who can manage a similar price.

 

I had Motoring Magic do the walnut blast and while they were at it we took a look at my spark plugs. They actually weren't bad at all, interestingly. Not at all black. A little dirty but really not bad at all. I wouldn't have even bothered replacing them except you could see the spark gap was larger than it should be on several of them.

The valves, on the other hand... there was some serious grunge in there. I have before and after pictures but I'll have to upload them later.

 

Detroit Tuned does it for $392.

 

How did your cylinders look? I easily see myself driving from Mission Viejo all the way up to Motoring Magic to have my valves blasted again, I love driving so it's a plus, plus for me. My spark plugs looked absolutely normal, the hotter areas in the cylinders tend to stay the cleanest (white/gray) while the colder areas seem to have the most build-up of carbon.

 

Good to know in case I need their service later on.

 

2009 JCW R57. 38k miles. Brought it to the dealer with symptoms of "stuttering" (tech report called it "chugging" around 3,000 rpm under heavy acceleration most noticeable in gears 3-6. Diagnosed as "severe" carbon buildup, to quote report. Also found injectors to have buildup, spark plugs worn & valve cover leak.

Dealer resolution was walnut shell carbon cleaning, fixing valve cover, replacing spark plugs, cleaning injectors & DME reprogram. Cost was apx. $2,800. MBI coverage took care of cost (minus small deductible) due to valve cover leak possibly being a factor.

Picked up the car today & stuttering/chugging is gone & overall acceleration much smoother again. I do notice louder & more prevalent exhaust pops, especially at higher rpms. JCWs do this anyway, but it seems more frequent & louder now. Possibly result of DME reprogramming, but that's just a guess.

SA also advised me on ways to slow down future carbon buildup (drive it hard at least weekly, rev engine occasionally when hot to blow out deposits, use additives every 3k-5k to clean injectors), but also said that future carbon buildup & cleaning to remedy is all but inevitable. This is essentially a maintenance issue & in my opinion should be covered under maintenance/service plans, just like clutch, brakes, wipers, oil changes, etc.

 

2009 S Clubman ~90k, the dealer and MINI ate the cost because I had had the car a month and when I bought it they said it had just been done.

 

I received the latest Bavarian Autosport newsletter in the mail last week and they show a new product for a DIY: Walnut Media Blasting Kit for $229.95. It says it initially launched a special adapter for the BMW N54 twin turbo with a similar direct injection system as the Mini. Hopefully they will produce a Mini adapter. Sounds like a less expensive DIY option, especially if this is a common occurrence of build. Has anyone tried walnut blasting themselves?
http://www.bavauto.com/newsletter/20...newsletter.pdf
Video: http://blog.bavauto.com/15543/bmw-di...-walnut-blast/

 

Looks like a Harbor Freight blaster and media. The overall price is pretty fair, especially as they've done the work of making sure you have all the right adapters.

 

May as we'll throw my 2c in. Chk engine light came on this week at 50k miles on our 2007 Cooper S and took it in for service. Turns out we had a timing chain tensioner issue which thankfully was covered under a recall. However SA advised me I could use a new oil separator (?) and had huge carbon build up on the valves. I could easily see it w a weak flashlight and technicians mirror. Asked about cost. Oil separator was $700ish and valve cleaning about $400+. They seemed to consider that a deal bc they already had part of the engine apart for the timing chain issue. I politely declined and will use some injector cleaner to try to break down the buildup. Worst case scenario I'll just have to take it back if power continues to decline.

 

There's only one way to remove the carbon from your valves and intake runners, that's walnut blasting which is why they quoted you $400+. Also if the dealer only replaced the tensioner I guarantee your timing chain and tensioner problem will return because the tensioner allowed the chain to stretched and it's only a matter of time before your chain fails also.

When a tensioner has an issue the damage is already done, see the tensioner provides proper tension on the timing chain and if the tensioner is having issues than most likely the tensioner hasn't been properly tensioning the chain. This is why almost everyone who just had the tensioner replaced have had problems at a later date with the timing chain.

After I paid $800 to have my intake valves and intake runners my Mini had gain at least 10hp, it was night and day difference!

 

Injector cleaner won't work for carbon build up on the valves. Well, unless you apply it directly to the intake valves and scrub the carbon off with a wire brush.

It is much easier to have a shop do a walnut shell blast to remove the carbon.

What is the oil separator the SA was talking about? I don't think the dealer would recommend an Oil Catch Can as that would be altering the Positive Crankcase Ventilation system and they can't do that. Maybe they meant a new valve cover? It has a kind of oil separator in it.

Dave

 

I'm curious as well, the cyclone separator built into the valve cover does a poor job on the N14 engines, much improved on N18 engines. I can only dream of owning an N18 engine. That carbon build-up is stubborn, remember there's no injector to spray gas onto the valves in a Direct Injection Engine.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the carbon build up. If it's taken 50K to become a problem, I can live with doing the routine maintenance (prob will just do it every 30K bc I'm sure it's been a prob for awhile now).

Yes, the oil separator the SA referred to was basically the top of the valve cover.

Also, they are replacing the timing chain as well bc of the stretching issue.

 

That's what I wanted the hear, because if they hadn't you would be back again with the same problem. I see the walnut blasting being done every 30K miles as routine maintenance. Plus the dealer will go ahead an update your ECU, if it wasn't for that I'd take it somewhere else. Many shops offer the carbon cleaning for $350-$550.

 

After reading forums (NAM and others) and other I decided to try BG-44K fuel additive at 21,000 miles. It suggests a can every 7,500 miles. I just finished my first tank with a can of BG-44K. I used it as preventative. Maybe it is in my head, but my CM seems to be a little peppier and my mpg has definately increased.

http://www.bgprod.com/catalog/gasoli...ystem-cleaner/

 

If that BG 44K was a fix you'd see the dealer's using it rather than walnut blasting. It may clean some carbon off the piston tops.

The real problem is the intake manifold & especially the back side of the intake valves. On a direct injection engine the fuel never sees the back of the valves. That means this stuff won't work on an N14-N18 engine.

 

I'm the original owner of a 2009 Mini Cooper S Hardtop (R56) automatic with approx 37,000 miles. I'm somewhat **** about having it serviced frequently at my dealer (Mini Of Universal City, Calif). I've been lucky, my Mini has been driven less frequently, and sits in the garage moreso. I've been able to savor it.

To this date I'm not sure if there has been any mention of any sign of carbon build-up from the service managers. I have used mostly 76 brand fuel (91 octane). It seems to drive mostly responsive.

After looking through my files, analyzing a few detailed service reports, the only significant [fix] I notice was an open recall item (M 11 04 13):
"checking and replacing timing chain tensioner, timing chain and removing and installing/sealing engine oil pan to remove fragments." (quote).
I did notice better overall response after this above service.

I've driven my Mini mostly in default (non-sport) mode for the most part- just being conservative. However I've played around with Sport Mode more and more recently. Now that I realize it's healthier to drive in Sport Mode (to alleviate carbon build-up) I will gladly make a point to do so.

I love this little "Mini" car, best little car I've ever owned. I've been through the rice-burner thing for maybe 15 years, owned modified Acura Integra's, they were a lot of fun (especially for the price). But these Mini's outshined those Honda's in stock form. I'm hoping my Mini will exhibit the same level of reliability the Honda's provided me though?

Should I specifically ask the technician to check for carbon buildup?

 

Why would you think driving in Sport Mode would be healthier? First time somebody ever claimed that on NAM.

 

I read a few quotes from previous post's claiming that periodic high-rev driving stints [could] have the tendency to help clear intake valve train and injectors. Am I totally incorrect?