I was having a couple of pints with my brother and we got to talking about the MINI and the mini.
We both learned to drive in the 70's in a 1963 mini that my mother had. You started it by turning the key and pushing the starter button in the floor. It was a real wreck by then but great for teenagers (from a parents perspective) because it wouldn't get over 45mph without shaking itself to bits. The battery died regularly but despite all this it was always reliable because it was real easy to push start. We could push start it in our 20 yard driveway forwards or backwards or, if you were by yourself, just push it down the road to a hill and hop in.

Anyway, to get to the point, this got me wondering if, with all the modern electronics, the MINI (nonCVT) can be push started when the battery eventually dies.

 

You mean like dead, dead? No Electronic Fuel Injection, Electronic Ignition, No ECU functions? Or just dead like the starter motor packed it in? No idea on the first, but I have push started mine with a "live" ignition.

p.s. I've got a crank for my MGA, and still use it on occasion. Talk about getting some strange reactions from John and Jane Q. Public.

 

As long as the car has a manual transmission, I think you should be able to push start it in an emergency. However, keep in mind that the MINI has an Electronic Wireless throttle system that has no physical connection to the engine whatsoever (Think of the MINI's gas pedal as a TV remote controller) perhaps making a push start a harder endeavor to accomplish.

The new MINI relies very heavely in engine electronics and software routines so this is definetely not your 1960's BMC Mini, not by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Thanks. I guess a way to test this would be to take it to a parking lot and get up to about 10mph then push in the clutch and turn off the engine, then while still rolling turn the key back to the on position and pop the clutch to see if it will restart.

 

Well, I can tell you from experience that I was not able to push start my S. I had to leave my car parked for 6 months (unplanned trip to southwest asia)and when I got back, the battery was toast. I tried to push start it, but no joy.

 

>>Well, I can tell you from experience that I was not able to push start my S. I had to leave my car parked for 6 months (unplanned trip to southwest asia)and when I got back, the battery was toast. I tried to push start it, but no joy.


You should disconnect the battery next time around to prevent drainage.

 

>>Well, I can tell you from experience that I was not able to push start my S. I had to leave my car parked for 6 months (unplanned trip to southwest asia)and when I got back, the battery was toast. I tried to push start it, but no joy.

Did you have any dashboad lights at all or was it totally electron free, to quote mcgman "Dead Dead" ?