I am repeatedly getting a P1689 code (throttle monitor 2/3 torque calculation error or some such...). I've seen many posts on many MINI forums (fora?) asking about this, but never seen a clear answer. In almost every case, the car in question has been an MCS. Mine is an '03 MC with man. trans and NO DSC. If I get on it enthusiastically or hold a steady speed at above 3k rpm, the EML light and SES pops on, we go into limp home mode, and restarting returns all to normal, and after a few more starts the SES goes off. The code is always P1689.
Using INPA very unhelpfully only supplies the same info: 2/3 torque blah blah blah. Anyone got the magic bullet?

 

I would start by checking the TB and all the connections to it.

 

I would check your supercharger bypass valve. I bet you will find it hanging up and sticking. There was an issue on an earlier pro date that required a new throttle and or engine harness for several throttle faults but I don't remember the codes off the top of my head. But from your description of when and how it happens it sounds like the bypass valve to me.

 

Thanks for the advice. It is NOT an MCS, it's a justacooper. I've checked all my connections & wiring, checked to make sure there are no vacuum leaks, and cleaned the throttle body.

 

Sorry I misread you post.

 

I apologize if my response seemed snotty- my thanks is sincere. I appreciate any and all "spitballing" to try and get this annoying problem resolved.
I do have one possible lead: in using NCSexpert to read the EMS module, it listed Traction Control as "active". My car did not come with any traction control fitted, and as I understand ASC+T, it will retard fuel and ignition, even shutting down cylinders, if it thinks you are in a slippery situation. So I'm thinking that somehow the car thinks it has ASC, or ASC+T or DSC and cannot account for the lack of input from the relevant sensors?

 

Okay, good news is I figured it out. Bad news is it won't help anybody. Here's the short course: after many hours of teaching myself NCSexpert from the excellent tutorials found, among other places, on this forum, I combed through my modules looking for something amiss. I finally found it in the EMS module, where at first I though it was traction control. My car hasn't got TC. I disabled it but it didn't do anything but turn on a warning light in the speedo (same as the TPMS light). Then, going through one more time to reactivate the TC and turn out the light, I just happened to notice that the module thought my car had a MCS engine (115kw). I changed that to the 85kw engine, and BINGO- I cannot make the car go into limp home mode nor does the SES light up or the P1689 code come back. I can't explain the miscode in the module, unless it was an accidental cut-and-paste from when my DME was reprogrammed to be a man. trans after swapping out CVT.
So there you go...like I said, won't help a normal car, or person, at all.