I recently just installed the mina mania pulley kit, MSD coil pack, wires, plugs, 15% pulley and belt. I here everybody talk about that is the best upgrade for the money. Mine runs worse, slower less power and speed. It hesitates and is choppy under start of throttle. I'd change it back but what a pain lift motor not to mention the cost. It's still running the factory air box with k&N drop in. Tried the computer reset, didn't help. Any Ideas?

 

It can take a tank of fuel or so for the computer to adjust the "fuel trims" so the car runs like before....( the computer reset has been debated, but the thread shows how to do a "cluster" reset from what I understand... It does not reset adaptaions). So give it a few days...if you did everything right, and the car was mechanically sound, a pulley is typically good for about 15-20 hp to the wheels....
Are you running premium fuel? It is pretty important with a pulley....
Next...did you just toss the filter in or did you oil it first (this only has to be done after it is cleaned...too much oil on the filter can dammage sensors resulting in issues).

 

I think it's pretty obvious that something is wrong. You need to go back and check everything you changed or replaced. Did you accidentally pull off or crack a vacuum line fitting? Are the intercooler clamps and seals both installed correctly? Are there any loose plug wires?

Did you do the work, or did you have a shop do it? With all of the things that have to be removed/pulled off/and reassembled......odds are you have something that didn't get put back together right. I'm betting on a cracked vacuum hose or fitting.

 

Sorry for the lack of info. It's an 05 with 64k with 6spd. It's had about 4 tanks of gas ran thru. It runs ok but I know it's not the same as it was before the upgrade. The filter was cleaned and oiled properly. Maybe I was expecting more, it just appears to me as a step back. Thanks for the help. Open to any suggestions so keep em coming.

 

A new filter does not need oil.....just to be clear....90% of folks over oil when they do clean them...and oiling a NEW filter is an issue...
Very common....
Still look around...like said before...make sure you sc boots are on right, no odd sounds etc...a pulley is a nice performance gain...

 

Try getting rid of the factory air box for an aftermarket one, maybe it just needs a little more air, also if you are experiencing the "yo-yo" feeling when accelerating it could be bypass valve of which the Detroit tuned BPV seems to be a nice fix.

 

Try putting the OEM coil pack back in. The MSD unit can cause problems.

 

this would be my go to first, then i would try the BPV

unless the belt was slipping

 

Sounds like a vacuum leak to me. The only thing a pulley will do is give you more boost....that's it. More boost should not cause any of the problems you are seeing. Like others have said.... Get under the hood and start checking things out. Put the stock coil back on, check the belt, check for air leaks, put your old air filter back on......start troubleshooting.

 

also, if there was a vacume leak you could have popped a CEL,

with the MSD are you sure the wires are put in the same locations? could be misfiring since your in a different cyclinder

 

I dont think its a vac leak, I just did mine too and it felt like crap BUT i just did the pulley, plugs because my wires and coilpack were fine. At first it felt like crap BUT after resetting the ECU and driving for about 40 or so miles i guess the ECU adjusted the fuel trims and it feels WAY better.

Make sure you got the right belt for the reduction pulley because it might be slipping.

 

What kind of plugs are you guys running? Are you running the JCW plugs with are a step colder? If you are running the stock plugs with a 15%+ pulley ...maybe you are getting some detonation, and the ECU is pulling back the timing?

Also, like others have said...you need to be running a smaller belt than stock also.

 

Im running the 1 step colder plugs NGK BKR7EIX.

 

Looks like the OP says "...15% pulley and belt". That would lead me to believe the belt was of correct size.

I'm with myles2go and think you should start your diag with the coil pack and make sure its ok. swap them out and see if it runs better. If so then voilà! If not, then check the belt tension. See if its loose and slipping, you may have other issues.

Also, which computer reset method did you perform? When I had my R53 I always did both to be sure. Overkill I know. Needed? Probably not. But I can be a bit OCD when it comes to my car and doing thing right the first time.

 

Thanks for all the quick replies!! I've gone over everything, everything is correct with the engine. No codes no vacuume leaks, kit was mini mania kit. It cranks, idles and runs ok just feels like less power and get up and go. Tiny hesitation (choppy) at first under aggressive throttle. I am going to swap back to oem coil. I'm also gonna put timing marks on pulley, shaft and belt to detect any slippage under load. Everything I replaced was all original. The old wires ohmed out at 4k-5.3k(holy smokes) new wires were only around 500 ohmes. The plugs are 1 step lower. Gas mileage actually got a litte better lol. The only reset I knew was tie the battery cables for about 20 minutes while I looked everything over.

 

Definitely sounds like something is amiss. Maybe you should take it to a local Mini specialist.

Oh and you should do a JCW or Dinan style CAI if you can. It complements everything else.

 

If its choppy under throttle you could have cracked a spark plug when installing them, or possibly put a coil pack wire on wrong, or not attached it all the way, make sure you torque your sparkplugs correctly, the gap is correct, look them over make sure there's no obvious damage!

 

+1

 

Check your fuel filter. You now need more fuel for the additional boost. If your filter was partially clogged before you may have not noticed until after the mod when more fuel is required.

 

Wouldn't he be getting a lean code if the fuel filter was plugged enough to cause problems?

 

No, lean codes are based on longer term learning from all driving. When the car goes to full throttle it doesn't use the O2 sensor for feedback it just uses its ecu full throttle map, tps and map sensors to determine fuel needed. So there is no way for the car to know if it's to lean at full throttle. Also full throttle events happens very quickly, less than 5 secs most of the time which is not enough time for a feed back loop to work.

 

Make sure plug wires are in the correct order as well. The engine will run but badly if wires are out of order.
The BPV should only be an issue for 2002-2003 and earlier 2004 cars.

 

I agree,

If it's choppy while accelerating....sounds like bad torque on plugs and one came loose. Also make sure to torque them every once in a while (usually with your oil changes), they might come loose with time.

 

Check your fuel pressure by the rail & crank pulley, too.

 

Sounds like operator error all the way across the board.