Somebody please remind me how I took possession of this automobile ... YIKES!!!

2007 Mini Cooper Base Coupe / R56 / N12

We keep getting this code P105C .... Control Motor Tight .... and THAT'S ALL the info we can come up with.

I'm having to suppose that the "Control Motor" .... the Valvetronic Motor .... the Eccentric Shaft Actuator are all the same thing ....

There are instructions in the Bentley manual for how to remove the motor, but not as explicit as I would like, considering it won't run.

You can screw the valvetronic motor in all the way (hex, on the back of the motor) and the thing would fire up and purr like a kitten. But kill the engine and it won't start again. What happened? The valvetronic motor can be screwed in again, and if fires right up and purrs like a kitten ....

The only info I can find for a ECU/ECM reset on this model is to put in the key, push the start/stop button without putting my foot on the brake. Hoping that in that process that it will "learn" that position and sweep. So far, I cannot tell if that process is happening or not.

I know that there are ways to check the different components on most engines ... like alternators, battery, etc .... but is there a way to test this valvetronic motor to see if it is functioning properly .... obviously it is doing something. Or, what signals the motor on how to operate?

THANK YOU for any input!!!

 

Does anyone know what the symptom(s) of a bad/failing actuator motor is/are?

 

sorry your problem is all new too me...But welcome to the YIKES CLUB !!

 

How many members in the "YIKES!!! Club" .... ?

And do any ever move over to the "Ah, Sweet!" Club .... ?

:D

 

My sweet club was an Audi TT 225 Q...Should have never let her go...

 

Hello, we’re you able to figure out what is the issue with the P105C, I will greatly appreciate any help

thanks

 

In the end we had a local mechanic replace the head (the original problem), and when they put it all back together is when this code popped up. They tried for 3-1/2 months to fix this, and used every other mechanic's in this town diagnosis and programming tools. Ended up manually resetting the Control Motor to get it to run, drove it two hours to a Mini dealer. Let's put it this way, TRUST YOUR MINI DEALER! The car arrived, and, as a manner of standard operating procedure they hooked their machine up to it. That machine goes through and recalibrates all the systems. In a matter of two minutes it was fixed ...... fixed. The initial mechanic (NOT a Mini dealer) had the car for a year and a half, and charged me handsomely. Would the Mini dealer have charged me? Yes, they would. But I am now a proponent of following their guidelines (except for oil change frequency) and letting them service the car.

That being said, the Mini was our daughters car, and she didn't have the money to fix it and it ended up being a car we didn't need. It came up in a conversation with someone with a grand-daughter that needed a car, and they bought it. I had full confidence in the car, as e-v-e-r-y component had been gone through in an attempt to fix this thing. And, since there are no Mini dealers here I hadn't heard that that they (Mini dealers) are no more ...... is that correct? But someone is still selling/servicing them.

That code means that the parameters need to be set on that motor ..... It adjusts the variable timing on the cam, and it needs to know its limits, and the only way to do that is inside a Mini garage. (that's my recollection anyway, as it has been several years now)

 

Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly, it’s been driving me crazy for quite a while now, I will be visiting the mini dealer tomorrow,
thanks again.

 

If you have a good dealer you will do great. After reading so many online opinions I went in the first time with a sour attitude, just "knowing" that they were going to rip me off. I was able to talk to the service manager and he actually let me rant and rave about how bad their cars were, again, based upon the fact that my daughter was having a problem and all the stuff I read online. He finally said, "Are you finished?" and then asked me to sit down. He then instructed me on "the facts of life", and that they are great cars and will last forever IF you maintain them properly and let them handle any recalls. He went over a few things with me to assure me things would be handled correctly. Again, he's two hours away. I was all set to let them handle the problem when I ran into a friend who is a mechanic that I trust. He said, "Bring it by and let us look at it." Well, the mechanical work they did on it was perfect, but, in the end I was out the same amount of money, and the car was in the shop for like 16 months ..... instead of 2-3 days. Let me know how it goes.

 

This 100% sounds like valvetronic motor or eccentric shaft actuator position calibration not completing. If you manually wind it in and the car runs, but it can’t restart, the DME is not seeing the sweep / calibration and won’t know the correct stop point.On these MINI N12s, low voltage or bad battery can also trigger tight/motor jam faults.
Personally I would try fresh battery power, full valve tronic relearn with a better scan tool, and check wiring/connector corrosion at the actuator before replacing parts.