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Hey everyone,
I have a 2007 R56 MCSa (N14 motor) that doesn't wanna start no matter what I do. I drove the car all day with absolutely no problems, but even I parked it for 15 mins and got back in to start it nothing happened. I put the fob in and pressed the brake and then pressed the start button. the tach didn't light up, NOTHING lit up. My battery is fine, got it tested at a local auto parts store and my starter is brand new. The windows work with the fob and the locks work with the fob, even the radio works!!! The car just won't start. HELP!!! Hopefully one of you gurus can shed some light on the situation.
Sounds like the problem is not that it won't start, but that it won't crank over - and therefore doesn't have a chance to start. Is that correct?
In a situation like this, a good rule is to figure out the simplest thing that can cause the problem, and start there. You had the battery checked, so that's a great start. With a new starter that was working OK, the starter is likely eliminated as a problem.
I'd move to checking fuses and fusible links (if any). That's the kind of thing that can work one minute and not the next.
Sounds like the problem is not that it won't start, but that it won't crank over - and therefore doesn't have a chance to start. Is that correct?
In a situation like this, a good rule is to figure out the simplest thing that can cause the problem, and start there. You had the battery checked, so that's a great start. With a new starter that was working OK, the starter is likely eliminated as a problem.
I'd move to checking fuses and fusible links (if any). That's the kind of thing that can work one minute and not the next.
Thanks for the reply! Yeah I was thinking that but there are so many I don't know where to begin. You're talking about the 2 fuse boxes correct? One on the right under the hood and one in the footwell of the passenger side interior? Which of these would I want to check first? And what exactly would I be looking for to see if one is bad?
What did the battery test at? Did you check your grounds and connections at the battery? If either are loose, you'll have issues starting. Did it make a click noise like it was attempting to turn over?
What did the battery test at? Did you check your grounds and connections at the battery? If either are loose, you'll have issues starting. Did it make a click noise like it was attempting to turn over?
Hey thanks for the reply! I don't remember the exact numbers the battery tested at, but the technician said that it was ok. And the tow truck driver tested it as well saying it wasn't the battery. The car makes absolutely no noises when attempting to start the car. At this point I'm thinking it's either the key or the ignition switch. If it helps, I also forgot to mention that I dropped the key twice while in the store before going outside, then my car wouldn't start.
Hey thanks for the reply! I don't remember the exact numbers the battery tested at, but the technician said that it was ok. And the tow truck driver tested it as well saying it wasn't the battery. The car makes absolutely no noises when attempting to start the car. At this point I'm thinking it's either the key or the ignition switch. If it helps, I also forgot to mention that I dropped the key twice while in the store before going outside, then my car wouldn't start.
I'd just be curious as to what the voltage was that he said it was OK. Even 12.2 volts can be a bad battery. Check out this thread HERE, where the individuals MINI wasn't recognizing the key. See if maybe it relates to your issue as well.
I'd just be curious as to what the voltage was that he said it was OK. Even 12.2 volts can be a bad battery. Check out this thread HERE, where the individuals MINI wasn't recognizing the key. See if maybe it relates to your issue as well.
For the life of me I can't remember the voltage...I can't find the receipt he gave me either. I read through that thread and it seems a new key is the solution to my problem. But I'm gonna take apart the ignition area next to the steering wheel today to see what I can find. I do all the work on my mini myself but this electrical stuff confuses me like crazy.
You can check it yourself with a digital multimeter on the battery terminals. Anything under 12V is not acceptable and it probably won't start, but it should at least kick the starter solenoid audibly. If the battery has a good charge, it should be around 12.5V.
The fuse assignments are shown in your owner's manual - check there to see if there's one in the starter path.
I don't recommend taking things apart at this point, especially if electronics aren't your best talent.
You can check it yourself with a digital multimeter on the battery terminals. Anything under 12V is not acceptable and it probably won't start, but it should at least kick the starter solenoid audibly. If the battery has a good charge, it should be around 12.5V.
The fuse assignments are shown in your owner's manual - check there to see if there's one in the starter path.
I don't recommend taking things apart at this point, especially if electronics aren't your best talent.
Thanks for the advice! What do you mean when you say "check to see if there's one in the starter path" . Is it possible there won't be a fuse there? And if it failed how would I know? With the voltage meter?
Let me just start off by saying that this is my first ever post. Now that that is out of two way, I experienced a similar problem a few months ago. I was driving along on some back roads and all of a sudden the car died. Everything still worked but the car wouldn't even attempt to crank over. After three long days I found the wires to my crank position sensor melted together causing a arcing between the two. Separating these two with electrical tape fixed the problem. I'm not saying you melted the wires but perhaps your crank position sensor has gone bad. Just some food for thought.
Let me just start off by saying that this is my first ever post. Now that that is out of two way, I experienced a similar problem a few months ago. I was driving along on some back roads and all of a sudden the car died. Everything still worked but the car wouldn't even attempt to crank over. After three long days I found the wires to my crank position sensor melted together causing a arcing between the two. Separating these two with electrical tape fixed the problem. I'm not saying you melted the wires but perhaps your crank position sensor has gone bad. Just some food for thought.
Clueless
Hey so thanks for the response. Where is the crank position sensor located on our cars?
I would assume there is a park sensor switch, along with a brake sensor switch. If the park sensor switch isn't activated then the car thinks it is in something other than drive and will not start, likewise if the brake sensor switch isn't activated when pressing the foot brake then it won't start (even with the shift lever in park). I would stick my head under the dash and look for the brake switch located on the brake pedal arm, and see if it is making contact when the brake is pressed. I've seen the clutch cancel switch on these models slip, wouldn't be surprised if the brake ones moved also.
I would assume there is a park sensor switch, along with a brake sensor switch. If the park sensor switch isn't activated then the car thinks it is in something other than drive and will not start, likewise if the brake sensor switch isn't activated when pressing the foot brake then it won't start (even with the shift lever in park). I would stick my head under the dash and look for the brake switch located on the brake pedal arm, and see if it is making contact when the brake is pressed. I've seen the clutch cancel switch on these models slip, wouldn't be surprised if the brake ones moved also.
Good Luck,
Nik
I'll give it a look when I get home. Do you happen to know what the switch looks like or know of any diagrams of its location? There's so many wires down there it's kind of a mess. The problem with this is that there's so many possibilities of what the problem could actually be.
Sorry, no I don't. But if you start at the peddle and work your way up the pedal lever you should see a switch (button type) on the lever itself, should be the only thing w/ wires going to the peddle lever.
I'm sure someone will chime in with a better description.....
Sorry, no I don't. But if you start at the peddle and work your way up the pedal lever you should see a switch (button type) on the lever itself, should be the only thing w/ wires going to the peddle lever.
I'm sure someone will chime in with a better description.....
The crankshaft position sensor is located below the starter motor, mounted in the engine block. (Red arrow below). It's housed behind a plastic cover. A quick way to see if your crankshaft sensor is preventing the engine from starting is to connect a MINI scan tool. Confirm it has current communication and idle status is active. Then check if the actual RPM matches the desired RPM. (We go over this in our sensor testing article if you want more info). Also, another thought, have you plugged into your OBDII to see if any faults are present at all?
The crankshaft position sensor is located below the starter motor, mounted in the engine block. (Red arrow below). It's housed behind a plastic cover. If it is an issue, I'd assume there would be a fault for it. A quick way to see if your crankshaft sensor is preventing the engine from starting is to connect a MINI scan tool. Confirm it has current communication and idle status is active. Then check if the actual RPM (green arrow) matches the desired RPM (red arrow). Also, another thought, have you plugged into your OBDII to see if any faults are present at all?
I hooked up my code reader and there are no codes present, but I don't know if it's properly reading it because I can't switch the ignition to "on". When I put the key in and press the start button (without depressing the brake pedal) and nothing happens. No dash lights, nothing.
For the advice given already, be sure to check over it all and report back with your findings. I also found this thread HERE, but there was no resolution. It's newer so you could ask the OP if he resolved the issue. Although, there is some good info in it as well. Let us know what you find out!
Why didn't you tell us earlier that you can't turn the car on?????
From your earlier post: " The windows work with the fob and the locks work with the fob, even the radio works!!!" (Then why not tell us you can't turn the car on?)
If you can't turn it on, your problem isn't the starter, it's the ignition system. IMO you need to take it to a shop and have them work on it. This is not within the abilities of most of us.
Why didn't you tell us earlier that you can't turn the car on?????
From your earlier post: " The windows work with the fob and the locks work with the fob, even the radio works!!!" (Then why not tell us you can't turn the car on?)
If you can't turn it on, your problem isn't the starter, it's the ignition system. IMO you need to take it to a shop and have them work on it. This is not within the abilities of most of us.
Sorry! I wasn't specific enough in my first post. Haha at this point I'm pretty sure it's either the key or the ignition switch. I just don't know how I would test either of those options.
