When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
*In Dr. Nick voice from The Simpsons ... Hi, Everybody!
First off, I'd like to apologize for jumping straight into mechanical issues before properly introducing myself ... I'm Nintendro, I own a 2007 MCS (manual trans) and her name is R. Dorothy. I've wanted a Mini for about as long as I can remember and I finally got one in October 2021. I'm absolutely in love with her and just looking at her in the driveway makes me smile. Now to the issues.
When I bought her, she had a thermostat issue so I took her to the closest local dealer I could and had it fixed. Replaced the thermostat and valve cover to the tune of $1,600'ish ... if I can find the records I will post them as soon as I can, just can't remember where I put them >_>
Anywho, I got her back and she was making a noise like something was flopping around the wheel well and immediately took her back, the dealer fixed whatever it was (can't remember off the top what they said it was, but I will definitely ask them when I take her back for her current issues once I pin them down a bit more ... that and get my damn taxes as that's the only way I can pay for it at the moment)
And now here we are, few months down the line and she's hurt again. I was coming home from work, had her in cruise and she 'popped' ... sort of like when you hit a nerve and you twitch ... she went into limp mode and thankfully since I was only a few miles from home she made it, but there was a considerable loss of power and while I can't say for sure it happened at the same time, she developed a new oil leak on her driver side ... when I bought her the leak was on the opposite side. As I tinkered with her, I happened to notice that she seems to have a leak at or close to her exhaust flex joint (my research indicates this is a common issue, easy fix so it's not something I'm deathly concerned about for now) My main issues in order of perceived importance are that she now runs extremely rough/loss of power, the oil leak that seems to be related, and of course the flex joint. There's also a connector that seems to be broken on the driver side of the valve cover and I really have no idea what it could be a component of, maybe the mass air flow sensor? I've posted pics and will upload a video very soon of how she runs (if I didn't have to start her, I wouldn't) Any guidance on these issues would be beyond greatly appreciated ... this car is my baby and I'm not going to abandon her after the long journey it took me to finally get her and I will go to Hell and back to fix her. If any information I've given is lacking or if I need to answer more questions in greater detail, I will do my absolute best to provide what I can as soon as I can. Thank you in advance and if you get curious enough I have a few pics of her in the wild in one of my albums, as well as all the pics I will be posting here. Thank you again.
Broken connector (Mass Air Flow?) Broken Connector general location Broken Connector 'connected' Turbo Heat Shield seems out of place >_> General location of suspected oil leak, oil on engine General Location of suspected oil leak Location of oil leak looking down through engine, oil is on the engine Another view of oil on engine, looking down into engine Current oil level after slow leaking for past 2 months - I know the dipsticks are notorious for being difficult to use/read ... this is how I cheat, please don't hate my for ignorance >_<
Last edited by Nintendro; Apr 3, 2022 at 07:43 PM.
Reason: Added link for video of vehicle
Did you get everything fixed? I can help you out but don't want to type everything out if you fixed everything lol. Sorry nobody responded, that's kind of crappy.
That sensor is the CAM position sensor. The plug itself could be bad, but you should look inside the sensor plug and see if the two electrical connection stems are visible and intact. You should be able to get a pig tail plug from the dealer that includes a new plug with some wires. Then you can cut off the damaged plug and connect the new pigtail. If that plug isn't making connection, then the car doesn't know the position of the cam, so it'll probably run very rough.
The pop while driving and an immediate loss of power and limp mode light, makes me think one of the hoses connections may have popped off from the intercooler. I've seen that a bunch. Follow the hose from the turbo, down to the to the intercooler and around to the intake manifold. Should be able to look from the top near the overflow tank and see if the hose connections to the intercooler are in position. If you can't see from the top, jack up the car from the lift block at the front of the driver's door and then you can see both hose connections from under the car.
That oil near the oil filter housing could be from a sloppy oil filter change. I've tried my best and it's always a certain amount of mess changing the oil filter.
Did you get everything fixed? I can help you out but don't want to type everything out if you fixed everything lol. Sorry nobody responded, that's kind of crappy.
She's still in the exact same condition she was when I posted, I ran her occasionally until her battery stopped and have since moved her into the backyard under a shade tree to protect her as much as I can (these Texas summers can go fk themselves) ... but she's still exactly the way she was. I'll dig out the paperwork from the repairs I had done at the local dealer tomorrow and post them so that can hopefully narrow down where I need to start. Thank you ^_^
Originally Posted by texasmontego
That sensor is the CAM position sensor. The plug itself could be bad, but you should look inside the sensor plug and see if the two electrical connection stems are visible and intact. You should be able to get a pig tail plug from the dealer that includes a new plug with some wires. Then you can cut off the damaged plug and connect the new pigtail. If that plug isn't making connection, then the car doesn't know the position of the cam, so it'll probably run very rough.
The pop while driving and an immediate loss of power and limp mode light, makes me think one of the hoses connections may have popped off from the intercooler. I've seen that a bunch. Follow the hose from the turbo, down to the to the intercooler and around to the intake manifold. Should be able to look from the top near the overflow tank and see if the hose connections to the intercooler are in position. If you can't see from the top, jack up the car from the lift block at the front of the driver's door and then you can see both hose connections from under the car.
That oil near the oil filter housing could be from a sloppy oil filter change. I've tried my best and it's always a certain amount of mess changing the oil filter.
I took her back to the same dealership that did the initial repairs I mentioned in my above reply and they said that one (possibly two) cylinders had either low or no compression at all ... then half backhandedly told me 'we can replace the engine ... for $10,000+' and I had to leave before I did anything they'd regret. I know a Mini is high maintenance and a fine piece of engineering, but it felt like they were trying to take advantage of me because they could tell I was 'new blood' I'll eat my words raw if I'm wrong but that's just how it felt. I will most certainly and with much haste investigate your suspicions as well as post the paperwork from the repair work I had done when I got her as soon as I get up tomorrow morning.
I cannot begin to thank you both enough for the replies after feeling lost without her for this long, so before I get all weird and emotional I just want to thank you both again, and I will post everything I can as soon as possible. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you ^_^
P.S. - If the picture I posted in my OP isn't enough to see the CAM position sensor, let me know and I'll take more.
Last edited by Nintendro; Aug 20, 2023 at 08:23 PM.
I am following your post. I am new to the Mini scene too and there is lots to learn. I have been around cars all my life. It is all the electronics on these cars that make them so difficult to trouble shoot. I liked it back in the days when no fire meant points and no fuel meant fuel pump. Putting a scan tool on these cars brings up so many codes in a language that only an electronics engineer will understand what they mean. Hopefully you get yours sorted out soon. They are fun cars to drive for sure.
My first suggestion would be to start learning and collecting knowledge on how to work on the car your self. You will save a TON of cash vs taking the car to the dealer for servicing.
Based on your description and pictures, I would replace the cam position sensor and maybe the socket on the harness.
Here are those two parts: https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...h/13627588095/ https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...h/12527590939/
It is possible you may have a timing chain issue, too. In that case, the engine might be salvageable, but it may also be hosed. Maybe before you get a new cam sensor, pull the cam cover and perform a visual on the timing gears and chain.
My next suggestion would be to get familiar with this site: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/par...-Mini-Cooper_S
While it is an excellent resource for finding part numbers, it can also help you visualize assemblies when trying to find part locations. Then, when you find the part you are looking for, grab the part number and do a search here to see if there is any posts about swapping it out, then do a web search to find cost and availability.
Also, get yourself a good BMW/Mini scan tool - Something that will be able to pull the diagnostic codes. Then, search the code here on the forum to find possible solutions. Another good resource for code descriptions is https://bmwfault.codes/
Here is the paperwork for the repairs I had done when I bought her. I will definitely be replacing the sensor as soon as I'm able (lots of life going on in my world) and am in the process of looking at what texasmontego suggested and will post that as soon as I can as well. Thank you for the assistance and patience.
Just in case the image is difficult to read, here is what it says:
Vehicle is overheating and customer states pushed oil out, Thermostat housing and crossover pipe are leaking. Replaced thermostat housing and crossover pipe. Refilled with new coolant.
Perform Vehicle Multi Point Inspection
Valve cover is causing a running/idle issue. Front Crankshaft Seal 'sucked in' by too much vacuum on crankcase. Replaced valve cover and now idles as it should. Replaced Front Crankshaft Seal for oil leak.
Parts replaced include Thermostat, Crossover Pipe, Crankshaft Seal, and Cylinder Head Cover.
I will gladly post more pictures/videos as needed. Thank you all again. ^_^
Last edited by Nintendro; Aug 21, 2023 at 09:45 AM.
Wait wait, low compression? It could be from carbon buildup on the intake valves. Mini offers a walnut blasting service for this issue (probably around $500, but I haven't asked lately). You can do it yourself, but unless you've done it before, have the right compressor and adapters, it's worth having Mini do it. I had a car I repaired once with low compression and after walnut blasting, it corrected the issue (and change the oil). Build up is typical on this motor and every N14 motor will ultimately experience it. That is way easier thank pulling the cylinder head and going through that process.
They have to pull the intake manifold off, which will probably require replacement manifold gaskets, but a quick look inside the intake ports and that will give your answer.
Wait wait, low compression? It could be from carbon buildup on the intake valves. Mini offers a walnut blasting service for this issue (probably around $500, but I haven't asked lately). You can do it yourself, but unless you've done it before, have the right compressor and adapters, it's worth having Mini do it. I had a car I repaired once with low compression and after walnut blasting, it corrected the issue (and change the oil). Build up is typical on this motor and every N14 motor will ultimately experience it. That is way easier thank pulling the cylinder head and going through that process.
They have to pull the intake manifold off, which will probably require replacement manifold gaskets, but a quick look inside the intake ports and that will give your answer.
Texas, Does the walnut blasting apply to an engine that is already suffering from low compression? If it already has low compression, then the valve is partly stuck open. Walnut material could get through into the cylinder because it is partly open? In my mind, the walnut material shouldn't be able to reach the actual valve seating face, because the valve should be closed when doing blasting. Blasting, I thought, was preventative to stop fouling from moving down the valve and eventually reaching the seat. Once it is on the seat, it is too late.
