Hey all!

Long time lurker, novice poster. I really need sound advice on what to do with my 2010 Mini Cooper S (R56). To provide some context, I purchased this Mini Cooper S from Copart with the intentions of rebuilding it. Short of the long, I had a Mini Cooper Service Manual and a a few YouTube videos and somehow managed to put everything back together and get it running.

Of course as a new builder, many problems arose. Parts that weren't torqued to spec, mounted properly, etc. etc. After numerous fixes, at professional shops, I finally had it in a good place. With that said, after driving it for a little while, I got a half-filled engine light. Looked at the manual and most likely engine failure. Took it to the shop and said, it's probably a damaged valve seal or damaged combustion chamber. All-in the costs would probably be around $3,500 - $5,000. My biggest issue is, I don't know if the problems will keep reoccurring - most likely will. Normally, if it was just a regular car, I'd toss it and opt for a new car, except, EVERYTHING in the Mini Cooper has been replaced with brand new, and some, high performance parts. I've driven a total of 4k miles.

With the car as is (with the engine failure), My only option is probably donating the Mini, since it has almost irreparable issues. I took on this project in hopes of keeping the car for a long time (probably forever) as a keepsake of sorts, but at this point:

• Would it be wiser to just donate it and just move on?
• If I were to get the engine rebuilt/replaced, would that bring the car to like new condition and be reliable?

I'm at a complete loss and any and all advice and guidance is very much appreciated!

Thank you!

 

What are the codes for the engine light?

 

Hi Njaremka,

Didn't get any error codes, I'll see if the shop can send it to me. Based on what's happening, when the car is idle (it starts shaking lightly and starts shaking more violently as idle time increases), it looks like the oil is pooling up and when you hit the throttle, a ton of smoke comes out of the exhaust.

Let me know your thoughts!

 

That sounds to me like PCV system issue....Was the valve cover replaced? (PCV check valve is integral to the valve cover)

 

@njaremka no, I used the original valve cover. Apologize, but I'm still very new to auto mechanics. How does the the valve cover cause such a big malfunction?

Also, thank you so much for your quick replies and helpful insight!

 

If the PCV valve isn't holding, then it can let oil seep through to the intake at idle. The PCV is a common failure point on the N14 engines. But, if you would like to keep the car longer, I would invest in a proper code reading tool so you can pull codes at home without having to pay a diagnostics fee at the mechanic.

 

Thanks again for the insight @njaremka I'll take a look at the PVC valve and maybe replace the cover. Google it really quickly and said that failed PVC valve, you'll see oil in and around the valve cover, but not seeing any on my end.

I'm very friendly with the local shop (specializes in BMWs) and they usually scan my car for free.

Any other theories or hypotheses are more than welcomed!

 

Agree with everything the previous poster mentioned. These engines seem complicated but once you start getting in there it’s manageable but you definitely need to know what’s wrong with the car via scanner.

i recently had smoke at idle that I resolved by replacing valve cover and doing a valve stem seal swap. Whether one or the other was the actual fix is irrelevant as the old seals were definitely looser than the new Felpro I installed. Also learned the car was slightly out of time which was easy to reset while doing the valve job.

you absolutely need the specialty tools when doing this work. Most can be purchased on Amazon and you also definitely need a proper torque wrench with angle readings.

finally, regarding the violent shaking, I agree that it could be some sort of vacuum leak. I once experienced this and realized I forgot to put dipstick back in and that opening made the whole car sputter and shake. PCV likely culprit. Also run a leak down test. It’ll tell you a lot but scanner first.