R50/53 Engine 'missing'?
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 4
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Engine 'missing'?
Hello to everyone from the UK 
Whenever I look up a problem with my Mini I always seem to find the answer on here so decided to join up!
Right, so there seems to be some sort of issues with my Mini (R50 Cooper, late-2002) which is that in lower gear under hard acceleration the engine seems to be 'missing' or 'pinking' I dont really know how to describe it! It happens all the time if I switch to a lower gear to accelerate i.e. yesterday, stuck behind a tractor on a 60mph road, switched down to second as it turned off to get up to 60mph and as I put my foot down, as I accelerated every few seconds, for a split second, it felt like the engine was almost cutting out i.e. nothing going to the wheels, kinda like when you skid/slide. It happens when accelerating out of corners too which kinda scares me cus it feels like im skidding off the road but im not.
Seems really strange, it hasnt happened in any other car ive driven in. Just wondering whether it needs to go to the garage or whether its just part of the Mini charm I keep hearing about?
Thanks in advance!
Whenever I look up a problem with my Mini I always seem to find the answer on here so decided to join up!
Right, so there seems to be some sort of issues with my Mini (R50 Cooper, late-2002) which is that in lower gear under hard acceleration the engine seems to be 'missing' or 'pinking' I dont really know how to describe it! It happens all the time if I switch to a lower gear to accelerate i.e. yesterday, stuck behind a tractor on a 60mph road, switched down to second as it turned off to get up to 60mph and as I put my foot down, as I accelerated every few seconds, for a split second, it felt like the engine was almost cutting out i.e. nothing going to the wheels, kinda like when you skid/slide. It happens when accelerating out of corners too which kinda scares me cus it feels like im skidding off the road but im not.
Seems really strange, it hasnt happened in any other car ive driven in. Just wondering whether it needs to go to the garage or whether its just part of the Mini charm I keep hearing about?
Thanks in advance!
5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 731
Likes: 5
From: Near Portland, OR, USA
If you have traction control, one of your toggle switches will either say ASC, or DSC. I had thought that all MINI's had either Active (or is it All weather) or Dynamic Stability Control. I bet I'm wrong about that, especially in early model year,.. and I know nothing about non-USA cars. Just sayin' Look for the switch between the window and door lock control.
Pinging? What kind of fuel are you running? Not sure if a Justa needs premium fuel,.. but anytime the fuel charge is ignited by heat in the combustion chamber -before the time the spark plug lights.... higher octane could help. Are your spark plugs old enough that they could have carbon deposits which hold heat, and cause pre-detonation.
My other theory is lack of fuel. Ever changed your filter? You said it happens at high RPM's. I'll leave it to experts on the forum as to how you could determine if you have enough fuel,... I just mention it, because if I had an 2002, and if I knew the fuel filter had never been changed, then I would do that regardless if it fixed the problem or not. Doesn't cost too much, kind of a PIA though. I'll need to replace mine for first time in near future -I have a 2005, and I'll do it before 100k miles, or when if I get any problems which are fuel related.
Got any engine fault codes?
Also wondering about your Coil Pack, "missing at high RPM" sounds like a symptom that fits that too, but of course no one can make such a diagnosis from hundreds of miles away, never having seen your car. Find out how to test for that before you start buying parts... It gets expensive to replace things that aren't broken ::eek
Pinging? What kind of fuel are you running? Not sure if a Justa needs premium fuel,.. but anytime the fuel charge is ignited by heat in the combustion chamber -before the time the spark plug lights.... higher octane could help. Are your spark plugs old enough that they could have carbon deposits which hold heat, and cause pre-detonation.
My other theory is lack of fuel. Ever changed your filter? You said it happens at high RPM's. I'll leave it to experts on the forum as to how you could determine if you have enough fuel,... I just mention it, because if I had an 2002, and if I knew the fuel filter had never been changed, then I would do that regardless if it fixed the problem or not. Doesn't cost too much, kind of a PIA though. I'll need to replace mine for first time in near future -I have a 2005, and I'll do it before 100k miles, or when if I get any problems which are fuel related.
Got any engine fault codes?
Also wondering about your Coil Pack, "missing at high RPM" sounds like a symptom that fits that too, but of course no one can make such a diagnosis from hundreds of miles away, never having seen your car. Find out how to test for that before you start buying parts... It gets expensive to replace things that aren't broken ::eek
On a 10 year old car, it can be easy to chase ghosts....
Total miles/km's?
Often if all the basic MX is done.....you find some issues are fixed....sparkplugs overdue?
It sounds like the issue is pretty small... Sometimes if you let it progress till it is easier to notice and describe, it can be simpler to check.....
One thing to not....euro spec cars ARE different that north american spec cars....and terms used in describing stuff is different..(fuel specs as sold, some mechanical items, options, etc)....so that can be a bit of a barrier.... Beyond the typical "my car makes a noise, fix it from 10,000 miles away...."..
Total miles/km's?
Often if all the basic MX is done.....you find some issues are fixed....sparkplugs overdue?
It sounds like the issue is pretty small... Sometimes if you let it progress till it is easier to notice and describe, it can be simpler to check.....
One thing to not....euro spec cars ARE different that north american spec cars....and terms used in describing stuff is different..(fuel specs as sold, some mechanical items, options, etc)....so that can be a bit of a barrier.... Beyond the typical "my car makes a noise, fix it from 10,000 miles away...."..
4th Gear
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 340
Likes: 6
From: PacificNorthWest
If you have traction control, one of your toggle switches will either say ASC, or DSC. I had thought that all MINI's had either Active (or is it All weather) or Dynamic Stability Control. I bet I'm wrong about that, especially in early model year,.. and I know nothing about non-USA cars. Just sayin' Look for the switch between the window and door lock control.
Pinging? What kind of fuel are you running? Not sure if a Justa needs premium fuel,.. but anytime the fuel charge is ignited by heat in the combustion chamber -before the time the spark plug lights.... higher octane could help. Are your spark plugs old enough that they could have carbon deposits which hold heat, and cause pre-detonation.
My other theory is lack of fuel. Ever changed your filter? You said it happens at high RPM's. I'll leave it to experts on the forum as to how you could determine if you have enough fuel,... I just mention it, because if I had an 2002, and if I knew the fuel filter had never been changed, then I would do that regardless if it fixed the problem or not. Doesn't cost too much, kind of a PIA though. I'll need to replace mine for first time in near future -I have a 2005, and I'll do it before 100k miles, or when if I get any problems which are fuel related.
Got any engine fault codes?
Also wondering about your Coil Pack, "missing at high RPM" sounds like a symptom that fits that too, but of course no one can make such a diagnosis from hundreds of miles away, never having seen your car. Find out how to test for that before you start buying parts... It gets expensive to replace things that aren't broken ::eek
Pinging? What kind of fuel are you running? Not sure if a Justa needs premium fuel,.. but anytime the fuel charge is ignited by heat in the combustion chamber -before the time the spark plug lights.... higher octane could help. Are your spark plugs old enough that they could have carbon deposits which hold heat, and cause pre-detonation.
My other theory is lack of fuel. Ever changed your filter? You said it happens at high RPM's. I'll leave it to experts on the forum as to how you could determine if you have enough fuel,... I just mention it, because if I had an 2002, and if I knew the fuel filter had never been changed, then I would do that regardless if it fixed the problem or not. Doesn't cost too much, kind of a PIA though. I'll need to replace mine for first time in near future -I have a 2005, and I'll do it before 100k miles, or when if I get any problems which are fuel related.
Got any engine fault codes?
Also wondering about your Coil Pack, "missing at high RPM" sounds like a symptom that fits that too, but of course no one can make such a diagnosis from hundreds of miles away, never having seen your car. Find out how to test for that before you start buying parts... It gets expensive to replace things that aren't broken ::eek
And would like to also know if you are having any codes getting thrown.
Does it happen under any other conditions?
3rd Gear
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 287
Likes: 1
From: NY
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3rd Gear
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 175
Likes: 0
From: Connecticut
Test your ignition wires. In the dark, spray a little water on them while the car is running and if you see arcing electricity, then they are bad. Happened to my 05 S, and it would cause the car to stutter when I accelerated.
Last edited by Tab32; Oct 4, 2013 at 10:36 AM.
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