The new owner of my 04 S was driving to his home earlier today, doing about 65 MPH when he suddenly lost all engine power. He had to coast it on to the shoulder. He said that the EML light came on. He tried restarting the car,...it cranks, but does not start. Fuel gauge says more than a 1/4 tank. Car did not sputter then die, it just abruptly quit.

I Google searched "2004 Mini cooper S EML light and Mini Cooper EML light", and have so far read posts stating that the EML light came on and the car either:
1-Died while driving and would not restart,
2-died while driving but would restart and be OK,
3-died while driving, would restart, but in "Limp" mode.
4-EML light and proper running /poor running came and went over a period of time.

Here is a sampling of what turned off the EML light and got the car on the road again.

1-Battery was low, a battery charge fixed it.
2-ECU was "out of alignment" with another module/sensor.
3-Car needed a new Throttle body
4-Car needed a new Crank angle sensor
5-Battery had just been replaced and would not start after replacement.
6-wiring harness had been damaged by rubbing against something and needed to be replaced,

Seems like there is no one thing that can cause the EML light to come on and the car to die.

Most of the posts I found were older posts,...so wondering if in recent years, diagnosing this problem has become any easier.

I did suggest to the buyer that he bring the car back to me for a refund, as I am pretty good at diagnosing problems when I have the support of a forum like this,....but he likes the car, and wants to try to sort it out.

I called the local Mini Dealer and they said that its minimum of $117 to run a diagnostic, but if they do the repair,...the diagnostic becomes Free.

Suggestions??

Brian in Cedar Park (Austin)

 

Crank pulley failure, broken serpentine belt, or tensioner???

 

So, The guy that bought my MCS just called,....said that after he got the car towed back to his house, he tried starting it, and it started right up,......no warning lights of any kind showing.

He did say that His low fuel light had just come on when the car died, but the gauge was showing about 1/4 tank. He drove it to the local gas station to put some gas in, just in case the gauge was off, and drove it around for quite a bit,....hasnt been able to duplicate the problem yet.

Any ideas?

 

How old is the battery? If it is more than 3 years old, have him run down to the local parts place to have a diag run on it. May be your culprit.

 

Wow, you are one awesome seller willing to take back the car! Not many people would offer that. I salute you.

 

+1. Maybe your Mini isn't ready to leave you yet.

 

Wonder if the buyer unplugged something....
Try to get some "cash back" or a discount after the sale for an issue...
Used cars sold private party are sold AS IS unless otherwise stated in writing...

 

Sounds like the side-to-side fuel transfer pump went out. I think R53's have them. Seems like most BMW fuel systems do... They are needed when the tank goes below 1/4.

If the fuel is kept above 1/4, the car will run fine as fuel will slosh from side to side. If it gets lower than 1/4 and the transfer pump is bad, you will get fuel starvation (on the pickup side) even when there is fuel on the other side. The process of towing it home could have redistributed the fuel.

Just a guess...

 

Step one- go to an auto parts store and have them read the fault code that triggered the EML. No sense guessing if the car will tell you where to look. Most stores will read codes for free.

 

I just had the EML light come on w/o any loss of power or performance. I put the diagnostic tool on it and no fault codes. I turned the engine back on with no EML light...

 

Similar issue HERE and it never came back for that individual, so they reported. Any other symptoms that you think are present? Has it come back?

 

Read that post as well as several others. I went out to the garage and took a good look at the S/C boots and found that one of them was not properly seated. I fixed that and have not seen the EML since...I also realized I need new boots!
Thanks for the help.