Thanks for your suggestion Bro and thinking back yes it was a little bugger to tighten back up but I can't remember hearing a click- I just tightened it as much as I physically could with a screwdriver in the hole at the top where I loosened it from in the first place- but no click.

In theory this could be the cause then.

When it packed up in the first place the reason could well simply have been EMPTY TANK. But the gauge was showing quarter tank. So I didn't think empty tank could be the problem,

Then I changed the fuel filter, but I don't remember the click. It still wouldn't start - probably because there was no fuel in the tank- but could also have been because of the click.

Its only when I changed the fuel pump that I realized it had NO fuel. That's when I filled it up with 20L. But it still wouldn't start. So until we check the fuel filter for the click that may well be the cause.

But I was afraid I would crack the plastic filter housing by trying to turn it too much- what did you use to get the click ?? And what does the click achieve exactly ??

 

I was talking about the plastic white top part of the fuel filter housing. The metal ring then seals the filter housing to the fuel tank. I had turned that white plastic top piece pretty tightly, but i hadn't realized that i needed to turn it even further; it then clicked into place. It not being closed completely didnt make the housing leak fuel, but it wasn't sealed, letting the fuel just filter back into the housing; not into the fuel lines.

 

Yep I totally understand- that'll be next on the list to try- thanks again

 

Ok so the garage tried the fuel filter thing and still no luck. I'm going down there myself tomorrow to see what they are saying next- they've checked the electrics and no issues there- they still can't link to the ECU, but I'm going to try to get some diagnostic codes off the display on the dash.
Failing that I'm not sure what to do next.

 

The car is back home and still not starting. They couldn't get any of their diagnostic code readers to link to the ECU - but they checked all the basic electrics and everything is good.

Looks like I will be doing a lot of searching up on here for ideas - absolutely don't want to pay the BMW Mini main stealers to diagnose it.

Ok so today's searching has given me 2 more ideas - please tell me if I'm barking up the wrong tree with these

1. Fuel tank needs to be under vacuum - dodgy filler cap seal - loss of vacuum in fuel tank.
2. Fuel tank purge valve stuck open - no vacuum in fuel tank.

The car was stood for 6 weeks over the summer in 120 F heat - with less than a quarter tank of fuel - its been causing problems ever since.

 

Fuel filler cap cracks aplenty and I also noticed that it doesn't seem to want to twist shut properly- after being twisted all the way shut, it twists back on itself by about a quarter inch or so. It never used to do that.

 

Also checked the on-board diagnostic codes and got the following 2 codes- but I can't seem to find what they mean - from anywhere !!

 

Fuel cap seal looks like it's definitely dry-rotted. That should be replaced as the fuel system is closed-loop and a vacuum leak is a real problem. Also, +1 on Soul Coughing's post above. When I swapped my fuel filter, it took me three tries before I realized that the fuel filter housing top wasn't completely sealed. My MINI wouldn't start period. When I finally sealed the top on the housing it started right up. It's harder to seal than you think.

 

I never knew that you could do that to get the codes. What part of that is the code?

I wish I could help more, but this is beyond me. I wish the best of luck to you to find the culprit...

 

I had an issue on my Forester where the fuel pressure regulator was set too high. When the pump ran, it pushed the top of the filter housing open and all the fuel basically returned to the tank. Then it would seal back shut when the pump stopped running. When testing the pump with it disconnected from the line to the engine, it delivered just fine at no pressure.

 

Fuel cap seal will throw and evap leak code, but that is all. The fuel tank does not function in a constant vacuum or it would collapse on itself. (I have seen this happen with a plastic fuel tank.)

I think the filter assembly needs to come back out and be triple checked for being fully sealed/seated before anything else from what I'm hearing on the subject.

 

Been searching for a list of on-board diagnostic codes - from the car's own diagnostic function- it's a 6 digit number - specific to the Mini Cooper- a few threads on here and Mini2 but no one seems to have a listing.

the 2 diagnostic codes I have are- 102101 and 112101.

 

Someone else is looking for this info too...
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...o-p-codes.html

I know it is for an R56, but it might point you to something helpful.

 

[QUOTE=Soul Coughing;4494451...... It not being closed completely didnt make the housing leak fuel, but it wasn't sealed, letting the fuel just filter back into the housing; not into the fuel lines.[/QUOTE]

Well I braved the heat earlier and went outside and pulled the fuel filter again- the garage said they checked it but I wanted to check it again for myself. On close inspection it did indeed look like the top part of the filter housing was not tightened all the way. In the first pic below, you can actually see that there is a bit more travel left before everything lines up.

After removing the top, I also discovered that the O-ring had somehow stretched and was now too big to fit. So looks like when I fitted it, the O-ring got trapped out of place as I pushed the top back on to the housing.

I tried to find the original O-ring to re-use that, but couldn't remember what I did with it- (I've actually just remembered now while typing this up ). How annoying.

But in the time it took for me to look for the old O-ring the new one seemed to shrink back to size. Result !!!!

It did feel like the O-ring wasn't seating properly and it took a good 5 or 6 tries to get it seated nicely, so as to allow the top to close properly and then turn fully into place. Popped the ring back on the top and tightened it back up.

I primed the pump first, turning the ignition on and off 5 times with the key alone, before finally cranking it over and it started straight away! Cant quite explain how good it felt, but all praise to God.

Lessons learnt are, always double triple check the obvious things first before getting technical, don't trust the mini fuel gauge and just because the garage says they did something........

One observation is that the fuel filter housing is making a funny noise, obviously the fuel is spinning through there, but maybe it's because the little black cover and the seat are both off I can hear it more.

Big Thanks to all of you guys for all the helpful suggestions- its a big weight off.

 

Glad you won! Thanks for taking the time to share this.

One, others might be able to learn from your experience.

Two, I needed the encouragement today.

 

It's a pleasure to share and I hope someone can benefit from my blood sweat and almost tears !!

I'm glad you felt encouraged and the key is perseverance- just when you want to throw the towel in, pick yourself up and jump straight back in and don't give up. It's more than worth it in the end.

 

Glad to hear you got it sorted! Definitely something I will pay close attention to when I service ours.

 

Yes, +1 to the above.
My compliments to your tenacity and success.