Won't start - one click and nothing happens
 

New battery, new starter, new alternator - one click, no start.

So long story shortish:
My 2006 mini S R52 died while driving. I have 117K miles, I had recently replaced the valve body, and head gasket. Car was finally running really well. With renewed confidence I drove about 50 miles to celebrate. Parked it for a few hour hike, then went to drive home. About 10 mins in it died, wouldn't start, but lights etc. were on.

Got a tow home. The tow driver tried to jump it, nothing. He suggested replacing the starter. I checked the forums and the consensus pointed to the holy trinity of non-starts: starter, battery & alternator. My battery was just a two years old, so I tried the following:

• First I installed a new starter, nothing. No lights, nothing.
• Then a new alternator, still nothing, no lights, etc..
• Then I got frustrated and let it sit for 10 months, (Yes, I'm human)
• Reread the forums and finally decided to get a new battery 2 days ago. The lights came back on!

So now I can hear what I believe is the starter clicking once, but nothing after that. The center instrument panel does a bunch of clicking after I release ignition, but nothing else. I did get a trouble code 12: "EWS Key No 2 incorrect random code" in addition to a 304 Random misfire, but that shouldn't prevent the engine from starting. Forum entries pointed to the EWS being locked out, because of the code 12 and that it sat for about a year.
I've tried the following, none has worked:

• I reset the ECU codes using my diag tool
• per forum post: I tried locking and unlocking the car with the key FOB, to disable the EWS system
• per forum post: I removed key FOB. "Grabbed hold of steering wheel and jerk it firmly to left until stops on the lock then repeat to the right. This sets the steering lock electronically."
• I used my Foxwell NT510 to read the EWS codes, but wasn't sure how to reset them. Key 1 and 3 have been used, 5+ are all unused, Key 2 had a strange code like all CAPS bunch of letters. (I'll research resetting Key 2 and post)

It doesn't run, so I'll have to get it towed to the local mechanic 1/2 mile away. He's pretty good, (Worked on my 2006 Odyssey & 2015 Macan), good rep from other customers, but not cheap $180/hr. I just want to drive it again.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

It is possible you have EWS ( Anti Theft ). You need to know how to fix this - not a normal DIY.

this is from RPM Motorsports.

https://www.rpmmotorsport.net/pages/...KKu2WjWJoO7K38

I would have to assume the EWS / immobilizer are fine. I suffered EWS failure due to previous owner allowing sunroof drains to poor water inside the car, one morning went out and the car started but quickly shut off. The engine would crank no problem, but made no effort to start. Following down the RPM Motorsports checklist, if the engine is not turning over the EWS is not the problem. Shout out to RPM as they are the ones who fixed my EWS.

Ignition switch would be my assumption, i have played with the darn things once to many. They are finicky, and will stop about anything in the car from working.
Now there is the issue of, EWS / immobilizer sync being lost when these cars are without a battery for an extended time. However again, this is not the issue stopping the car from at least cranking over. I would suggest working your way down the RPM checklist provided above, until you can get the car to crank over. If the engine will still not start once cranking, look into the EWS issues.

Good luck

sounds like a ground is loose / corroded?

Thanks for that. Don't know if I have the skills to do this, but I'll give it shot.

Don't think this is it.
It's pretty clean. I have no rust and I've cleaned the whole engine bay including the ground strap. The battery cables are clean as well. The cars been garaged for last 12 years.

I'll give this a shot and report back. Thanks everyone for replying.

If you have any questions feel free to ask, been down the RPM checklist a couple times. A few simple tools and you'll be fine.

just more thoughts; check ground on battery and ground on starter. also have the battery tested at autozone or similar

How is everything going now?

I added a cam to mine a couple of years ago and had the engine mounts powder coated. This killed the grounding points and I got the exact same results. Car started and ran fine for a bit then wouldn't restart. Lights on, dash on, everything seemed ok just no power to starter. Ran grind wire to frame from block and voila.

You can check the EWS module, key sync, and starter relay.


Ground strap at the passenger side motor mount. Just because you cleaned it does not mean that the wire inside the sheathing is good (ask me how I know).. For a few bucks you can get some 2 or 4 gauge wire from the auto parts store and some copper ends and make a new ground. I've run into this issue a few times and oddly with both my Mini's. I know it sounds weird but it's a common issue. AND it's a cheap fix. If it does not work, it doesn't hurt anything and doesn't cost you much in expense or time. Worth a shot...

Quick update. Thanks for sticking with me on this. I wasn't able to work on the car last month for a few weeks due to bitter cold. Then I had a pretty rough ski crash (I love going fast) and fractured my hip, so I'm on the mend about 4 weeks now. It'll be a few more before I go crawling around my Mini again :-)

In the meantime, I did check the ground strap with a multi-meter and it was fine. I tried starting engine again and got the following trouble codes, the last one seems to point to the culprit of my problem,
304 Misfire (I'll deal with this when I get it running)
500 DME Vehicle speed signal malfunction (prob b/c my wheel is off)
90 GM Info-memory entry open circuit power supply BC1

I searched all over for help on "90 GM Info-memory entry open circuit power supply BC1" but there is precious little online. I looked through my Bentley Mini Bible and couldn't find much there either.
Maybe I blew out my body control module or there is water damage (I do have a convertible)?
Any other ideas guys?

The BC1 or body control module is located underdash in the passenger side. I'll try and get to it as soon as I can.

@GothamNite Soo its P0090 your getting? where does this "memory entry open circuit power supply BC1" come from? your scan tool?

P0090 on the generic list refers to - P0090 Fuel Pressure Regulator 1 Control Circuit. These are standard codes and should not vary from the generic list in hopes mechanics have a chance to diagnose these things. I would have to assume the ECU controls the fuel pressure, not the BC1. But again if fuel pressure is the issue, the engine should be turning over id assume.

Accessing the BC1 is not difficult, worth a shot of cracking it open and seeing what you see. Seeing as your "couch ridden" if you have a spare laptop, load up ISTA on that and it will have more specific communication with the car. Its great for diagnosing into greater detail, like speed sensors it will tell you exactly which sensor is broken on which hub. Best of luck!

I use the Foxwell NT510 -Elite scan tool for BMW. It's a brand specific scanner, it worked well when resetting my auto transmission adaptations, I heard ISTA was a lot better, so I'll probably go that route as I do have a new laptop.

Thanks again for replying, I'll keep you posted.

My mobility improves everyday. Now I need to get my Mini moving too :-)

Update: I'm mobile again so I was able to scratch under the dash and remove the BC1. It looks brand spanking new, no corrosion, nothing anywhere.in footwell. It could still be broken but
"90 GM Info-memory entry open circuit power supply BC1"
is probably a generic error not necessarily the BC1 itself.
The is clearly some electrical issue I can't find. Unless you guys have any other ideas I'll tow it into a mechanic and hope they can sort it out
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try a used unit from allmagautoparts.com

if it works you can figure out the details

Back in June I ended up sending my BCM to ECU Pro, they were great about getting back to me, they did find an error in my BCM, so I got a replacement and plugged it in. The car then did something different! It started rapid clicking when I turned on the ignition. I tried to jump it, but that didn't work. The battery has 12.4 V on it (I disconnect whenever I'm not working on it.) So I figured I'd tow it to the shop and see what they could do.
After I put the BCM back in the sidewall of the passenger footwell, I tried it again, but it just went back to a single hard click when I turned on the ignition. Frustrated, I kinda gave up for a few months. Last week I put the car back together (the front end was still disassembled from putting in the starter motor etc). I took the BCM back out of the footwell and checked the connections and low and behold I got the rapid clicking again. Good news? I charged up the battery (from 12.1V to 12.4V). Then it went back to a single hard click when I turn the ignition on.
I reset the codes and checked the ECU with my Foxwell. Only getting: "A3 GM Fuse, central locking" which points to the BCM again.

So did I somehow blowup the BCM again? If so there is probably an underlying short somewhere I have NO IDEA how to locate such a thing.

Unless someone has a clue at what to do next, I think I'll get it towed and have someone else figure it out. It's been off the road for over a year.

What a turn of events, odd that a central locking error would be stopping the car from starting. I assume your fob does not work, have you tried to inspect the receiver under the center mirror. If any sort or water seepage happened these are famous for also getting wet. The receiver simply opens up and you can inspect the board, but again I dont assume this to be stopping your car. Infact I drove mine for a year without the receiver even plugged in, just worth a thought.

I assume something could have shorted out in the BCM, but i would lean towards a poor connection to the BCM, or a broken/fraying wire. I would thoroughly inspect all wiring connections coming into the BCM and fuse panel. Even peel back some tape to get a better look at the wires.

Best of luck hunting, wish I had more!

Since you mentioned front end service mode, are you 100% sure the ground to the engine block is connected?

I had forgotten mine once and I would get one click as well.

End game
 

So I finally got it towed to my mechanic. Bad news: Engine seized. So in addition to the tow back home I have to decide if I want to keep going with my Mini or move on.

First off, thanks to everyone's help on this and the my other misadventures fixing my Mini. I've learned a lot and it's only cost me about $6k to keep it running another 5 years.

It'll be at least another $6-7 k to get a rebuilt engine installed .if I get a performance engine from RMS or Sneed4Speed, plus headers, etc it's definitely north of $10k. Less if I do the work myself, but my garage is as small as my Mini :-) I doubt I could fit the car AND an engine crane inside and still have room to work.
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Garage Workspace in front of Mini
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I've always wanted a mid-engine car, this might be the time.

Any thoughts or concerns are welcome.

That's terrible news. Do you know what caused it to seize?

My garage is similar to yours, with a Mini in it roomis tight. I saw another member using a motorcycle stand as an engine lift, which I'll be trying out next time I need it. It might be worth considering. $10k is still a lot of money though to get it back up and running.

What mid engine cars would you consider? Porsche Cayman/Boxter? Toyota MR2? MG TF? Corvette? Some Lotus?

Consider this.

allmagauto is pretty good. Or car-part.com for local to you. There are a lot of r52 and r53 donors out there -

allmagauto has a long block for $1399

No idea why it seized. I'd just finished rebuilding/ replacing the valve body for the transmission Engine sounded great, it was shifting better than ever.. I felt the increased boost from my pulley.. While driving down the road, The engine just shut off and hasn't restarted since.

The Cayman and Lotus are singing their siren song to me :-)

I enjoyed my Mini, but an engine dying after only 116k probably not worth it.