Grrr, I've been experiencing some beguiling electrical gremlins which kicked off with loss of the hatchback release (which I've since McGyver'ed a work-a-round using the manual release), loss of interior lighting and random off/on warning lights.

But this week it advanced to my tac gauge and intermittent loss of power to it (see video)!

I'm trying to avoid the costly hunt & peck method of sourcing the culprit via my local shop, so hoping the community may have some thoughts and/or fixes?

 

Have you cleaned the electrical grounds yet?

How old is the battery? Have you had its health checked?

 

Do you have a sunroof? Sunroof and other leaks allow water to affect interior modules and grounds. You will need to get under the seats and carpet. Also check battery health and condition of those connections.

 

I have a habit of always mentioning this when it comes to weird voltage issues eg: "Confusing voltage drain"...

According to the Bentley Manual it is identified as the "Ground bus X175" (page ECL-19, Fig. 10 Ground Bus, left front).
Some early models have either one or two of these ground bus' located just below the hood release cables either on the driver side or passenger side - or both. My '04 pre-facelift R53 has two.
Check that these Bus' make good clean ground contact with the body. If not - They can cause weird electrical drain issues and can significantly retard performance.

Just a thought - from my own personal experience.

 

This sounds like a module going bad to me, due to the fact random features start to work intermittent.

Now I don't have a wiring diagram but my guess would be either the fusebox in the drivers footwell or the module at the passengers footwell. Start by checking if the carpet is wet. Otherwise you have to remove the trim to access both.

 

i would first start to make sure your alternator is working properly and the battery is good. then, once you have that nailed down, give it a week or two of driving and see if things don't settle down. after that, i'd start looking at potentially failed modules

 

You can check the connectors that go into the BCM (Body Control Module) located behind the outer kick panel on the passenger side. See if there is any corrasion, spooge, crud, or eck on the connectors or pins connecting the wiring harness to the BCM.

Location:



Funny, image is not showing up, it is here ... hmmmm?
OK, Here is the Image Link: https://www.minitorque.com/attachmen...iew4-jpg.1775/

 

i've seen the issues with the gauges. was low / bad battery. check to be sure you have 14 plus volts with engine running at the battery terms

 

UPDATE…my dude @ MINI Werks has been chasing all this down and after running diagnostics, it is not the battery or a voltage issue.

He’s quite certain it’s the tac gone bad. Says to look on eBay for used units, which I will do…but I wanted to see if anyone happen to have a vetted source for R53 tac’s by chance before I go fishing on the interwebs?

 

Not the cheapest but reliable.
I would wager that many here might recommend :
EDIT:
ALLMAG MINI Parts - MINI Cooper OEM Parts
https://www.allmagautoparts.com

 

Hmm that URL that seem to exist?

 

Sorry - EDITED: link corrected :
https://www.allmagautoparts.com

 

Hey!

I have a set of Dual Chrono's with an ECU/EWS and the center Chrono stack as well.

Send me a message if you're interested!

 

+1 allmagautoparts

they have a **** ton of mini's from the junk yard and a pretty good reputation. I've had luck with parts from them.

you could also try ebay. but its ebay, know what I'm sayin

try and get one from a member with known condition. also do your research. I have a sneaky suspicion that it's not just "plug and play". but im a suspicious person by nature