Intermittent issues starting. Replaced the battery and then the starter, took it for a spin then parked it for day now won't start again. did the battery disconnect for the ecu reset and nothing. i understood the 2nd gen could not reset the ecu from the tachometer but i tried anyway and noticed some things i never noticed. under the top level number 19 i then started cycling through the numbers just to see whats in them. under the one which shows battery voltage it showed 11.2 which obviously is well short of the 12.5 it should be with the engine off. and on another number i saw some error codes that were not showing up on my obd2 scanner and not the kind on the fault code list. so my questions are firstly is that voltage reading accurate before i go get what was a new battery load tested and secondly those error codes which were 931DH, A3A9H, 9314H, where do they come from and what do they mean?

 

I'm unable to find any info on those code provided, a simple Google search should have yielded some result but didn't. We are you seeing these codes? You need to have your codes read by a code reader to get the proper codes, I think these are generic codes, useless.

 

I got the codes from the system information you get from the tachometer readout by holding down the odometer reset button. and then going through the different set of numbers. after landing on each number wait a few seconds to see what pops up and then push the button again and you can cycle through that number's sub level menu. one of the numbers was the battery voltage and another number was the error codes.

 

Sorry these codes do not show up in the Bentley manual, you need to have the codes pulled from your OBD2 port, I believe these codes can only be read by BMW/Mini.

 

My battery started to go bad and it threw all kinds of weird BMW/mini codes that I could read with icarly but they meant nothing because the battery was bad and they weren't real hard codes. Just a side effect from having low voltage. For me a new battery then clearing the codes they didn't come back. Not that this helps with ur starting issue but not all codes are hard codes. Record the codes then clear em. See what comes back. Start there. Also like I said get a reader that reads BMW/mini codes. But to be honest...even if you have the codes (and a short description of what the code is...for example provided by icarly) u still don't know what the code means. Ha. Wish someone had a BMW/mini detailed list of all codes for the R56 and a trouble shooting guide step by step like I have for my other 3 cars.

Edit: I see u changed the battery once already.

 

When you say it wont start, will the engine turn over with the ignition?

 

My first thought as well. Minis are very sensitive to battery voltage and even if they will start will run very poorly until the bad battery is either fully charged or replaced.

 

I would get a new battery, Might be a bad new battery, it happens. I would load test the battery you have. Also make sure the terminals are on all the way and secure. make sure the terminal cable itself does not have corrosion on the connection.

 

^^^It's very easy to tighten the nuts on the terminals, but have the small bottom bracket bind up so they look and feel tight, but loosen a few days later. If you happen to strip the terminal bolt, you don't have to buy a whole new MINI cable ....GM sells the bolt/bracket for $5.95....I don't have the GM part number.

 

I'm having a similar problem with the car not starting. Replaced the clutch, put the car back together, almost started on the first try, but now the starter just goes and goes, with no response from the engine. Checked the battery at Advance Auto, it's good. My next guess is a fuel issue, and a neighbor put starter fluid into the intake manifold & I put some Sta-bil in the tank perhaps because of gumming up. Car's been sitting for 4 months while I was sorting out the clutch issue & doing repairs to everything that went south from there.

I don't have an OBD2 reader, and the car is immobile, so I'm stuck having to tow it somewhere (which I'm about to pull the trigger on).

Any thoughts/ideas?