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Help! I recently bought a 2010 Mini S Clubman with 70,000 miles as is no warranty....
On my home the night I bought it the engine light started chiming.... **sob**
Cant take it back, bought it with cash, declined any extra warranty, thought I bought a unicorn! I love my Mini......
Took it to my mechanic, codes were misfire plug 1 and 4, changed all the plugs. Reset code..... Drove to work, engine light started bing bonging, I whimpered a little and turned up the radio...
Went back to my mechanic, code said misfire plug 1, changed all 4 injectors. Reset code..... Drove home, engine light started singing...I cringed.
Thinking of using sea foam to see if that might help with any build up, the idle dips and runs rough still, using sport mode when I can to see if that helps, want to change the cylinder pack on plug 1 just to rule it out. Don't want to go to the mini dealer if I can help it....I did'nt buy it there....
Did I say that I love my car....its the most beautiful car I've ever owned.... I love it as I sigh deeply, felt that way about a couple of relationships in my life too....lol
It's almost definitely the high pressure fuel pump that needs to be replaced, and good news is that the dealership covers the HPFP for up to 10 years and 120,000 miles so it won't cost you anything to have it replaced. The dealership has a troubleshooting path the must follow when diagnosing the problem and may require you to have the intake valves cleaned before they'll replace the HPFP. They remove the intake manifold and blast the valves and intake ports with crushed walnut shells. It's like sand blasting but with walnut shells which won't damage the aluminum of the inside of the intake ports/runners. It's a good idea to have the cleaning done anyway as it will improve throttle response and power, and you wouldn't want a chunk of that build up going into your engine's cylinder anyway as it could cause serious damage. Dealerships can charge up to $1,000 for the intake valve cleaning. An independent shop would be about half that. If you have the valves cleaned at an independent shop, the dealership may not accept the cleaning and still require you to have them (the dealership) do it.
If I were you, I'd take the car to a Mini dealership, have them diagnose the issue knowing it will likely need the HPFP replaced which won't cost you anything (they may ask you to pay a diagnosis fee around $130, but if the problem is found to be the HPFP then you won't be charged the diagnosis fee) and if they require intake valve cleaning ask if you can have it done elsewhere beforehand. Maybe even get a quote for intake valve cleaning from an independent and see if the Mini dealership will come down on their price. If the dealership does not require intake valve cleaning then get them to replace the HPFP (for free) and later get an independent to do the intake valve cleaning. Try to find an independent that specializes in Mini. I don't think I'd trust just anybody to work on my Mini.
Regarding the HPFP symptoms, the check engine light on my 2009 Clubman S would turn on while trying to start the engine. I used an Alta AccessPort to check and clear the codes but they'd come back, sometimes different codes than before, but always misfire related. I listed the various codes below. The engine would stumble, stutter and die while starting it. The RPMs would be really low and wouldn't increase even though I depressed the accelerator, and the engine would die. After a few tries it would eventually start and run normally, although there was one time when the engine stumbled really badly while I was driving and accelerating hard. Curiously, if the engine was cold or had been sitting for a couple of hours, it usually started normally.
I had an independent shop clean the intake valves for about $400. That did not fix the misfire problems, but it did improve throttle response and restored a noticeable amount of power, so that made me happy. Then I had the dealership replace the high pressure fuel pump, and that fixed all the problems.
Error codes due to faulty HPFP on my 2009 Clubman S:
P0304 Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected
P0302 Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected
P2781 Misfire Mult Cyl Max
P2779 Misfire Cyl 4 Max
P277D Misfire Cyl 2 Max
P2783 Misfire Mult Cyl Error
P277B Misfire Cyl 4 Error
P277F Misfire Cyl 2 Error
P2773 Misfire Cyl 1 Error
There's another part or area of the car that has an "extended" warranty; the timing chain. If your 2010 Clubman S has never had the timing chain replaced then there's a chance that it will need it soon. My 2009 Clubman S needed a new timing chain and guides around 45,000 miles. Symptoms were loud knocking for a minute or two after starting the engine from cold. The engine will sound like a loud diesel engine. There was a class action lawsuit recently and Mini has now extended the warranty on the timing chain and related parts/service from four years or 50,000 miles to seven years or 100,000 miles.
You should probably find out if your 2010 Clubman S has had any of the following repairs/replacements done. Below are the repairs I had done and the mileage at which they were done. These are all somewhat common repairs for our cars with the N14 engine, though your mileage may vary (pun).
Model year 2011 and later had a different engine installed (N18) and don't have all the same issues. Some N14 engine cars need the repairs done sooner and some later, but it's possible they'll need to be done at some point if not done already.
Repairs done on my 2009 Clubman S:
1. Timing chain, guides and tensioners, 45,000 miles. Loud knocking for a minute or two after starting engine from cold.
2. Intake valves walnut shell blasted and the High Pressure Fuel Pump replaced, 55,000 miles. Check engine light, multiple misfires and eventually engine will stutter and stumble and be difficult to start when already warm.
3. Thermostat, thermostat housing, coolant, 60,000 miles. The black plastic housing may develop a hairline crack and there will be coolant leaking or crusty dried coolant on the housing. Also watch for a drop in coolant level.
4. Transmission fluid and filter, 60,000 miles. I have an automatic transmission, and fluid and filter are supposed to last for lifetime, but I replaced them anyway. I'd recommend you at least replace the fluid by 100,000 miles, not necessarily the filter. It costs a lot more to have the filter changed because the subframe needs to be dropped down in order to remove the pan to get to the filter.
5. Spark plugs, 60,000 miles. I believe 60,000 miles is called for by Mini for the S model, so nothing unusual here. It sounds like you just had new plugs installed, so you should be good here.
6. Turbo oil supply line. Optionally the turbo oil drain line, oil filter housing gaskets, heat exchanger gaskets. 65,000 miles. You'll see oil behind the turbo on the supply line and soaked into the heat shield that wraps around the line, and on the corner of the valve cover if the oil supply line needs replacing. The other parts I have heard to fail so I replaced them while working on that area. The vacuum pump gasket can be replaced on its own.
I installed an upgraded turbo oil supply line from Detroit Tuned which is all metal (no rubber oring) so I will never have this problem again. Detroit Tuned is the best one in my opinion because I've read here on NAM that a different brand upgraded line, from Way Motor Works I believe, has problems with the upper banjo bolt not being strong enough and breaking while torquing it down. You want a kit that has an OE banjo bolt. You don't really need to replace the drain line, I just did it as preventative maintenance since I was already working in that area of the engine. For the oil filter housing I'm guessing you'll see oil or coolant dripping or around the oil filter housing, I just did it as preventative maintenance. I also replaced the heat exchanger gaskets as preventative maintenance. There are passages for both oil and coolant in the oil filter housing and heat exchanger because the coolant helps cool the oil.
There should be a wrap-around heat shield installed in your turbo oil supply line. One side of the shield is metal foil and the other side looks like fiber glass cloth. There is a metal clip attached to the shield in order to attach it to the turbo's oil supply line. If the heat shield is not there then Mini will install one for free. My Clubman S did not ship with the shield, but there was a campaign to install one for free. The shield helps protect the turbo oil supply line from the heat of the turbo so that the o-ring in the line lasts longer. If the shield is soaked in oil then you need a new turbo oil supply line.
A few other tips:
For around $40 you can buy a lower engine mount. At 70,000 miles yours will be worn. On my automatic, it was really easy to replace myself, just 5 minutes after I had the car jacked up and supported by jack stands. It stopped the sort of knocking/jerky feeling when transitioning between accelerating and decelerating (gas on, gas off). Made the car feel like new again. Best $40 I've spent on the car.
Check your car's oil level frequently, and make sure you are reading the dipstick correctly. It's easy to get an inaccurate reading because when you pull the dipstick up, the lower "bulb" on the dipstick pulls oil up with it and into the dipstick passageway which then gets onto the dipstick when it's reinserted. Car should be level and engine should be shut off for at least a few minutes to allow oil to drain into the pan. Pull the dipstick out and clean it, wait a few minutes so that any oil that got pulled up into the dipstick passageway can drain back down into the pan, insert the (clean) dipstick fully, then pull the dipstick out and read it. Oil level should be between the two bulbs; ideally above the midpoint and below the upper bulb. You can also get a good reading if the car has been sitting overnight... Just pull the dipstick out and read it. You don't need to wipe the dipstick first, just pull it out and read it. It helps to read the oil level all the way around the dipstick by rotating it.
Change your motor oil every 6,000 miles, NOT 12,000 or 15,000 or whatever the car's computer says. Fresh oil will help the timing chain guides, which are made of a type of plastic, last longer as well be good for your turbo and engine in general. You must use full synthetic oil and make sure it meets the specifications in your owners manual.
I would consider changing mechanics because he/she does not sound like a Mini specialist. A little research on your Clubman's misfire problem could have turned up the HPFP as a cause of the problem. That being said, any mechanic can perform the repairs I listed. I did a lot of them myself. It's diagnosing that can be tricky, and these issues don't require much diagnosing, but you need to keep up on it, it seems.
There is not much room in the engine compartment. You/they can put the front end into "service mode" which allows you to pull the bumper, radiator etc a few inches forward, giving you more room to do some of the repairs like the turbo oil supply line. Not knowing this could make certain repairs be more difficult.
I hope that helps and doesn't scare you too much. I love my Clubman. It's the most fun to drive car I've ever had. For me, I am able to enjoy my car more knowing about its problems, and in my case having them all taken care of, including ones that are preventative.
I bought my Mini with somewhat over 40,000 miles already on the odometer so I may have inherented some of the problems, but from what I've read here it sounds like the issues just come with mileage. I think there's just a lot of heat in the engine bay. My Mini still has perfect like-new compression on all 4 cylinders as of 60,000 miles.
Regarding cleaning the intake valves, it's pretty easy to remove the air filter box and the intake manifold to look at the intake valves using a small mirror or camera. It felt like I got about 10 horsepower back after having the intake valves cleaned. I could really feel a difference.
Personally I would not trust seafoam because I wouldn't want to send all that crap through the catalytic converter. I've read about other people using seafoam and they said it only makes a small difference.
I am attaching before and after pictures of the intake valves and port/runner of one of the cylinders. This is with 55,000 miles on the car. The other intake valves were nearly as bad. The pictures were taken using an iPhone.
Before intake valve cleaning. This was the worst cylinder.
04-05-2016, 04:25 PM
