My car died today at a traffic light. The dash said 12 miles left and I was going to fill it up just a mile down the road, but I did happen to stop right in front of a local gas station. I put in about 2 gallons and the dash said 36 miles left, but the car would not start. It tries something, then a second later just stops. I did smell something and I think I saw a bit of smoke, so I stopped and called Mini. They towed the car to the dealership. Can anyone help me understand what may need to be fixed. My car of course hit passed 50,000 miles this month and no longer under warranty. Could it just be air or dirt in the fuel line?

Thanks!

 

My guess is the HPFP(high pressure fuel pump)

 

So can running a MINI out of fuel kill the HPFP? Just curious, as I usually don't let mine get that low.

Spridget

 

I don't have my owner's manual handy but if I recall correctly, I think I did see something in there that said letting the car ran out of gas could cause damage. I could be wrong though....

 

I've heard the HPFP likes to be immersed in some fuel to cool it.
If it's on its way out, maybe running out of gas might do it in.
Also, if it's been run dry, you might need more than a couple gallons in the tank
and a bit more cranking before the air gets purged out. That can happen after
changing the filter, too.

 

Not only a Mini but most of all the late model cars have a problem when you run the tank dry.

There is really no excuse for running a car that low.

Gas stations seem to be just about every place I go here in America.

The intelligent thing to do is get your tank filled when you get down to three bars left. Never ever trust the computer to say how many miles you can still drive. The computer does not know how many gallons are still in the tank. It just knows about how many miles you may have due to your driving. If you drove over 50mph or goosed the car a few times of course the computer won't know exactly how many actual gallons are actually left in the tank. The computer also don't really know how much you sat at idle or how many cold starts you did. It just knows how many miles you traveled. (Do not trust the Computer)

The fuel pump is on the bottom of the tank and cooled by the liquid gas so when you run out you take a chance on frying the pump.

Start looking for a station while you have three bars left and you won't ever run out of gas.

 

Zero the trip odometer each time you fill up. In time you will know how many miles you can safely travel. And, as far as I know, there is no trophy - although some folks claim "bragging rights" - for going the farthest...aka dryest.

 

I don't have an S but was curious as to what the OM said, mine says Fuel when the DTE says 30 miles to Fill Up. Kind of makes sense doesn't it, I fail to see how and/or why people would let their car get so low that now the cost of repair is going to be 10 times more than just stopping and filling up.

 

The owners manual says that operation is not guaranteed if your trip meter goes under 30 miles till empty and that damage could occur.

 

In modern, electric fuel pumps, the fuel acts as both a lubricant and and a coolant. When the pump is trying to run with no fuel flowing through it, damage can result.

 

I usually top up as soon as the low fuel warning comes on - i.e., when the candy corns turn red. I tend to become uneasy when pushing for maximum range. It doesn't really save any money, and there's always the risk of becoming stranded or ruining the HPFP.

Spridget

 

12 miles. hehehehehehehehehehehehehe

 

I tend to not learn lessons the hard way, and I'm thankful that I came across a similar thread right after I purchased my cooper back in Nov. The stories of these cars dying because they've run out of fuel because the tach said it had "X" amount of miles til empty was overwhelming. The furthest I go is 2 remaining candy corns..

 

But Eddy you have a "justa" like Molly we don't have HPFPs!! I still don't recommend running your MINI down to <30 DTE!!

 

So the dealer told me that the HPFP and the Chain tension are both good, but the car was missing 2 quarts of oil. Now after reading through these forums understand that I NEED to check the oil over 3 fillups, but no one ever told me that. I know its a few lines in the service manual, but its not even in the owners manual. The owners manual states not to add 1 quart of oil if the light comes on, or the oil level on the stick is at low. If i was missing 2 quarts, shouldn't the light have come on? Rather than spending 1 hour teaching me how to use the radio they should have told me the car drinks oil. I have owned other cars, even a Volvo S60 Turbo and that never needed oil added ( I do my own oil changes and notice no significant loss of oil). Long story short, the dealer says I have to pay to have the engine replaced. They performed "tests" and said the car is not leaking oil. I checked the oil levels while filling up windshield fluid about 7000 miles ago and it was normal. I read 1 quart every 1000 miles is "normal", but that just does not make sense. How can a modern car with 52,000 miles use that much oil.

 

Hmmm usually newer cars are good about that. I let my husband take my MINI down to Mississippi from Oklahoma and he didn't fill up in Shreveport since there was still plenty of gas. Little did he know and the people with him that it was the last place to stop for fuel for miles. At one point the computer said 0 miles for about 8 miles and he managed to make it to a gas station. We figured it had a reserve in its tank or something because you know we're not always the smartest So while there seems to a gas station at every corner...it's not always the case.

I hate how things just tend to break once the warranty is over...I just extended mine too because mine started acting up. I love the MINI but its the last car I'm getting past the year 2005...any car before that I could do a good chunk of the work on and the electrical systems are fairly simple. Have a fancy dandy computer is nice but when it breaks

 

If the oil was only two quarts low and the light did not come on I can't see that harming your engine enough to have to replace the whole engine. Did the car overheat and you still drove it?? If not I certainly would try a different dealer.

Two quarts low on oil is not going to puke the engine and if the car overheated the light would have came on.

Most of these dealer seem to not have any trained mechanics but hire "Parts Changers" It is not only the Mini/BMW dealers but is rampant all over America no matter what brand car you drive.

Before you go replacing your engine you need to buy or borrow a scanner and find out what codes the computer had in it.

It may have been an Oil Pump failure. If so, At least you will know what happened. Then you can replace the engine.

 

You should always check your oil at least every other fill up.

 

Mine is quite clear.

Engine oil

The engine oil consumption is dependent on driving style and driving conditions. Check the engine oil level regularly, e.g. when refueling.

 

Ramtaajogi, I'd get a second opinion. Doesn't pass the stink test to me. And if it is the oil pump, as has been suggested, that's pretty surprising, too. I'd get more information, then appeal to MINI USA. BMW once split the cost with us on a 5-series that had a breakdown right after the warranty period expired.

For the record, mine has more than 70,000 miles, doesn't use oil. Nor do I check the oil when I fill up. I doubt many people do. (I do check before a trip, and change the oil every 5000 miles.)

 

Fill up when she says 13 miles left. It is common sense to check the oil at least every month or so.

These are not Hondas, you need to pay attention to what the car needs.

Goodluck