My wife was leaving the house the other morning and the temperature was in the upper 20's. Our driveway is quite steep and she started to loose grip on the icy hill and couldn't get up the hill. After sliding sideways she stalled the motor, she was able to start it up no problem and then just went back down the hill and parked it in the garge. Then she drove our SUV to work that day, since it is AWD and didn't have any problems making it up the driveway.

The next morning it was above freezing (still cold) so she decided to take the Mini to work, except it wouldn't start. She tried cranking it several times without luck.

That evening I plugged in a OBD-II reader and didn't find any codes on the ECU. The code reader, said the hp fuel pressure would start out at 75-150psi or so and after cranking a few seconds it would be between 700-1100psi. Intake air and coolant temperature is within a degree or two of ambient.

I assumed it was flooded, so I pulled all the plugs and there was a bit of carbon, but all 4 sparked a nice bright white spark for every (or every other) revolution.

FYI, the HPFP and the spark plugs have been replaced in the last 5k miles or so.

I know I can check compression, but since it was just running fine and no mechanical damage could have taken place while sitting in the garage.

It could be the battery, after cranking it for 15-20 minutes I had to put it on the charger. The next day I pulled it off the charger and the OBD scanner says the ECU voltage is 11.6-11.8 volts after cranking it few times. The battery is about 3 years old.

Any other ideas?

 

According to the Bentley manual, any voltage at or lower than 11.7V is sign of a fully discharged battery. This is tested after a 1 hour, 15 amp load i.e., headlights on and engine off for about one minute. There's a chart with 5 different voltages and equivalent charge status. 12.6V or more is fully charged. There's also a chart for specific gravity.

I had a service tech explain to me that the ECU gets real unhappy when battery is low, and just won't allow the car to start. If you only get 3 years of battery life, think about a replacement with a higher CCA rating. Or, change your driving habits to allow for more charging.

If you replace the battery, consider getting it "registered". Some of us say it's not necessary, but a service tech has good reasons for getting it done.

Lotsa good info in the Bentley manual --- you should consider getting one if you keep the Mini.

 

Having fuel pressure doesn't guarantee that you're getting fuel. Try cranking it, then pulling a spark plug and smell it. Is it wet with gasoline? You're getting fuel, otherwise the injector solenoids aren't opening.

 

Does the car sit for long periods of time? 12.6-volt is the reading when the battery is fully charged. If the reading is 12 volts or less, then the battery needs charging or needs to be replaced with a new one.

 

I am experiencing the same thing!

Instead of hijacking this thread I have started my own here.

 

So I replaced the battery today with a 34R AGM Die Hard. The current Auto Zone battery was still under warranty, but had already been replaced, because it froze solid last time it was around 20 degrees. So I didn't feel like putting another inferior battery in there.

I cranked it probably a dozen times and it STARTED! I drove it a few miles and read it for codes. P0301, 302 and 304 were stored, which are misfires on cylinders 1, 2, and 4. I don't know if they were from cranking the motor or from the test drive. The test drive didn't notice any misfires or loss of power and HPFP was between 660 and 2000psi.

We'll see what tomorrow brings...

 

Did you clear the codes to see if they come back?