I recently purchased a 2007 Mini Cooper (Non-S Version) from a dealer and the thing was in PERFECT condition off the lot.

All of a sudden; not even three days off the lot, the check engine light came on and the nightmare(s) began.

The car runs and drives fine until the engine is warmed up. After about 10 minutes of driving, when you come to a stop at stoplights, the RPMs drop low and nearly stalls out (and actually has a few times).

If I drive more than 15/20 miles, it'll get even worse and a red light showing an oil can (low oil pressure) will come on and make a beeping noise. This happens only when going really slow or completely stopped.

I also notice that when the car is completely stopped and I rev the engine, the car will drop RPM to near-stalling levels (also as stalled a few times while doing that as well) and then regulate a few seconds after.

I had purchased a OBDII reader made specifically for BMW/Mini.

I read the codes and it came up as saying there were all kinds of problems with my intake manifold and mass airflow sensor... so I took the time to send it back to the dealership, they changed the oil, installed a new Mass Airflow sensor, and didn't charge me for any of that... but I just don't know what else to think.

These are the actual engine codes coming up on the OBDII:

2B15 Differential Pressure Intake Manifold Plausibility
2B68 Air Mass Flow Plausibility

-I did notice that there is a small pool of oil collected near the oil filter, and my vacuum pump has a strange black putty-like residue around the housing and has a bizarre clicking noise coming from it, but it doesn't sound overwhelmingly strange.

I've also made a video showing a little of what the car is doing as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQJuwb2K3Qo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQJuwb2K3Qo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350">

 

Did you buy your car from a MINI dealer? Did yo get a warrenty? The oil pressure warning light problem is indicative of worn bearings...either rod or cam bearings. If you got a warrenty have this problem addressed as it goes to the longevity of the engine life. I don't know about the codes, so sorry I can't help you there..

 

If you keep the car off idle does it run fine? If you hold the revs around 1200 rpm does it stay rather happy?

Sounds like you've got a vacuum leak. It's a simple system on that car so finding the leak shouldn't be too difficult.

If the vacuum pump is making horrid noises I would plan on replacing it, I've seen them seize and break cam bolts, crash valves and cause mayhem.

 

I did not buy my car from a Mini dealership and got it for a very fair price. However, I did not do my research and it's definitely coming back to bite me... in places that I probably shouldn't be bitten in.

I bought it outside of the warranty cut-off so that's not an option at the moment. Unfortunately.

I thought that it would be an issue with wear on the engine, but at the same time, if that were the case, it seems like the light would come on and just stay on regardless if the engine was warm or not.

The car does run just fine when I keep it off idle though.

I suppose that with a vacuum leak there would be air getting into places where there shouldn't be air and that would be accumulating as I drive it.

I'm going to bring it back to the dealership and FORCE them to fix that vacuum pump after I'm out of work tonight. I'll keep everyone updated on how it goes.

 

With severe enough vacuum leaks the car will struggle heavily to stay running and even stall at idle, and if the car was falling to ~2-300 rpm during these tantrums that could also explain your oil pressure light coming on.

 

Do you think that it would also affect the way that the car shifts? The symptoms are very bizarre.

 

what does lemon law say about this?

 

Hopefully it says that I can get my money back and go get a mini from the dealership :D

 

I have a Cooper S that throws a chronic 2884 code with the same "Differential Pressure Intake Manifold Plausibility" issue but it doesn't go with a drop in rpms. Instead it does so while under acceleration. My mechanic thinks it may be related either to an air leak in the plumbing leading to the turbo or to a timing issue of some kind. I ran a Blue Reader ODBII on it and caught it in action today. The only thing I noticed was a sudden downward spike in the timing for about a 10th of a second along with a subtle but sudden loss of intake pressure. Whenever it does this it throws the Check Engine Light and disables boost.

The CEL has been staying on for awhile and then rectifying itself without me needing to turn it off. When the CEL is on, as I say, the turbo goes offline (Well, the wastegate is held open by the system) in order to avoid damaging it. The car runs great otherwise, just no extra boost. When it comes back on, you can feel it kick back in. WHY all of this is happening is a mystery and one that I've read other instances of on this and other forums from years past with seemingly no resolution no matter the components changed or replaced. The ONLY thing I haven't seen an owner do is replace the VANOS module. After what I witnessed today, I'm beginning to think it is either an electrical fault or a software glitch. I'm going to run my car more in Sport mode to see if it will happen under that profile as well...

All of this doesn't really help YOUR problem I know, but I find it odd that the unlisted 2884 code is the same as what you're getting on a normally aspirated R56 under a different code.

 

Well, the dealership is still insisting on fixing it. Now there's all kinds of crazy error codes popping up about cylinder misfires and everything...

The dealership took it to another German Auto repair shop and they said that it has a dropped valve seat :|

I'm not entirely sure what this entails but I guess it's a good thing that I brought it in when I did.

 

Alright guys, so I got an update. I brought it back to the dealership and they basically told me that they have no idea what's going on with the thing. They said that it could be a valve seat but there's a lot more to it than just that.

They told me that they could go through it with a "fine-toothed comb" and find all of the problems OR they could just toss another engine in it. They said that they would pay for the engine (About $3000 for the one they wanna put in) but I would have to pay for the labor; about $1100.

 

1100 for a new engine isnt bad. but i think if you take some time trying to get each code fixed, that might be the solution. but then again, if all repairs total 500, then 1100 isnt too far and you get a new engine. I would ask them, what comes with the engine? some times they will swap parts from the old to the new and potentially swap the issue to the new engine too.

where are you located by the way?

 

Well, initially, I wanted to get it all replaced one-by-one. We tried that at first when the "Differential Intake Manifold Pressure Plausibility" and "Mass-Airflow Sensor Plausibility" lights kept coming on.

They replaced all of that stuff but after they fixed it, it kept saying "Engine Misfire All-Cylinders" or something along those lines. They finally brought in a German automotive mechanic who said "Yeah, those codes probably aren't what the actual problem is and you're more than likely going to have to open up the engine to find out."

... Then the guy told me that I could pay for the labor of doing that, or they could just swap out the engine; which would end up being a lot cheaper since they claim responsibility for it, even though they said that 'legally' I bought the car as-is and they don't have to do anything to help me.

Might as well cut my losses here.

I am located in Grand Rapids, Michigan!

 

I think it all comes down to your cash flow. Also, these minis are some what tricky. My CMS All4 was shutting off after 5 minutes no matter what. i replaced the HPFP to an avail. long story short, i decided to replace the fuel rail pressure sensor and thank god til now, i have it solid...(well, after the thermostat housing replacement too)

 

Sorry your in this mess.

This web site may help Michigan Law on Used Cars

I would consider a sit down with a lawyer before agreeing to anything...some older MINI's can be like "This old House", and could just the beginning of issues...

GL!

 

I know it's an old thread but might be helpful to someone. I solved mine. after changing the chain that did not have any effect on close investigation we saw abnormal wear on intake camshaft lobes, I got a used one from ebay in good condition, I replaced the camshaft together with the o rings from mini (that the original were metallic and the replacement looked like some type of plastic) these ones control the oil in the vanos system. then together I ordered 8 intake hydraulic lifters from bilstein. we adjust everything vanos timing etc over a programme and voila the car runs smooth again. fyi r56 cooper non s 50k miles