Stuttering while accelerating
1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 24
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Is there a solution to this other than swap plugs? I put in champions and I'm having the same issue WITH new plugs. Maybe some type of spark plug grease or something?? Would you put something dialectric on it as @minimontes said or should I get some of the oldschool 12 sided plugs?
1st Gear
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 42
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I just recently did some personal testing with my families Mini's and was able to repeat this issue on 3 different model Mini S models with 16K , 45K and 72K all with N18's on the same road and all had automatics.
Lets see if I can explain. My city is Hilly not flat at all... if we drove our cars on a flat part of the road at 40-50mph( sport mode didn't matter, JB+ didn't matter) and road started to have an upgrade or slight hill. Not enough for the car to downshift but enough to keep your speed the engine needs more fuel. The turbo has been spooling at low revs and as soon as you just put a bit more foot on the pedal the boost jumps from 1-3 PSI to 10 PSI.. It can build Revs or supply enough fuel to compensate fast enough so the ECU retards spark which causes the stuttering. We were all able to make our cars repeat this on the same part of road.
Make any sense?
Lets see if I can explain. My city is Hilly not flat at all... if we drove our cars on a flat part of the road at 40-50mph( sport mode didn't matter, JB+ didn't matter) and road started to have an upgrade or slight hill. Not enough for the car to downshift but enough to keep your speed the engine needs more fuel. The turbo has been spooling at low revs and as soon as you just put a bit more foot on the pedal the boost jumps from 1-3 PSI to 10 PSI.. It can build Revs or supply enough fuel to compensate fast enough so the ECU retards spark which causes the stuttering. We were all able to make our cars repeat this on the same part of road.
Make any sense?
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 286
Likes: 21
From: Pittsburgh
I'm not sure of a definite solution. My 2012 R60 has a Manic tune, colder plugs and a cat back. It does it much much less than my 2016. My 2016 now has colder plugs and a Panel filter. It is getting a Manic tune this weekend so we will see. Mine do not throw codes and if the engineer power light comes on it goes off after restart. I do think fuel has something to do with it. My car's do not like Costco 93 which is supposed to be a top tier fuel. Mine seem ti run the best on Shell V power or Sunoco 93 but the issue isnt completelty gone.
Last edited by ke3ee; Dec 5, 2017 at 06:43 AM.
1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
I'm sure of a definite solution. My 2012 R60 has a Manic tune, colder plugs and a cat back. It does it much much less than my 2016. My 2016 now has colder plugs and a Panel filter. It is getting a Manic tune this weekend so we will see. Mine do not throw codes and if the engineer power light comes on it goes off after restart. I do think fuel has something to do with it. My car's do not like Costco 93 which is supposed to be a top tier fuel. Mine seem ti run the best on Shell V power or Sunoco 93 but the issue isnt completelty gone.
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 286
Likes: 21
From: Pittsburgh
The Manic Tunes take the N18 from the 182 to approx. 225 stage 1 and can make much more with a Catless downpipe and a larger intercooler. On my 2012 I can see 21psi regularly. if you do a search in the R56 forum there are lots of threads about Gap and types of plugs
1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
WOW! That is a huge increase. I need to do some research on a Manic tune. As a start, what all is involved and what kind of price is required? Mine is an R60 so does everything cross over? Lots of questions but I am at work so can't do too much research yet.
1st Gear
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 27
Likes: 2
Having the exact same issue. Stumbles on light to mid throttle at cruising speeds. New turbo, new coil packs, new NGK plugs, new HPFP, new thermostat/housing, new valve cover diaphragm, new diverter valve, pressure converter and DMTL. I HATE THIS STUPID CAR!
1st Gear
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 27
Likes: 2
Master auto tech of 27yrs, graduated Wyotech in 92, BUT I am not a German car tech or fan. This is my wife's car.
I am 100% sure it was all done right, the original problem was a 2C57 code which is why most of those parts were replaced. The turbo actually is what fixed the code, but now this surging is a new problem and honestly I don't remember it being there before the turbo was replaced. Since the original turbo had a faulty waste gate it most likely wasn't making as much boost as it does now which may be why it wasn't hesitating before.
BTW, the car only has 78,050 miles on it and it has never been modified in any way.
I am 100% sure it was all done right, the original problem was a 2C57 code which is why most of those parts were replaced. The turbo actually is what fixed the code, but now this surging is a new problem and honestly I don't remember it being there before the turbo was replaced. Since the original turbo had a faulty waste gate it most likely wasn't making as much boost as it does now which may be why it wasn't hesitating before.
BTW, the car only has 78,050 miles on it and it has never been modified in any way.
Neutral
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
When this has happened to me, it precedes a coil fail. When that happens, you're not going to get more than 30-35 mph out of her, so I hope youre not far from home.
Anyone know the right coils to get- I have an all4 s, and the last coils I put in... I don't know- don't seem to give me the umph she used to have before. I also saw there were some coils that were specific to Turbo, after the fact.
Anyone know the right coils to get- I have an all4 s, and the last coils I put in... I don't know- don't seem to give me the umph she used to have before. I also saw there were some coils that were specific to Turbo, after the fact.
I recommend OEM. This happened to me as well and I wastes so much money buying cheep 30$ ones and my car kept sputtering finally dropped the money and got OEM and it has been running like a champ.
Neutral
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Whoa there big fella. That HPFP is over a grand at the dealer and reading this forum has shown that it often does not repair the stuttering problem. Coils and plugs can be done in the garage for less than $125. It is a lot easier to try that than the fuel pumps. If you can get the engine up to higher RPMs the problem is likely not fuel starvation. Ya gotta use a little logic in the diagnostics so maybe you can save a few bucks. I know there is a definite problem with some of the HPFPs but make sure the problem is not somewhere else before throwing the big money at it. The Extended warranty for the HPFP does not cover the 2012 Countryman All4 BTW, only up to 50K miles. The dealership quoted me $2k for the job. 
Do all your homework when diagnosing your problems!
Do all your homework when diagnosing your problems!
Neutral
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Hey everyone, this looks like an old service bulletin but have you seen this? It looks exactly like the same problem to me.
SIM 12-02-11
BMW: A SOFTWARE ERROR IS CAUSING A HESITATION OR JERKING WHEN ACCELERATING UNDER HIGHER LOADS BETWEEN 3000 � 4000 RPM. *RM
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Mini/Cooper/2009/tsbs/
I have a 2011 Countryman S and my dealer told me this is related to a different engine than the one in my car. Unfortunately I don't remember the exact engine code.
I've also read somewhere that this problem is solved by a software update. But of course, since I can't always replicate the stutter problem the dealer doesn't want to update my software.
So my question to those having this problem is: Does digital screen of your tachometers look different than below? As far as I remember, after updating the software, the digital screen shows something different than below.
SIM 12-02-11
BMW: A SOFTWARE ERROR IS CAUSING A HESITATION OR JERKING WHEN ACCELERATING UNDER HIGHER LOADS BETWEEN 3000 � 4000 RPM. *RM
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Mini/Cooper/2009/tsbs/
I have a 2011 Countryman S and my dealer told me this is related to a different engine than the one in my car. Unfortunately I don't remember the exact engine code.
I've also read somewhere that this problem is solved by a software update. But of course, since I can't always replicate the stutter problem the dealer doesn't want to update my software.
So my question to those having this problem is: Does digital screen of your tachometers look different than below? As far as I remember, after updating the software, the digital screen shows something different than below.
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