For anyone interested, here's the maker of the engine in your MINI:
Tritec Motors

And for anyone who hasn't read the Ward's Auto "Top 10 Engines" report, check it out, especially S owners.

 

Very interesting information, thanks!

 

Interesting list. Thanx for sharing. We made the cut.
Cheers,

 

Very cool and interesting info

thank you orbhot for sharing with us.

 

Interesting. The Cooper's 115hp engine is in fact shared with the export only versions of the Chrysler Neon and Chrysler PT Cruiser. The European MINI ONE's version of the 1.6L TRITEC engine is rated at 75HP, not 90HP as some sources have suggested. Finally, the 1.6L Supercharged TRITEC 163HP engine is excluisive to the MINI Cooper S and it is not shared with any other Daimler-Chrysler product.

I still contend that this is a great engine and often put down by some for no apparent reason other than it being a Chrysler engine.

 

Well, there's always the fact that it doesn't run very well.

For an engine that takes several tries to start when cold, has an unbelievably low power output below 1500 RPM, disconcertingly imprecise throttle response, a HP/displacement ratio on par with other Chrysler engines, and produces a perfectly average amount of pollution, it seems to me that the good press is what's unwarranted.

 

>>For an engine that takes several tries to start when cold, has an unbelievably low power output below 1500 RPM, disconcertingly imprecise throttle response,

A: That's your MINI. I have an '02 build that i have NEVER had problems starting it. Cold engine, warm engine, cold weather, warm weather... no problems at all.

B: Isn't that the nature of engines that are intended for high rev's?

C: That's a BMW problem, not an engine problem. It's a combo of programming, and a lack of a real throttle. If you had a standard cable throttle, this would be a non-issue...

Rocketboy_X

 

chrysler???

chrysler???

my mini has a chrysler engine?

oh my jesus!!!

ahhh ill get over it.

 

Yes, jowannamini. Ripped right out of a PT Cruiser.

RocketBoy, You are fortunate to have one of the many (maybe even majority) of MINI's with no engine trouble but as a participant on this board I'm sure you are aware of the vast multitude of engine problems many of us are experiencing. From the lurch/surge/hiccup in the S's 1st gear, to the yoyo'ing, to the CVT's stalling and idling erratically. There are so many problems with this engine my eyes nearly bulge right out of their sockets whenever I read praises like these.

Sure, the pistons seem to work fine, the rocker arms are A-O.K., and the crankshaft keep's a cranking, but that's not all there is to an engine. Even if most/all of the issues are the fault of crack-addicted BMW software developers, the fact remains that the engine does not run well. Even that 10 best article noted that the non-supercharged variant was lousy and that the throttle response was terrible on both supercharged and NA engines. They voted the engine "10 Best" because it's in a Cooper and therefore is a "hoot to drive".

Oh, and very low torque at very low RPM is certainly normal for this type of engine. What's not normal is the dangerously low torque this engine has at extremely low RPM. Every so often I get lazy/distracted/etc. and dump the clutch way to early, ending up around 1000 RPM. Where a normal high-rev/small displacement engine would pull right out of that, the MCS nearly stalls and can take 5-10 seconds just to begin accelerating. Pretty annoying IMO. Feels like a carbuerated engine with a dead accelerator pump.

 

Vespa, sounds like you need to trade for an S. I have never had any of the problems you describe. Actually, come to think of it, the one time I had to have a loaner, which was a standard Cooper with 5-speed, I didn't have any of those problems either.

 

>>Yes, jowannamini. Ripped right out of a PT Cruiser.

The PT Cruiser comes with a 1.6L engine??? Since when?

Seriously, I thought it had a 2.4L engine.


Our MCS cranks out 100hp/L with the supercharged 1.6L--so image that 2.4L would be 240HP!!! Now, that'd be fun in a MINI!

 

>>>>
>>Well, there's always the fact that it doesn't run very well.
>>
>>For an engine that takes several tries to start when cold, has an unbelievably low power output below 1500 RPM, disconcertingly imprecise throttle response, a HP/displacement ratio on par with other Chrysler engines, and produces a perfectly average amount of pollution, it seems to me that the good press is what's unwarranted.


Those problems are mainly related to poor engine management software calibration, not the engine mechanicals or design by itself. Apples to apples, please.

All the current software calibration problems are due to BMW's negligence from the get go and possibly also shared by Siemens of Germany, manufacturer of the MINI's electronic engine management system.

 

>>Yes, jowannamini. Ripped right out of a PT Cruiser.
>>
>>RocketBoy, You are fortunate to have one of the many (maybe even majority) of MINI's with no engine trouble but as a participant on this board I'm sure you are aware of the vast multitude of engine problems many of us are experiencing. From the lurch/surge/hiccup in the S's 1st gear, to the yoyo'ing, to the CVT's stalling and idling erratically. There are so many problems with this engine my eyes nearly bulge right out of their sockets whenever I read praises like these.
>>
>>Sure, the pistons seem to work fine, the rocker arms are A-O.K., and the crankshaft keep's a cranking, but that's not all there is to an engine. Even if most/all of the issues are the fault of crack-addicted BMW software developers, the fact remains that the engine does not run well. Even that 10 best article noted that the non-supercharged variant was lousy and that the throttle response was terrible
on both supercharged and NA engines. They voted the engine "10 Best" because it's in a Cooper and therefore is a "hoot to drive".
>>
>>Oh, and very low torque at very low RPM is certainly normal for this type of engine. What's not normal is the dangerously low torque this engine has at extremely low RPM. Every so often I get lazy/distracted/etc. and dump the clutch way to early, ending up around 1000 RPM. Where a normal high-rev/small displacement engine would pull right out of that, the MCS nearly stalls and can take 5-10 seconds just to begin accelerating. Pretty annoying IMO. Feels like a carbuerated engine with a dead accelerator pump.


Read my previous response, Vespa. You are going way off target here.

 

>>>>Yes, jowannamini. Ripped right out of a PT Cruiser.
>>
>>The PT Cruiser comes with a 1.6L engine??? Since when?
>>
>>Seriously, I thought it had a 2.4L engine.
>>
>>
>>Our MCS cranks out 100hp/L with the supercharged 1.6L--so image that 2.4L would be 240HP!!! Now, that'd be fun in a MINI!

 

I have 12,500+ miles on her and have no complaints. I traded a regular Cooper in for her, and that Cooper had 12K miles on its odometer, and other than some interior squeaks, ran beautifully as well!

Cheers!
Clover

 

>>Some of you seem to either not to read or have very poor reading comprehension skills.

Making fun of my reading shills is not going to get you anywhere!

As far as reading, I read vespa's entire post and I responded to the main top point in it.

 

I don't care if it's the ECU or the gas tank. If the engine doesn't run well, the engine doesn't run well. I suppose the Cadillac 4-6-8 was a great engine as well huh? Come on guys, piston and valve technology was perfected over 100 years ago -- what makes an engine these days is software, software and more software.

 

The engine has proved to be reliable as far as I can tell. Reading the threads on MINI2 the engine rarely gets a mention in the Faults and Fixes section. Most gripes are to do with the engine management software.

 

>>>>Some of you seem to either not to read or have very poor reading comprehension skills.


I wish I could read. I'm just here looking at the pictures.

 

HAHAHAHA..........GOOD ONE CABBAGETOE!

 

HEYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!...I ALSO OWN A CHRYSLER 300M...AND THE ENGINE ROCKS....255HP...

 

Greetings,

Vespa, sorry to hear of your troubles becauce no one I know has the problems you describe !! Domestics have imoprt parts from other car companies around the world and the imports are now a collective collage from different manufacturers.

My Tritec motor propells my MINI very quickly - thankyou !!!

Best Regards,
Ron