Two data points never make a trend! But we don't have all 200K reporting maintenance here. Of my delivery week I think that we had about 1% of the US delivery's chattering away as we tracked our cars to delivery. So we clearly aren't a statistically reliable distribution.

That said here is another report of a N14 self destructing. No seized vacuum pump, but again a failure in/around the timing gear.

Hummm...

 

That was my point, actually. I've read plenty of posts from people claiming the rate of these malfunctions to be upwards of 50% of the TOTAL FLEET, based on their interpretation of reports posted here. That is an inaccurate claim for the reasons you stated, and I'm tired of hearing all the anger and fear-mongering generated from the inaccurate interpretation of unreliable data.

At least BMW-MINI is now addressing the timing chain tensioner in a TSB. Since the vacuum pump and cam shaft sprockets are all in the same area, anyone getting the tensioner service will more than likely get all three examined.

 

Mine is dying, they are on their 5-6th time in the shop: Here was the beginning:See attachment

 

38,446 Miles and 4 weeks later, she is back....Dealer work order states: "cylinder #3 to have 85% Leak AND 40 psi compression", R&R Front end,exhaust/turbo manifold, intake manifold and engine mounts, removed cylinder head and inspected, found MASSIVE carbon deposits and performed gasoline test, found leak on exhaust valves of cylinder 3, removed cams and valves, sent pictures and TC case..TC authorized clean of cylinderhead/pistons/valves, replacement of clogged injectors, fuel system cleaning and oil change. Performed TC approved actions and re-assembled vehicle . Refilled cooling system, and A/C refridgerant. Ran vehicle and bled system. Test drove vehicle 20+ miles....... TC CASE #.........

I truly love my Mini,(they found these problems on the 3rd tow) but thinking perhaps its time to look elsewhere while the resale is at a high.................

 

Does the carbon build up look anything like this?





Pics were taken from camera phone.
Even with cylinder head rebuild. Problem will re occur after so many miles. I see it in other car manufacture that uses the direct injection set up. The Lexus IS 350 uses direct injection in conjunction with port fuel injection. So this engine does not have this particular problem.

 

the issue with the N14's isn't so much from 'CARBON' but burnt oil on the valves, apparently the engineers are trying to find a fix for the way the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system works on the turbo engines, As it stands right now, oil is spewed out of the valve cover through the tube and shot into the intake right next to the #4 cylinder. If someone tells you that your N14 valves have carbon as a result of poor quality fuel, its bunk, on these direct injected engines, the injector sits below the valve and therefore the fuel isn't sprayed into the intake port, but into the combustion chamber itself; therefore avoiding fuel spraying onto the valve.

It burns onto the valves and disrupts airflow causing misfires on warmup and therefore a check engine light; here is what the oil deposits look like on an n14 valve. You can see how the valve stem is coated in oil sludge and therefore cannot seal very well, I've had worse cases where the oil was burnt to the valve sealing surface itself, almost to the point where the stem and the valve seat were the same diameter (sorry for the sketchy photo) The first photo is of the #4 valves, the second photo shows how the injector sits in the head, its the little nub at the 12' o clock portion of the combustion chamber

 

Have you tried using Sea Foam through the PCV tube or brake booster line to try and alleviate this issue yet?

Spark plugs might have to be replaced from fouling on the plugs during that process right?

This seems to be one of the only options for us weekend mechanics to perform without totally removing the head (saying that gives me such a bad taste in my mouth). Do you have a recommended "sea foam" interval for aggressive drivers?

 

We have recently aquired a couple of bottles of seafoam to use, but not through the PCV yet, Someone here tried to make a mister system that plugged into the boost tube before the TB, all it did was puddle in the throttle body though.

My next cold start misfire car; I'm going to find a plug for the VC and dribble in the seafoam through the PCV hose and see how that works as compared to our orignal method which is as follows; And yes the plugs will be replaced after that method

Remove the intake, put whatever cylinder you're cleaning to the point where the intake valves are closed; using a pick or brush, scrape of majority of loose oil/carbon/ disgustingness, then with a mixture of BMW/GM (same bottle different lable) top engine cleaner, brake cleaner. soak the valves for 30-60 mins, suck out black sludgey liquid, using compressed air, blow the remaining chunks off of the intake valves.

That method works pretty well but takes a long time and leaves you with a dead car that has to be pushed in and out of your stall.

 

What is the "VC"? I'm drawing blanks for that acronym for some reason.

It must be super fun trying to see inside those ports with the engine still in the car At least you're cleaning them off though.

 

VC= Valve cover, as for seeing in the intake ports, its not that hard once you get the intake off, or you have a mirror; you just can't have a giant wattermellon head

 

OK so here is my $.02. I have noticed a bit of hesitation and or lag while starting off in first gear and any time I would quickly push the accelerator to the floor. I was concerned about the hesitation and lag being the beginning of the carbon build up

I have changed my driving habits a bit (although I thought I was a very aggressive driver to begin with) by running the RPMs higher betweens shifts and keeping in lower gears. I have been running the engine up to 6000 RPM and occasionally to redline. I also added a bottle of Red Line SI-1 Complete Fuel System Cleaner.

After about two days of driving this way the lag and hesitation has disappeared. I had read previously in this post that MINIs that had seen track time were not showing the signs of excessive carbon/slug build up on the back side of the valves.

I no longer have the hesitation on start up in first gear. Now when I slam the accelerator to the floor I am quickly pressed back into the seat.

I will be looking into the Sea Foam treatment. I have also purchased and will be installing the M7 Oil Catch Can in a few days to hopefully eliminate this from being a problem in the future.

Again, just my $.02.

 

Italian tune-ups like you've described are always beneficial LOL!

The catch cans look like a good idea, but the best place to put them is still in question. Should it be by the PCV tube or the breather tube that goes to the turbo inlet? One of them has to emit more vapor than the other...

 

Makes one wonder why there are two??? I say hook it to the PCV line.

 

breather that goes to turbo inlet? there is only one real place that pulls vaccum into the engine (pcv); the line off the vacuum pump is for your brake booster, and the vacuum line on the turbo is for the wastegate, it goes down to a reservour under the intake and is fed by the vac. pump

 

I never knew what to officially call this, but you've seemed to clear it up.

 

I just had carbon buildup removed, I had misfires on all cylinders. They replaced the fuel pump, spark plugs and ignition coil. I've wondered about the MCS running rich. My exhaust tips are always black, is this common with the S?
I've got 20,500 miles and I only put in 93 or the highest octane available, name brands only.

 

So here are a few questions:

How agressively do you drive the MINI?

At what RPM do you normally shift gears?

How long is your commute?

How often do you really push your MINI through the gears?

Do you ever "drive it like you stole it"?

Do you "drive it like it owes you money"?

Is you MINI your daily driver?

 

This is the line I'd be concerned about since it sucks blowoff right into the manifold and into the backs of the valves.


Same goes for the N12 motors. If you like to rev the snot out these engines(like I do) your gonna sludge up the internals.

My .2

-Chad

 

It's my daily driver and I am in a lot of stop and go traffic at times. I try to take a lot of highway trips and blast through the gears to make up for it. It's an automatic, but I drive in sport mode with the shifter engaged some of the time. My commute is only 10-15 miles each way.

I've been issued 3 warnings and got 1 ticket since I bought the car, I think I drive it somewhat aggressively. The RPM varies. This is a highly congested area and it can be tough to really push the car, but I try to do it on the highway as often as I can to make up for the commuter hell it must endure.
But I'm guessing it's not enough. On the long highway trips I tend to use the cruise control to avoid tickets, but when I get on the highway, the pedal is down.

 

Thanks for your reply. Just trying to see if there is any kind of trend. Some information I am hearing is that there are not seeing a lot carbon build-up on the MINIs that are seeing track time. I would equate track time with very hard driving.

I do drive my MINI like I stole it and some times I drive it like it owes me money. I have 43K miles on my 2007 MCS and so far not any issues. My commute is only 8 miles but I make sure it get to temp and I keep it in the lower gears a lot longer.

I do run the fuel cleaner and am getting ready to add the M7 catch can. I will probably look to attached the catch can to the PCV line instead of off the top of the intake.

 

For everyone that had carbon deposit issues....did you all have misfire codes?

I'm at 30k miles and I'm convinced my car has deposit issues, but it has never thrown a code.

Anyone have a bright idea of how I can get them to clean the head/valves for me if its not throwing a code? I want to be pro-active in the situation rather than waiting till I have a blown motor.

 

See post #183 Thumper

 

Yea...I don't wanna do it myself though...I'd certainly find a way to mess something up

I'm trying to figure out how I can get the techs to do it for me under warranty, before it gets to the point where my car is misfiring and CEL's are popping up.

 

www.carfood.net makes a system for inserting the proper amount of seafoam or whatever your favorite chemical is through a vacuum line. It is a bottle that hangs from the hood area with a clear hose and a valve that allows you to adjust the flow of chemical and air so it dribbles slowly into the motor and does not stall or hydro-lock the motor. The goal is to make it drip for several minutes. I found this after paying my local Sunoco/Quick Lube $75 for a fuel induction/intake cleaning service and they used this same device. I researched the name of the chemicals they used and found the carfood site. I have used it on my old Mazda, the wife's Lexus and my old Ford Explorer. Have not done it on the MINI yet. Still not sure which hose to use. I think there are better chemicals than Sea Foam and may try Redlne thru it next time. Sea Foam is really good at creating a smoke screen that will hide your car and house! Then as you drive it will create a fog bank behind your car for a few miles!

 

I will have to remember this when I decide to hold up a bank to support ever growing MINI modification habit....