P2D52 is the code for superknock if I remember correctly...as far as the others, not sure.

By "oil cover" you are referring to the oil cap right? If there is a chuck of metal up there it would have to be a piece of valve I would think?

Does the car sound different at all? Try pulling the plugs and taking a peak at them and into the cylinder....it will give a good indication of whats going on in there. Anything involving a chunk of metal though...not good. Keep us updated!

 

That does not sound good. But it may be from no fault of yours. Could be a pure Mini engine problem. I hope that it is.

Were there any indicators of trouble prior to this incident?

 

No indications at all. The chain tensioner was replaced 10/2010, water pump 04/2011, and HPFP 06/2011. Oil was changed every 5K. There were occasional rattles but only on cold starts and only lasted for about 1-3 mins. Didn't think it was a big deal.

Car won't start at all. Yeah, I'm gonna find out tomorrow what the damages are and extent of it. Then i guess will wait to see if they will cover under warranty or not. I just hope they don't give me a hard time like from what I've read in the forums about engine failure. I dont track, autoX, or drag the car. It's my daily driver with spirited driving and some canyon runs about 1-2x per year.

 

My advice....make sure you uninstall the AP completely.

If you have exceeded where the stock rev limiter is set, you will have yourself an uphill battle. Also, depending on how the car was being driven at the moment all of the codes were triggered, you also might have another uphill battle.

Good luck though, and again...keep us posted!

 

I have a extra longblock for sale with dyno milage only.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/minibolr56/6190663311/http://www.flickr.com/photos/minibolr56/6190663311/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/minibolr56/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/minibolr56/6191180678/http://www.flickr.com/photos/minibolr56/6191180678/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/minibolr56/, on Flickr

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Here is the piece that is laying in the engine. There's actually 2 of them thats visible. I took one of them out for pics (sorry for pics quality - phone camera). Can you guys tell me what piece of the engine this is? The other piece is similar but just a tad bit smaller.

 

Looks like a rocker arm to me . Has your rev limit been raised ?

Randy

 

Hey Randy...my brother was driving the car. He said "he was shifting then the the car revved then engine shut off" and that was the end of it. The sad part was he was just around the block from home. Crushing right now since I wasn't there to witness what happened.

The more I think about it and investigate the more I lose hope about warranty coverage. I haven't taken it to the dealer yet. Hopefully tomorrow or Thursday. Too much going on at work right now.


$hīeeęT!

 

That is a tough break with you not being behind the wheel , I am sure he feels poorly about everything as well .

I dont see anything in your Sig that should give them any reason to deny warrenty but you can bet there will be a inspection of the recorded info in any event . Good luck

Randy

 

Thanks everyone on their input. I'll keep you all updated.

Randy, I guess no hanging out for me Wed. nights as I'll just be jealous seeing other MINIs.

 

I'm working tomorrow so I doubt if Ill make it myself . If they want to stick you with the bill you know where you can get it done a LOT cheaper

Randy

 

Sure looks like the rocker arm to me. From the Dealership perspective they will think overspeed and will certainly look at any recorded data. But the rev limiter should prevent any damage like that.

As long as there is no tune on the engine with rev limits within spec and the engine oil is full, it seems to me the problem is just an engine failure. It happens. The rocker arms are probably one of the weakest point of any engine.

I hope it works out for you in the end.

 

FWIW, on other car sites I've been on, members were strongly encouraged to file complaints with the US Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) @ https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm whenever a problem tended to become common to many members. This one seems pretty bad.

 

Hello Everybody,

I have reviewed this complete thread and found it very insightful and worrying. Having recently replaced what I feel should have been a warranty clutch that BMW NA did not cover, I am left with a very bad taste in my mouth with BMW in general. This was a $2500.00 bill for a car a year and a half old with 23,000 miles or so.

What bothers me most about the various engine failures is the common thread of lack of oil pressure. I am sure that all of these issues that were not covered under warranty were a function that BMW NA said there was no oil and this equates to lack of owner care. Which I know is not the case here as we drive MINI's and not Cobalts. Further to this is the lack of gauges which should have been installed in the first place: Coolant temperature, oil pressure, turbo boost

With this information at hand, the oil gets checked every two weeks from now on. When we first bought our 2010 MINI Clubman, I could not wait for the (what I would consider excessive) first oil change as suggest by BMW, so I had it done at 6,000kms and will continue to do so, but not at a dealer as I simply cannot afford their rates.

Thank you for all of your insights.

Regards,

AttieCdn

 

That's definitely a rocker arm. By your description of what your brother said when the failure occurred is that he very likely shifted into the wrong gear while going WOT (wide open throttle) and caused a mechanical over-rev. Very easy to happen if you are unfamiliar with the gearbox/transmission or not paying attention to your shifts.

Scenario (1) he was trying to upshift from 2nd to 3rd and instead shifted into 1st.
Scenario (2) he was trying to upshift from 4th to 5th and instead shifted into 3rd.

or

He was trying to downshift to a lower gear to accelerate (like when you want to overtake/pass) and instead he went into a much lower gear i.e. from 6th to 3rd or 1st.

All of the above described actions can most definitely result in an engine over-rev that will can and very often does lead to a mechanical break.

FYI, the rev limiter in your car cuts fuel (and some cut spark) only. The rev limiter does not and can not impede the rotational momentum of the valvetrain. Doesn't matter what car or engine - it's physics.

So again, my opinion is that you have the result of a driver caused mechanical over-rev.

-Arthur

 

^^^Yep, M3s are notorious for people missing the correct gear and getting a "money-shift" and these gears are even closer together so I can see this happening with someone not familiar with the car.

 

I would check the oil every week. At the same time you should check the air pressure in your tires, when cold, once a week as well. Don't forget your tire rotations every 5K. (Your tires will last a lot longer.) While your at it you might as well top your fluids as well and take a good gander under the hood for any leaks etc.

Hummmm, sounds like regular maintenance to me. Who would have thought?

 

I got a call back from the dealership yesterday saying they were inspecting the head and will get back to me today.

Call today said they are working on the car. Cylinder head, head gaskets, valves...are being ordered and may take about 10 days or so for the car to be fixed. MOST IMPORTANT NEWS: all work being covered under warranty!

I'll keep you all updated.

 

You're a lucky guy.

Congrats!

 

Ok, so here's a question from a Stupid Girl...when you guys say "Rocker Arms is that the same thing as "Lifters"??
I know, I know...just don't flame me, K??!!

 

Good News MiniBOL!! Glad your Dealership is stepping up!!

 

They are different. A lifter is a part that pushes the pushrod. The pushrod sits in the lifter which moves up and down as it rotates against a camshaft. The push rod then hits the rocker arm which then opens and closes the valves.

Go to this website and it will explain it much better than I can describe it.

http://www.samarins.com/glossary/dohc.html

 

Nope PatM, you're explanation was fine. Thank you for not thinking it was a stupid question, even thought I saw your !!

 

The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. How else do we learn?

Motor On.

 

Congrats See you at In and Out in a couple of weeks .

Randy
M7 Tuning