Auto tranny won't engage
 

Hello, everyone. I'm new to the forum and appreciate any input you can give to my problem. Ten days ago my wife had an issue with our 2006 Mini where she was at a traffic light and when it turned green and she stepped on the accelerator she got no response. After twenty minutes or so the car ran well enough that she could drive the fifteen miles home. I took it for a spin when I got home and it ran fine. I drove the car for the next seven days and had no problems. Today, my wife drove it again and I got a frantic phone call that the car again would not drive. I met her and the car really wouldn't move. If the car was in park or neutral the engine responded perfectly to the accelerator, revving perfectly. In drive the engine showed no response. While tracking down a garage and tow service, we had lunch. Just for grins we returned to the car before the tow arrived and it ran fine. I drove it straight to the garage and left it there and have no response yet. Has anyone else encountered this intermittent problem where the engine and transmission apparently heve periodic communications issues? Sorry for being so wordy.

Just wondering....could something be overheating? Could a fuse or something be cutting off when overheated then returning to normal operation when cooled down?

You might want to check in the 1st gen forums, Maybe the trans is over heating?:confused:

Another thought would be to check the fluid level; if the fluid is low, the transmission could be slipping intermittently.

The only similar issue I experienced was last week, when the temperatures were hovering around zero. After coming home and hopping in my car at the train station, my alternator light went on (most likely due to the cold), and when I engaged the transmission in drive, the car would not accelerate. It would idle, but no matter how much I stepped on the gas, the car would not move. As I was sitting in the parking lot and ready to call roadside assistance, I gave it one last shot, and the car accelerated. I am guessing the alternator light cuts power to the engine, as a precautionary measure? To make a long story short, this has not happened since, but if it's not a transmission issue, i would check to see if your wife was experiencing the same symptons I experienced. On my gauge cluster, the alternator warning lamp did go on for about 5 minutes, then went away, after the engine warmed up.

Tim, thanks for the feedback.
Kimbo-This sounds exactly like the problem we're experiencing. That definitely gives us something to go on. The only difference is that the second time this happened the temp was in the thirties. Did you notice if you got any response on your tach when you hit the accelerator in drive? Do you plan to take any action to make sure this doesn't happen again?

Bigprfed- Thanks for your response as well.

I want to be sure I understand what you're saying.....did the engine rev up but the car not move, or did the engine not rev up?

OP says it is an '06 - 1st gen car - wrong forum - sounds like a CVT problem (assuming it's not supercharged) best seen by a dealer.

Dave-Car revved fine in P and N, did not rev in D. Tio- thanks for clarification. I wasn't sure about distinction between 1st and 2nd gen. Actually thought 1st gen was 60's vintage. Oops.

At first the tach would not move at all. The car would only idle, and as i reversed out of my parking spot, there was no power. I put the car in drive, hit the gas and idled back to the exact same spot, since the car would not respond no matter how much I hit the accelerator. After the car gradually warmed up, the engine would rev to 2500 rpm's if I hit the gas. As I was fumbling through the manual, the indicator lamp in yellow eventually went off, and then the car was fine. It was very bizarre, and I drove the car on the highway for about half an hour, just as a precaution. I have not taken the car in to the dealer, but if this happens again, I will make an appointment right away.

From p. 133 of the 2nd Gen manual:

Lights up in yellow: Full engine power no longer available. You can continue your journey, but moderate your speed and exercise due caution. Have the engine checked as soon as possible.

Are the 1st Generation MINI's "drive-by-wire" as well? If you're getting an alternator light (amber dashboard indicator) in conjunction with that "unresponsive" throttle, I'm wondering if there's a power loss affecting the OBC/throttle circuit...?

I took the car to the MINI dealer and they found no faults registered, no codes. They drove 20 miles and could not replicate the problem (not at all surprising). They scratched their head and sent me on my way. So far so good. Maybe my wife's just trying to get me to finance an upgrade?

Uncle,

I wanted to give you an update. My car recently stalled at a light, then the check engine light went on. I was going to drive it to the dealership, but instead they sent a flatbed, since i am still under warranty. To make a long story short, they pulled all the codes from the car and replaced the intake camshaft sensor.