P2885 Saga and Conclusion
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2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 146
Likes: 1
From: Longmont, CO
P2885 Saga and Conclusion
Several weeks ago my MINI threw P2885: Boost Pressure Deviation, Plausibility. I began simple troubleshooting of the problem believing it to be a vacuum control issue with the wastegate; replaced the vacuum tubing, Diverter Valve and Pressure/Temperature Sensor. These all proved to be fruitless endeavors. Having reached the end of my in house ability to test individual components, I took my MINI into a reputable repair shop. They saw my Cold Air Intake and said they couldn't touch my car! The tech (factory MINI trained etc) actually told me the CAI was a form of aftermarket blow off valve, and the ECU is throwing this code because the noisemaker delete cap is interfering with the recirculation of boost during throttle lift. Wow. At this point I knew more about how my engine works than that guy. I politely collected my keys and drove off into the afternoon sun. 
Another shop in town, which I should have gone to first, clearly states they specialize in MINIs. And boy do they! Finally I found a shop I can 'talk shop' with, people understand the Peugeot Prince engine quirks, and the technician walks out to the parking lot with me to peak under the hood so I can describe what I've done, my train of thought etc. The technician even goes so far to say that the P2885 code, they have seen it before several times, and more times than not the issue is with the vacuum control solenoid. "Sweet" I say to myself. That was my next component anyways! I leave my keys, talk more about MINIs with the guys and my wife and I head back home. "Cool. I feel better, these guys are MINI folk."
Several hours later I get a phone call, same technician I met with when I dropped off my MINI, and he has a weight in his voice I know something is wrong. Very wrong.
1) Radiator is cracked.
2) Coolant expansion tank is cracked on bottom.
3) Serpentine belt is beginning to crack and show signs of age.
4) Timing chain guide (intake side) is fractured and grinding away.
5) TURBO IS DYING, SLOWLY.
Item #5 is the root cause of P2885. Damn. $1750.00. I will be contacting GPopShop for a quote on a rebuilt turbo, just for comparison.
Item #4, wow, how could I have known? He asked, "Have you noticed the engine sounding more diesel like than usual?" I respond with what I've been told many many times by MINI dealership mechanics, "Well it goes away after a few minutes so it's 'normal'." Poor technician, again with the weight in his voice, "Yup. We get that reasoning a lot. MINI covered their tails on this timing chain design flaw by pretending it doesn't exist." Happily enough my timing chain HAS NOT lengthened by any measurable amount! So the repair for this is ~$375.00 including the new longer tensioner. Okay, this is an important one, DONE.
The kicker: I was layed off 1 month ago. So I have to ask, when, not if, the turbo goes out, will it damage anything. Nope, I'll just be driving a Justa. Okay, so I'll wait on the turbo replacement and live with a P2885 code until new optical engineering gig develops, then BOOM Alta Billet Turbo. Technician liked that idea anyways
Conclusion: If you have a P2885, and seems like you've run out of options.....have your turbo checked.
On mine, the turbo shaft is deteriorating and the wastegate is not sealing properly. Bearings and seals are failing, which is allowing the shaft to move laterally beyond specifications (i.e. you can push/pull the compressor wheel).
The other issues, radiator/expansion tank/belt, will have to wait until later, sadly to say. I do believe I can do the radiator myself (expansion tank is silly easy), but the serpentine belt is a nightmare.
After the phonecall with the tech, I actually got teary eyed. My MINI's heart is dying.
What a Wednesday.
Another shop in town, which I should have gone to first, clearly states they specialize in MINIs. And boy do they! Finally I found a shop I can 'talk shop' with, people understand the Peugeot Prince engine quirks, and the technician walks out to the parking lot with me to peak under the hood so I can describe what I've done, my train of thought etc. The technician even goes so far to say that the P2885 code, they have seen it before several times, and more times than not the issue is with the vacuum control solenoid. "Sweet" I say to myself. That was my next component anyways! I leave my keys, talk more about MINIs with the guys and my wife and I head back home. "Cool. I feel better, these guys are MINI folk."
Several hours later I get a phone call, same technician I met with when I dropped off my MINI, and he has a weight in his voice I know something is wrong. Very wrong.
1) Radiator is cracked.
2) Coolant expansion tank is cracked on bottom.
3) Serpentine belt is beginning to crack and show signs of age.
4) Timing chain guide (intake side) is fractured and grinding away.
5) TURBO IS DYING, SLOWLY.
Item #5 is the root cause of P2885. Damn. $1750.00. I will be contacting GPopShop for a quote on a rebuilt turbo, just for comparison.
Item #4, wow, how could I have known? He asked, "Have you noticed the engine sounding more diesel like than usual?" I respond with what I've been told many many times by MINI dealership mechanics, "Well it goes away after a few minutes so it's 'normal'." Poor technician, again with the weight in his voice, "Yup. We get that reasoning a lot. MINI covered their tails on this timing chain design flaw by pretending it doesn't exist." Happily enough my timing chain HAS NOT lengthened by any measurable amount! So the repair for this is ~$375.00 including the new longer tensioner. Okay, this is an important one, DONE.
The kicker: I was layed off 1 month ago. So I have to ask, when, not if, the turbo goes out, will it damage anything. Nope, I'll just be driving a Justa. Okay, so I'll wait on the turbo replacement and live with a P2885 code until new optical engineering gig develops, then BOOM Alta Billet Turbo. Technician liked that idea anyways
Conclusion: If you have a P2885, and seems like you've run out of options.....have your turbo checked.
On mine, the turbo shaft is deteriorating and the wastegate is not sealing properly. Bearings and seals are failing, which is allowing the shaft to move laterally beyond specifications (i.e. you can push/pull the compressor wheel).
The other issues, radiator/expansion tank/belt, will have to wait until later, sadly to say. I do believe I can do the radiator myself (expansion tank is silly easy), but the serpentine belt is a nightmare.
After the phonecall with the tech, I actually got teary eyed. My MINI's heart is dying.
What a Wednesday.
3rd Gear
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
From: 3rd Outhouse on the Left, Luxembourg
They tell you when the turbo goes you'll just be driving a "Justa" and you still think they're good?
Guess where the debris and metal fragments of the turbine and shaft (which turns at 100,000rpms+) go when the bearing fails? Driving a "Justa", indeed. You'll be driving scrap.
Turbos don't die slowly, they fail catastrophically because of the tight manufacturing tolerances. I think the cost of a new turbo is high enough. If I were you, I'd stop driving the car rather than risk additional expense when that thing fails.
Guess where the debris and metal fragments of the turbine and shaft (which turns at 100,000rpms+) go when the bearing fails? Driving a "Justa", indeed. You'll be driving scrap.
Turbos don't die slowly, they fail catastrophically because of the tight manufacturing tolerances. I think the cost of a new turbo is high enough. If I were you, I'd stop driving the car rather than risk additional expense when that thing fails.
Several weeks ago my MINI threw P2885: Boost Pressure Deviation, Plausibility. I began simple troubleshooting of the problem believing it to be a vacuum control issue with the wastegate; replaced the vacuum tubing, Diverter Valve and Pressure/Temperature Sensor. These all proved to be fruitless endeavors. Having reached the end of my in house ability to test individual components, I took my MINI into a reputable repair shop. They saw my Cold Air Intake and said they couldn't touch my car! The tech (factory MINI trained etc) actually told me the CAI was a form of aftermarket blow off valve, and the ECU is throwing this code because the noisemaker delete cap is interfering with the recirculation of boost during throttle lift. Wow. At this point I knew more about how my engine works than that guy. I politely collected my keys and drove off into the afternoon sun.
Another shop in town, which I should have gone to first, clearly states they specialize in MINIs. And boy do they! Finally I found a shop I can 'talk shop' with, people understand the Peugeot Prince engine quirks, and the technician walks out to the parking lot with me to peak under the hood so I can describe what I've done, my train of thought etc. The technician even goes so far to say that the P2885 code, they have seen it before several times, and more times than not the issue is with the vacuum control solenoid. "Sweet" I say to myself. That was my next component anyways! I leave my keys, talk more about MINIs with the guys and my wife and I head back home. "Cool. I feel better, these guys are MINI folk."
Several hours later I get a phone call, same technician I met with when I dropped off my MINI, and he has a weight in his voice I know something is wrong. Very wrong.
1) Radiator is cracked.
2) Coolant expansion tank is cracked on bottom.
3) Serpentine belt is beginning to crack and show signs of age.
4) Timing chain guide (intake side) is fractured and grinding away.
5) TURBO IS DYING, SLOWLY.
Item #5 is the root cause of P2885. Damn. $1750.00. I will be contacting GPopShop for a quote on a rebuilt turbo, just for comparison.
Item #4, wow, how could I have known? He asked, "Have you noticed the engine sounding more diesel like than usual?" I respond with what I've been told many many times by MINI dealership mechanics, "Well it goes away after a few minutes so it's 'normal'." Poor technician, again with the weight in his voice, "Yup. We get that reasoning a lot. MINI covered their tails on this timing chain design flaw by pretending it doesn't exist." Happily enough my timing chain HAS NOT lengthened by any measurable amount! So the repair for this is ~$375.00 including the new longer tensioner. Okay, this is an important one, DONE.
The kicker: I was layed off 1 month ago. So I have to ask, when, not if, the turbo goes out, will it damage anything. Nope, I'll just be driving a Justa. Okay, so I'll wait on the turbo replacement and live with a P2885 code until new optical engineering gig develops, then BOOM Alta Billet Turbo. Technician liked that idea anyways
Conclusion: If you have a P2885, and seems like you've run out of options.....have your turbo checked.
On mine, the turbo shaft is deteriorating and the wastegate is not sealing properly. Bearings and seals are failing, which is allowing the shaft to move laterally beyond specifications (i.e. you can push/pull the compressor wheel).
The other issues, radiator/expansion tank/belt, will have to wait until later, sadly to say. I do believe I can do the radiator myself (expansion tank is silly easy), but the serpentine belt is a nightmare.
After the phonecall with the tech, I actually got teary eyed. My MINI's heart is dying.
What a Wednesday.
Another shop in town, which I should have gone to first, clearly states they specialize in MINIs. And boy do they! Finally I found a shop I can 'talk shop' with, people understand the Peugeot Prince engine quirks, and the technician walks out to the parking lot with me to peak under the hood so I can describe what I've done, my train of thought etc. The technician even goes so far to say that the P2885 code, they have seen it before several times, and more times than not the issue is with the vacuum control solenoid. "Sweet" I say to myself. That was my next component anyways! I leave my keys, talk more about MINIs with the guys and my wife and I head back home. "Cool. I feel better, these guys are MINI folk."
Several hours later I get a phone call, same technician I met with when I dropped off my MINI, and he has a weight in his voice I know something is wrong. Very wrong.
1) Radiator is cracked.
2) Coolant expansion tank is cracked on bottom.
3) Serpentine belt is beginning to crack and show signs of age.
4) Timing chain guide (intake side) is fractured and grinding away.
5) TURBO IS DYING, SLOWLY.
Item #5 is the root cause of P2885. Damn. $1750.00. I will be contacting GPopShop for a quote on a rebuilt turbo, just for comparison.
Item #4, wow, how could I have known? He asked, "Have you noticed the engine sounding more diesel like than usual?" I respond with what I've been told many many times by MINI dealership mechanics, "Well it goes away after a few minutes so it's 'normal'." Poor technician, again with the weight in his voice, "Yup. We get that reasoning a lot. MINI covered their tails on this timing chain design flaw by pretending it doesn't exist." Happily enough my timing chain HAS NOT lengthened by any measurable amount! So the repair for this is ~$375.00 including the new longer tensioner. Okay, this is an important one, DONE.
The kicker: I was layed off 1 month ago. So I have to ask, when, not if, the turbo goes out, will it damage anything. Nope, I'll just be driving a Justa. Okay, so I'll wait on the turbo replacement and live with a P2885 code until new optical engineering gig develops, then BOOM Alta Billet Turbo. Technician liked that idea anyways
Conclusion: If you have a P2885, and seems like you've run out of options.....have your turbo checked.
On mine, the turbo shaft is deteriorating and the wastegate is not sealing properly. Bearings and seals are failing, which is allowing the shaft to move laterally beyond specifications (i.e. you can push/pull the compressor wheel).
The other issues, radiator/expansion tank/belt, will have to wait until later, sadly to say. I do believe I can do the radiator myself (expansion tank is silly easy), but the serpentine belt is a nightmare.
After the phonecall with the tech, I actually got teary eyed. My MINI's heart is dying.
What a Wednesday.
Thread Starter
|
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 146
Likes: 1
From: Longmont, CO
I had my radiator replaced along with the timing chain guide and new tensioner bolt. Geez the engine is so quiet now at startup! I'll be saving for the Alta Billet turbo to solve my p2885 issue.
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