Yes I have read numerous posting on this but I figured I will tell my story and maybe someone else had this happen.

I had the dreaded spark plug blow out in cylinder #3. I ended up having to put a new insert in as the threads were gone. When I tapped it out, I added grease to to tap and I would go a few turns back it out clean it off and re-grease it. I vacuumed out all the shavings which was very little from what I was able to see on top of the piston. I then put it back together and things were great for 3 days.

Today I got the P0303 code. I have a MSD coil and Magnacor wires. I just installed brand new NGK 4285 (BKR7EQUP) plugs. I had my scanguage clear the codes and restarted the car. You can feel the low rpm hesitation, but as you rev it it goes away. I know the check engine light will come on again.

So I am thinking of trying a new coil tomorrow, as I moved plugs and wires around with no luck.

Anybody got any other suggestions? I don't have a compression gauge to check the cylinder and I don't want to pull the valve cover unless I really have too. __________________

 

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I have tried moving plugs and wire around and double checked all plugs are seated. I am trying to borrow a compression tester today and I will be swapping the MSD coil out for another stock one to see if that helps. The CEL is off right now but there seems to be a low RPM 1-1500k hesitation. I will try some fuel system cleaner also today when I fill up.

I also noticed I had the plug wires 3and 4 were tucked in between the oil cap and the coil. I wonder if the heat took its toll on the wires.

 

Here is plug #3 on left and #1 on right

 

The compression check will tell you lots....might be worth spending a few $$ to have it done...imo wet and dry, they both can tell you different things.
You can use an ohm meeter to check the wires before spending $$ on a new set.

 

I am changing out the coil for a new one shortly so I will start there. I will attempt a compression check but my friends tester only has the short reach adapter. So I hope to get in down in there and tight to check compression.

 

Okay I changed out the coil no luck. I am getting 150 to 160psi across the board. I guess the next thing would be moving the injectors around. I don't think I have all the tools I need to do that. I even ran some fuel injection cleaner thru it. The dealership is about 80 miles away, I wonder if I can make it there.

 

Any other ideas?

 

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Just a wag...
The coil might be a bit deep (repair coil) or a shard/sliver of metal is sticking out around the edge of the plug...causing the hotspot....leading to a misfire.
Have you pulled out the plug and tried to look down there with maybe a dental style mirror?

 

P.S.
The plug that got blown out....was it complete? Any chance of a chunk of insulator or a shard of metal from the repair is bounching aroung, getting hot, and causing the issue....
Good compression, good spark, assuming fuel is ok since the plug getting blown out should not affect those.....

 

The plug came out complete. I saw no shaving. The car ran great for 3 days then started to act up. I ran some fuel injector cleaner thru and it helped but only for a little while. The CEL went out. I drove it to the dealership today. The tech mentioned exhaust valves because of the age and mileage on the car. My warranty is 90 miles from running out. It is an aftermarket warranty that mentions covering valves, pistons etc.. So I hope it is covered.

 

Did you check the gaps on the new plugs? I even check pre-gapped plugs just to make sure.

Just grasping at straws.

 

Plugs are the 4 prong type. But again I moved the plugs from cylinder to cylinder and not luck. I drove it to the dealership today almost 90 miles away with the CEL off, but it would hesitate if I got on the gas to hard. About 1 mile from the dealership the CEL came on and the car went into limp mode. Now I am at the mercy of the dealership.
I am hoping and praying whatever it is will be covered under warranty.

 

At least it is at the dealer...so it SHOULD not be too $$ (due to the warranty). Heck, if you get a new head or valves out of it, you MIGHT come out ahead!
I know My mini guy (Greassy's Garage over in Worcester MA) keeps a Pair of spare, rebuilt heads, sitting on the shelf, ready to go....I guess as these cars age, abuse, the miles add up and leads to valve issues and/or cracks.
Good luck, keep us posted!!

 

Well the warranty company is fighting this now as I heard from the dealer. The leak down test showed 1-3 cylinders no good. It needs a new head like you said and this is upwards of $6k. The warranty company wants prove for the last 24k miles of maintenance. I can show 2-3 oil changes but that is it as the dealer is 80 miles away. But the dealer said since these cars only require a 15k oil change we have a good chance of getting it covered. They said the warranty company will want to open the engine up to see no sludge. This is going to be a nightmare I think. The dealer said they are good at fighting these things so lets hope and pray they are.

 

Ugh, sorry to hear this. Hopefully they can work it for you.

 

An old friend gave me some good advice that I try to remember in times like this: "Practice your breathing!" Maintain a pleasant but firm attitude. In addition to having the dealer on your side, get them to contact the Regional Service advisor to go to bat for you. If it comes to that, consider obtaining a lawyer to negotiate/arbitrate. Keep us posted.

 

Well I spoke to the dealer again this morning, they will fight to help me out they said. They have the tech and the shop foreman now involved. They said the only reason they want to see the engine apart is to see how well it was maintained. I always changed the oil between 5-7k miles. I did it several times at shops and mostly by myself. I changed the valve cover gasket around 6-8 moths ago and it was spotless under it. So this is going to get interesting to see how this turns out. If for some reason they won't cover it they said I can bring them a head and they will put in on for me. So I will be looking into this as an option.

My big issue is I am not working right now and going thru a custody battle, so I did not need this stress right now.

 

Anybody know anything about this head as I was told this was sold on here awhile ago and the guy never used it after buying it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/john-cooper-...4e5f15&vxp=mtr

 

That head does not have the Cooper S exhaust valves. You'll melt them. It could be a R50 JCW head(measure up the exhaust ports and compare to stock). I've got a few heads kicking around if you need some stock R50/R53 measurements.

Jeremy

 

It shows right on it it is for a R53. So I am confused.

 

Well still waiting to hear from dealer. I hate the waiting game.

 

Well still waiting for the dealer to let me know an update, but that could be do to the storm we are going thru.

 

Well I thought I would update you all on what is happening. The car is still at the dealership. They did a leak down test and it failed on 1,2,3 cylinders. It now appears to be a valve issue. The warranty company sent out an inspector on Monday, he said it looks like it will be covered under my aftermarket warranty but he wants to see the head off the car. When they do that today they are suppose to send pictures to see if there is carbon build up. The SA feels it will be covered but we shall see. I will update you when I know more.