any thoughts on what could be preventing my '06 R52(S) from starting? i've ruled out the clutch safety switch/sensor, key (immobilizer), spark plugs, starter, and blown fuses. fuel pump bearings went out a couple of years ago & had it replaced, but now i'm thinking the whole pump is dead. check out the video and let me know your thoughts.

the video is unlisted on youtube @
thanks.
|k

 

Use CAUTION if you do this.... Just to make sure spay some "Starting Fluid" in the air box (air filter case), then crank it over and see if it tries to start... if it does then I would say Yes the Fuel pump is most likely your issue, if it still does not fire, then You will need to double check your spark.


I said use CAUTION when doing this, "Starting Fluid" (Diethyl ether) to much can cause minor issues like blowing out head gaskets and the like.

But at least you will know if it is a fuel supply issue or not.

Motor on!

 

Smell fuel when cranking?
Ever run the car VERY low on fuel...like below 1/4 to 1/8 regularly....this cause pumps to run hot and fail....
It seems odd...but this is why some folks never have fuel pump issues, and some seem to need a new one every 2 years or so...
There is a valve on the fuel rail under the ic...you can plug a psi guage into and start/crank...having the ic off will be loud, but fine for starting, checking the fuel psi.

 

Might find some help in our tech articles. Check out the fuel injection section.

-Luccia

 

thanks for the replies & thoughts. turns out is was indeed the fuel pump. ordered a new one, had it towed to my mechanic (not wanting to deal with fuel spills) and it should be installed by the end of this week.

FWIW - the MINI isn't driven much - it's an '06 and still has less than 60k miles on it. i try not to run the fuel down, but i may have done so in this case. also - never smelled fuel while trying to start.

thanks,
k

 

new fuel pump installed (continental vdo from pelican parts), ran great for three days - fired up, sounded like it was getting more fuel - wow! left it parked over the weekend, started monday...and won't start today. seems to be having the exact same issue when starting as it did two weeks ago.

mechanic checked the voltage when he replaced the pump and said it was fine. i'm fishing for some additional thoughts/things to check when it goes back to the shop tomorrow.

thx. k.

 

Any fault codes that you're able to pull? Checked the battery? Just make sure you're covering everything that can be. I've seen a few instances where vehicles were having fueling issues and we couldn't figure it out. Ended up being an ECU issue. Non-Mini car though. Let us know what the mechanic finds.

-Luccia

 

just got word back from my mechanic - the brand new fuel pump is siezed/locked up. it has plenty of power, etc. running to it, but it just won't pump any fuel through the lines. hey, pelican parts - what's your warranty like because it sounds like i may need ANOTHER new fuel pump?

thx|k

 

That's no good! Any idea of what may have caused it? Give our customer service a call and they should get you an RMA and hopefully get it swapped out for you. 888.280.7799.

-Luccia

 

just to close the loop...or keep it open, really...

replacement fuel pump arrived from Pelican Parts - thanks, luccia! - and got fitted into the MINI this morning. fired it up - BAM! - wow, i love the sound of that supercharged engine. drove it around for a few miles and it runs great. unfortunately, the gas gauge doesn't work, though...the needle is below zero and the range is "---.-" miles. at first i thought, maybe it is actually out of gas, so i put about 10 gallons in and nothing changed.

the lack of reading ("---.-") leads me to believe there is an electrical issue rather than a complete malfunction of the sender unit. i've read a few posts about sender boards being bad on the new pump, but i'm inclined to believe there's a wire that didn't get connected at the time of install. does any one have a photo or diagram showing the different electrical connections that need to be made once the fuel pump is replaced? if so, please share & much thanks.

the MINI will go back to the shop on monday to see if we can resolve this, but i'd like to show up having a decent bit of knowledge or an idea of what the cause could be.

cheers. k.

 

Glad I could help, Kurt!

In this first image you will see a tab on the edge that sticks down at about the 6 o'clock posiition. That tab aligns the unit so it is installed properly. The tab should go into the ring with the threads and usually only goes on one way, but you never know. It would have to be taken apart again to check. The the threaded ring on the tank may have its own tab that goes into a recess on the tank, this keeps everything aligned right.



There may be lines inside the tank to transfer fuel from the other side. It is also possible that the float is hung up on those or possibly damaged? Maybe it is bent at the electrical part of the sensor so it's not touching the ciscuit board? Can try to remove it and check with a ohm meter. On BMW a full reading would 250 ohms at each sensor for a total of 500, I am not sure on a Mini but it may be close to that. I am leaning more towards a bent float or bad sensor as the unit comes pre-wired so there isn't anything that you could have done there unless possibly by accident you damaged the wiring on the pump. All just options and ideas though. Sorry I couldn't be of anymore help. Let us know what you find out.

-Luccia