Hey all. To keep this story short I took this 02 mini S with 110k on trade for some work for a co-worker of mine. it has been sitting for 3 years. It was explained to me that it did over heat a couple times, but would cool back down. Im sure he missed some details being it sat for so long. But eventually it went into a limp mode/ ran bad and then would not restart once he got home.

Ive done the troubleshooting that I knew to do which includes:Replaced the battery, checked grounds, pulled some engine codes (ill list them below), Fuel pressure is at 55psi, have good spark, getting a pulse from the injectors with the noids (thought i only had 3v with a multimeter). Now the compression #1 30psi #2 70psi #3 60psi #4 50psi. It sounds like I am getting blow back, which is unfortunately to familiar to when i blew my head gasket on the chevelle not pulling enough timing back.

Things I'll try tomorrow include a wet compression test and a leak down. then most likely taking the head off...
small details, appears to be no water in the system and it builds pressure when I turn the car over, has a broken dipstick but i was able to snake it out and the oil looks brown and smells accordingly...

here are the codes in order that I pulled them before clearing them to see if any would come back and NONE did. i know there are duplicates but thats how they read.

p0302
p0313
p1229
p1692
p0302
p0128
p0313
p1229
p0500
p1692


Just trying to see if theres anything I should do in the morning but I wanted to post this up before I dive in for any tips or shared knowledge. I'm gonna drain the oil and water (if any) from the lower hose to see what I find.

Thanks so much for reading all this btw

 

So what would cause both sides to go out like this? Also is there anyway to check for water pump failure with out the motor running?

 

Well you did say it overheated...

The S has a poorly designed water pump that is driven on the end of the supercharger. There is a sealed gear transmission that commonly leaks out the oil and the gears eat themselves away.

At this point it might be easy to pull the supercharger snout off and take a look at those gears. I would guess that's your problem, but I don't have much experience with engine failure.

Good luck, and keep us updated. I am interested in the problem.

 

They are prone to water leaks, especially from the reservoir but also from a bunch of other places. Could have easliy ran out of water. Even after filling them they can still overheat if you don't get all the air out.

Could also have overheated because the cooling fan stopped working. It's a poorly designed system that fails on a lot of r53s. The relay goes on almost everyone, on the 02 if the power steering fan stops working, the fan goes, and the fuse most likely blows too.

Be sure to get the head checked for cracks or if it warped.

 

Well the head is inline to be checked and resurfaced. If still all good there, I'll be ordering the needed gasket(s), bolts, and pump just to have piece of mind. I'll definitely have to check for any signs of water trails on the hosing. Meanwhile I'll be sure to power up the fans via the relay to be sure theyre working.

I appreciate the tips, im trying to take the crash course on mini assessments... lol

 

While you're in there for the job, maybe see if our tech articles might help you. There is a good one about the water pump as well and other prone coolant leak items. If you do decide to replace the water pump we have some awesome super kits that include a bunch of items to replace in the cooling system at the same time, while you're doing the job. Since it's been sitting for so long it might not be a bad idea to tackle these items. Let me know if you have any questions.

Tech Articles - http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...tech_index.htm
Water pump super kits - http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg1.htm#item0

 

Thanks so much for linking those up for me! You guys have helped me out before with my 944, so I know y'all provide great service! I'll be sure to let you know if i need anything. Right now just waiting on the head gasket so i can see if it'll make compression and fire up again.

 

Just to update this thread. I had the head skimmed and luckily there was no signs of warping so very lil was taken off.

I also replaced the water pump and serpentine discovering that the car also had dinan pulley as well. cool.

***side note****
I am in need of a throttle body cover (the platic piece that covers the mechanism) if any one has a broken tb with this said cover I'll take it!

Anyway, the car went back together without any hiccups, but getting it to fire due to the blow by was unnerving... After using some starting fluid and a jump the car lived! It took a minute to clear up but it idled as it should.

Fast forward to letting it idle and adding fresh gas the car gave an intermittent oil light, which would go away with some wiggling of the connection. Picked up a new sensor and that solved that.

Next the car didnt leak a drop of water, when it would run and idle. BUT after it would sit over night as the temps dropped it leaked out. Using my phone and working my hand by all the hosing I discovered it was leaking from the radiator at the lower coolant elbow (dont know the name). So going into front end service mode yet again I discovered it was the oring which cost me $1.30 yay.

Now its the little stuff, looks I have a wheel speed sensor thats gone out (i hope) and the drivers seat refuses to recline or fold, any one have a diagram of the mechanism?

Anyway thanks for all the responses and the amazing search function!

 

Here is a front seat parts diagram: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/part...Cooper_S&mg=52. It's an older thread, but maybe see if this might help you out with your seat as well: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t-working.html.