Guy's I'm new here and I need some help. My daughters 2010 mini s had a check engine light. I used my obdii connector to clear the light while the car was running and it killed the car instantly. Now it will only start for two seconds and shuts off, but it will restart. I have it in the shop and they are saying that it's throwing a code saying software is not recognized, any ideas what is causing this? Thanks, Justin

 

welcome aboard!...can you ask them what the specific codes are? what is the mileage? was the HPFP ever replaced (ask them to spray quick start to see if it fires right up)? where you located?

 

Curious if you trying to clean the code with the car running wiped the ecm some how.

 

That's what I'm thinking guys. You can spray gas into the intake and it will run. The car has 70,000 miles on it and the timing chain issues have been taken care of last year. It hasn't given any problems until I cleared the codes. I had a new key programmed and it still doesn't work. It will crank and run fine for two seconds and like you turned the key off. I'm located in Texas just outside of Houston.

 

Sounds like a bad HPFP. What were the codes before you tried to clear them? If you try and start it several times in a row will it run? Im no expert but have dealt with 2 bad HPFP. The first one would start the car fine but caused the car to go into limp mode and the second bad pump would give me fits trying to start it when the engine had sat for a few hours.

 

No it will crank every tme, but it will only stay running for two seconds and shut off. None of this started until I cleared the codes. It had several misfire codes and a powertrain code, but I didn't save the codes. It was running fine until the moment that I cleared them.

 

Can the dealer reload software on the ECU?

 

It's at a reputable independent shop right now, but they are saying that if their programming guy can't do anything with it, then they will send it to a dealer.

 

I did it a number of times...clear codes only not programs

 

Yeah I didn't think that clearing the codes should have caused any of this.

 

If the codes were P0300.P0301,P0302,P0303 P0304 Which are misfire codes im going to put my money on the HPFP. And luckily for you the price has dropped by 60% for on within the past few days

 

Just for the heck of it, try a dollar bill test.

 

I know what a dollar bill test is for stove doors. (You close the stove door on a dollar bill and if you can pull it out , you need a new door gasket.)

But I don't know how it applies to a MINI.

 

You can check for a burnt valve.

 

Brother no offense , but the car was running fine until I cleared the codes and when you crank it up it runs fine for the couple of seconds that it does run. Clearing codes doesn't burn valves. If I spray gas into the intake it runs fine with no miss.

 

I have a feeling you clearing the code and the car dying is nothing more then a coincidence. If you were pulling misfire codes chances are the HPFP is shot and that is causing the no start.

 

Thank you sawicki

 

Thanks everyone for all the help. Problem solved it was a bad MAF.

 

sawicki, thanks for everything.