This one's for the Sherlock of MINI lol

The back story:
I bought this guy in 2015 @93k miles. I've had two original issues that I've never been able to shake. A rough shuttering idle after a cold start up which would last 10 minutes or so until I got it out on the road for 5+ miles, and what I'm assuming is my blow off valve(diverter/electric valve, whatevers clever) sticking while driving typically between 75 and 85 mph. When this would happen, I'd lose power(boost) and have to back off the gas a little, and play this pump the gas and let off the gas game over and over till it would magically open up and return my power. One thing that always stuck out to me was that this predominantly happened in the warmer months, and was almost non existant in the colder months. I had oil leaks on the feed and return lines of the turbo so I replaced them both. When I got the parts from Mini, they didn't send me the bushings like they said they would. I didnt have a choice at the time, and had to get it back up and running. As you probably guessed, it still leaks to this day. I also had a tech tell me the electric valve was bad, so I replaced it. Still sticks while driving. Had another tech tell me my electric valve wasnt actuating because it was getting oil on the contacts. I could see how this might be the issue. Unfortunately, I had no way of confirming this myself. I've also replaced the valve cover, stem seals, plugs, coil packs, thermostat housing(twice), snorkel hose with MAS, and the most recent part, the high pressure fuel pump.

The most recent developments:
About two months ago, I hit a pot hole on one of our lovely freeways here in Nashville, and now my tire sensor lights are on(red parenthesis surrounding an exclamation point). A month or so later, I start hearing this loud knocking noise when I let off the gas. I had my suspicions of a faulty wastegate, but about a week after onset, it vanished. Two weeks later, I get out of my car after driving to work, and its smoking under the hood. Discovered that I'm losing coolant out of or around my thermostat housing. I originally replaced it about a year ago because I was having a slight coolant leak. Problem was resolved by doing this.

So now to the fun part..
I drove my car to work this past Wednesday. All was normal. Still losing coolant but I was topping it off before driving it each day. I left about 7 PM that evening to head home. It was cold and rainy. The car cranked for an abnormally long period of time before starting and sounded weak on startup. Gave it some gas and got on down the road. In stop and go traffic on 24, I accidentally killed it. When I tried to restart the engine, it would crank all day, but it would never and has never started since. We tried jumping it, more gas, etc. Had to tow it home. I have since replaced the battery, HpFp, and thermostat housing(again) for fear of a cracked housing or bad seal(the wire plug for the hpfp was soaked from the antifreeze leak, so I wanted to keep the new one from incurring any future damage) I also checked all engine as well as passenger compartment fuses. All was well. I have a suspicion that my rear fuel pump below the left passenger seat is bad, simply due to that fact that I can't hear anything from it. I haven't taken the seats off yet, but my next step is to remove the cap and give it a good wack to see if that frees anything up. Any and all help, experience, guidance, (correct terminology lol) you can provide me with will be Greatly appreciated. I've done all my own work so far. I'll do the best I can to answer any questions or clear up any other info you may need. Thank you for taking the time to read this. God Bless and have a Great and safe Thanksgiving!

 

welcome aboard...I guess my question is did you check for codes? did you check the ground wire on the valve cover, it's a green wire connected in the middle?

 

I did have the codes checked when I first started this whole thing. I want to say I was getting something like a p47ish(cant remember) along with misfire codes, and a knocking sensor. The engine light stayed on so i just assumed after having them read multiple times that the theme would stay near the same. The only issue with having them read was that the dealership was about 45 min away, and the shop eurofix who has live scanners gives you the stink eye for just coming in to check them. But in my defense, they also charge 150 for a smoke test.. No I have not checked the ground wire yet. And are there any readers that I could buy without breaking the bank that would read my codes? Thanks for replying so soon

 

I personally use carsoft i910 reader, others use carly. reading the codes and checking fuses (like you did) are the first steps. can you try quick start spay? spray at the elbow where it goes to the throttle body. lastly, check the relays next to the DME under the hood.

 

I will pick some quick start on the way home today. I pulled every relay under the hood and didnt see any charred marks. I didnt ohm them out and I dont have anyone to assist me to monitor them audibly. I also checked k96 inside that controls the fuel pump. I did ohm that one out for normally closed and open positions. All good. I havent confirmed its energizing yet. I'm not sure where the dme is exactly, but I am a little concerned it might be victim to some coolant spray. How would I got about checking the ground wire you mentioned? Also, where would be the best place to get a reader(online, or in auto stores)? Thanks so much

 

This is the location of the DME https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...l-unit/RnPXC0O

To check the ground wire, take a look at the following references:

location: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...-s-hat/RNlaU1a
wiring:https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...l-unit/olxiU3w

 

Awesome, I'll familiarize myself with this and get back to you on the spray and ground when I get home. I think the carly would be nice, but I'm thinking the carsoft makes the most sense for me. Should I buy the carsoft i910 or the i910-ii? I couldn't tell if the difference is just a free firmware update or not. Amazon has the i910 for 80 and the i910-ii for 90. They can get it to me by Friday. Is there anywhere else I should look for a better deal on these(or anywhere that sells them in stores)? Thanks

 

I dont know the what would be the difference. I bought mine from ebay a while back. I was able to update it anytime i wanted. the only issue i had with it was the 2012+ models DME reading.

 

I grabbed the i910 for 80. Should have it by Friday. Tried the starter fluid in the intake elbow just before the TB and no dice. Tried twice. Is it possible I flooded it in my frantic attempts the night it broke down on me? I also tried starting it without fuse 20(fuel pump) in. Still no dice. I havent had a chance to trace my grounds yet. If not later on today, I'll be able to tomorrow. Anything else I should check or be looking into at this point before I get the code reader in?

 

I forgot to ask if you've lifted the car and looked at everything in the bottom like crankshaft sensor, motor mount, transmission mount etc, bushings etc...

Do you know if the timing chain was serviced or the tensioner was replaced.

you could remove the spark plugs and see if there were flooded. you could also check for spark while they are out. I use a jumper cable one side on the negative side of the battery and the other on the threaded part of the spark plug while it is still inserted in the coil pack which is still plugged.

 

No, unfortunately I cant get under it effectively enough to get a good look. I thought crank sensor as well. I have one good rolling jack that I can use to get the front end up if you think that'll be enough to inspect. I'm confident in being able to get to the sensor. Not sure I'd be able to manage the rest. As far as the chain goes, I'm aware that the plastic track used to guide the timing chain itself was recalled or something to that extent. Whether or not the previous owners took it in for that service, I cant say. It definitely sounded like some of the extra Noise/rattling from the running engine could very well be due to an issue with that. Given the current state with all the variables so far, what's your gut telling you without the codes to go off of? I thought I had it pegged with the hpfp, especially with the way it's ran the last 3 years, but either I flooded the engine and now it wont crank regardless, or I'm just way off. I thought about ordering the rear fuel pump just to rule that out all together. I think I can get one for around $35. Worth the trouble lol? I'll check the plugs for spark as well as the wires for continuity and get back to you on that.

 

The first two pictures are the main ones I believe. I remember all but the crankshaft sensor code from having them checked before, so it would appear that's my problem. Also! After trying quick start spray on Wednesday with no luck and letting it sit for 4 days in my garage, it cranked up right away and sounded smooth for the most part. It did only run for no more than maybe 20 to 40 seconds and then the engine abruptly killed, but my situation seems hopeful lol. This is the only new update I have for you. I'm currently searching parts stores for the sensor. Let me know if you need any further details or info that could be of use. Hope you and your family had a good Thanksgiving!