this morning, I was driving to work and my service engine light turned on.... it was pretty cold this morning so I figured to pull over, turn the engine off and then restart.... still there... just the serv. engine soon light... no eml..... I have barely 1800 mis. on my MCS.... only mod is an alta intake which has been on for a while now..... I checked the fuel cap and it is on pretty tight.... the car is running good... no stalls... no hiccups or anything.... just the SEL light being on.... should I wait a few days before calling it in? thanks for any advice.....

 

uh oh
that alta intake might put you in some deep sh*t if there is something wrong, a lot of times dealers can blame an intake on just about anything. you should probably wait a couple of days but not too long.

-Paul

 

What version of the SW do you have, is version 39, this has been horrible for many that have had the upgrade performed which is required in CA.

This upgrade seems to really impact the MCS models as opposed to the MC.

You may have a sensor that also went thus the code, i would call the dealer have have it checked, it is under warranty, do risk it.

dc

 

it's an 05 MCS so I think it has the latest version... it's been driving great even with the SEL on.... hopefully it's just a hiccup... I haven't driven it for a couple of days since today and it's been really cold lately.... I remember this happenning with my 03 MC but after a quick engine restart it went away.......

 

Stop speculating, find out what code it is. Some discount auto parts chains offer this service for free.
There is a second light to tell you if the gas cap is loose.
The Alta CAI should not be a problem.
All 2005 cars come with version 39 from the factory.


Dave

 

well... I went ahead and made an appt. ... can't believe that the next avail. date is a week away..... hopefully, it sorts itself out before then.....

 

If you start your engine 5 times, the SES will reset. It could've been
just a hiccup... if it turns on again, I would definitely get the code read.

 

Kenchan - do you mean start the engine or just put the key to the on position 5 times? thanks.

 

5+ ignition cycles - i.e. starting the car and letting it run for several minutes at least 5 times. This will allow the ECU to determine whether the temporary SES flag to go long term or just shut off and chalk it up to a random occurance. DO NOT go to the dealer until you A) figure out if it's temp or not, B)read the code, if even applicable. If the problem is random temporary, once the light goes out the code will disappear too.

Notice to all: If there's one thing I've learned about the MINI from The Yo-Yo Chronicles, it is just because your SES light goes on does not mean there's an actual problem. Remember we're victims of the wonderful Siemens EMS2000 ECU (read: IT SUCKS!) Most of the time it doesn't know what its' doing - so don't take ANYTHING it does seriously, or literally.

 

update - well, when I went to start the car to go home this evening, the service engine soon light went off..... I guess like ryephile said, it's one of those hiccups..... I guess I shouldn't have panicked right away since it had happenned to me before on my 03 MC but that only took 1 restart and it went out right away.... oh well... the joys of owning a british vehicle..... :smile:

 

I think it was your coincidental 5th restart, but hey, that's ok.
Hope it stays off. :smile: