2013 MCS with 74,000 miles.
I changed the spark plugs last year -- about 10k miles ago...

Last week started with my wifes mini having a p300 & p0303 code (from a generic reader). But the car continued to drive fine unless you really put it under load. Then it would stumble a bit.

I swapped the # 3 spark plug with the # 1 plug, and the # 3 coil with the # 4 coil to see if the p303 code would move with the plug or coil.
Today my wife had the yellow engine light appear in the RPM gauge and it was driving a little rough on her way to work this morning. Drove fine on the way back (20 miles each way)
Now have multiple misfire codes p300, p301, p303, p304. Again, from a generic reader.

I can't imagine all the coils are failing at once... So I'm assuming the the generic scan reader isn't good enuf to read the Mini.
I have a Schaben scan tool on the way but can't wait...
Does this pattern sound familiar to anybody?

Thanks!

 

The scan tool doesn't make up codes. What it reads is real. The coils didn't fail all at once. The #3 coil (or at least cylinder) started the trouble. Now all are acting up. There is the question of how much a factor in the performance of other cylinders one under performing cylinder can have.

I assume the plugs are the correct plugs and were gapped correctly?

You can wait for the other scan tool but right now the coils are #1 on the list of causes. Coils can go bad at any time. I've run them 317K miles (on another brand of car). But I replaced a set of coils on yet another car -- but same brand as the other car -- at around 140K miles for no reason other than I was curious what would happen, and with new coils the engine ran markedly better. While the plugs were changed too they were at least 10K miles away from their scheduled change mileage and I have had the plugs changed a number of times before and the engine never responded good or bad to the new plugs, so I put all the benefit on the new coils.

 

The plugs are the oem spec Beru. I confirmed the gap when I installed them 10,000 miles ago.
Wouldn't think the plugs are bad after only 10k. The two I swapped had a good tan color.

From RockAuto new bosch plugs and coils are on the way -- It's an easy swap but I'm skeptical that will solve the problem.
I'll certainly report if the Schwaben scan tool reveals anything different than the generic...

 

what is your fuel pressure and volume? This could be a cause also

Bryan

 

Don't know yet -- hoping the Schwaben tool will be magical!

Seriously -- hoping the Schwaben tool will reveal more precise info. From other threads it sounds like there are hpfp codes that a generic reader won't catch -- I don't know -- I'm new to working on Mini's...

I should be able to see/read if the fuel mixture gets lean under load though with the Schwaben scanner.
Fuel pump getting weak on my ol' Saab 9k caused lean mixture misfires -- and the ol' Saab trionic is incapable of giving fuel pump failure codes -- but it's also a much lower pressure fuel pump set up than the Mini...


Can or does the Mini ECU (DME?) give a fuel pressure reading to the Schwaben tool?

 

You need a better code reader. Misfires can be a symptom of any number of 50 different common things. As A383Wing indicates, the HPFP starts acting up and causes all kind of misfires. It is worse with a good set of plugs then lousy plugs that help to hide the problem. You say it was a problem in the morning but in the warmer afternoon it was not. That is also indicative of the HPFP because internal pressure is a function of temperature and barometric pressure.

I use a Foxwell 510 set up for a BMW and it has been pretty good for me. Last week, I took out my front seat and then I had to drive the vehicle out of the encroaching sun. I read later that if you do that, you will get a permanent failure on the air bags requiring a trip to the dealer. Sure enough I had them, but with the Foxwell it was easy to clear the erroneous air bag warning light after I had reconnected the seat. I probably saved $100. It allows reprogramming new batteries as well and I heard Mini also charges $100 for that.

 

Thanks for the info -- Makes me feel better about going down the rabbit hole of new tools for the Mini...
the ECS Schwaben scanner (foxwell 510) will be here tomorrow! I'll shamelessly pitch paying a little bit more for it through ECS knowing it's a sponsor of this forum which has easily already saved me more than the extra $50 bucks I'm paying for the scanner -- no sarcasm on this statement!

Our local Mini dealer charges $150 to plug in a scanner AND WON'T SHARE THE CODES WITH YOU unless you have the repairs done by them...
I shudder to think what MAG in Columbus would charge for a HPFP r/r...

 

Hello, thanks for the support

There is a good Schwaben DIY and support thread here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d-q-and-a.html

 

Mine was free under extended warranty. I had to contact miniUSA. My local mini dealer tried to hide everything from me.

 

So to (hopefully) close the loop here and thank everyone for their input!

The Schwaben scan tool has probably already paid for itself this weekend! And then there's the positive externality of not having to go to the MAG steelership...

The scan read codes of
2EFE
2F02
2EE0
2EED
2F01
2EEA
Pretty similar to the generic code reader actually. The above basically translates to # 3 & 4 cyl misfires and the misfires causing FI shutdown.
But the Schwaben can also read the fuel pump low and high pressures. The HPFP put out 7.56 to 7.78MPa (1000 to 1128psi!) at idle which is crazy high pressure to me but apparently normal for the design... The low pressure (electric) pump was putting out 98.6 psi at idle.

With that I went ahead and changed the plugs and coils to bosch 9747 iridium plugs, and bosch coils 0221504800. That plus two Mann oil filters for $126.00 -- thanks RockAuto! I think that's about what MAG would've charged me for just the f'ing spark plugs...

Pulled 85mph in 3rd gear with no CEL's so I'm assuming I'm fixed...

I considered only changing the coils on # 3 & 4 but I'd rather the wife have no complaints!
I'm just a little bummed not knowing for sure if it was the ngk plugs (with only ~ 10,000 miles on 'em) or the coils with only 74k on 'em...
I knew the mini would become a maintenance pig -- so it begins...

 

Just so you know the HPFP doesn't often out and out fail. What happens is that it tends to not consistently deliver the right pressure when cold. So does the tool have any mention of the fuel pressure? Or, only the misfires?

When you go into the BMW menu, you should be able to run an automatic check of everything.

 

There were no fuel pressure codes indicated.
"But the Schwaben can also read the fuel pump low and high pressures. The HPFP put out 7.56 to 7.78MPa (1000 to 1128psi!) at idle which is crazy high pressure to me but apparently normal for the design... The low pressure (electric) pump was putting out 98.6 psi at idle." from my post above.

I'm tempted to start installing the old coils one by one to see if they were the issue or if it was just the ngk plugs? Mostly, just cause I like to know more precisely what actually fixed the problem -- not just throw a bunch of new parts at it and something fixed it...

On the other, other hand, if the coils are expected to last 100k, I would have pulled them all at 90k which means these are only pulled 15k early which is about one year of driving... Does anyone have 200k on a MCS? Can this plastic car go that far?

 

General rule of thumb is unless you installed new coils and one proved to be bad out of the box, if the coils have some miles on them and one is suspect you are better off just replacing all of them. Otherwise you replace the "bad" one and after a while the next one acts up and you replace it and so on.

Also, I like to keep all cylinders the same regarding plugs, coils.

 

Agreed -- that was why I replaced all the parts at once...

I will probably stop thinking about it and leave the well running car running...

 

148k on an '11 base cooper N16 that my wife used as a "daily flyer" (she covered a 40 mile trip, half of which is winding roads on rural hills, in 35 minutes. almost a shame we've moved and her new job is around the corner from our house). Just recently threw the 300/misfire code on cylinders 1 and 4, figured it was either the plugs or the coils - but I had no idea that the coils were expected to be replaced at 100k so the originals are still in it (changing them out once the parts arrive). Hoping to go flying past 250k!