So the short version of this is that I have an 07 mini cooper S JCW and I have no spark. I checked the voltage going to the plug connector and that has 12V on it. This would imply that the DME is switching it on correctly. However, I cannot communicate with the DME to pull codes. I went through this video below and it appears that that my junction box is supplying the proper voltage. I even pulled the relay, turned the car on, and then plugged the relay back in and it definitely clicked when it was re-connected. How do I figure out what really needs to be replaced? I determined no spark based on pulling a spark plug and putting it into the wire boot and putting it against the head while it is cranking over. I did check the ground straps on the motor mount and the front of the valve cover. Both are good. Any help or direction would be appreciated.




So here's the long version if it helps. My son borrowed a car from his roommate to head home for spring break. He made it the 500 miles home with no issues. He went to start it the next day and it wouldn't catch. It was firing but just wouldn't catch and go. Pulled codes and the cam timing was off with an O2 sensor problem. Popping the hood there was oil spray on the passenger side of the engine compartment. Upon closer inspection there was a hole in the valve cover above the timing chain. It looked like something inside tried to get outside. After removing the valve cover it was obvious that the top timing guide fell apart. Looking at the cams they were not in phase. I tried to get them back in phase. To check to see if the valves had been bent I ran a compression check and got 60-90 psi on all the cylinders. Something didn't feel right so I bought a timing tool kit and got the crank and cams in sync pretty well. Got much better compression this time. During the test I had the plug wires hanging there and did see a few sparks to the exhaust shield a few times. Put the plugs back in and hooked it all up.....Went to start it and as it was turning over I got a few fires on the first rotation, but then just cranking. So now I'm tracking down the lack of spark before I go do a timing chain. The thing that gets me is that I can't connect to pull codes. I even borrowed a nice snap-on code reader and it couldn't connect to the engine controller. I was able to talk to the ABS unit just fine though.

 

Digging in a little more, the main DME Relay does not seem to be activating. Any thoughts on what is going on here? It looks like the DME needs to activate this relay. I checked all the fuses in the under hood fuse box with a multimeter and they all passed.

 

Before doing anything else, get the timing chain and guides replaced, then ensure all broken guide pieces are removed from the oil pan and oil pump intake screen. Then you can set timing correctly, using proper tools and procedures --- https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/ --- has all the info you need. There's a good chance your initial attempt at setting timing didn't use enough torque on the critical stretch bolts, and timing didn't hold as you set it. Shop around our NAM suppliers for kits with all the bolts seals and gaskets --- lots cheaper than dealer prices. You can also use https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/select for part number info, as needed.

When the ECU detects a significant timing problem, I've read that it will not provide spark. Maybe it also inhibits power / signals to the OBD II connector.

 

My thought was to do it the other way around. Since I don't actually own the car I don't want to put the time and money into it if it turns out that the owner isn't going to follow through with the rest of the fix depending on how much a new DME costs(worst case). The lack of communication and not turning on the main DME relay has me worried.

The timing is reset better than what it was driving around with. It was off by 2 teeth on the intake side compared to the exhaust cam and then both are about half a tooth from the crank. I was able to get the Exhaust cam back exactly, but I can't get the socket and wrench on the Intake Cam sprocket bolt with the motor mount still attached. So that one is maybe a 1/2 tooth off where it should be.

 

newtis has a procedure for checking cam timing using a feeler gauge with the timing tool set. It will show you how much off timing can be without guessing about sprocket teeth errors.

Best of luck ---

 

I contacted RPM motor sports https://www.rpmmotorsport.net/ and they said that the DME needs to be replaced. And I need to send the CAS module with it. Now here comes my next question. Since this is a JCW car it has a different tune than the typical S. Are the DME's different model numbers? The top of the valve cover has a special tuning kit serial number. Will I need to go to the dealer to get this "tune" back somehow? Any insight would help. Thanks.

 

A "special tuning kit serial number" needs explanation from the car owner. Possibly a dealer's JCW tuning kit upgrade, but I'm pretty sure that would be used only for an "S" model being upgraded to a JCW. Any aftermarket tunes you have installed will "over-write" the existing tune, unless you can find the same tuning kit, so the owner should be involved in this decision.

I've talked with Lorenzo at "RPM Power Engine Management" in Vancouver --- different organization? They are the ones supplying Mario with the tunes he installs --- very knowledgeable on ECU's and tunes. Don't know anything about "RPM Motor Sport" --- part of a major chain?