Hello everyone , I'm new to this forum

A month ago i got my first Mini cooper S 2005 , before i had a Cooper. I'm having problems with it. When i accerelate it hard it has a very strong fibration and it happens in first gear to fourth gear. It's less noticable or not noticable at all in fifth & sixth gears. When this fibration happens it stops as soon as i let off the gas pedal. The fibration is more noticable in the driver side (left hand drive )
Any idea what it could be ?

 

I’m having a similar issue, only my ‘04 doesn’t vibrate as much, and it’s only under moderate acceleration... but I do have a slight pull to the right or left depending on the road surface. I replaced both lower ball joints last year but haven’t done an alignment yet and I have aftermarket wheels (some old 17” Motegis I picked up on a garage sale website). I know I have some sway bar. Having a that need replaced because I have a rattle in the front (our roads in NW Ohio are pretty crappy)

 

I was told by a local mechanic that it was my left driveshaft and changed it still fibrates under hard acceleration. Not as much as before but still it's a strong fibration.
Car also has a slight hesitation under 2500 3000 rpm and when i start it after it's been sitting for 1-2 days , it starts at first time then dies. Second time always starts but it has a very rought idle and feels like it's dyeing again..

Sorry for my bad english

 

Is either car lowered?

This can cause vibrations due to the driveshaft angles. The amount of vibration usually depends on how much the car is lowered, and if the driveshafts are new or not. Old driveshafts will have a wear spot and lowering the car will cause the CV joint(s) to wear in a different spot. This would be similar to driving along a groove in the road with the car constantly tracking in and out of it. If lowered, Abion’s car might still be too low, even with new drive shafts.

Besides worn driveshafts and ride height, I would check the balance of the wheels, or if they are bent. Also, if aftermarket, make sure they have the proper hub rings for a MINI.

 

Thank you for your feedback
Car seems to be lowered around 30mm with eibach springs. I was also told that it might be my tyres and wheels but they seem to be fine to me and if it was wheel/tyre balance it wouldnt be more noticable at high speeds ? Becuase it's hardly noticable at high speeds. Anyway will check them out to a tyre shop.. It has original 16 Mini wheels.
I've also this problem when my mini starts first time then dies for 1-2 seconds after starting. It fires up again second time and it has a very rought idle and it feels like it;'s dying. It happens only on cold start

 

The startup stalling could possibly be, the low pressure fuel pump about to go?

 

It might be but if it was the fuel pump about to go would it happen always not just on cold start ? Could be spark plugs/leads or coil pack ?

 

30mm doesn’t seem too low. I re-read your post and saw you only replaced the left drive shaft. How many miles are on the right one, and on the car itself? Was the vibration there from the beginning, or did it appear after you bought the car?

Also, did your mechanic check the bushings, ball joints, etc.?

Not sure on the cold start issue.

 

It was there from the beginning but not so strong, it got worse after i got it. Yep he did check all that stuff and he said he couldn't find anything wrong except that driveshaft. He reconmmanded me to check my wheels and tyres. I will do this tomorrow hopefully.

 

I suspected drive shafts as both of mine have a torn boot. As for being lowered I have no idea as to what the previous owner did to the car, but I have had to fix or replace a ton of things in the past two years due to the last owner not knowing what they were doing. I do have a rim with a somewhat flat spot on it at the opposite corner of the car but that has been there since I bought the wheels and tires, but this vibration just started in roughly the last month. Hub rings are the correct size.

 

It's driving me mad and now this cold start issue as well..I'm starting to regret for getting a Mini again.
If it is your rim it would vibrate harder at high speeds. Mine doesn't vibrate at high speeds and i can barely notice it in fifth & sixth gears but i get when i'm going down hill in second or third gear without pressing the gas pedal not very strong but still vibrates.
I'm going to check my wheel balance tomorrow but i don't think it is caused by wheels anyway..

 

Ever since I put the 17”s and the new tires on, all I’ve had was a humming noise from them (and the rattles from the sway bar endlinks and bushings) even though the one wheel is deformed... up until this winter. The past month or so is when I’ve started to get that vibration on acceleration.

 

Thank you for your feedback guys i got rid of the fibration. It was caused by my unbalanced wheels and my tyres had around 30 psi.

Now i will have to take care of this cold start issue. Today it was worse, it didn't start at first time and die like it always does, it started right away second time. I put in first gear and try to move then it doesn't take gas no matter how much i push the gas pedal it feels like is dying. If i put in netrual and push the gas pedal the rpm's go up just fine.
Also has a hesitation under 3000 rpm.

Someone recommanded to check the map sensor. I will remove it today and clean it and see how it goes tomorrow morning because it only does it in the morning.

 

Arbion, what's the maintenance history like on your car? There are a number of things a used S should have looked at if you don't know how its been cared for. Fuel pump and plugs/coils/wires could all be suspect. Supercharger service and belt tensioner are common maintenance issues. I am not advising you start throwing parts at the car but basic maintenance never seems to be up to date on used cars so there all worth looking into. I have a base level cooper and a second or two after I start it sounds like it wants to die then its fine after that. I have replaced the fuel filter (it was black as night) and spark plugs (they were very worn) but it still does it. Mine never actually dies though so I haven't been too worried about it.

Give us some more info on your car. How many miles does it have, is it manual or auto trans, what is the service history?

 

It is a 2005 manual transmission with 150,000+ miles.
I don't know much about the service history but the previous owner didn't seem to know a Mini at all and he only drived it occasionally for the last year. I got it becuase when i looked at it didn't have any oil leaks , coolant leaks , didn't have any strange noise and had a new power steering pump and the new clutch had only 2000 miles. Just a week after i got it ,started the headache , first it was my low speed fan not working but i fixed it, replaced fan resistor


An hour ago i removed and cleaned the map sensor and it had a lot of oil. I'll see if it fires at first time tomorrow. I've also ordered a code reader and i should get it by next week. I'll wait and check if there any code coming up before i start replacing parts.

 

That's a good start. I was actually going to ask you next if the SES light is illuminated. If it has active codes that is a great place to start.

I would also recommend servicing the supercharger, inspecting the belt tensioner and harmonic balancer, checking the ignition system (spark plugs/wires/coil) and replacing the fuel filter. If you suspect a fuel problem a fuel pressure test is also very easy.

There is a YouTube channel, I think it's Mod Mini, that has a whole bunch of very good instructional videos if your not handy with a wrench. These cars are very easy to work on with a little patience.

 

Update : I removed and cleaned the MAP sensor, didn't fix the problem. After that i changed Spark plugs , nr 3 was long gone still didn't fix the issue. Last 3 days didn't start at first time. Fires up second time but runs really bad for 1-2 minutes, rpms drop from 1100 to 400-500 and feels like is dying sometimes it recovers and sometimes it dies...
Tomorrow i should get the code reader, i'll see if code comes up.

 

So i got 3 codes come up today after i puto n the code reader
P0302 - Misfire Cylinder 2
P0313 - Misfire dedected on low fuel ( My fuel tank has never been under 15L since i got it )
P0303 - Misfire Cylinder 3

 

I have a couple thoughts.
First is I THINK that these coils fire 2 cylinders at a time, and the 1-4 and 2-3 cylinders are paired. If that is true (would someone who knows more about the cooper ignitions please chime in) I would check the coil very closely if it original. My thoughts being you have misfire codes on the #2 and #3 cylinders.
My second thought was fuel pump and or filter. If your pump is weak or your filter is plugged it may be why your having trouble on cold start only. To start a cold engine requires more fuel than starting a hot engine.

Beyond that it could also be injectors, o2 sensors, plugged cats (I doubt this one), or something more serious like a burnt valve or worn rings etc. Probably more I'm forgetting. If it was my car I'd probably do a compression and leak down test but to start I'd check fuel pressure and the ignition system first.

 

Hi , thank you for taking the time to give your feedback.
After i cleared the codes they didn't come up again so i guess the misfire was caused by the burned spark plugs, nr 3 was really bad and 2 was almost the same. Now i have no codes but car won't start at first time at cold start, fires up at second time and runs in 1200-1300 rpms for a few minutes then drops to 900-1000 rpms. If i try to rev it the revs drop to 500-600 and the engine sounds as though it's going to stall. This issue only happens on cold start and it disappears after a minute or two.
Someone in another forum who had the same problem as me told me after he changed his injectors issue was fixed. I've ordred new injectors i'm waiting to get them.

 

Update : I fixed it, now it starts at first try. It was my fuel pump causing this.
I did put a used r50 fuel pump becuase where i live is so hard to find parts for Minis , i couldn't find a new or used fuel pump for r53 this is why i replaced with a r50. Not sure if they are the same but car works great pulls hard and starts t first try. I've ordered a new fuel pump online thought
Thank you everyone who tried to help