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Stock Problems/IssuesDiscussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for MINI Clubman (R55), Cooper and Cooper S(R56), and Cabrio (R57).
Code stored is 2D9C in bimmerlink, P0327 in generic OBD reader app.
nothing else is wrong with the car (r56s n14 around 150k miles). I am a hypermiler, i drive like there is a egg under the throttle pedal. This is how this car is driven throughout its life. But now, if i try to hypermile, cel comes on, if i press the gas a bit more, cel disappears. Easy on the throttle again, a minute later cel comes back on.
I know i should drive this car more spiritedly sometimes, so i tried italian tune up this week; no problems while driving spiritedly. It pulls like a train, no noise or anything from the engine. So i said maybe it’s fixed now. No cels for about a week of fast driving. Then i saw a congestion ahead of a stretch of road (it’s a straight road so you can see the traffic from about 1-2 miles away); i got easier on the throttle, 6th gear 50mph for about a minute, then bam! Cel again. Checked the codes and same as before, something related to knock sensor.
my knock sensor is not that old, but i am thinking the cause is maybe hpfp or chain related. But none of the other symptoms are apparent. Any ideas?
If he has a habit of being extraordinarily light on the the gas, would resetting the adaption values be any use?
From our Pelican friends: R56 model engines utilize one sensor to monitor engine knock. The knock sensor is mounted to the engine block, below the intake manifold above the starter motor. The knock sensor usually fails, setting a check engine light and a knock sensor fault code. When a knock sensor fails, the ignition timing on your engine may be held in a retarded position until the fault is remedied, therefore reducing engine power and the chance of detonation.
I can see how a bad Vanos solenoid may simulate the effects of a bad knock sensor, according to this. the sensor is a piezoelectric crystal that senses vibrations. If it’s not faulty, perhaps the vibrations it’s recording are outside of normal parameters that the computer deems it to be faulty? Something like engine noise, electrical noise, etc.
If he has a habit of being extraordinarily light on the the gas, would resetting the adaption values be any use?
From our Pelican friends: R56 model engines utilize one sensor to monitor engine knock. The knock sensor is mounted to the engine block, below the intake manifold above the starter motor. The knock sensor usually fails, setting a check engine light and a knock sensor fault code. When a knock sensor fails, the ignition timing on your engine may be held in a retarded position until the fault is remedied, therefore reducing engine power and the chance of detonation.
I can see how a bad Vanos solenoid may simulate the effects of a bad knock sensor, according to this. the sensor is a piezoelectric crystal that senses vibrations. If it’s not faulty, perhaps the vibrations it’s recording are outside of normal parameters that the computer deems it to be faulty? Something like engine noise, electrical noise, etc.
I suspect that the signal processing windowing (when data is acquired) and background noise measuring algorithms take extraneous noise into account. Otherwise you would likely see a lot more Mini engines detonating, because the knock detector processor would have a very hard time giving the ECU a worthwhile knock level signal. Bad knock signal -> too much timing advance -> kaboom!
You’re probably right in terms of engine noise. If the engine is making a racket loud enough to trip the sensor, it might very well be a problem that needs looking into. However, that’s not the case for electrical noise. That would affect the electrical side of the sensor. In fact, I believe I read about a case where someone with a bad timing issue didn’t resolve it until they fixed the electrical issues interfering with the knock sensor. It was some sort of chassis connection problem, perhaps a faulty ground.
Here’s a riddle: what sort of problems might this creature have caused in the area it inhabited for a day? Note the claws.
Cleaned vanos selonoid, while the car feels million times better, the issue is still there; fast driving: nothing, drive slowly: cel is back on until you press the gas more aggressively again.
You’re probably right in terms of engine noise. If the engine is making a racket loud enough to trip the sensor, it might very well be a problem that needs looking into. However, that’s not the case for electrical noise. That would affect the electrical side of the sensor. In fact, I believe I read about a case where someone with a bad timing issue didn’t resolve it until they fixed the electrical issues interfering with the knock sensor. It was some sort of chassis connection problem, perhaps a faulty ground.
Bad grounds can fiendishly difficult to chase down. Not a bad idea to at least give the straps on the block and trans a visual for corrosion of the braid.
As far as the electrical integrity of the knock sensor circuit, it is a virtual certainty that there is an open circuit detection mechanism protecting it that OBDII monitors. However, given Mini's low budget approach to software development on their OBDII diagnostics, it is an open question if said diagnostics are worth a fresh pile of male bovine fertilizer.
Another potential issue on a high miles engine is fretting corrosion on connector pins. I had lots of running issues on a high miles, elderly BMW that were cured over time by using some of Caig Labs products. Worth noting: connector pin and socket designs have changed a lot since then.
Cleaned vanos selonoid, while the car feels million times better, the issue is still there; fast driving: nothing, drive slowly: cel is back on until you press the gas more aggressively again.
sorry for bringing up old thread but i have an update.
so after new knock sensor, fault was back after about 2000 miles. driving slowly and steadily at about 50mph would illuminate cel, after changing down to 4th gear and pressing the gas a bit more would fix the problem for about 10 minutes. then it's the same story. driving at above 60mph cel stays off.
anyways, orientation of the knock sensor itself was wrong. after taking the car to mechanic and connecting it to the bmw software, it shows the right orientation. it was an easy fix.
