this morning spark plug 2 from the left flew out of the slot and was bouncing up and down in the tube attached to the spark plug wire.
i think it can be put back in, but WHAT THE HECK?!
it is an '02 and i am very disappointed with this car. not the only thing that has gone wrong.
i know, i know "don;t buy a first year car", but it was out for a year in europe and you figure a company should put a quality product out there if it is operating under a BMW flag!

frustrated in INDY.

 

Just happened to me a month ago. But this is a known issue (I too found out about it after it happened though), and you can see lots of references if you search.

Good luck!

Matt

 

Who was the last person to service/replace/inspect the plugs? This is caused by not correctly torquing them or lack of maintenance.

 

I agree. I own a '02 Cooper CVT with 30K miles and haven't had this problem.

 

When it happened to you a month ago, what did you do to fix it, and have you had problems since?
i was the one who replaced them last, but that was 50k ago.

 

If you didn't touch them in over 50k miles, you have your answer as to why they failed.

 

Stupid question:

What's the trick to getting the rubber plug out that covers [I assume] the sparkplugs?

I went to check the torque on them a few weekends back and couldn't figure out how to get the rubber plug out....

What am I missing?

 

Pull like hell.

Actually, pulling firmly with a slight back and forth twisting should do the trick. Do NOT pull on the wire, just grasp the outer diameter of the plug boot and pull while twisting.

 

Mm. That's what I tried...pulled hard enough that the top of the boot tore off in my hand. So I stopped there.

I'll give it another shot when I've got time. Headed to the mountains next week...alas, without the Mini.

 

It's not hard. Twist it back and forth a little bit, lift it up. After it breaks suction withthe plug it pops up about 1/4" and you lift it out. After your first one you'll kick yourself for making a big deal out of it.

 

This happened to me once in a car that wasn't a MINI. The cause was improper tightening of the spark plug. The mechanic was to blame, not the manufacturer.

 

getting off track here.
NEED A FIX.
just tried screwing it back in, after talking with a few people.
the hole is stripped though. tried a new plug and it didn't go in either. so the very end of the plug and the hole are stripped.

need some input as to what the dealer will do or what should be done.
thanks

 

What happened here is the plug became loose because it was not tightened fully. What happens next is the plug 'rattles' in the threaded hole with every power impule, as well as hot gas passes around the threads. This eventually hammers the soft aluminum threads in the head to where the plug will pop out of the hole. Once this occurs, there is no way to remedy the situation except rethreading the hole with a Helicoil threaded insert. Doing this requires the head to be removed from the engine. Once this procedure is done, you have a head just as serviceable as before.

In short, someone, be it the dealer or another shop, has to remove the head and do machine work to it. Not a simple, short or inexpensive task.

You'll need at least one new sparkplug too.

 

Expect to pay about $1000

 

Lowest cost: someone who can fix the head without removing it from the car. A&E Performance did it for me in Campbell, CA for $368.

Next is a used head (I know it sounds crazy, but there you have it)

Next is to have a shop remove your head for repair. Best price I found for that was $1035 plus tax over in the East Bay.

Next is to get a performance head, best deal seems to be from Webb, where you get bigger valves and a cam for $1800 (you can get a better head than stock for about $1000).

Most exspensive: New head from Mini, JCW head is over $3k from Classic!

Mine sounds like it wasn't as bad as yours. I could get the pug to screw in, but seating felt weak....... But I could drive to the shop....

Good luck. There were some heads floating around here in the Marketplace, but you may have to search for them.

Matt

 

Check the torque on your spark plugs when you replace them. And check them again periodically.

 

Doing a helicoil without removing it is a great way to get metal shavings in the cylinder. Only hacks shops do 'repairs' like that.

 

The place I went to is very reputible, and looked to see how bad my head was before doing any work or committing to a specific course of action. I and one of my friends have used them for quite a while. I guess it comes down to trust. I'm happy.
But if you're good with wrenching around on your own car, getting a used head and installing it yourself can be about the same cost. Go figure!

Matt

 

We do helicoils all day - dozens of them. It's not rocket science, but it's also impossible NOT to get shavings down the head unless you happen to have the car upside down. Believe what you will. Perhaps if you knew what a helicoil did, you would understand. Picture a metal sleeve that has sharp cut threads. You screw this sleeve into what's left of the hole, and it slices itself into the hole cutting new threads. It's reverse threaded, so that makes it worse as far as debris is concerned. All the metal that is being pushed/cut out of the way along with the old threads goes one place - DOWN. Now The inside of this sleeve has normal new threads in it, that's where your new bolt/spark plug goes.

 

What is the recommended torque setting for the plugs?

 

20 ft.lbs for this motor.

 

There are other kinds of inserts to use, but I can't imagine them trying them on a spark plug hole on the engine - they involve drilling the old threads out/hole larger, and tapping new threads for a new insert. Then there are threadserts that bore themselves into the sides of the hole and are permanent...

 

Nowhere did it say that I got a helicoil. Also, I already stated that I COULD thread and seat the plug, but that it didn't seem right. I know perfectly well what a helicoil can do. But since you don't know what was done to my car, you really shouldn't be throwing darts at other shops. Remember what they say about assumptions....

 

Thanks! Going to add checking this to my planned maintenance schedule every 5k miles.