i have a check engine light on and went to autozone to have it read. the guy went out with his scanner and couldnt get it to link with the mini. he plugged it in and it kept saying link error. He said it was because the mini has a first generation OBD computer and not OBDII. is there i could check the codes myself? i checked under the driver side dash and it does say OBD

 

the 02 Mini is OBD-II. The plug is tough to seat. Ran into that problem myself. Takes some more force, and support the back of the cars connector, it's only supported on the front.

Matt

 

ROTFLAMO
The MINI has OBDII, You may need to make sure the key is turned for the code to be read, but the only reason the scanner wouldn't read is operator error, try a different autozone.

 

OBDII should be on all cars after 1996 if sold in the USA

(correct me if i am wrong)

Edit: this is my 200th post! wOOters!

 

No I won't you're right, its required by Federal Law.

 

alright thanks guys. i did a search and didnt see OBD stuff but i just wanted to make sure.

 

My scanner reads error with the key on, but scans fine with the key in the ignition but off. This is contrary to the instructions which say to put the key in position 1. For around $100 it is a handy tool to have.

Is your light still on? Many codes thrown for me seem to be "false alarms" and cause the light to go out after 3-4 drive cycles.

 

yeah it is still on. i went back and tried earlier today and it still didnt work. i didnt think to try it with the key off, i figured they would know enough to try that. i do smell something whenever i shift at higher rpms so i think there is definately a problem. i need to find the code quickly

 

Some codes latch and don't go away until cleared. Some go away after a certain amount of qualifying drive cycles....

That would be starting cold, running long enough to get to operation temp, and then stopping (don't know if it has to be long enough to cool). Typically, this is three iterations of that. This isn't a "False alarm" it's a symptom of something on the edge....

Matt

 

Thanks for the clarification Dr. Obnxs. I guess maybe my SA is just trying to ease my anxiety when he refers to them as "blips" or false alarms!

Sdv515, I hope you can get a code on your problem. There is nothing more frustrating than knowing that there is something wrong without the data to guide you. Or misleading data (e.g., if your battery or ECU is going you can get all kinds of inaccurate codes) that sends you on a wild goose chase.

 

is to avoid warranty work on a boarderline or intermittant problem. You should log the codes and the milage and set the paper trail inplace in case it grows into something worse.... If not, no big deal. If it does, you'll have the history in place to get them to act. This technique can also work to get things fixed after your warranty expires, if you have evidence that the problem was there before, and they just did nothing.... Nice bit of insurance.

Matt

 

the check engine light went away yesterday. all by itself. i guess it went through a cycle or whatever. the cycle just happened to take two and half weeks.

 

A problem has to occur twice to get the light to come on and 3 times for it to go away. You still might be able to pull the code (depend upon which one and how it was stored). And these things have a way of coming back.