[mike1967]

that code would point directly to timing chain and would be first place to check , ie fit lock tools and measure the difference on inlet camshaft is best way of doing it, if car done north of 60000 miles its in realms of chain needs doing as they do, many run on to around 100k but do so much more damage to engine by running around out of time over long times etc, i found by treating the timing chains as a 60k service item its better way forward with them, when these engines run out of time for long amounts of miles the retarded running causes higher combustion temps and will damage rings and stem seals ,, also without a scan tool you can trust to see all the codes you really are at risk of not seeing all the issues etc

 

[mike1967]

Car has a little over 42000 miles, but I can check the timing chain.
Thanks!

might be a oil solonoid fault or blocked gauze filter on it, worth pulling out cleaning off and see if cures it,

 

[mike1967]

done a 2012 countryman while ago with 60k on it found timing chain guide pivot point broken lodged in the oil pump strainer , i've also had cars with under 50k before with chain failures, theory behind that is oil burning and lack of keeping oil at max mark, think you need a more complete diagnostic scan see what else is stored if anything,

 

[mike1967]

Forgive - unfamiliar with a "gauze filter" - maybe I know it by a different name. Where would I find this on the R60?
Thanks

pics below show the oil control solonoids they control the vanos sprockets for timing chain so advance and retard then all set by ecu very touchy system,, one thought is these engine dont like low oil level, they also dont like wrong oil , ie 5/30w fully syn C3 oil the norm ,, can also run on same oil but a 5/40w , anything else wont do well in there,

above pic shows how they go this one i've replaced as had vanos fault codes before rebuild on diagnostics scan and this crud gets in to the valves and the vanos spockets and causes hell with timing ,, trouble with long life oil and 20k oil changes when these cars were new, 8k 12 months best way forward,

above pic a 60k engine link yours on a 2011 car timing chain guides pivot points snap i see a lot like this with timing related fault codes very very common, the trouble with these engines is finding someone who knows them and all the little points that need checking and most likely replacing to make them right again, this said its not just these engines its everything these days its all made to be light for emissions reasons and just makes parts weaker , then add long service times and thin oil

 

[mike1967]

will add thise solonoids are held in by single torx bolt on top of head ,, ie exhaust one next to dipstick tube, and inlet under airfilter box and just above chain tensioner by inlet manifold and pvc pipe, heads up do not over tighten that torx bolt when put back in can strip threads

 

[mike1967]

below pic of new pierburg genuine solonoids and by far the bets ones

 

[mike1967]

there are two of them one for inlet and one for exhaust as yours is n18 turbo engine , might even be one gone faulty and they do go faulty with age, mate of mine works at bmw dealership he was saying they replace a lot of them , must admit i've also had many with intermittent faults and some that go dead short that melt the drivers down in ecu , so just because one looks ok its not always the case,

 

[mike1967]

when you unplug them do not pull on wiring harness, i always use a hooked spike tool to slip between the clip part on sensor to the plug , those plugs can be a tad brittle

 

[mike1967]

you might find a wiring harness fault causing it, they share lives a clue would be in a deeper diagnostics scan if find have other components flags codes can be down to a shared live ,, or one of the items on that shared live fails drags other things linked to it via ecu feed, ie all live direct feeds from ecu are from ecu regulated voltage out puts, some are 12v some are 5v

 

[mike1967]

might find they are old codes and reset might make them go away and not really a issue need to reset them then take car for a good hours drive mixed revs form idle to 5k say this will make the vanos system work so any codes that come back at that point are a fault

 

[mike1967]

just a little input to this , if trying to diagnose this kind of fault with out a good scan tool hmmm, put it this way not sure i could even do that, so important to even have a chance is to be able to read a full live data , and know for sure all codes are being seen,, trouble with cheap generic scan tools is they only read emissions based codes generally and the P-codes ie dealer only codes dont always read, also they dont cover deep enough live data info ,, ie when i look for such a fault i have live data running and have things like lamda control, and inlet air pressure and and big key one is vanos positions actual and prescribed as these change with revs ,, i can with this rev engine watch positions then start moving plugs and harness around while watching, if when i move something it changes from the movement i have then found the intermittent fault , belo is screen shot of one of diagnostics tools i use and live data on cooper s for a idea of level needed to even begin to understand these engines and timing etc,,

above are screen shots from a few cars randomly of live data after engines were rebuilt and had new cat and 02 sensors and timed correctly ,, I use these as a template when I get one put back together and it plays up from old parts on outside of engine rebuild,, ie for ecu, vanos oil solonoids, wiring harness or vvt control etc,, out of every 10 cars i do engine refresh on at least half of them have other faults that once get the internals right and know they are right I can then move on to fixing the other stuff,, as I stand by i fix every car and on fixed rate sometimes I give away away many hours for free unlike garages that just keep adding labour costs, my point is process is key and having the scan tools to do it is key

 

[mike1967]

Thank you Mike, great advice! Not only having the right tools, but also the knowledge to effectively use them!

like I keep saying to people with these engines th devil is in the detail , and stay away from ebay lol

 

[mike1967]

100% - That is why I am going into the shop. It is not, however the local Mini dealer. I initially took it in to them and was told 2800$ for a valve cover gasket change alone...

wow that is bonkers rocker cover gasket ie made of rubber etc under £20 uk pounds and takes a under a hour to fit , was speaking to guy the other day he spent £3400 on stem seals and timing chain kit, where I do full refresh for £1350,, but there again its garage labour thin main dealer are £200 per hour in most places , specialist around £80 per hour ,, you need to find some one who work in the trade and does a few out of hours jobs by far cheapest way forward

 

[mike1967]

After that experience with Mini, I have done all of the mechanical work thus far, myself. All replacement parts, etc... nothing out of my own scope of skills. I just didn't want to have to do it. I just don't have the proper diag tool and such to dig deep. The generic scan tool is far to simplistic here to be effective.

I know bud I use 3 different diagnostics tool on them , from delphi to insta d to snap on Zeus and also got a scope and smoke tester all kinds of stuff even with all that sometimes I get one that tests me ,, think I'm ready to give up like a monster that takes over your life lol,

 

[mike1967]

so as someone changed the o-rings or sensors , fairly random thing new to me,

 

[mike1967]

I checked the o-rings from the ones that were on there vs the ones on the new sensors and the ones on the new sensors were noticeably larger. When I put them in, it was a very tight fi, as opposed to the mediocre fit of the ones that were there.

strange one if had such a bad crankcase leak as to induce a unmetered air issues you would think the oil leak from that would be so much , it is possible the maff and 02 sensors and map sensors would see it under boost and cause a issue worth knowing

 

[mike1967]

Thanks for the update kenwrecwulfe and best of luck to you! I took mine back to my mechanic on Friday as well, he concluded it may be the non-OEM replacement Cam Position Sensors I put in from Advanced Auto parts. We are waiting for the OEM sensors from Mini to arrive. I’ll let you know how it works out for me.

you would not believe how much hassle it causes when bad cheap after market parts get used on these cars, bain of my life

 

[mike1967]

We had a successful drive last night. ✋🤯🤚

just shows dont take much to throw these things out of wack