[lilyjanexx]

Hi. I took my (2010, n16) mini one to a mini specialist garage to fault find and they said they couldn’t find the issue.
The car starts, then idles rough, misfires, sounds like the engine is surging as the revs are all over the place. If you Rev, it tends to get a little better but still not a smooth idle. When you start driving, you last about 5 minutes before the engine will cut out when you have put the clutch down and stopped. I have no idea how to fix this if even the specialists don’t know what’s wrong with it.
I have already replaced the camshaft sensors, vanos solenoids (although I used vanos solenoids from neo-bro’s and not from mini, could this be an issue?? ). There are fault codes relating to bank 1 camshaft over-retarded etc.. a whole bunch of codes.
One thing the garage suggested is it could be is the oil pressure sensor. So I have ordered this and will swap that in along with an oil change and filter.
Any advice gratefully received, thank you.

 

[2Bags]

Hi. I took my (2010, n16) mini one to a mini specialist garage to fault find and they said they couldn’t find the issue.
The car starts, then idles rough, misfires, sounds like the engine is surging as the revs are all over the place. If you Rev, it tends to get a little better but still not a smooth idle. When you start driving, you last about 5 minutes before the engine will cut out when you have put the clutch down and stopped. I have no idea how to fix this if even the specialists don’t know what’s wrong with it.
I have already replaced the camshaft sensors, vanos solenoids (although I used vanos solenoids from neo-bro’s and not from mini, could this be an issue?? ). There are fault codes relating to bank 1 camshaft over-retarded etc.. a whole bunch of codes.
One thing the garage suggested is it could be is the oil pressure sensor. So I have ordered this and will swap that in along with an oil change and filter.
Any advice gratefully received, thank you.

Coil packs?

High Pressure Fuel Pump?

 

[lilyjanexx]

Coil packs?

High Pressure Fuel Pump?

Turns out the cam lobes are pitted, so seems like engine has overheated with lack of oil

 

[JTownPBX]

It's a small engine. given the chance to rebuild the engine I would. I'm actually slightly jealous of your situation.
1.) nothing lasts forever.
2.) going into rebuilding something is just as fun as having it done only less miles!
Solving the problem for less money on top of everything seems so much more enticing to me though.
What I would do is have a look at both of your fuel vent hoses for cracks and to make sure they are secure.
Something to keep in mind with a Mini Cooper 2nd generation; is that the engine is built up with about 35 percent hard plastic and P.O.M. material composites. When stuff like that cracks or is not secured properly; because they were not tightened down(don't want to break it(it's plastic) attitude) enough. And not using stuff like superlube O-ring silicon grease.
O-Ring Silicone Grease | Super Lube
It creates air leaks, and vacuum leaks all over the place. fuel vent hoses causing the more severe ones. That transcribes in my opinion....kinda of what you are saying the car is doing.
Here is the first fuel vent hose I would check; to first make sure it is secure into the intake manifold so you can see the problem first hand if it is not secured. Here is the fuel hose to your Mini location:

The red arrow points at the fuel vent hose. That hose I would remove and pull the mesh sleeving back and check for cracks(your symtom your explaining sounds lke it!). The Yellow arrow points at where the fuel vent hoses connects on the valve cover. Sometimes the neck can crack right at bottom of it. So I would pull the valve cover. check the valve cover for crackes along both neck connections. If everything is good. dry the rubber gaskets off ; then use O ring silicon grease and wipe it on the gasket so you can reuse it(unless the gasket look real bad!). Next you will have to remove the plastic intake manifold, after removing the air filter box you will start to see it is a small job in terms of it being what it is small and plastic(be careful). In order to remove that fuel vent hose. If zip tie up your vacuum lines with miniature zip ties when you are back there. After your done you really won't be able too.
Here is the picture of the other side of the fuel vent hose on your application it may be in a slightly different area, but it is there:

That red circle is where that hose would attach to your intake manifold. check the connection first. Use O ring grease on the new fuel vent hose or the old depending if it is not cracked. It makes a hermetic seal. Use O ring grease on the intake manifold gaskets they also would need to be cleaned before hand.
Here is a picture of what my vacuum reservoir looks like:

Circle shows the reservoir connection locations and the arrow shows the tiny version zip ties I used. Just a good thing to do while in that area. And anything else vacuum hose related. Yours is not gonna look exactly like this. but you do have brake assist pump and there will be something along these lines there.
Now this in my opinion may not solve this problem your having but it is good enough to seal all the air leaks on the engine without having to wonder if a plastic piece made good enough contact with a metal piece.
AIR TIGHT!
So if you figure the problem out and it's not what I just said. I....would put the engine back together like this!
On another note have you checked your 3 piece servo motor. Sense you replaced your vanos solenoids?
Another thing that is good to do with vanos solenoid or what I like to do is dunk them in oil before installing them in the engine!

 

[JTownPBX]

The part where I asked "did you dunk them in oil!". You'll find through the owner ship of these prince engines. That they will respond to off brand equipment like that without flaws. It's the preparation that's the kicker. For example: a Valeo thermostat housing; the cheapest on the market. but making sure you bleed it right and your coolant system is tight and radiator is passing coolant through it, cleaning it with chemical clean stuff when it it's not,having a running coolant fan to go along with it. Makes it work. And when you buy a real mini cooper thermostat housing. It is good; don't get me wrong on that. And it is a critical item so the idea of not getting one is more unlikely. But the price of it is often where I ask myself. No I know there is something else that could be going wrong! where as I never needed to do that, with the cheaper one. Also I mentioned before I don't have factual evidence on all of that, like temperatures, etc...
But there are other things one can get away with. I have a Cheap Auxiullry pump on it right now. It's working does not have a high whinning sound, but it should not even with a new one. whinning sound is because there is air in the system going past the impeller.

 

[mike1967]

Turns out the cam lobes are pitted, so seems like engine has overheated with lack of oil

its common engines as well that only get used on short trips and 24 months service plans as oil absorbs water over time ie when oil turns a chocolate brown its do to this,, found seafoam added at 10 miles before oil service prevents it and 10,000 miles oil changes,, as your engine is damaged and it will have destroyed the cat and 02 sensors for sure you will need to budget that in to the job as well

 

[lilyjanexx]

The part where I asked "did you dunk them in oil!". You'll find through the owner ship of these prince engines. That they will respond to off brand equipment like that without flaws. It's the preparation that's the kicker. For example: a Valeo thermostat housing; the cheapest on the market. but making sure you bleed it right and your coolant system is tight and radiator is passing coolant through it, cleaning it with chemical clean stuff when it it's not,having a running coolant fan to go along with it. Makes it work. And when you buy a real mini cooper thermostat housing. It is good; don't get me wrong on that. And it is a critical item so the idea of not getting one is more unlikely. But the price of it is often where I ask myself. No I know there is something else that could be going wrong! where as I never needed to do that, with the cheaper one. Also I mentioned before I don't have factual evidence on all of that, like temperatures, etc...
But there are other things one can get away with. I have a Cheap Auxiullry pump on it right now. It's working does not have a high whinning sound, but it should not even with a new one. whinning sound is because there is air in the system going past the impeller.

wow this will give me a lot to think about. Thanks so much for your extensive reply😁 will update once I’ve checked all this.

 

[lilyjanexx]

its common engines as well that only get used on short trips and 24 months service plans as oil absorbs water over time ie when oil turns a chocolate brown its do to this,, found seafoam added at 10 miles before oil service prevents it and 10,000 miles oil changes,, as your engine is damaged and it will have destroyed the cat and 02 sensors for sure you will need to budget that in to the job as well

Hi! Assuming this is cat converter? Sorry haha I am a rookie. I’m just stumped as the car has only got 71k on the clock and I’ve only owned it for one year, in that time, I’ve serviced it and kept the oil levels topped up. I’ll look into seafoam, thanks. Originally I was concerned about timing chain however garage said it looks like it has already had a new one. Thinking maybe it was problematic before I bought it. Bought it with FSH although beginning to question that now considering there’s no paperwork other than mini dealer service stamps. No idea if this is something that I should be selling before it causes more issues , or if I am going to be able to fix it without spending thousands. It’s already had £500ish in new parts and that’s without any labour costs

 

[mike1967]

Hi! Assuming this is cat converter? Sorry haha I am a rookie. I’m just stumped as the car has only got 71k on the clock and I’ve only owned it for one year, in that time, I’ve serviced it and kept the oil levels topped up. I’ll look into seafoam, thanks. Originally I was concerned about timing chain however garage said it looks like it has already had a new one. Thinking maybe it was problematic before I bought it. Bought it with FSH although beginning to question that now considering there’s no paperwork other than mini dealer service stamps. No idea if this is something that I should be selling before it causes more issues , or if I am going to be able to fix it without spending thousands. It’s already had £500ish in new parts and that’s without any labour costs

yes its for cat convertor . i've seen them with 40.000 miles on before and engine problems, trouble is not knowing its past and how lazy the last owners were when comes to checking oil,, in past 12 months i have had at least 10 people say to me when i ask about checking oil ,, they say when the red oil can light comes on on the dash they drive to garage and top the oil up,,, hmmm that red oil can light is not a level light its a just destroyed your engine light if dont switch it off and put oil in and also by time it comes on its to late damage has been done ,, last cooper s i done had 55000 miles needed all valves and stem seals and re ring due to misfires and carbon build up on valve seats, stamps dont mean much,, it does prove if main dealer ones the car was serviced every 20k properly maybe but still 20k or 24 months way to long in my book,
before throwing parts at it better off getting leak down test first off compression test as common is valve leaking on them ,, ie need to know the mechanical's are healthy first off,,, also to many people on forums with a script of maybe's and dont work ion the trade just a have a go off google with answers that can cost people dearly when they start throwing parts at a car based on a post on a forum etc,,
if that car was in front of me i would live data it first off look at smooth running figures and injection timings and what the 02 sensors are reading,,, ie healthy car the down stream works slower than upstream sensor,, if cat was destroyed with a hole in it would get bolt voltages the same,, or if blocked them one would be sky high compared to the other one etc, better off finding a mechanic who knows what these engine are ,, ie Peugeot Citroen specialist also know them well as same engines

 

[lilyjanexx]

yes its for cat convertor . i've seen them with 40.000 miles on before and engine problems, trouble is not knowing its past and how lazy the last owners were when comes to checking oil,, in past 12 months i have had at least 10 people say to me when i ask about checking oil ,, they say when the red oil can light comes on on the dash they drive to garage and top the oil up,,, hmmm that red oil can light is not a level light its a just destroyed your engine light if dont switch it off and put oil in and also by time it comes on its to late damage has been done ,, last cooper s i done had 55000 miles needed all valves and stem seals and re ring due to misfires and carbon build up on valve seats, stamps dont mean much,, it does prove if main dealer ones the car was serviced every 20k properly maybe but still 20k or 24 months way to long in my book,
before throwing parts at it better off getting leak down test first off compression test as common is valve leaking on them ,, ie need to know the mechanical's are healthy first off,,, also to many people on forums with a script of maybe's and dont work ion the trade just a have a go off google with answers that can cost people dearly when they start throwing parts at a car based on a post on a forum etc,,
if that car was in front of me i would live data it first off look at smooth running figures and injection timings and what the 02 sensors are reading,,, ie healthy car the down stream works slower than upstream sensor,, if cat was destroyed with a hole in it would get bolt voltages the same,, or if blocked them one would be sky high compared to the other one etc, better off finding a mechanic who knows what these engine are ,, ie Peugeot Citroen specialist also know them well as same engines

Thank you! Today I flushed the engine, gave it fresh oil, genuine mini oil filter (didn’t realise just how different a cheap brand is compared to the original mini!) and a new oil pressure sensor. The car starts perfectly now, in fact, the best it ever has in the year I’ve owned it. Only issue we have now is P0011 and EML coming up. The EML only came on after 4/5 times of starting it. It drives well but now the revs go just above stalling when you slow down/come to a stop and sometimes it cuts out. This is big progress compared to how it was! Going to swap in the original and cleaned vanos solenoids to see if this makes any difference. Also need to check the sparks as it looked like one may have a little oil on it, but not certain on this. We tried to check o2 sensors and could only access the reading for post cat (0.748v if I remember off the top of my head) as our software wouldn’t allow us to see sensor 1.

 

[lilyjanexx]

yes its for cat convertor . i've seen them with 40.000 miles on before and engine problems, trouble is not knowing its past and how lazy the last owners were when comes to checking oil,, in past 12 months i have had at least 10 people say to me when i ask about checking oil ,, they say when the red oil can light comes on on the dash they drive to garage and top the oil up,,, hmmm that red oil can light is not a level light its a just destroyed your engine light if dont switch it off and put oil in and also by time it comes on its to late damage has been done ,, last cooper s i done had 55000 miles needed all valves and stem seals and re ring due to misfires and carbon build up on valve seats, stamps dont mean much,, it does prove if main dealer ones the car was serviced every 20k properly maybe but still 20k or 24 months way to long in my book,
before throwing parts at it better off getting leak down test first off compression test as common is valve leaking on them ,, ie need to know the mechanical's are healthy first off,,, also to many people on forums with a script of maybe's and dont work ion the trade just a have a go off google with answers that can cost people dearly when they start throwing parts at a car based on a post on a forum etc,,
if that car was in front of me i would live data it first off look at smooth running figures and injection timings and what the 02 sensors are reading,,, ie healthy car the down stream works slower than upstream sensor,, if cat was destroyed with a hole in it would get bolt voltages the same,, or if blocked them one would be sky high compared to the other one etc, better off finding a mechanic who knows what these engine are ,, ie Peugeot Citroen specialist also know them well as same engines

Thank you! Today I flushed the engine, gave it fresh oil, genuine mini oil filter (didn’t realise just how different a cheap brand is compared to the original mini!) and a new oil pressure sensor. The car starts perfectly now, in fact, the best it ever has in the year I’ve owned it. Only issue we have now is P0011 and EML coming up. The EML only came on after 4/5 times of starting it. It drives well but now the revs go just above stalling when you slow down/come to a stop and sometimes it cuts out. This is big progress compared to how it was! Going to swap in the original and cleaned vanos solenoids to see if this makes any difference. Also need to check the sparks as it looked like one may have a little oil on it, but not certain on this. We tried to check o2 sensors and could only access the reading for post cat (0.748v if I remember off the top of my head) as our software wouldn’t allow us to see sensor 1.

 

[mike1967]

if you have oi on a spark pug that would indicate a not just oil leak but a vac leak from pcv and crankcase this can also cause what you have at left, also the plastic breather pipe at rear of rocker cover can spilt or crack also give same thing also rocker cover pcv valve can also

 

[lilyjanexx]

if you have oi on a spark pug that would indicate a not just oil leak but a vac leak from pcv and crankcase this can also cause what you have at left, also the plastic breather pipe at rear of rocker cover can spilt or crack also give same thing also rocker cover pcv valve can also

thank you! So checked the sparks and nothing wrong with those, was no oil in the end.Still getting p0011 p0012 p0014. It looks like the car has already had a new vac pump as it has a blue X marked on it. Think I now need to check the rectangle rings under the cam cover. But I need to ensure the bolts are torqued correctly , do you know what this would be? I’m hoping it’s the rings that are the issue but I guess it’sgoing to cost me a lot to get them changed at a garage considering the exhaust cam Has to come off and the chain etc...any timing tool kits you recommend? May have to turn this into a project and learn how to change it

 

[NurseDaddy]

Hi. I took my (2010, n16) mini one to a mini specialist garage to fault find and they said they couldn’t find the issue.
The car starts, then idles rough, misfires, sounds like the engine is surging as the revs are all over the place. If you Rev, it tends to get a little better but still not a smooth idle. When you start driving, you last about 5 minutes before the engine will cut out when you have put the clutch down and stopped. I have no idea how to fix this if even the specialists don’t know what’s wrong with it.
I have already replaced the camshaft sensors, vanos solenoids (although I used vanos solenoids from neo-bro’s and not from mini, could this be an issue?? ). There are fault codes relating to bank 1 camshaft over-retarded etc.. a whole bunch of codes.
One thing the garage suggested is it could be is the oil pressure sensor. So I have ordered this and will swap that in along with an oil change and filter.
Any advice gratefully received, thank you.

It's a small engine. given the chance to rebuild the engine I would. I'm actually slightly jealous of your situation.
1.) nothing lasts forever.
2.) going into rebuilding something is just as fun as having it done only less miles!
Solving the problem for less money on top of everything seems so much more enticing to me though.
What I would do is have a look at both of your fuel vent hoses for cracks and to make sure they are secure.
Something to keep in mind with a Mini Cooper 2nd generation; is that the engine is built up with about 35 percent hard plastic and P.O.M. material composites. When stuff like that cracks or is not secured properly; because they were not tightened down(don't want to break it(it's plastic) attitude) enough. And not using stuff like superlube O-ring silicon grease.
O-Ring Silicone Grease | Super Lube
It creates air leaks, and vacuum leaks all over the place. fuel vent hoses causing the more severe ones. That transcribes in my opinion....kinda of what you are saying the car is doing.
Here is the first fuel vent hose I would check; to first make sure it is secure into the intake manifold so you can see the problem first hand if it is not secured. Here is the fuel hose to your Mini location:
View attachment 280377
The red arrow points at the fuel vent hose. That hose I would remove and pull the mesh sleeving back and check for cracks(your symtom your explaining sounds lke it!). The Yellow arrow points at where the fuel vent hoses connects on the valve cover. Sometimes the neck can crack right at bottom of it. So I would pull the valve cover. check the valve cover for crackes along both neck connections. If everything is good. dry the rubber gaskets off ; then use O ring silicon grease and wipe it on the gasket so you can reuse it(unless the gasket look real bad!). Next you will have to remove the plastic intake manifold, after removing the air filter box you will start to see it is a small job in terms of it being what it is small and plastic(be careful). In order to remove that fuel vent hose. If zip tie up your vacuum lines with miniature zip ties when you are back there. After your done you really won't be able too.
Here is the picture of the other side of the fuel vent hose on your application it may be in a slightly different area, but it is there:
View attachment 280378
That red circle is where that hose would attach to your intake manifold. check the connection first. Use O ring grease on the new fuel vent hose or the old depending if it is not cracked. It makes a hermetic seal. Use O ring grease on the intake manifold gaskets they also would need to be cleaned before hand.
Here is a picture of what my vacuum reservoir looks like:
View attachment 280379
Circle shows the reservoir connection locations and the arrow shows the tiny version zip ties I used. Just a good thing to do while in that area. And anything else vacuum hose related. Yours is not gonna look exactly like this. but you do have brake assist pump and there will be something along these lines there.
Now this in my opinion may not solve this problem your having but it is good enough to seal all the air leaks on the engine without having to wonder if a plastic piece made good enough contact with a metal piece.
AIR TIGHT!
So if you figure the problem out and it's not what I just said. I....would put the engine back together like this!
On another note have you checked your 3 piece servo motor. Sense you replaced your vanos solenoids?
Another thing that is good to do with vanos solenoid or what I like to do is dunk them in oil before installing them in the engine!

I agree with this and found after cleaning my intake valves I had similar engine problems. When I smoked the valve cover to diagnose the leak smoke came from below the intake to the right of the throttle body and discovered I had forgotten to attach the hose at that location. Tough to reach but when I snapped it back together presto smooth running. However my original problem was still there. I bought a car doctor OBD2 reader and was able to graph my fuel pressure and discovered that my mech. Fuel pump needed replaced the previous one was replaced 5 years ago. It was easy to change but I dropped several hundred on an OEM part and expect I will replace it again in 5 years. The OBD2 reader I mentioned was amazing and highly recommend it.

 

[mike1967]

I agree with this and found after cleaning my intake valves I had similar engine problems. When I smoked the valve cover to diagnose the leak smoke came from below the intake to the right of the throttle body and discovered I had forgotten to attach the hose at that location. Tough to reach but when I snapped it back together presto smooth running. However my original problem was still there. I bought a car doctor OBD2 reader and was able to graph my fuel pressure and discovered that my mech. Fuel pump needed replaced the previous one was replaced 5 years ago. It was easy to change but I dropped several hundred on an OEM part and expect I will replace it again in 5 years. The OBD2 reader I mentioned was amazing and highly recommend it.

the pine at bottom is for fuel tank breather purge valve it vents the fuel tank gases to inlet manifold at preset times for emissions etc,

 

[JTownPBX]

I agree with this and found after cleaning my intake valves I had similar engine problems. When I smoked the valve cover to diagnose the leak smoke came from below the intake to the right of the throttle body and discovered I had forgotten to attach the hose at that location. Tough to reach but when I snapped it back together presto smooth running. However my original problem was still there. I bought a car doctor OBD2 reader and was able to graph my fuel pressure and discovered that my mech. Fuel pump needed replaced the previous one was replaced 5 years ago. It was easy to change but I dropped several hundred on an OEM part and expect I will replace it again in 5 years. The OBD2 reader I mentioned was amazing and highly recommend it.

That's the ticket. It worked for you in the end the OBD2 readers and the modern era of the car, really help to hash things out.