Most liked posts in thread: 2010 Mini S Won't start

  1. wmwny

    wmwny Well-Known Member

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    #2 wmwny, Feb 7, 2017
    Welcome to M/A!:Thumbsup:

    My MINIs are all Gen 1, so I cannot be of any help. However, there are many here with later generations who should be able and willing to offer you some advice. Good luck!:fingerscrossed:
     
  2. caseydog

    caseydog Well-Known Member

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    #3 caseydog, Feb 7, 2017
    Welcome!

    Mine is an R56, which is what yours should be. Believe it or not, it could be a battery problem, even though the car cranks. These cars are very sensitive to bad batteries. Have a complete battery test done. It may be holding enough of a charge to crank, but be failing in some other way. That's all it takes with a lot of late model cars, including our MINIs.

    CD
     
  3. hedrick85

    hedrick85 New Member

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    #4 hedrick85, Feb 7, 2017
    I have checked the battery and it is holding voltage during cranking and after. Why would it not communicate with the handset plugged in to the OBDII port?
     
  4. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    #5 MCS02, Feb 8, 2017
    caseydog Is correct MINI/BMW are very finicky about power. just make sure the battery is not old and passed a proper load test. Other things to check would be your fuses and make sure your battery cables are clean and tight. Also check all your ground wires(clean and tight). After that it may be something like the BCM. Has the car got wet inside?
     
  5. hedrick85

    hedrick85 New Member

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    #6 hedrick85, Feb 8, 2017
    It has not been wet inside. It started one morning, ran rough and died. I changed the spark plugs and noticed the fuel pump was not running. I changed the fuel pump before I noticed the headlights and fuel gauge. I plugged the code scanner in and got the notification that the car was not communicating. I have checked the fuses but it will not hurt to double check them. I have not checked the grounds.
     
  6. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    #7 MCS02, Feb 8, 2017
    There some fuses under the hood too, did you check those also. Long shot but maybe disconnect the battery for about 15 minutes so every thing resets.
     
  7. Zapski

    Zapski Well-Known Member

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    #8 Zapski, Feb 8, 2017
    I'm with the battery, followed by fuses, followed by disconnect for 15 min, followed by you're pooched.

    But I'm a n00b and moderately buzzed right now, so you can feel free to ignore me.
     
  8. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    #9 MCS02, Feb 9, 2017
    :lol::lol::lol: a honest man.
     
  9. hedrick85

    hedrick85 New Member

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    #10 hedrick85, Feb 9, 2017
    I checked the fuses under the hood. I disconnected the battery overnight and had it on the charger. I will be loading it on a trailer and taking it in Saturday morning. Hopefully we will find out what's wrong.
     
  10. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    #11 MCS02, Feb 9, 2017
    Let us know what the fix is, it may help someone els.

    Good luck hope its simple.
     
  11. wjosh45

    wjosh45 Member

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    #12 wjosh45, Feb 9, 2017
    So as others mentions MINI/BMW are very battery sensitive. I chased an issue on my 03 M5 for quite some time. Car would run, drive great then some lights would come on and it would die suddenly or would not start the next time I tried. Put a new battery in it even though old one checked out fine. Problem persisted. In the end I figured out the battery was moving slightly when driving. Connections etc were tight and it was at full charge. I made a strap to hold the battery better and all the problems went away. I realize, different car etc.. but I would really make sure battery is right and if it's aftermarket and not the same size, lock in place.


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  12. Friskie

    Friskie Well-Known Member

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    #13 Friskie, Feb 10, 2017
    You gotta be kidding. But it does make sense in a way. So, the ECU knows where the battery is but if the battery moves then the ECU goes WTF and quits running the car and goes on a search for the battery.
     
  13. wjosh45

    wjosh45 Member

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    #14 wjosh45, Feb 10, 2017
    Lol - it's not battery location, it is the current flow. My understanding is cars have become very sensitive to having a specific amount of current. When it's outside of that range the electronics can get funky. When the battery moved the current would fluctuate or cause a temporary bad connection. Also important to note the M5 has a battery box that is very tight and the wires come into the box at a specific height and location. If not aligned crazy things happen. Not sure of that is the same situation for your Mini.. I.e. I would not have brought this up except others mentioned the sensitivity of the battery as a top prospect. In my case the issue lasted for 6 months, I worked on it and three shops did including replacing parts.. which cost me unneeded money. Finally I found the problem. I hope yours is easier to find.


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  14. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    #15 MCS02, Feb 10, 2017
    M5.......I Love M5's!
     
  15. wjosh45

    wjosh45 Member

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    #16 wjosh45, Feb 10, 2017
    :)


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  16. hedrick85

    hedrick85 New Member

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    #17 hedrick85, Feb 23, 2017
    Ok, you guys were correct about the battery. It did need a battery but it was also a spark plug problem. The guy I took it to said that the iridium plugs do not work well in these cars and that they would not fire at all even with the new battery. He also repaired the wiring harness under the drivers seat causing the air bag light to come on intermittently. Mini wanted over $1000.00 for the harness he fixed it for $100.00. Thanks for your help and like you all told me check the battery.
     
  17. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    #18 MCS02, Feb 23, 2017
    Glad you got it fixed!