1st Gen R53 Cooper S Help, 2002 Mini Cooper S died on day 3.

So just bought a 2002 Mini Cooper S with 122k miles on it. On day 3 of ownership, it died on me. I had just drove from downtown Atlanta to my house 30 minutes away and it drove perfectly fine. When I got home I sat in car with engine running familiarizing myself with all it's features for about 20 minutes. I was trying to figure out aftermarket radio when it suddenly died. Then tried to start it again and it wouldn't turn over. It was late so went it for the night. The next day the battery seemed dead so tried to jump it from a Saturn and it wouldn't crank up. I even pulled the battery out of the Saturn and put it in the Cooper S and still nothing. I hear clicking sounds but doesn't crank. Since I'm a brand new owner I not sure what to look for. I read a few posts and have tried to clean all ground wires in hatch and the grounds to the engine mount - that didn't help either. It has a Screamin Demon coil pak in it. When I checked the wires - they were pretty corroded. Cleaned them up real good, but that didn't help either. Being a brand new owner I'm at a loss of what else to check. Mini battery is dead. Since it was running when it died, is this a good indication it is the alternator?? I'm at a loss - Please help!

 

Re: Got her running!

Alright, so to update - I looked at all the fuses under the engine bay. Everything looked fine there. With Nathan's suggestion - made sure they were all seated snugly. Then tried to jump again - but this time with a Ford F150. Either of those two things did the trick - she cranked right up on first try. Awesome! Drove around the neighborhood for 30 miles to charge the battery a bit and leaving it running for a while. I'm very glad I got it running! Thank you for all your suggestions. The Coop does need some work - but I LOVE the way she drives! Much better than the Saturn. Lol I spent $2,800 buying her and prolly got about $2,000 to put her in tip top shape again. I think it will be worth it.

 

"I have a stick and sometimes I jump in and turn the key and it does nothing because I did not push the clutch all the way to the floor."

I read about that issue on the forums and made sure the floor mat was completely out of the way. I mashed the hell out of the clutch making sure that wasn't an issue. Lol I also read about the immobilizer - didn't completely understand that issue - Hope I never have to deal with that!

So thinking my battery is pretty old - it's a Mini battery. Can't find a date anywhere on it. The indicator window says "insufficiently charged". Can the car charge it to "Sufficiently Charged" or will I need to put it on a special charger? Or should I just replace?

 

Even my Saturn was a stick! Lol Was recently pulled over by a cop. He came to the window and said "I didn't didn't even know a Saturn could perform like that." Why in the world would anyone ever buy a Mini with an automatic tranny?? What's the fun in that?

 

Ok, I'll give you a pass on the stick vs. auto tranny. I see your point. I'm sure one day I will be in your shoes.

You guys have been really helpful on my issue. I appreciate that! Yeah, I still don't want to rule out the alternator as the source of the issue either. A little concerned with that - and might leave me stranded somewhere. So this morning I went out after it sat all night in the cold and it started right up on its own. So it doesn't seem to be draining. The night I sat for 20 minutes with engine running, I did have pretty much everything on - driver seat warmer, headlights, radio, etc. I can't remember if there were any warning lights on before it went out. Was too busy fiddling with the overly complicated aftermarket radio. Might have to try to duplicate that scenario again. If it wasn't such a pain in the a** to get to the alternator, I would pull to have tested for assurance. For now, I will just have to buy a new battery and roll the dice. I don't know the history of the car so going to have to spend $$$ to get everything on a maintenance schedule. $2,800 was just too good to pass up for an R53 Cooper S. I was in desperate for a working car to commute to work and the price was right. It may turn into a project car - who knows. Rather it be a Mini than a Saturn. Lol I've experienced the wacky symptoms of a failing alternator before and I didn't get any clue before it died - that's what stumps me. Just glad I was home when it happened. I will try marking the harmonic balancer and report my findings. Good suggestion!