1st Gen R50 Cooper Urgent help needed!

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by RallyMini370, Jul 25, 2015.

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  1. Goldsmithy

    Goldsmithy MINI Alliance Ambassador
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    If I ever get to CR, I am buying you the biggest glass of wine I can find. Maybe even a couple of bottles !!!. Better yet, come to the dragon in May.
     
  2. RallyMini370

    RallyMini370 Well-Known Member

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    Hey Thanks, My Daughter moved to AsheVille NC so the Dragon might be on one day.
     
  3. Savvy

    Savvy Well-Known Member
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    She isn't one of those earth - walking hippies..... is she?!
     
  4. RallyMini370

    RallyMini370 Well-Known Member

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    Naaaaaaah an ECO gal and moved to Beer town USA..nice.

    Just bought a engine harness off EBAY for $50 shipped. Now I'm looking for some used crank and knock sensors.
     
  5. RallyMini370

    RallyMini370 Well-Known Member

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    Another important note is the ECU repair shop said the Way tune I had was the issue for the failing ECU which is BS because now I have the R50 standard tune and I still have the same issue. The Way tune worked perfect for me since 2012 with good performance even with the low grade fuel we have in CR. I was not happy when the ECU repair shop removed the Way tune without even asking me but there is good news...(finally) Way will reload the tune once the ECU is repaired. Thanks Way.
     
  6. vetsvette

    vetsvette MINI Alliance Ambassador

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    Finally! A glimmer of light in the general vicinity of where the end of the tunnel should be! Hope it's not just some idiot with a flashlight.
     
  7. Belhaven

    Belhaven Active Member

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    Or a train! :)
     
  8. Goldsmithy

    Goldsmithy MINI Alliance Ambassador
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    Prayers sent...and a big glass of wine waiting...:)
     
  9. interzonearts

    interzonearts New Member

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    Man, this is way bizarre. It's hard to imagine why overheating of memory would be caused by the tune unless the tune script would have the processor compute a whole lot more data than the OEM software.
    On top of this why would something as general as an overheating unit cause repeatedly something as specific as misfire at particular RPMs.

    I would dare to guess that there's something wrong with how the ECM interprets data at very specific range which would probably indicate corrupt software and on a level more basic than the tune.

    The more i think about it the more i believe that IF the issue lies with the ECM then some module that stores that basic software responsible for interpreting whatever data must have some bad sectors or something.

    How much did you pay for the ECM repair?
     
  10. RallyMini370

    RallyMini370 Well-Known Member

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    The thing is the Tune has been in there since 2012 working in 120F temperatures plus even the standard tune does not work. . I think the ECU is suspect and the ECU guys didn't do a full test or because the engine mounts are solid I thought maybe vibration has caused some shorts in the wiring that confuses the ECU.
     
  11. 00Mini

    00Mini Well-Known Member

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    Any word from the ECU people ??
     
  12. RallyMini370

    RallyMini370 Well-Known Member

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    only they emailed me to be patient! Which after a month I think I have been. Wiring harness arrived. November is my Birthday month so I'm hoping for an early gift!
     
  13. 00Mini

    00Mini Well-Known Member

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    Receiving an email saying to be patient is better than a sharp stick to an eye but how much time is needed to repair it again and if they cannot do you get your money back or another unit ??
     
  14. RallyMini370

    RallyMini370 Well-Known Member

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    My worse fears came true! the ECU checked out fine. They sent me a video of my ECU on their donor Mini, they have the video showing the RPM at 3000 to 4000 rpm with no issues for about 3 minutes. Which means the problem was not ECU related. Leaving me with a nasty thought that they just charged me for fixing nothing! No No folks don't do that do they?

    Anyway now I'm faced with an issue that is going to be a bugger to find! I hope the engine harness or crank sensor are the answer. Next week we shall see. Stay tuned folks for another excited series of "WTF is wrong with my engine"
     
  15. interzonearts

    interzonearts New Member

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    Didn't they say that they'd gotten the same symptom with your ECU in a different car before they 'fixed it'?
     
  16. 00Mini

    00Mini Well-Known Member

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    In post #151 it states exactly that.
     
  17. RallyMini370

    RallyMini370 Well-Known Member

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    Yes you are correct and I've emailed them on that point. Here's my positive thinking:

    When the CR dealer had the Mini they were going to work on the issue with an open ticket and do what the ECU guys did. Reload the stock R50 tune which we now know would not have fixed the issue and would have cost me a heap of stealer money.

    Sending the ECU guys also cost me $$ but this option was easier and cheaper than doing the Ebay complete ECU/EWS/Key control box etc swap and then Way would charge me again for the re-tune.

    Also in CR they sometimes use the OBD to check the Vin number which I'd be screwed with the above option.

    I'm not sure what the ECU guys saw and repaired but the good thing is sending the ECU back to them confirmed the ECU is not damaged or corrupted by the issue I have. Let's say I have a short that fries the ECU. Sending the ECU back confirms this is not the case.

    So looking at the above I'm in a better position than I was. I know for sure the ECU and whatever tune is in it is not the issue.

    Next!
     
  18. Goldsmithy

    Goldsmithy MINI Alliance Ambassador
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    Ok, I may be way off base here...but I spent 2 years tracking down a mysterious misfire on an air-cooled VW engine. Plugs, wires, distributors were replaced a couple of times. Finally, I found that I had a cross fire where 2 spark plug wires crossed each other. Wire separators cured the problem forever.

    I went out and looked at my engine (S). It seems like the factory wiring puts 2 leads going right on top of each other as they are routed thru the diverter. NO wire separator. I am not a mechanic and I don't try to play one on the internet. But I have seen a bunch of problems posted about misfire codes. Just wondering...
     
  19. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Chris sorry if you have tried any of this but I am too lazy to go back and reread.
    May be go back to basics. Check that it has not jump timing, are the valves adjusted correctly, do you have a slightly bent valve or a sticking valve. I have a 1988 Acura that the engine sat for years, it had one valve that was sticking due to old gas. Perhaps the bad gas you got (well your Mini not you) is causing the valves to be a little sticky. On my Acura I took the head off and had a machine shop clean it and it still would stick. I had to have it cleaned agin and put a new valve in to fix it. When I had this problem it would idea fine but when you brought the raves up that is when it would stick. The old gas did not hold it open it just would close too slow. Did you replace the crank position sensor?

    It may be coincidence that it started after the bad gas but the odds are against it. Lastly have you talked to any of our vendors to see if they can help? Chad at DT or Helix, RMW are all great guys.
     
  20. RallyMini370

    RallyMini370 Well-Known Member

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    Interesting and worth a look for sure. The BMW tech swapped all the wires around but each they did cross each other so I check next week. Thanks
     

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