Last night I took off the cat and woke up the locals! Going up to 3500 rpm sounded interesting! The cat looked ok and the fault was still there. So I fitted the cat back on and pulled the plug on the downstream 02 sensor and got a P0036 error. I cleared the code fitted the plug and did the same with the upstream 02 sensor but no code came up which was interesting. Another thing is the fault rpm range has narrowed. The fault is now from 2800-3500rpm and takes around 30 seconds at a constant rpm for the fault. Before it was almost instant from 1500-3500rpm…..some improvement I think. I’m going to swap the 02 sensor next.
Didn't do so much at the weekend as the weather was nice. I was working my way through the grounds and wiring but found nothing that looked suspect. I suppose in the end the issue could be the engine ECU.
did some more testing last night with the same result. Just got one more thing to check tonight before the ECU gets packed up ready for my trip back to the US this weekend. The good thing is I've changed a lot of old parts on the engine which should improve future reliability
Yesterday I got an email from UK BMW tech who told me the issue is not the ECU. He told me to reset the ECU with the odo button. Then go drive the Mini so the ECU can learn new data. This was a new path to follow so I reset the ECU per his instructions and set off up the road. Ah so nice to back in the driving seat and the reason I love to drive this car........until bah bah bah the SES was back on and the fault was still there. I did a few runs and found the issue happens anywhere above 2000rpm while driving. Boooo hoooo as I drove home. I do have a chance of a original JCW R53 ECU....see other thread.
me too! I thought that an ECU reset might work. Now I have 3 options. 1/ buy a complete used ECU set to test in the ECU is bad and then get the ECU tuned. (most time) 2/ send my ECU for repair.(quickest) 3/ buy the Vi-Pec ECU from Jan( expensive) The first 2 are in budget and the last is the best nice to have.
Just got off the phone with Specialized ECU repair in FL. They can test and repair the ECU without losing the tune I have in it. They also have a donor R50 Mini they will put the ECU in to drive and test is the ECU is good. $75 for testing and then the price increases depending on what the issue is. Anyone used this company? They seemed ok over the phone.
The latest email! Looks like the problem is found but I've no idea how this happened. Car Make Mini Car Model Cooper - R50 Car Year 2004 Car Transmission Manual ECU Manufacturer's # S118012001 N PO Number * 6231 Technician's Test & Inspection Diagnostic: * After testing the unit, it was found to be defective. What is defective? ECU/DME is defective Defects found on the ECU/DME: * Other... Other defects on the ECU/DME... We tested the ECU in our tester vehicle and found misfiring and rough running after the car is revved over 3000 RPM . Defective Unit Recommendations: * The unit needs to be rebuilt.
I assume at this point you're not surprised. You did all the right things. You could have jumped to the conclusion you needed a new ECU early on but first you tested and tried things you could deal with yourself, just in case it was a lesser problem. You learned a lot and fixed some things along the way. I have to say, I would think the dealer should have the ability to do the same sort of direct diagnostic on an ECU. I guess that's beyond the typical service department, eh? On the plus side, at least now you know what needs to be fixed. I've never heard of rebuilding an ECU, thought unit replacement was the only option.
These guys give a 5 year warranty! Yes I learned a lot and did not waste so much in money as the parts I replaced were old, like the timing chain, injectors etc. It just took a lot of time. I think I had several issues happening at the same time which did not help. Like the bad fuel. The part that gets me is the ECU packed up the moment I added the bad fuel?? anyway I have to fit the ECU and hope an electrical fault did not cause the ECU failure......
Actually I have heard of somebody with some serious soldering and computer skills replacing one fried amplifier circuit on a ECU board responsible for providing the necessary voltage to one of the coils on an R56 engine. Had the actual board suffered any damage it would have been a different story. @RallyMini370 Extremely happy that you found the problem, it must have been a eureka moment to have the test car suffer the exact same symptoms. Has anybody attempted or examined your ECU circuit board to determine if indeed it can be repaired?
it's not over until the fat mini sings! haha the ECU tech is working on the board and I asked him to tell me what he finds so I can report back here.
Just make sure you don't let the smoke out of this one. Main cause of electrical problems is letting all the smoke leak out.
Didn't see this one coming. Seems the Way Motors tune was corrupted which is strange as its been in since 2012, so they put the factory tune in. I'm not sure what affect a standard tune will have on the performance. most likely none..hahaha Car Make Mini Car Model Cooper - R50 Car Year 2004 Car Transmission Manual ECU Manufacturer's # S118012001 N PO Number 6231 Repairs done to the Unit: Other... Other repairs done to the ECU... First we found a defective Physical memorie that was getting too hot and will make the unit fail , we replace it and found same problem , we uploaded a Factory software file and cured the problem . The unit is fixed but does not contain the Tuned file anymore as it was corrupted . Service Charges: ECU rebuilt 5 year warranty Technician follow-up recommendations: Everything tested OK. Plug & Play. ID 7184