37 replies to this topic

[chamath]

Hi All

 

I bought my first cooper very recently and it had a small miss in the engine, but after I bought it home, everything went bad, im having a very bad first experience of Mini because of this

 

Car - 1997 - Air bag manual - SPI

 

Issue - Rough idle at cold start up, settle after few minutes, Car shuts down after running for sometime, I believe after it get heated a bit. Once shut off, it struggle to start and it eventually starts after a while.

 

What I have observed - Temp needle never come to the middle of the gauge when running, once the car shuts down suddenly, the needle goes to the top of the heat gauge.

 

What I have done so far - I have plugged in 1999 Auto ECU, car runs fine and no error codes also. When I plug my ECU again, I get error code of faulty temp sensor and air temp sensor.

 

Is my ECU bad or are my sensors have gone bad? Why the car runs ok with the other Auto 99 ECU?

[bpirie1000]

Check the vacume lines. There is one that goes to the bottom of the ECU. smallest leak causes the biggest problems.

I find replacing the entire pipes is best then you know what is new and can know where they all go for road side repairs.

Technically i would also consider the lambda sensor which balances the air to fuel mix.... if that is off then your pissing in the sea...(making no difference) with anything else..

[hungdynasty]

Hi All

 

I bought my first cooper very recently and it had a small miss in the engine, but after I bought it home, everything went bad, im having a very bad first experience of Mini because of this

 

Car - 1997 - Air bag manual - SPI

 

Issue - Rough idle at cold start up, settle after few minutes, Car shuts down after running for sometime, I believe after it get heated a bit. Once shut off, it struggle to start and it eventually starts after a while.

 

What I have observed - Temp needle never come to the middle of the gauge when running, once the car shuts down suddenly, the needle goes to the top of the heat gauge.

 

What I have done so far - I have plugged in 1999 Auto ECU, car runs fine and no error codes also. When I plug my ECU again, I get error code of faulty temp sensor and air temp sensor.

 

Is my ECU bad or are my sensors have gone bad? Why the car runs ok with the other Auto 99 ECU?

Exactly my symptoms when my coolant temperature sensor fail, replace it. Also when my crank sensor went bad , engine would keep stalling after engine warmed up and/or restart after a long drive, replaced it and back to normal.

[minimat]

If your car is a 1997 with an airbag it will be and mpi not a spi , the overheating is probably the issue causing the ecu to shut of the engine to protect it, i would check the basics first like blockages in the system and that the water is circulating ok so check the water pump is working , the thermostat is opening and that the water is not dirty and full of muck by a clogged up system, then your on to checking the head gasket etc.

[chamath]

thank you very much for all your replies, the mechanic said before come to the ECU conclusion, he will replace the sensors and see. I will post the updates in this week.

 

but do you know why it was running without shutting off with the other ECU - 99 Auto one?

[Deeppockets]

A 1997 Mini SPI, it sounds like a Japanese spec (JDM). - it will have air conditioning and the radiator in the wing.

 

As above, suggest you check the basics first: coolant thermostat operating (check radiator gets hot, or better test in a kettle with thermometer);  ensure coolant clear, flush if necessary; replace vacuum lines as become brittle; check/clean spark plugs; fresh fuel if been standing & fuel additive to help clear any residue build up. I have also heard that a poor filler cap seal can cause problems.

 

After that it you are into the world of system diagnosis, check/change coolant temp & O2/lambda sensors, cleaning the throttle body etc..

[chamath]

A 1997 Mini SPI, it sounds like a Japanese spec (JDM). - it will have air conditioning and the radiator in the wing.

 

As above, suggest you check the basics first: coolant thermostat operating (check radiator gets hot, or better test in a kettle with thermometer);  ensure coolant clear, flush if necessary; replace vacuum lines as become brittle; check/clean spark plugs; fresh fuel if been standing & fuel additive to help clear any residue build up. I have also heard that a poor filler cap seal can cause problems.

 

After that it you are into the world of system diagnosis, check/change coolant temp & O2/lambda sensors, cleaning the throttle body etc..

that's correct, Jap spec, factory AC with side radiator

[minimat]

I would not let the mechanic replace all the sensors, firing the parts cannon is a very expensive way to do thing and normally done by people that dont know what they are doing and are just guessing, i would find another mechanic , a misfire could be something simple like a spark plug or valve clearance or it could be worse like a valve problem, head gasket or piston rings.

[chamath]

The ECU sent to a ECU repair guy, ran with another manual air bag ECU and car runs fine...I'm really helpless, I hope the mechanic knows what he is doing

[chamath]

Latest on the car

 

- My ECU plugged into another car and the issue came - cur shuts off after a while,

 

- The heat gauge needle starting to go up when trying to crank and restart the engine

 

A couple of questions to ask from you guys

 

1. From where the coolant temp signal coming to the gauge? from sensor or from the ECU?

[minimat]

Coolant temp comes from a sensor screwed into the bottom of the inlet manifold, difficult to see from under the bonnet .

[sonscar]

You really need a reader to monitor the live data to see what goes wrong when it stops.Even with this you may only be seeing what the ECU is commanding and what actually is happening.Ignore the ECU,does it loose spark?,does it loose fuel?,does it loose rpm.Narrow the failure mechanism down.What exactly are the symptoms?does it chug to a halt?does it suddenly stop?does it slowly gasp to a halt?Steve..

[chamath]

thanks for the replies everyone, I really appreciate,

 

Like you guys are saying, this mechanic jumping on the ECU straight away, he dosent check the basics. yesterday he just cleaned the plugs and the engine is much smoother than before, still it has the shut down issue but has more power now.

 

When he was scanning the car, it gives the coolant sensor faulty error, he is still not replacing that and coming to the conclusion of ECU is faulty,

[sonscar]

The coolant sensor is one of the main fuelling calculation sensors.Like randomly pulling out the choke on your carb car,or trying to start without it,it needs fixing before committing to any more diagnostics,Steve..

[chamath]

work is going on, the O2 sensor is gone, water temp sensor is in bad condition

 

guys, anyone have a PDF of the workshop manual? 1997 - manual - Air bag - Japan - SPI