28 replies to this topic

[Cooper J]

Hi,

Last week, my mini was having some tick-over problems. when being revved, it would reach 1500rpm as tick-over and suddenly drop to 0 causing it to stall

So, i decided to get a diagnosis done on it, and the bloke diagnosing reported that he can checked the breather pipes, and had reset the ECU - he also reported 'the car running alot smoother'

Fair enough, i drove it home, and it was a peach to drive, beautiful! So i thought, 'i'll take her out for a spin and see if any problems occur.' So i set off, and halfway down the road i stop at a light. Tick-over speed was perfect, but has i pulled away, my revs dropped majorly, and seconds later, caught back up cuasing huge strain!

The report suggested that if i had any occuring problems, i would require a new ECU. Is this true? If so, how much will it set me back?

I have a 1992 Mini Cooper 1275.. It was a Carb Engine, but that has been removed and a SPi installed in its placed with an automatic choke.

I would love you experts to give me a few suggestions on what may be going wrong! Its making driving dangerous, as who knows where it might cut out when pulling away.

Please Help!

[Danny Mini 30]

It really sounds like the air flow sensor, post a pic of your engine and i'll arrow the bit to look at, they are not too expensive, around £30 worth a try, doubt it's you ecu!

Diagnostics are a waste of money, you can normally work out the sensor at fault by disconnecting them one by one until you find the one which has no effect.....

[Cooper J]

Ok thanks mate. Im uploading a pic within the next 30 minutes of the engine bay. So your suggesting i disconnect it and see if its the same?

i so hope its not the ecu, cant afford it at the moment lol. But surely if the engine is ticking over soundly, it cant be the ecu.





Here It Is.

[Danny Mini 30]

Goto page 94 of the pdf at the link below

http://www.ackers.dk..._to_69fulll.pdf

(I'd save this pdf for future reference)

The problem will be one of two things.
- Poor idle, fine other than at idle - then idle stepper motor
- Stalling at idle and during acceleration and limited top speed, then MAF sensor

Depending upon the above replace one or other (i'd suggest from your last post it is the latter).

Pictures of locations and instructions are shown, and at the start of the chapter it also explains how it all works! You can't ask for more than that!!!

Good luck.

Edited by Danny Mini 30, 22 November 2006 - 10:23 PM.

[Cooper J]

Thank you very much pal, you've been a terrific help!

Now lets get my girl on the road!

P>S> how much for a mass airflow sensor?

[Danny Mini 30]

hard to say, the one on my old cinquecento cost £45 the one on my porsche cost £360, i'd guess being that you have a cooper you'll pay a premium. maybe £70 from dealer, best option is to ring up, get the price and part number and say you'll ring back. Do a quick search on the net for the part number, you'll find other manufactures making the same or similar item, for much less, i.e. a lucas part, actually manufactured by bosch and so on (lots of cheap mail order places)....

Make sure you tell them it's an SPI and its the MAF sensor you want.

OH before you order a new one check the vacuum pipe attaching it, if this is damaged or fallen off that could also be the prob, if not, pull it off and squirt some WD40 down the pipe, this may dislodge any muck, possible cheap fix, it that doesn't work it is defo the sensor is damaged, but remember it needs the vacuum to sense the vacuum so could be the pipe/connection/blockage

Good luck

ps I'd try and get your £70 back, they should have been able to diagnose that over the phone! This will pay for the part. Don't waste money on diagnostics again, foolish when you can replace all the possible sensors at fault for a small amount more than they charge for the diagnostics!! Or replace one at a time....expecially when they still don't find prob and either way you end up paying for both.

Edited by Danny Mini 30, 22 November 2006 - 11:16 PM.

[Cooper J]

Cheers for the info, i porb wont get the money back, but its a lesson learned.

Im out under the bonnet trying to determine any cracks. Im fine with paying another £70 for the MAF, if it is the problem that is..

[Cooper J]

Righto...

After giving the injection system some 'special spray' and wd40ing the air intake a mass air sensor, the car is still doing the same thing but worse....

you now need to give it 3000rpm for it to not stall.

HELP!

[Sprocket]

Index the throttle as the hayns book says for a start

[Cooper J]

Mate, im new to mini's, this is my first car and im 18, i know i have alot to learn.

If you could give me some info i'd be more than happy, the haynes manual looks foreign to me unless i go out and buy the book (which im doing tomorrow)

[Sprocket]

First of where are you located?

[Cooper J]

Maidstone, Kent

I'm getting in contact with Kentish Mini Club tomorrow (my friend is a member) and seeing if there are any local MIni specialist garages.

[Sprocket]

you realy need some one with a sykes, snapon or a crypton code reader for the Mini MEMS1.6, I know you do.

I have a sneaky suspision that not only does the throttle need indexing, this procedure is explained in the hains manual, but, the idle screw may well have been adjusted, so now the stepper will not be in the correct position. This can only be satisfactoraly corrected with one of these code readers. Oh and make sure the person REALLY knows what he is doing with it!!!

Saying that, there may be a faulty part but that will have to be diagnosed when everything else has been tuned and set up correctly.

[Cooper J]

i took it to an old Rover dealership, now a Citroen, so i thought that they would know a thing or two with mini's. Turns out 1hour inspection was not enough. I'll have to do what you recommend, thanks, much appriciated.

[Danny Mini 30]

that pdf link above is the haynes manual by the way