Looks like my MINI is down for a while

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

My 2012 Justa has had what feels like an intermittent misfire when cold for a little while. I have also been concerned about the valvetrain noise, but that may be due to all the reports of Cooper S timing chain trouble. There have been a couple of pending codes, but no CEL.

This morning, the misfire was more consistent. Any time I put moderate load on the engine at low RPMs, it would have what felt like a misfire on one cylinder. No CEL.

After 5-10 minutes of driving and 2 stops, the CEL came on (half-engine light) and the misfire seemed to be happening all the time. The code shown by my ScanGauge wasn't anything I could make sense of while driving, and all I remember right now is that it was a P code.

I'm hoping this is a coil pack or plug or some such. Thinking about how it felt like always one cylinder dropping, I think that is fairly likely. Of course, it could also be a more serious problem with a single cylinder, but I hope it's just an electrical problem outside the engine.

My car is at the shop now, waiting on diagnosis. Unfortunately, the shop is very busy at this moment so it probably won't get looked at until next week.

At least I have another car I can drive.

--DD

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

Sorry to hear, Dave! What was the P code? The Justa's are pretty stout so curious what it could be. Definitely could just need a tune up.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Misfire on #2. The shop is working on isolating it.

--DD

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

It was the ignition coil. I asked them to replace all four as a preventative thing.

Valve cover was also leaking, so they replaced it.

I've been worried about a valve train rattle for a little while, so they replaced the tensioner for the longer one.

And finally, while it was there, I had them do a full service with all fluids and filters.

It cost me a couple of grand. Now I remember why I started working on cars myself!!!

--DD

[coldstart]

Great to hear! The coilpacks and plugs are a weak link on these motors.

I bought a 2013 MINI Countryman S (R60) six months ago and replaced the plugs. I saw that two of the coilpacks were different from the other two. The new plugs made a big difference in power. Now, I just need to clean the intake valves which are another problem area for these direct injection engines....