Okay, but has anyone ever successfully started an MCS from -38F without a block heater? We’ve been experiencing that sort of weather in Canada for the past month.
We should have made this a contest this winter. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniels/3204077013/" rel="nofollow">Here’s my entry.</a> Minneapolis last few days has been pretty frigid, but the MINI really doesn’t seem to care.
Mine started with a bit of a lag at -19 in the parking lot here Friday morning in Lakeville, (MN). I love the whirrrrrrr of it starting when its really cold- is that the supercharger? I got a pic of the gauge temp at -24 on the way to work. It came out a bit blurry cause I was panicking and shivering!
I don’t think MINI gauge accuracy goes quite low enough because the official low Thurs. night was -35….
I left my 2007 MCS outside overnight after a drive from CT to Boston. In the morning it was -8F. When I started the engine, it turned on but was very unhappy. The tachometer bounced from 1000 to 1500rpm as the engine management system struggled. Warning lights festooned the dash board. It wouldn’t go above 2000rpm and I probably was able to harness 20% of normal full power. After driving until the heater vents gave some evidence of heat (the mini temperature gauge — yech BMW)I turned the engine off and on to try and reset the computer. After the third try the engine started behaving normally, but the warning lights stayed on. After about 5 key cycles the warning lights went off. I tried calling my mini service department for advice on potential damage, but they never called back…
R Lochoff, I had similar experiences. Upon authorization from MINI USA, MINI of St. Louis installed a redesigned intake manifold. Down to -7 F I have not had the issue again.
At -17 F, however, it recurred. I drove slowly until warm air came from the vents, shut off the car for 5 minutes in the garage, and restarted. The check engine light went off after a few seconds, and the car ran normally.
R Lochoff –
That is an issue that about 1 in 20 R56 Cooper ‘S’ cars in Canada have been having. What causes it is moisture from the atmosphere is collecting the throttle body. If the temperature is very low (it seems to happen once the thermometer drops below -20 C/-4F) the engine cools too quickly to evaporate this moisture. In turn it turns to ice, freezing the throttle body closed. When you start the car, the engine management flips out as it can’t get enough air in. What you did was pretty much the only thing you can do; let the car idle, and the resultant heat will melt the ice, allowing the t/b to open. Restart the car should clear it out of ‘limp’ mode, and sometimes the CEL goes out also. Currently there is no permanent remedy, though we have been told there is one underway. Also, when I asked at work why all the R56 in Calgary weren’t having the issue (it would make sense, as they all have the same t/b design) the technician replied that it seems to be related to driving style and environment.
interesting that motoringfile would post this despite the number of complaints on NAM about engine light, limp mode, and rough idle with the cold weather.
<blockquote>interesting that motoringfile would post this despite the number of complaints on NAM about engine light, limp mode, and rough idle with the cold weather.<blockquote>
I’m familiar with all those issues with the, supposedly, fabulous “08”.
No issues with the “03” though.
And yes, I still don’t like the car, my wife drives it.</blockquote></blockquote>
>interesting that motoringfile would post this despite the number of complaints on NAM about engine light, limp mode, and rough idle with the cold weather.
Interesting we’ve never had an email or a comment about them. As always we’re more than happy to post important information for owners that reflects common issues but implying something sinister in posting or not posting something is a bit far fetched.
My car goes in tomorrow for an oil change and a ‘cleaning out’ of the intake, after experiencing the issue noted above. My service advisor noted that they were swamped with calls and people having the same problem here in Milwaukee. Since Friday, my car has been fine other than the check engine light is still on.
I understand there is a redesigned intake manifold out there, but it is not commonly available at this time. Since this is the ‘first time’ this has happened to my car, they are just doing the oil change and cleanout procedure, which is expected to take about an hour.
>Interesting we’ve never had an email or a comment about them. As always we’re more than happy to post important information for owners that reflects common issues but implying something sinister in posting or not posting something is a bit far fetched.<blockquote
Here my list:
Cold Weather chatter under the hood.
An alert buzzer has numerous times sounded while driving, with no other lights or indicators to explain the sound.
Limp mode the other night to the point the the catalytic converter was starting to put out a nasty smell so she shut it down and restarted.
Window is not operating normally, that one I’ll give em.
The clock resets to Zero for not reason.
After the engine has been turned off we have to press the Start button, sometimes twice to get the aux. to shut down.
I’m ready to sell but, don’t have the funds to swing it right now.
Ours is waiting for the new manifold. We have had this problem twice. The first time, the dealer cleaned the throttle body, this time new parts were ordered. I am told that MINI Canada is aware of the problem, but there is not really a permanent solution yet. MINI is not the only car with this type of problem, whicch seems to be related to positioning the throttle body assembly in a place where it gets a lot of moisture. We are hoping the new manifold will cure the problem, but it sounds like it may not.
Hey, I guess I was the one that started the question of why MF posted this. I didn’t mean to suggest that MF was trying to be sinister about it. I was just surprised to see this post after visiting NAM and seeing a large thread on the 07+ MCS long known cold start issues that to date have not been fixed. If anything, mine is having more issues than before since now it is more than the clacking, but getting the half CEL as well. I love motoringfile for their ability to pick up on owner issues that often don’t get listened to because it’s not seen as an isolated issue when in reality the numbers seem to be higher. The feature last year on the cold start issue started some things rolling. Unfortunately, warm weather came around and everyone forgot about it.
I’ve had problems with my R56 as well. I live in Michigan and once it started getting cold the car would skip through the initial acceleration (even if I let it warm up first). After about three weeks of that I started it up one cold morning and had the issue of it the RPMs cycling from around 1,000 to 2,500 along with the engine hazard light coming on. Even after driving for a bit and turning it on and off a few times it would not resolve itself so I had it towed to my MINI dealer. They ended up replacing the throttle which seemed to fix the problem but just last week it happened again. However this time it did go away after letting the engine warm up, shutting off and starting again. This is a REALLY annoying issue and I hope MINI will have a more permanent fix for this soon.
Okay, but has anyone ever successfully started an MCS from -38F without a block heater? We’ve been experiencing that sort of weather in Canada for the past month.
That’s nothing. Mine read -27 F the other morning. The high for the day was -12. Nothing like being in Fargo, ND.
Yeah, but did the cold start knock ever go away? he.he. I know, R53, just kidding.
That’s really nothing, we just had -25 Celsius in Lithuania, and my R53 was working like a bee 🙂
Mine said -26 Celsius the other day… started a little slower but otherwise fine.
Wow! We dont get too many days like that on the West Coast… pretty narly though!
We should have made this a contest this winter. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniels/3204077013/" rel="nofollow">Here’s my entry.</a> Minneapolis last few days has been pretty frigid, but the MINI really doesn’t seem to care.
That IS nothing! Mine read -39f degrees three days ago here in Northern MN.
Nathanial,
Mine started with a bit of a lag at -19 in the parking lot here Friday morning in Lakeville, (MN). I love the whirrrrrrr of it starting when its really cold- is that the supercharger? I got a pic of the gauge temp at -24 on the way to work. It came out a bit blurry cause I was panicking and shivering!
I don’t think MINI gauge accuracy goes quite low enough because the official low Thurs. night was -35….
58F right now and we are freezing our butts….
just be careful not touch the car with your bare flesh at -27 😉
I left my 2007 MCS outside overnight after a drive from CT to Boston. In the morning it was -8F. When I started the engine, it turned on but was very unhappy. The tachometer bounced from 1000 to 1500rpm as the engine management system struggled. Warning lights festooned the dash board. It wouldn’t go above 2000rpm and I probably was able to harness 20% of normal full power. After driving until the heater vents gave some evidence of heat (the mini temperature gauge — yech BMW)I turned the engine off and on to try and reset the computer. After the third try the engine started behaving normally, but the warning lights stayed on. After about 5 key cycles the warning lights went off. I tried calling my mini service department for advice on potential damage, but they never called back…
R Lochoff, I had similar experiences. Upon authorization from MINI USA, MINI of St. Louis installed a redesigned intake manifold. Down to -7 F I have not had the issue again.
At -17 F, however, it recurred. I drove slowly until warm air came from the vents, shut off the car for 5 minutes in the garage, and restarted. The check engine light went off after a few seconds, and the car ran normally.
R Lochoff –
That is an issue that about 1 in 20 R56 Cooper ‘S’ cars in Canada have been having. What causes it is moisture from the atmosphere is collecting the throttle body. If the temperature is very low (it seems to happen once the thermometer drops below -20 C/-4F) the engine cools too quickly to evaporate this moisture. In turn it turns to ice, freezing the throttle body closed. When you start the car, the engine management flips out as it can’t get enough air in. What you did was pretty much the only thing you can do; let the car idle, and the resultant heat will melt the ice, allowing the t/b to open. Restart the car should clear it out of ‘limp’ mode, and sometimes the CEL goes out also. Currently there is no permanent remedy, though we have been told there is one underway. Also, when I asked at work why all the R56 in Calgary weren’t having the issue (it would make sense, as they all have the same t/b design) the technician replied that it seems to be related to driving style and environment.
<blockquote>just be careful not touch the car with your bare flesh at -27 ;)</blockquote>
Yea, that <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ernestovumbles/3195943512/" rel="nofollow">shift knob</a> gets cold
<blockquote> just be careful not touch the car with your bare flesh at -27 😉
Yea, that shift knob gets cold</blockquote>
oh great.. I can see another recall coming…
interesting that motoringfile would post this despite the number of complaints on NAM about engine light, limp mode, and rough idle with the cold weather.
<blockquote>interesting that motoringfile would post this despite the number of complaints on NAM about engine light, limp mode, and rough idle with the cold weather.<blockquote>
I’m familiar with all those issues with the, supposedly, fabulous “08”.
No issues with the “03” though.
And yes, I still don’t like the car, my wife drives it.</blockquote></blockquote>
>interesting that motoringfile would post this despite the number of complaints on NAM about engine light, limp mode, and rough idle with the cold weather.
Interesting we’ve never had an email or a comment about them. As always we’re more than happy to post important information for owners that reflects common issues but implying something sinister in posting or not posting something is a bit far fetched.
<blockquote>Yea, that shift knob gets cold</blockquote>
You’re telling me…
[img]http://img.skitch.com/20080130-n4jcf3bxs7m7g5c61nr6derksy.jpg[/img]
lol
My car goes in tomorrow for an oil change and a ‘cleaning out’ of the intake, after experiencing the issue noted above. My service advisor noted that they were swamped with calls and people having the same problem here in Milwaukee. Since Friday, my car has been fine other than the check engine light is still on.
I understand there is a redesigned intake manifold out there, but it is not commonly available at this time. Since this is the ‘first time’ this has happened to my car, they are just doing the oil change and cleanout procedure, which is expected to take about an hour.
If I hear more tomorrow I’ll relay it.
>Interesting we’ve never had an email or a comment about them. As always we’re more than happy to post important information for owners that reflects common issues but implying something sinister in posting or not posting something is a bit far fetched.<blockquote
Here my list:
Cold Weather chatter under the hood.
An alert buzzer has numerous times sounded while driving, with no other lights or indicators to explain the sound.
Limp mode the other night to the point the the catalytic converter was starting to put out a nasty smell so she shut it down and restarted.
Window is not operating normally, that one I’ll give em.
The clock resets to Zero for not reason.
After the engine has been turned off we have to press the Start button, sometimes twice to get the aux. to shut down.
I’m ready to sell but, don’t have the funds to swing it right now.
Ours is waiting for the new manifold. We have had this problem twice. The first time, the dealer cleaned the throttle body, this time new parts were ordered. I am told that MINI Canada is aware of the problem, but there is not really a permanent solution yet. MINI is not the only car with this type of problem, whicch seems to be related to positioning the throttle body assembly in a place where it gets a lot of moisture. We are hoping the new manifold will cure the problem, but it sounds like it may not.
here is proof that MINI’s take to the cold!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmy_racoon/3201683976/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmy_racoon/3201683976/</a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmy_racoon/3201711640/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmy_racoon/3201711640/</a>
Picked the MINI exclusively for its adaptability to cold (aside from obvious design and handling).
She has never let me down!
this is a fun clip that some of us routinely experience at this time of the year…
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHqV990CREQ" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHqV990CREQ</a>
(No animals were harmed in the making of this film.)
_32 below was my low last week MPLS MN . its cold but my r56 ran fine !
-12F and not a problem…I have a 2005 MCS at 60k miles and have never had any cold weather issues.
Hey, I guess I was the one that started the question of why MF posted this. I didn’t mean to suggest that MF was trying to be sinister about it. I was just surprised to see this post after visiting NAM and seeing a large thread on the 07+ MCS long known cold start issues that to date have not been fixed. If anything, mine is having more issues than before since now it is more than the clacking, but getting the half CEL as well. I love motoringfile for their ability to pick up on owner issues that often don’t get listened to because it’s not seen as an isolated issue when in reality the numbers seem to be higher. The feature last year on the cold start issue started some things rolling. Unfortunately, warm weather came around and everyone forgot about it.
ahem global warming anyone?
I’ve had problems with my R56 as well. I live in Michigan and once it started getting cold the car would skip through the initial acceleration (even if I let it warm up first). After about three weeks of that I started it up one cold morning and had the issue of it the RPMs cycling from around 1,000 to 2,500 along with the engine hazard light coming on. Even after driving for a bit and turning it on and off a few times it would not resolve itself so I had it towed to my MINI dealer. They ended up replacing the throttle which seemed to fix the problem but just last week it happened again. However this time it did go away after letting the engine warm up, shutting off and starting again. This is a REALLY annoying issue and I hope MINI will have a more permanent fix for this soon.