I agree trackster........I mean Randy, I mean flying brick...... or whatever name you go by this week...........

my 06 started as grey and turned white too.......

btw........are you not the owner of a PLASMA BOOSTER?????????

roflmao


For you Randy........trackster.............. flying brick
http://www.youtube.com/user/revoluti.../0/VlfY_gQfY9I

now you can see what a real Mini looks like going around the track

 

Thanks your post D-MAN.

 

Plugs were running too hot.

Check the threads. Way too dark almost all the way up on 3 and one is all the way up to the top.

Is #2 second from right ? That one appears to have discolored from repeated heat soak cycles.

 

So, what is the solution? Should I try and run a colder plug. When I switched them out, I went with one step colder.

Thanks for the help.

 

I see several things going on here. But I lack info on your ignition system mods, coil pack ect.

Can't see porcelin here but will do best I can from pic.



Color change in strap generally shows how well the timing of the burn is. Color change should be about midway or in the middle of the strap (see arrow on plug #1 ) If you notice on yours, the color change is at the base of the strap. That is usually an idicator of too much timing. When that happens heat is not being transferred from the strap fast enough then the strap glows red hot causing preignition and/or detonation.

Plug #3 - Discoloration - Looks like the chrome pipes on an older bike right For some reason that particular plug is getting really hotter than the others or in there longer ?

Plug #4 - Thread discoloration. Usually even with our SC engines which have rapid heat spikes, 2-3 threads of black soot coloring is preferred. More sooty threads means the plug is too hot, go colder. Not enough sooty threads means plug is too cold, go one step hotter.

I run two step colder NGK Irid's. BKR8EIX.

I buy them from this place. Fast Shipping too.

http://www.ngk.com/more_info.asp?AAIA=&pid=15058

 

Raven, thanks for the help. The ignition mods are: Screamin Demon Coil Pack, Kingsborne Wires, and NGK BKR-7 EQUP plugs. I also have a Sprint Booster installed, as well as Shark Software (which I understand increases timing)... I hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the lesson Gray Raven - what a great post!

cheers,

Charlie

 

I am not really sure how this pertains to the OP issue and your mis information with regards to the coil color but yes I do have a Plasma Booster and Mini Mania has been selling them for the past several years If you want to pick one up
http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NME4110/InvDetail.cfm

Seeing as you brought it up I am also not really sure how your mini is germane to the conversation but I guess you will use any form of self promotion to cover up an obvious mistake . BTW the car sounded a bit funny, that wasn't a blown head gasket was it ?

 

Sorry Steve don't know the exact date but after to talking to several guys the consensus we came up with was that

02 - WHITE
03 - WHITE (one guy also had a black)
04 - BLACK
05 - BLACK
06 - BLACK

So the early EPOXY used to seal the plates from the environment was white with a gradual chage to black by 04.

The WHITE epoxy is NOT an indication of a BAD coil.

 

Double post

 

However, the white epoxy could have been rubbish at insulation which can start to breakdown over time. Hence the reason for switching to the black epoxy. So jan's reasoning could be true. Anyone with electrical knowledge would know this as well

 

The color of the epoxy has nothing to do with the performance of the product. This was the most informative post in the thread by Coonsmini which was conspicuously overlooked .

Randy
M7 Tuning


First off let me state that I am by trade an electrician.
I was employed by Performance Dynamics in Sacramento CA many years ago blue printing distributors and and designing Performance Ignition systems on cars and boats. The shop had a Sun Distributor machine and Oscilloscope for electrical diagnostics.Although most of my skills later in years none automotive related I have had the honor over early history years to be helped with my short comings when it comes to automotive electronics by Christopher A. Jacobs,PhD,E.E. Retired.
There are currently 4 models available that can be used on the MINI and used by Mitsubishis, and Dodge Neon. They are the stock or OEM, MSD, ACCEL and Screaming Demon. The ACCEL coil currently does not offer the plug type and needs to have the MINI wire connector spliced for use on the MINI. All of the coils mentioned are engineered 77:1 turns ratio and same output and rise time. The better quality coils use copper or brass terminals. They are all plastic cased housing. They all use an EPOXY to seal the plates from the environment. Some use WHITE epoxy others grey or black. The WHITE is NOT an indication of a BAD coil.
You cannot use a DYNO to test a coils condition unless the DYNO is equipped with a scope to view the pulse cycles of the ignition coil and measure the voltage.
The most common cause of coil failure is heat second to exposure by moisture causes corroding of the metal parts and raises the electrical resistance. The next cause of coil failure is spark plug wire having a high ohm value usually because of wear or damage. And lastly low voltage to the coil can cause a heat buildup which can cause the coil to eventually fail. Vibration is not a concern with a transformer type unit as there is no fluid to contend with. So if the case cracks or breaks the coil will still function the same until the environment gets to it.
The MINIs ignition system is called waste spark. This means that the coil is firing 2 cylinders at one time. So in theory if a coil were to fail it would be on one of the two sides and not usually both at the same time. In most cases the ECU would illustrate a miss-fire code on two cylinders not just one if a coil was a problem.
The advice whenever possible stay with a stock coil. If an aftermarket coil with copper or brass terminals is available choose it over those not having those qualities.
Rumors of aftermarket coils for MINIs not being as good as stock coils are just that… rumors. Aftermarket coils and stock coils can not repair old or worn spark plugs, plug wire and poor under-hood maintenance. If you replace your coil and it fails SHORTLY look at other parts not the coil as inferior.

 

Well I'm no electrician, but it's pretty obvious to me that because the white ones are older, you'd be seeing more failure of them.

 

Of course age can always play a part but it was this particular comment that caused a good bit of laughter around the shop as well as a few on here to make further inquires. As you know well know the do not turn white, they came that way from Mini .


Randy

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when they turn white from my experience it means they have degraded enough to start causing issues.__________________

 

Coil packs do not have magical chameleon abilities to change colour

Spot on


Incorrect - the polyepoxide resins are the same they have the same chemical stucture just the colour is different so they would have the same thermodynamic characteristics

Its ok Steve everyone makes mistakes even Jan

For you information white epoxys are currently used in many, many new cars

 

Here is a link if anyone is interested on how to read spark plugs
http://bmw.tech.officelive.com/HowToReadASparkPlug.aspx

 

So does that mean that if I tested a household cable installation where the thermal properties of the cable were v-90 I would get the same reading from supplier to supplier, or if I tested it once then in about 5 years time it would read the same????? I think not. All insulation is different and how would you know if their wasn't a bad batch that came through the lines???? Insulation breaks down over time, some more than others. What if the "polyepoxide resins" weren't mixed correctly???? You have to ask yourself, why switch from one thing to another???? Your grounds has NO backing whatsoever Go back to college to learn how electrics really work

 

The coil pack typically used in the application for the MINI is actually by electrical definition called a transformer. There are no moving parts and the cooling is done by air unlike early automotive oil cooled coils. The design case to enclose the transformer is for mounting purpose and the EPOXY used is to seal it from its intended end user environment. Most transformers of this type unlike for automotive use operate in a controlled environment do not need to be protected. As I mentioned in an earlier post the operating environment is what can cause a transformer of the type used in a MINI to go bad. Relatively speaking all transformer of this type supplied by the OEM or aftermarket will operate within their design limits pretty much the same. That means that if a controlled testing was done on all the available transformers or we will call them coils now, for the MINI no one brand would last longer or for that matter fail sooner than the other. I believe that it is simply a coincidence in one person having a relatively high number of white EPOXY seal “coils” go bad and not the color indication. A simple mistake formed by observed logic and not controlled testing. Likewise an assumption or accusation that aftermarket “coils” or OEM replacements for MINIs are inferior is untrue.
A suggestion on spark plug reading. Most information on the internet is antiquated and does not necessarily apply to an EFI controlled engine. When you change the position of you foot the ECU changes the timing and AFR which will affect the combustion temperature and how the spark plug will end up looking. You really need to do a run/pull reading and have a magnifying lens to look inside the plug to see how the flame or kernel is burning the fuel.
Performance Dynamics was one of the leading in the COSWORTH VEGA programs in the early 1980”s. We all did a lot to build and improve ignition systems and tested many plugs, coils, and ignition intensifiers available. Spark plug reading was an education more art all to itself through experience. Try not to “read” so much into the spark plug by itself and use any diagnostic or data viewing aids to help you determine what is happening in the combustion chamber during the compression and combustion cycle.
I have not posted much but have done a lot of reading and see that the question about spark plugs and coils is not new to this forum. I do not profess to be an expert in many attributes having to do with the MINI but in this thread I feel I have a practical working experience and education in the automotive Electrical field. I welcome and hope other colleagues to participate and post valuable knowledge as well. I for one am always eager to learn things I did not know or changes in the automotive electrical industry.