Been a long time since I've read through someone's build thread front to back... have to say I'm impressed.

Also, aside from the WMI, 17% pulley, injectors, tune, and gauges... our cars are eerily similar. Maybe this will give me some motivation to finish working on mine.

 

With NJ being a frozen tundra for the past month or so, the R53s have been hibernating. I’ve been setting up and learning some of the diagnostic and module control software out there for these cars, INPA and NCS mostly.

After my original tune, the engine pulls stupid hard through redline, but at WOT and above 5-6k I’ve been throwing a few codes and end up with an EML and DSC light: So I started chasing the solution a few months ago that I attributed to an over-boost condition caused by my 17% pulley and tune parameters. I haven’t been able to remedy the errors with the tuner (yet). He’s been helpful and sent a second version to flash in hopes of fixing it, but no dice so far.

————

Shorthand of the conditions:

• WOT
• >5000 rpm
• >15 psi boost
• 50/50 Methanol injecting or not (doesn’t matter)

Results in:

1. EMS code 264 (aka P0108) - Manifold pressure too high
2. DSC code 5E19 - Engine torque not adjustable

————

INPA has been useful in observing fuel trims in real time and also in reading the detailed error code history. I thought lean conditions at redline might be playing a part in the codes.

NCS has also been fun to tinker with and optimize a few modules. I’ll post a more thorough write up in the future when I’m happy with my module settings.


a few pics of this and other little projects:


Brrrr. Madeline and Finn have been cooped up for too long! Hoping for some warmer weather soon so I can get back under these babies.




EML and DSC lights after a quick spin to provoke the error conditions




Picked up a K+DCAN cable and the appropriate drivers to run the diag software. It’s a rather lengthy process to get INPA and NCS installed and communicating properly. I hit a few snags along the way but was able to solve them in a day.




EML error details. The reported manifold pressure of 2195hPa converts to a little over 17psi of boost at sea level. I’m only seeing 16psi on both of my gauges, so a dirty sensor might be adding to the issue well.




DSC error details. Still unsure how the conditions outlined above cause this code...




NCS (and NCS Dummy) setup. I could waste all day playing around with this if I’m not careful.




So when I replaced my windshield a while back, I ordered the wrong one without a rain sensor. Doh! It turns out you’re not even supposed to be able to purchase the lens for the sensor separately, so I was SOL for a while until I found a new lens on Russian eBay. No joke. It took forever to arrive, but it did, and it was a perfect fit.




These little tabs lock and unlock the lens in place. It seems like the new lens should just press in place, but it does not!.. I almost broke the precious new lens before I figured that out.




Rain sensor reinstalled! Now my auto headlamps are working correctly again.




New black suede parking brake boot. My original was a bit hokey at this point.




And a matching black suede shift boot.




The last time I took her out back before the permafrost set in and got too cold for my Toyos. Good to see new MINIs still obey the rules.

 

Good to see some updates

 

Man I've been stalking this thread for awhile waiting on some updates, glad to see your back!

 

Go you for digging into the ECU.

I have wanted to play with the NCS, but have been a little fearful of mucking up the ECU...
I would like to turn off the eDLC (electronic LSD) on my Cooper S. What a waste of programming over an option for a mechanical LSD....

And, as you said, programs like NCS are a bit like Alice going down the rabbit hole. One can get lost in there “playing” with things...

 

Wow, what a Mini..

How much all of work costed you at the end?

Maybe i missed that info somewhere down the line.

 

@Zillon Haha I know the struggle. There was a prime 7 months I had to work on this build between quarantine working from home and having my first kid. Time is scarce now.


@nd-photo.nl @JerBear Thanks boys! Likewise on your threads too

@Eddie07S Thanks Eddie, e-diff is a much more consequential edit to the ECU than what I’m doing, so maybe the hassle is worth it? Mine are mostly convenience-based adjustments. NCS/dummy is not a very intuitive thing to set up, but feel free to PM me if you want details on my cable and how-to references.

@Thecluemaster Thanks! I’ll say this.. I’ve done everything myself and learned a ton. It’s cost me less than any formal MINI tech education would have, so I figure I’m still in the green.

 

[QUOTE=Tragesaurusrex;4575581]

Thanks Eddie, e-diff is a much more consequential edit to the ECU than what I’m doing, so maybe the hassle is worth it? Mine are mostly convenience-based adjustments. NCS/dummy is not a very intuitive thing to set up, but feel free to PM me if you want details on my cable and how-to references.
[QUOTE]

And thanks for the offer to help. I’ve read enough about NCS to know that it is more than a simple “plug and play” like the BimmerCode app. Maybe some day...

 

This week seems to mark the end of sub-40 degree (F) days here in our part of the northeast.

I’m really excited to get the leaky, uneven runflats Madeline has been wearing for the winter back in the shed where they belong. I also took the chance to adjust the ride height for the season.

I originally set my ride height on the conservative side while installing the BCs. I didn’t quite know how much travel to expect, and at the time I hadn’t trimmed any of the fender arches yet. This year, I decided to bring the ride height a few mm closer to the road.




I’ve missed you.




Farewell winter wheels




Bringing all four corners down 15mm. You can see the BCs have plenty of room to go still.




The spring perch also moves quite a bit closer to the shoulder of my Toyos, but clearance is still fine. (Don’t mind the cobwebs! )




Washed and wiped with a little sealant to make the next cleaning easier.




I’ll have to get used to the new flush look.




Out for a test to assess if any further fender trimming is needed. Looking and feeling great.

 

This has got to be one of my favorite Minis period! I love the clean simple subtle stuff that all adds up to make it is what it is. The wheel tire combo is beautiful and the stance is perfect too.

 

Excellent. Posts like these help motivate me - I also was able to get some work done on mine this weekend.

We'll have to get our R53s together for a shoot at some point when the warmth properly returns. I'm hoping to have mine fully back together by the end of the month if I can keep my motivation going.

 

A couple small updates, but first, I was sad to miss the entire 2020 scca solo season last year between Covid and spending time preparing for our first kid ❤️

But it’s a new year and registration opened yesterday for the first round of Solo events in April. I’ve decided to enter as a novice with Madeline (this R53) instead of Finn (my other R53) to start gaining driving experience, learning track and event etiquette, and meeting so new people after a year of being at home and not really seeing anyone.

I don’t plan on slowing down with Finn in my track build thread #2, but I’d hate to miss half the season while I work on that car.

The South Jersey region (SJR) is hosting their first event on April 25 down in Atlantic City, and I’d love to travel down there with another MINI (PM me!). Looking at the results from past years, there really aren’t many MINIs in this region at all. Most SJR events have like one R56 or no one.

Madeline’s mod list puts her way up in SMF, and even there I’ll have to disable the Methanol injection. But being competitive certainly isn’t as important as getting out there with some drive time and meeting new people. Looking forward to it.

——

Now for one minor but very joyful update. I was finally able to work out the power steering stiffness I’ve been living with for a year. Turns out the Bosch pump I put on the car back in March 2020 was a dud. After troubleshooting everything I could with hoses, clamps, bleeding, rack lube, ball joints and tie rods, I ordered a brand new pump $$$ , and swapped it out last weekend.

The steering finally feels like a good ole go kart again.




New Bosch unit with rays of divine sunlight raining down on it. (Gospel choir music)




I also got the clay bar out to start the season crud-free.

 

Beautiful!

When I have done solo I never want to be put into a class because I made mods for the track, which made the car a stone in the class the mods put me into. I would just compete with myself. I liked doing it for the eye-hand-feet coordination thing amongst a sea of cones. I have thought that they should do an “unclassed” and no points group of cars for people like me.

Enjoy your day out...

 

Good work, car looks great

 

@JerBear Appreciate the love Jer! I don’t think I really quite understood the power of simple and subtle until I didn’t have an R53 for so many years haha. Ironically, Pepper White / Black was one of my least favorite schemes in the past, even as recently as when I brought this one home.

Now I’m in love with it. They’re really beautiful cars in their own way, and it makes me just want to accentuate the beauty that’s already there.


@Zillon Hey that sounds like a great time to me. I read a little about the serendipitous journey you had with your car - great story and nice work really bringing her back to glory. I’d love to head to one of the AC autocross events with an R53 twin too, so think about it! I’m going to the April 25th one to start the season, and plan to make every event down there at Bader field.


@Eddie07S Thanks Eddie, we’re very much aligned in competing with ourselves then. I’ve been watching the F1 Drive to Survive series on Netflix recently, and it’s only solidified that general philosophy in my noggin. Every episode there’s inevitably a team manager screaming at his driver “stop racing the guy in front of you and just drive the damn car!”

Just drive the damn car indeed. Objectively, I’m surely a horrible driver compared to someone with meaningful race experience, and I’m excited to start to change that. I’ll definitely post a follow up on how the day goes. Be forewarned I might ask for advice when I do.


@nd-photo.nl Thanks Andy, yours is too. Your new photo galleries aren’t breaking my browser anymore by the way. 🙏🏻

 

That is a perfect quote...

Over the years, I have had many instructors in the passenger seat in my car at the track events I have attended. This has been a theme of theirs. I had a classroom instructors tell the story of driving off the track because the car in front of him drove off the track; he was following his tail lights. As a novice this is something to learn really early. It will help to keep one out of trouble and to not learn other’s bad habits. Now that I have a bit of experience under my belt, I find myself critiquing the car in front of me (missed apex, braking too early, turn in too early... etc), which helps me to not be following their path...

I am also a fan of Randy Pobst. He likes to say “slow is fast”. I especially like this phrase for autocross. I make my first run with the traction control fully on to slow me down. I use that to learn the course, and to see where turns should be made. In veritably, I find when I push too hard, I go slower or at least no faster.

 

Several posts ago I mentioned I was editing some convenience-based parameters in a few ECU modules with the BMW software NCS (and NCS Dummy). This past week I upgraded my coding setup and thought it was a nice opportunity to share a little more detail about the learning process.

Other than just editing different module parameters, I’ve been trying to find an elegant solution for effective data logging through the advanced software tools that use the OBD cable I already have (K+DCAN). I don’t want to buy another logging tool for big bucks.

An K+DCAN cable is required to use most of the software Ive found useful. Many, many early threads on the matter of these tools mention soldering two pins together (7&8) in order to communicate properly with our cars, but more recently, cables with a simple toggle button/switch have become mainstream which will connect and disconnect the two pins whenever you choose. Very easy.

I picked up mine but there are many options out there, some with varying results.


- - - - -


A list of tools I’ve been able to successfully install and use (and a few links for reference):

1. INPA - Diagnosis, resetting errors, advanced activation of certain car behaviors (ex: activate ABS modules for bleeding brakes)
2. NCSExpert - Coding (changing internal module settings, and marrying a module to the car)
3. WinKFP - Flashing (you need the Daten files (chassis specific data files) for your car, and you need to load them to WinKFP - Very Advanced) I have not used this personally, due to MPPS being my preference for flashing software.
4. Tool32 - An advanced tool that is used to load the INPA/DIS/ISTA .prg files to run custom diagnostics and module behavior manually, without a nice user interface.
5. EDIABAS - The virtual server service that the 4 programs above use to connect to your cable.
6. TIS - Technical Information System (Interactive troubleshooting and repair manual for BMW/MINIs.)
   
   A very helpful contributor on bimmerforums posted an excellent guide to getting started with the above. I went through several attempts with other guides before finding this one, and none are as good.
   
   
   
   
7. NCS Dummy - A companion program to NCS Expert with an interface and German-to-English translations to make editing computer modules possible for the non-developer.
   
   Another helpful contributor on bimmerforums, Revtor, has a great setup guide and write up on the capabilities of this software.
   
   
   
   
8. Tetso - A real-time data viewing and logging program which can output .csv files with very high data frequency.
   
   Developed and originally posted by Pheno here, this program is the least written about of all programs and it’s not specifically designed for our MINI DME (EMS2K). However, reports of using this tool with our cars do exist. Some bespoke scripting may need to be written though. This one is a work in progress for me.
   
   
   
   
9. MPPS v18 - ECU flashing tool that can read and write tunes very quickly compared to earlier tools. I use this for my tune flashing and backups, however this requires a specific MPPS cable, like this one.
   
   Software and drivers for this cable typically come included on a CD, so be sure to have a CD/DVD drive handy.

- - - - -


The particular setup I was using to originally run these programs was my wife’s decade old HP laptop, which was less than ideal, but it worked, sort of. I gradually began despising any flashing or coding fun because the machine would just crawl through the process. With a very limited budget in mind, I looked around for a lightweight but reasonably capable notebook to dedicate to MINI stuff.




The original behemoth 17in HP. So tired. So slow. I didn’t like the thought of this thing dying in the middle of a tune flash at all..




I landed on the fittingly “mini” ASUS L210 for $199 bucks. Heck of a deal, but the compromise for low price came in the form of mediocre 64GB integrated storage and antiquated WiFi tech. I picked up a MUCH faster NVMe SSD to add to the empty slot on the board, along with a brand new WiFi 6 capable WiFi card. Grand total around $260 for a very portable machine with gig speed WiFi that can run these old BMW tools at light speed.




Comparing new to.. newer?




The new SSD didn’t come with a mounting screw, which was disappointing, but I had a spare in the basement. Yay tech hoarding!




Fresh install of the latest windows to the new SSD. I thought about cloning the windows install that came with the ASUS, but decided to avoid the bloatware.




Standard integrated SSD on the left, compared to the blazing NVMe SSD on the right.




Final step in installing up the last few programs and configuring the K+DCAN cable. The entire process took maybe 1.5 hours, compared to 5 or 6 hours the first time around on the HP.


- - - - -


Now that working on the software side of the MINI wasn’t excruciating, I took one another pass at the BC1 module. Here’s the change log of the edits I made to the BC1:

1. Disable All cold monitoring off (avoids LED strobe)
2. Disable All hot monitoring off (avoids LED strobe)
3. Disable DRL (my LED high beams kind of strobe with the low voltage DRL enabled)
4. Enable Fast hazards
5. Enable Longer follow me home (90s)
6. Interior lights off after 1 minute (2min default)
7. Interior lights off after 16min if ignition off
8. Interior lights off after 15s if ignition on
9. Wipers complete cycle after ignition off
10. 2 cycles of wipers after washing (4 cycles default)
11. Disable Headlight auto cleaning (I hated this)
12. Power windows can be used with door open
13. Enable comfort opening with key in door
14. Auto unlock after switching off engine (no more annoying double pull)
15. Enable remote comfort opening by holding unlock on key fob
16. Enable confort closing by holding lock on key fob
17. Pressing remote control unlock button once unlocks all doors, twice opens driver power window (easy entry for frameless coupé door in narrow spaces)

Today I’m still in the process of creating backups of all my module trace files just to have, but it’s rainy here in NJ. I don’t have many more plans to edit the modules on this car, but I have several in mind for the track car build.

Next task is to get data logging with TestO up and running, which will have a learning curve I'm sure. If I'm successful, I'll surely post about it. The only "data logging" I've done in this car has been through my cheapo ELM WiFi OBD scanner paired with the DashCommand app. It's pretty good as a display feature, but the logging is woefully slow, only pulling data around once every 1-2 seconds. That low rate of data is nearly useless when it comes to dialing in your tune with a remote tuner for example. With TestO, the data rate should be at least 10 times as frequent.

That’s all for now!

 

Love it!

Any idea if any of that can disable the eDLC (e LSD) on newer MINIs? I understand that on the R56 this is located in the ABS module.

 

I still need to invest some time in how to use NCS. It looked a bit daunting, even though I work in IT :P

 

Could the ignition switch also cause the engine to not shut off when turning off the key? Maybe not in yours but in a MINI in general.

 

@gasmini03 ^ I’ve never experienced that, but I suppose it’s possible if the ignition switch is similar in construction to these on the R53. I’d guess a faulty relay could also cause an engine to not shut off when it should.

 

Madeline has been generally great throughout the spring and summer this year. Most of the driving she’s done has been the 80mile trip to and from Atlantic City where I’ve been AXing.

I was battling a tricky combo of codes related to the throttle body for two months. It ended up being a compound issue between a throttle body connector issue and a failing TMAP sensor. The combo made it tough to diagnose.

I’m posting the following notes only to help others who may be searching for similar issues. Feel free to skip the rest of this post!

Here’s a summary of my troubleshooting thread from MINI2 (NAM didn’t have as many helpful replies):

https://www.mini2.com/threads/a-rare...-of-it.346699/

- - -I’d been experiencing intermittent rough idle issues, fueling issues (too rich), and limp mode after revving above 3.5k rpm.

The fault codes resulting were:
P0123
P0222
P1689

which translate to the following DME faults in ISTA+:

1. 5769Electronic throttle control monitor level 2/3 torque calculation error
   1. CALULATED LOAD VALUE 96.08%
   2. SIGNAL OUT OF RANGE
2. 546Throttle/pedal position sensor /switch B circuit low input
   1. THROTTLE OPENING = 116.69 DEG. TPS
   2. DRIVER DEMAND = 0.00%
3. 291Throttle/pedal position sensor/switch A high input
   1. THROTTLE OPENING = 119.50 DEG. TPS
   2. DIRVER DEMAND = 0.00%

Initially I performed these steps attempting to fix the issues:

• I read leaking/cracked valves have causes these conditions for several folks, so i inspected all valve springs, all OK with no excessive play or lack of resistance
• Swapped to a spare distributor and all 4 spark plug wires, no change
• Performed compression test on all cyl - all OK at ~150psi (+-1psi)
• Swapped to a spare accelerator pedal assy. - no change
• Checked injector seating - all OK
• Cleaned TMAP sensor with MAF-specific cleaner
• Performed a vac test with my smoke machine - no leaks found

- - -

After all of that, I was still experience the issues, so I suspected a DME error could be the culprit. I dug deeper into DME troubleshooting, trying to find new clues through the engine sensor values:

My next steps, were to test the output signal from the DME at X6000 pins 63 & 64. These pins control signal going to the DC motor in the throttle control unit. I wanted to measure the voltage (signal) coming from the DME, but I'd reached the limits of my electrical comfort. I suspected the DME was not outputting the correct signal to the throttle motor. So far I had only tested continuity of the wire itself, not the pin output. I have a good multimeter in hand, but cautious not to backflow any voltage into the DME.
I'd installed and taught myself the basics of ISTA+ over the past few days to get a different angle on the issues. Unfortunately ISTA didn't shed any light on a test plan for my P1689 (DME code 0001689), but it was very helpful in informing me of the way in which these throttle control units (abbr. EDR) work via a DC motor and a few potentiometers to provide feedback to the DME. Further reading on page 32 of this MINI Engine Management Overview was helpful too, in case anyone else reading wants to investigate the EDR components in context of the rest of the engine management systems.



Ultimately ISTA+ diagnosed the fault codes as a result of a broken connection to the throttle body, and said I should check the plug connection. Obviously I've already done that a million times.



All is to say I'm suspecting it's a DME issue, rather than a wiring issue. I don't have a guess as to a DME hardware or software though. I'm still hopeful a reprogramming of the DME module via WinKFP could solve this.



Here's a synopsis of new data captured that helped me zero in on potential causes:

1. Confirmed continuity in the 6 wires between the throttle body connector and X6000 pin locations (which actually correspond to 8 pins total):
   1. EDR Potentiometer control pins
      • Pin 10 - Signal Throttle potentiometer 1
      • Pin 11 - Signal Throttle potentiometer 2
      • Pin 12 - Ground Throttle potentiometer
      • Pin 13 - Voltage supply Throttle potentiometer
   2. Throttle DC motor control pins
      • Pin 63 - Signal Throttle valve
      • Pin 64 - Signal Throttle valve (joined to same wire as pin 63)
      • Pin 65 - Signal Throttle valve
      • Pin 66 - Signal Throttle valve (joined to same wire as pin 65)
        
        I'm not positive on why pins 63/64 and 65/66 each connect to a single wire respectively, but I assume one pin from each is signal controlled by the accelerator pedal and the other is controlled by the cruise control system. Both of which can control the throttle position, of course.
        
2. Captured live throttle control data of the symptoms in INPA
   During this clip, I'm pressing and releasing the accel. pedal which corresponds to the change in several "Driver demand" values.
   
   Notice the driver demand from the accel. pedal is recorded accurately (confirms it's not a pedal sensor issue), but throttle valve position remains unchanged, with a constant voltage of 8.3V coming from both potentiometers in the throttle control unit. Basically the DME understands what the pedal is doing, but is unable to control the throttle accordingly.
   
   
   INPA readings
   
   Other things to note:
   Cold start
   Very rough idle
   Vac. reading only -6psi at idle (via boost gauge)
   
   
3. Captured live throttle control data in ISTA+
   During this clip, I'm pressing and releasing the accel. pedal which corresponds to the change in "Pedal travel sensor angle". The live data here is similar to the INPA data with the addition of:
   1. Engine load signal" - which is pinned at 100% (???) This surprised me, and I'm still researching to understand if this could be a key to solution.
   2. "Throttle, specified value" - which I assume is the DME's calculation for what the physical throttle angle should be (but it isn't when compared to the Throttle angle data above it)
   3. "Limp-home throttle position" - which, interestingly, is the same angle as the reported physical throttle angle. Not sure what's cause and what's effect here though.
      
      
      ISTA reading
4. Idle roughness - Took a quick vid of the exhaust during idle to illustrate the roughness and richness (look at that soot on my driveway!). When she does start up and idle, which isn't always, I don't let the engine run for long because of this. She's burning all kind of fuel. I'm sure I'll have to give the plugs a good torching to get the carbon off.
   
   
   Rough idle

EDIT: I forgot to mention two important things:

1. I confirmed the DME can read the correct values for the physical throttle angle. Pressing the throttle valve by hand does result in the throttle angle values changing, so I know it's not an error in the data coming from the potentiometers, or a problem with the potentiometers themselves.
2. Performing a throttle actuator test via INPA or ISTA+ is successful 100% of the time, which tells me it's likely not a problem with the DC motor inside the EDR or a wiring issue going to the EDR. Unless it's something really weird like pin 63 does have a problem, but the actuator test is performed through pin 64, appearing as a false positive.

At this point, thoughts of calling up my local dealership were creeping into my head. I'd be curious to know if there is even a tech who knew these first Gen cars well enough to help without taking drastic steps like “replace your wiring harness and DME module”

- - -


I finally tried reprogramming the DME with factory firmware for a fresh start.



Programming progress in WinKFP



All modules reporting error free in ISTA+
You may ignore the hairy man-thighs


I don’t have an ICOM, and took my chances programming via K+DCAN with WinKFP, which worked fine. I also have a decent battery charger (not a voltage stabilizer) that can force a 25A charge. That kept the voltage steady around 14.15V for the duration of the programming. It only took around 3.5 minutes to rewrite the DME, but for anyone else reading, please know writing to modules without an ICOM and proper power supply is ill advised.

After that I reflashed my tune with MPPS and she ran normally again for a few days, and an entire AutoX event!

The problem wasn’t gone however, and the day after I got back from AXing in Atlantic City, I had the same limp mode symptoms.


I ordered a new throttle body connection leg of the engine wiring harness with the intention of cutting mine off and soldering on a new connector. Just before committing to cutting the exiting harness I took a shot at disassembling the old connector, cleaning and tightening the pins.



pins removed from connector housing



Cleaned with electronic cleaner and tightened prongs with a sewing needle.


Finally, that cleared up the throttle body fault codes, but I was still getting limp mode due to miscalculation in the engine load.


At this point I just started swapping random sensors over from my track build - MAP, T-MAP, CSPS, CPS, upstream O2.

It was swapping the T-MAP sensor that finally solved the issue. The fault codes did not match up with that being a fix, but it was. Just goes to show you never know with these cars.

 

Glad you didn’t give up on it.

Nice work...

 

Just posting a few updates here even though the second build has gotten most of my free time. Happy to say nothing has broken or needed much attention since 2021.

The one thing on the to-do list is find and fix an ac refrigerant leak. Luckily I have an entire spare ac system that I pulled off my track build for weight savings, so I’m hoping it’ll only cost me a bit of my time.

I still head to Atlantic City when I can make it to autoX events. The roundels and bronze class letters I made through trackdecals dot com. The roundels are 18in magnetic with gloss black numbers. The bright white contrasts the pepper white just enough and looks great imo.









I did restore the headlight lenses a few months back with a very affordable kit from Amazon. I’d recommend it if you’re looking for one.

 

Any more updated?