Haven't done anything else but the car did leave the brake light on in addition to the ABS and TPMS lights this morning, so the speedo did not work. ABS was disabled. Went back to just the ABS and TPMS lights for the second drive with speedo function returning. Though probably unrelated, I've been getting a hissing sound from the brake pedal for maybe 6 months that has gotten worse in the past couple weeks. Probably the brake booster. Another thing to add to the list.

Figure I should post the codes from the DSC if anyone has any thoughts:

 

If I haven't mistaken, the speedometer speed derives from the wheel sensors. My thought is you have more than one speed sensor problem and the algorithm threw up its hands so you got no speedo intermittently. Don't freak out. It is not the end of the world. I suggest you carefully review what you had done and the problem more likely lies with the sensors, especially if you replace them recently. You are in area with road salt? Don't rule out damaged or rusted tone rings that is a part of the wheel hubs.

The German messages to me suggest your left rear sensor is intermittent. This can be the sensor as well as the tone ring.

 

Well yes, as I've said a few messages up, I did the R56 trailing arm swap so I had to replace the rear sensors with R56 units. This didn't just happen today, I've been writing about it for a little while.

 

You asked if anyone has any thought of the codes and I provided. Only a post back you were freaking out:

"Unfortunately I'm probably in big trouble. I have tried swapping the rear sensors and 2 additional sensors to no avail. Even with the sensor removed from the hub, the reading is still erratic at key on. Once unplugged, the reading of course goes to 0. However, when I swapped the rear sensors I noticed the reading was no longer erratic at key on, so I thought maybe I had fixed it and reassembled the car. When I started it however, it started reading erratically again. It reads erratically during driving too. It normally reads right around the other sensors, but every ~1/4 of a second it will drop a lot. So at this point I'm assuming I somehow created a short in the wiring back from the sensor to the ABS module. I can't see anything wrong in the short section of exposed wiring before it enters the wiring harness. If it does end up being this problem, I'll probably have to replace the entire wiring harness under the car. I just don't understand how I could do this."

I don't read your every post closely so I gave you my assessment. It is very unlikely it is the wiring harness. Automotive harness and connectors are very good nowadays. The problem usually lies in the one that monkey with the wrenches and myself included.

 

Normally I would agree, especially given my awful track record with screwing things up. But like I said in the post you quoted, I've tried 4 different sensors and they did not work. I tried the sensor from the rear right which does work because it was reading normally in the data list while I was driving, and that does not work in the rear left position either. So it really doesn't seem like it would be a sensor. As for the hub, before I swapped the working rear right to the rear left, the sensor reading would bounce around crazily with the sensor removed from the hub and plugged into the harness with the key on and engine off. That does appear to have changed since I swapped rear right into the rear left though; it doesn't appear to bounce around without the engine running anymore.

 

I've read conflicting posts over the years about the R56 trailing arm conversion. Some say you have to use 1st gen sensors, some say they used 2nd gen sensors, and others are vague and dont say which sensors they used. There's a guy on minitorque and track mini who makes custom parts for the track and one of the things he sells is a set with the lower shock mount adapters along with custom machined bushings to fit the1st gen sensors in the larger holes of the aluminum trailing arms securely, and in the right position.

Of all the different sensors you tried after the conversion, were they all R56 sensors, or did you also try your originals?

 

When I did my research on the swap, I don’t think I came across much talk of the sensors. I only did it because Allmag had compiled a complete kit for the swap at a discounted price since they’re all used components. I had kind of assumed the sensor mount was the same (I didn’t compare them when I took them out) and was actually planning on swapping one back in tomorrow to test. I guess that will have to wait if I need custom bushings. It does seem very unlikely I would have caused an intermittent short or open in the wiring (which I think is what this is acting like), so some kind of sensor incompatibility would make more sense. Then again, why is it only affecting the left and not the right? The R56 sensor I used for the rear right worked just fine from the beginning, and the sensor that didn’t work in the rear left worked fine in rear right.

 

Perhaps some good news to report today. While my ABS problems are still not solved, I got in contact with Bytetronik again about retuning the car. After some email discussion, I ended up buying their FA53 software and a set of Bosch 550cc injectors. Completed an oil change and installed the 550s tonight after work. Flashed the base map they sent me and off I went to do some data logging to send back so they could do some refinements to the tune. It appears that my problem is solved, though obviously I haven't driven a whole lot yet so I can't say for certain. Once I get my ABS issue sorted, I think I might go ahead and get a mild cam and the Wilwood BBK I've been eyeing for some time.

As for the ABS issues, the short of recent developments is that it sat at an independent shop for 2 weeks while they lied to me about the condition of parts on my car and misdiagnosed the problem twice. I ended up having to pay ~$500 for an ABS module that did not fix my problem, though they said it was "part" of the problem and I therefore had no choice but to pay. We initially agreed to have their ABS module removed because it was a used part and they couldn't tell me anything about the vehicle it came from, but the owner ended up going back on our agreement and refused to do further work on the car. Just a terrible experience. Back to square one.

 

what are you testing the wheel speed sensors with, inpa or ista D ?

failed wheel bearings will do what you describe, test good, feel good and then the sensor wont read the hub ring correctly. When I removed my rear rotors I could feel the bearings were bad

 

INPA. I replaced that wheel hub assembly a year or so ago to fix a noise I was hearing. The shop initially told me the wheel bearing had a "huge gouge" over the magnet that the sensor reads, but it turns out they were lying about that as I took the car back and replaced it myself again with a Timken unit. It didn't fix the problem and the other one wasn't gouged.

 

I was not following your thread, you already replaced the r56 hubs?

I tried a set of amazon wheel sensors, they did not work. I went to a LKQ and picked up a used set off a late r53 and they are still on the car. I have not done my r56 trailing arm conversion yet as my wheels wont fit on them. That said when I was researching I could have sworn it said to get the arms with sensors, is that what you did ?

 

Yes, I have replaced the hubs since doing the swap. R53 hubs are compatible with the R56 arms. You need R56 sensors with the R56 arms because the mounting flange of the sensor to the hub is different between R53 and R56. The right rear works fine according to INPA so I know everything is compatible. I originally thought I just got a bad sensor so Allmag (the vendor I got the swap kit from) sent me two more sensors and neither of those worked. It seems to me that I have some really unfortunate wiring problem between the sensor connector and the ABS module. My best guess at this point is I somehow stretched the sensor wire strands inside the sheaths near the connector and created some kind of high resistance issue that's causing my LR reading to be erratic. Can't see anything wrong with the wiring at the connector and there's only a few inches of wiring between the sensor connector and the main underbody harness that it feeds into so I really don't know. Hugely frustrating and no small issue since it's causing the car to think my LR wheel is constantly slipping so almost every time I hit the brakes I get ABS intervention.

 

if you use ista-d it will give you the wiring diagram so you can test for continuity or a short. if you still have your r53 trailing arm you could bench test to see if it is still erratic

those hub rings are very sensitive, I would swap hubs between the sides and verify the error stayed on the same side

 

Yeah I never swapped them but like I said I've replaced that hub twice in the last year and the latest one was just a couple weeks ago with a nice Timken unit. I'm willing to try anything to avoid wiring though.

 

While Mr. Blah has pointed out the sensitivity of the tone ring on the hub being a critical part, I am offering you the help to accurate step by step diagnose of the wiring. You said you are willing to try anything to avoid wiring leaves me wonder, that is why you wasted time and money only to have the shop misdiagnosed the ABS module that you paid for. Very few shops in the US has tech that is competent in diagnose electrical problems, let alone electronics. Also to keep the shop lifts and techs utilized they tend to employ shotgun diagnostic since they are very good in making the customers paying for the labor of parts they wrongly replaced.

All you need is the fundamentals of how to use a DMM to determine open and short with my help. You need to eliminate if the problem is due to the harness, which includes the connectors and up the sensor.

BTW, I think the reason the sensor is so finicky is because they are just low cost and hence low tech inductive coil. There is nothing wrong with low tech and, in fact only go shows the competence of the designer. I have never measure the resistance of the wheel speed sensor. If you grab one that is known good and confirm it has very low resistance (under 100 ohm) it is low tech inductive pickup. This type of sensor should be very easy to determine good/bad.

 

So I’m getting ready to head back to school and have been thinking of writing some things about the car as I make this next transition. I'm approaching 4 years of ownership and have done a fair few mechanical and cosmetic procedures in that time. As I've mentioned before, my dad has had an R50 since they were new in 2002 so I've always felt a special attachment to the first generation new MINI. Unfortunately, I've been pretty frustrated with mine. I'm always finding flaws or messing something up when I work on the car. If you've been following this thread you'd see I still have a problem with a wheel speed sensor that I've had for several months now when I did the R56 trailing arm swap. I've stabbed a condenser trying to put the bumper back on. I've battled oil leaks and have what I believe to be an unsolvable transmission fluid leak due to the Quaife diff I installed with my clutch. My paint looks awful and the wheels are chewed up (though those issues aren't my fault). Even just in the last few days I’ve noticed the car running rich during open loop; on first start, the car no longer does the normal RPM “flare” and instead seems to bog slightly and some puffs of smoke emit from the tailpipe along with the smell of fuel. Things like this seem to crop up every time I work on the car. This latest issue no doubt stems from the new injectors and tune I’ve recently done. However, I know this car has spoiled me in its driving characteristics. The inputs are better than any other car I have driven. The intake noise is wonderful. The interior and exterior design is seriously charming and certainly looks far better than similarly priced cars of its time. I’m sure this car is a future classic.

I’ll be leaving next week and the car will be going with me, but my tools won't. I will no longer be working at the Toyota dealership I have been at for the past three years, so I also won't have the help of my coworkers that I have pretty much depended on for awhile. All that to say I will almost certainly be doing nothing to the car for the next few years. I hope to solve the wheel speed sensor issue before I go, but that will be it.

I've also taken the last ride on my motorcycle for a few years as well, since it won't be going with me to school. My dad has gotten interested in motorcycles since I bought mine and he'll likely be riding it once in awhile while I'm gone.

All in all, I find it in hard to get in the car and just enjoy it for what it is anymore. I have put too much time into it doing jobs that I need (or sometimes don’t need) to do that end up causing issues for me immediately or sometime down the line. Every time I get in the car I’m reminded that my brakes don’t work right and I can’t figure it out and the car now has fuelling issues and my headliner is falling on my head blah blah blah… I’m tempted to just throw in the towel and get a Civic or something.

 

Who's tune ? One of the main tuners does not adjust the startup map, not sure why

 

Bytetronik. It was tuned a couple weeks ago, it hasn't exhibited a problem until now. Don't know why.

 

Does anyone know where the grounds are in the main wiring loom under the dash top? I'm trying to fix my boost and oil pressure gauge lighting with a little rectifier thingy and I need a ground for it. Lots of brown with black tracers but I don't know if that's ground or not.

 

if I recall there is a bolt you can get to, or add on the metal supports on the left hand access panel under the dash, same place the canbus wires run. No need to tap into a wire when you can ground to the body right there.

are you going to the tail of the dragon event next weekend?

 

I believe I'm working in the area you're thinking of under the dash top behind the tach. There is a threaded hole in the bulkhead support under the loom, but no bolt going through it. There's a designated ground bolt under the dash trim to the left of the steering column too, but I just don't want to go that far. Would have to extend the wires to do that as well.

What's going on at TOTD? Haven't been yet.

 

it's a yearly event, there is a big event in may and the smaller one next weeknd

https://www.facebook.com/HWY129MSSD/

https://www.motorsportreg.com/events...Kf__YqH5UBLoqU

 

Ah, probably not this year then. I'm not available on Friday.

 

I dont even go on the group runs anymore, too much yo-yo and slow drivers, wife gets sick. Lotta people just show up for sat, we go exploring and hit as many of the twisty roads as we can

 

Sounds fun, I'll see what I can do.

Combed around in the Bentley manual and I believe all brown wires with a black tracer are grounds so I just tapped into one of those in the loom and everything appears to be good! No more flickering gauges.