Hello, community!

I own a 2007 Mini Cooper R56 - non-turbo, with roughly 113,000 miles. No extended warrently. Lucky me.

Lately, the car has been running slugglishly, and something is definitely going on. If the car is idling, it acts like it "hiccups," or coughs. The vehicle shakes a little, and you can feel it, as the engine seems to shake. Secondly, the RPM drops below 1,000, and sometimes it wants to die out. It has a couple of times when idling.

While driving and accelerating the gas pedal, especially below 55MPH, it does the same time. There's a surge and you can feel the hiccup. The RPM drops significantly, and it has died once before while accellerating. You really notice the issue when it has been running longer than 30 minutes, and if you enter an on-ramp, hill-type structure.

My check engine light started to flash/blink, and it's states in the manual:

"Indicator lamp 1 flashes:
Engine malfunction under high load.
High engine load will result in damage
to the catalytic converter."

I did some research and most people, dealers, and shops suggest the fuel pump/filter. The car is old, but I don't think the injectors are clogged/malfunctioning. It very well could be, but I cannot afford to bring it in to the dealershio and pay for labor. The pricing is absolutely outrageous.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!!!

 

Sounds like you should have someone run a diagnostic on it. Maybe find an auto parts store that does free scanning for CEL's. Knowing which codes are being thrown always helps troubleshooting. You can check condition of your air ducting for loose connections or damage, but not much else unless you have some automotive mechanical aptitude.

 

Thoughts?

Yes, find a shop other than a dealer. it will probably cost you half as much and you can use aftermarket parts too.