Posted last year during my first cold spell with my R56 - throttle can't finish it's start up routine of cycling full open to close because of ice build up in the throttle body. Low power "stumble home" engine mode and check engine light until the throttle can be cleared. The dealer had the car for a couple weeks since it had to be cold cold for the issue to occur, installed two different repairs attempts, including a moisture catch can - things worked well through the remainder of the winter.

First cold spell of the year and it's back. I'm sure if I had a heated garage this wouldn't occur, but I don't so the car stays below freezing for days at a time (-21 F two days ago) yesterday 8 degrees F as a high and leaving work did it's old trick. It's been below zero cold since Monday. I have a plenty long warm up drive, usually 30 minutes, but I can get that the throttle body never gets very warm at these temperatures. After a couple "false" starts I can force the throttle full open by stepping on the gas and that seems to clear the ice - the fly by wire keeps me from doing this like we used to to set the choke, before start-up.

No whines, no answers, just that this maybe happening to you and you are not alone - my dealer (170 miles away) sez BMW is working on this - I will have them reset the check engine light on the 29th when I'm near them.

 

Yeah, BMW's "extensive testing during harsh Canadian winters" is a pile of crap. The cars simply don't like the cold.

 

WOW!!! -21F is way too cold. I imagine I too would probably lock up and and start doing stupid things if I got that cold. My MCS saw 8F this morning but no problems with it. I have noticed that the ECU keeps the boost dialed way back until the engine gets warmed up enough. That seems like a great safety feature for the engine.

 

I had the same problem last year here in Toronto. Dealer fixed with a new throttle valve, so they said. I now have the dreaded cold start noise that so many other S owners are living with.

 

It has been brutally cold here, and my MCS has been sputtering regularly since early Dec.

Towed in again a week ago - barely ran, lots of white "smoke" (mostly vapour) that stinks, stuttering and no power.

Last time they replaced the O2 sensor and cleaned the throttle body. This time they are replacing the valve cover (I have no idea how that is related to the problem).

To make it all more painful, they gave me a mini van.

Sigh.

 

I wonder if gas line antifreeze would help with the icing?

Mark

 

I don't know that anti-freeze would work. The problem has occurred while driving (after full warm up).

I don't have a closed garage, so the car is at ambient temp at start-up (-20 to -30C) for the past month.

Once I hear back from Winnipeg Mini next week, I'll have a better idea of the problem. In my case, there has been no CEL or other light showing. And white clouds of smoke - it is so dense you can't see the car from behind.

 

yr description sounds like a blown head gasket, esp the part "white smoke...that stinks" (coolant getting into the combustion chambers). And when U added "dense" in yr last post that convinced me. I'd be surprised if it was anything else.

 

I sure hope it is not the head gasket! Here are the videos I took the first time the issue arose - one of the tach and sound at start, and the other of the exhaust.

Thanks for your input on this - any thoughts arising from the videos would be appreciated too.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXVEtNdNfQ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwKwvq-yBwE

 

to quote my niece: ewwwww The exhaust looks like classic HG burnt coolant, esp if it reeks. But the one with the tach and noise: holy cow man, sounds like a diesel on a very bad day! I wouldnt worry if it is a HG, warranty should cover it. But after seeing and hearing those vids.... what is causing this? You usually blow a HG in hot weather, not cold...

Do U remember, did the car heat up enough to have heat/defrost, and if so was there any? One thing that will confirm a blown HG: take off yr oil filler cap and examine underneath, if there's a gooey foamy substance, that's coolant mixed with oil--and big problems.

Oh wait duh what a *** I am I forgot it's at the dealer

 

The car had lots of heat. Between episodes, it ran well. In particular, after being in a heated garage for a week, it was as new. Once outside again, and really cold, the symptoms were back. The dealer was a bit confused at first, because there was no CEL.


The warrantee is a nice safety net - I always worry about collateral damage though.

Thanks again!

 

Same here. My throttle valve was replaced last January (or was it February?), and I haven't had the issue since. Then again, we have a few months of cold weather left.

 

Then it's prob not the HG, but that exhaust...

 

I've had this problem as well. The first time was not that cold outside but the first time this year that the weather was a lot cooler. The second time was when the weather was -25 C outside and the engine light actually stayed on and I had to take it to the dealership to have the CEL removed.

So far it has not happened again (knock on wood). Hope that this issue gets addressed by Mini soon, I don't want to be stranded one evening.

 

-4 in Toronto today. Rattle rattle rattle here comes Canada's first diesel Mini cooper. Oh wait a minute no its a MCS and it sounds like crap. Come on BMW/Mini make something that works for more than 8 months of the year!!!

 

Thanks sequence and all - the car was towed in on the 18th of Dec - and strangely I have not yet got used to the uplander (MINI-van in exchange for a mini???). I have yet to receive an update on the engine - I will update when I hear back. "ewwww" was not what I paid for.... sigh.

Update from the service dept: They have had "lots" of minis with this problem - he described it as intake icing and check engine light when it is really cold (I pressed and he did not elaborate). He said that mini was sending a "fix kit" and that there was no ETA - but more than a couple of weeks.

I think they are waiting out the cold weather, and I will be stuck with a rental until then. He seemed pleased that I was unhappy with the minivan - "I was worried they would give you a nice import, and you wouldn't want your car back."

Good thing I am not at the end of my rope.

 

Finally! I have been searching for others who have had the same problems that I have had.... I have an 07 cooper and as soon as it hits -20 to -25 C .... I end up with a revving engine, no power and/or no speed at all (max 40 kms per hour). the longer the car spends frozen (even if the temperature warms a bit) the slower it goes and the more trouble it has. I have just about given up trying to get the BMW dealer to do something..... It takes weeks (at least 4-5) to get an appointment and .... a replacement vehicle? not a chance! When I have gotten the car in, while it still has a problem, they just put it inside.... warm it up and then tell me it is good to go, and that they are working on a fix..... I am hoping that they have something soon.... but I am not counting on it.

I have started to look elsewhere for a solution. At the moment, I am trying removing the cold air intake snorkel, so that it now draws air from directly off of the engine instead of drawing cold air directly from outside. Unfortunately, it warmed up before we had a chance to adequately test it. I am hoping that it will improve the situation somewhat. I am also using a small space heater with a fan, to heat up the front of the car for a couple of hours before I have to go anywhere when the temps. fall below -20 C. It seems to help, except when the out door temps got to -35 plus a severe wind chill... just idling for 10 to 15mins outside was enough to start the problems again.

I would love to hear if there are any other solutions/ fixes, etc. that anyone has tried.

 

nesss- Hi ... your first post and I think you may have hit the nail on the head...

With all the performance COLD air intakes you are after the opposite.

Or how about a coolent buy-pass that went to the TB ?

Maybe an air filter box with a temp controled "flapper box" that would draw some engine heat ... Not a new idea ...even the euro Yugos had that.

Years ago ...in cold weather and a short commute I would use cardboard behind the grill.

 

Here is another thread with people having the same problems.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ailable-4.html

 

We experienced the same issue Wednesday 01/14/09. 2008 MCS with only 4K miles. Idle was very erratic with smokey smelly exhaust. Let is warm up for 5 minute and the idle steadied its self but the CEL was still present. “Full Engine Power No Longer Available”

Rochester, NY and Temps for the last few days have been around 5-10 F (-15 to -12 C).

Thursday, the error continued without the erratic idle.

Today (01/16/09) same temps. Started right up and faults have cleared.

My wife really want to take it to the dealer to check it out but after reading some of your experiences (with out a fix) I’m starting to wonder if it’s really necessary.

Suggestions?

Thanks all.
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I would want to have the dealer pull the codes, so that there's a record in case of warranty issues down the road.

 

I agree, have the codes pulled for future use/warrentee. We just went through nearly 100 hours of below zero F temps, I fully expected the CEL, but not a one. We haven't had snow in a little while so my garage is dry but frosty perhaps that's part of the issue. A lot of cold spells follow a snow event and the engine is bound to swallow a bit of moisture when driving out in the snow or being kept in a garage - when the cold comes so does the ice chunk in the throttle boday and the CEL. OK, that's my working theory.

 

I've been seeing posts describing what apperas to be the same problem I had the other day. Temp was -12F. 2007 MINI Cooper S surged at idle, had indicator of being power limited. Second error code was that cruise control was inop. Drove it around the neighborhood for nearly an hour with very limited power. Plenty of heat from the heater, but warming the engine seemed to have no affect. Never got above about 30mph. Parked it and left it sit outisde for two days, waiting for warmer temperature. Tried again when temperature had risen to about +20F, and it was OK, without even touching anything under the hood. So I wonder what dealers claim to be a need to clear ice from some throttle linkage? Have not had a chance to talk to dealer yet, to ask about problem.

 

I wonder if replacing the OEM air filter with a reusable, oiled air filter will help alleviate the "ice" issue at the throttle body. Hmm..

 

I'm with Lotsie, perhaps a bottle of Heet every now and then in the winter would alleviate the gas line freeze-ups? works for my other vehicles, but then they're not >ahem< BMWs...