I have some problems....

For some reason my speedometer stopped working and I am getting a number of warning lights. Check Engine (amber), ABS, Brake (while up and down), Tire Pressure, and Traction Control lights are all on. The ABS actually seems to be non functioning as I slammed on it this morning over some dirt and just skidded without any brake pedal bounce. I think it might be the same with traction control (I haven't been driving it too hard).

I tried to do the "ECU reset" a few times to see if that reset the dash, but later found out that this procedure essentially does nothing.

This morning I noticed that the trip odometer did not count anything. Then I looked at the odometer, and realized that it hadn't moved at all on my 10 minute drive to work... I think this has been going on for a while and I just never noticed. I am fairly certain it is connected to the speedometer issue.

These issues may have originated from a spark that I created while stupidly grounding some hella lights (which I have never gotten to work, btw) on what is apparently the point by which all power is routed from the battery to the front of the car (result = sparks). After that happened I lost my speedo and the warning lights came up, but the speedo eventually came back (with no lights), at least for a while.

I have checked a bunch of fuses under the steering wheel, and they all seem to be fine.

During the winter I had left it with a mechanic who was trying to fix an issue with the Mini not being able to start (it wouldn't start randomly, and just make a single click). He replaced a number of different things (nothing expensive) and started it multiple times during the winter. That issue seemed to be fixed.

I haven't driven it all winter and when I was driving it home I noticed the speedo issue had arisen again. After driving for 30 minutes I realized that it had come back on, so I thought it was a symptom of waking up after not being driven. Unfortunately I have never seen it come back again in the 2 weeks I've been driving it, because it has always been in the resting position.

I don't know if it will come back if I drive in intervals longer than 15 minutes, but I'm afraid to really go anywhere since I don't know if this is going to be a major issue.

I live in the catskill mountains (NY), so I don't think there is a mini specialist for a hundred miles, and I'm really not willing to go that far or pay those prices.

Also, unrelated issues I've had so far: my driver side window doesn't work (dead motor), and my exhaust almost fell off because one of the brackets broke. I put an OBX on (for a small upgrade) and now it rattles (which I know is my own fault). I have owned the car less than a year and didn't even drive it at all during winter....why is this happening to me?

 

MAN.... I hate electrical problems. Unless you really know your way with a multimeter, you really can't diagnose anything on your own. Electrical issues are the absolute worst!!! Good luck dude.

 

did you check all your fuses? also make sure your alternator is providing the right charge

 

A few things....
1. If you have not already unhook the hella lights to see if that fixes anything.
2. Are you sure you were correct in grounding your lights? You may have tried to ground the lights on a wire that is actually a power wire.
3. It sounds to me like you either smoked your cars computer because of the "spark" or smoked some other wire or sensors in the wiring harness because of a power arcing. This could be from the install of the hellas or you just had wires in your harness chaffing somewhere.

Did you unhook the battery when you tried to do the hella light install?

By now means am I a mechanic, but avid DIYer with my Jeep before I bought my MINI.

 

@yodejt02

The lights are already unhooked.

I definitely did try to ground the ground wire on what turned out to be power. It is a bolt near some fuses (this was a while ago, so I'm trying to remember). I think it turned out to be feeding the fuses from the battery in the rear of my S. It was actually my father, who had been trying to help me after I tried like 10 different bolts with 0 success finding a grounding point (I feel like this car is 99% plastic and fiberglass).

Anyway, he was using a ratchet and the back end slid across my intercooler, causing some sparks. I'm pretty sure I checked all those fuses, but will check them again tonight.

I'm not sure how I could really damage anything. The fuses are supposed to stop damage to the wires right? I wonder if I burned something between the bolt and the fuses, which I guess would mean I need to replace the box.

I really have no idea.

@element

I think my alternator is okay, since I haven't had any starting issues (or anything else besides whats mentioned above) since the mechanic checked my car out.

Here are the notes he made (I'm not sure what it all means):
spray starter connections
Junction for Batt.
Starter Wire under hood disassemble and clean
lube cut wires (not factory) <-I think this may refer to my hella light wiring
Install new end
Tighten
Note: cover got hot and melted wires due to loose connection
Secure battery in rear
check connections - OK
Charge

He told me he started the car a dozen times over the winter with no problems. I have had no starting problems since.

 

I would def. check the wiring harnes going to and coming from that block of fuses under the hood. I dont know how good of wire MINI used for their harnesses but if it is anything like what chrysler installed in Jeep Libertys you may have had some arcing somewhere. The wiring on Libertys are notorious for having bad insulation around the wire thus cause an arc with the car or with another wire. This could happen inside a wire bundle or just with a few wires.

Like what was said before electrical prolems are tricky....get yourself a good multimeter (not much like $20) and start following wires and see what getting juice. I would search for a wiring diagram for those componets you are having issue with to make the job a little easier.

 

This sounds eerily familiar. I am going to ask some weird things.

Do you have a sunroof? Do you ever have a damp or wet driver's floor area?

If so, I think I know the problem. My secondary fuse panel (the one on the LS footwell) had a harness come off of it, and a 42 pin connector very close to it, mounted on the side panel. It had a ton of corrosion in it, and started to intermittently turn off circuits - PS, radio, DSC, TPMS, heater. They all went through that connector.

It was a light blue connector, and had a bit of corrosion - the male pins stayed in the female side connector when I tried to take it apart.

Take a look.

 

Low batteries make these cars act strangely too. Testing or charging the battery might be worth trying.

 

@markertoo

I don't have a sunroof, but I'll take a look in that area to see if anything is loose.

It looks like I'll have to test the wires and fuses. I ordered the Bentley manual from amazon and should have it by tomorrow. Hopefully that has some wiring diagrams that will help a little.

 

It seems like this problem is intermittent. It was below freezing today and the speedo starting working again. The check engine light is still on, but every other light has cleared. This behavior is similar to what was happening before I stopped driving the car before winter, so maybe it is linked to temperature somehow.

I don't know if that helps target the problem...I have to try and learn to read wiring diagrams because I got the bentley manual and they weren't what I expected (I only looked at them briefly though).

 

Very odd...It has been below 50 degrees for a while and every electrical issue I have ever had seems to have gone away.

The warning lights have all gone away, my speedo and odometer are working again, and my driver side window started working out of nowhere. My window had seized in the closed position a few months after purchasing the car and was definitely dead until last week, when I noticed that it suddenly sealed when I shut the door.

I had tried the 'punch above the speaker (TM)' method a bunch of times to no avail and it just starts working like 5 months later...weird. This is also not linked to my botched Hella lights wiring job which seemed to cause all the other issues.

Unfortunately my passenger side window seized for a bit, but the speaker-punch fixed that one right away.

Here's hoping these issues stay away forever...

 

Issues are not gone.

After hitting a speed-bump-except-smoother deformation on a local back road (causing extreme downward force, followed by almost hitting my head on the roof...) the symptoms returned.

First the ABS light kicked on and I believe the stability control light followed. The ABS turned off a moment later, but I already knew the issues would start again when I turned the car off and started it up again. All the same issues returned and lasted for about a day, with most systems returning this morning. The check engine light has never turned off since the incident, and the stability control seems to always be off (light on) as well.

I did more research and found this:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...lights-on.html

It appears like this problem was fixed by O.C.Cabrio when he replaced the DSC unit/ABS module. I'm hoping these are things I can do myself, maybe with the front brakes since those are starting to go, but I'll need to consult my Bentley Manual, to see if I am capable of doing it.

So much for my next mod...

I'll try to update this thread in case someone has the same issue in the future.

 

It sounds like something is loose, probably a wire harness or something down those lines. Check the fusebox close to the clutch pedal and see if the wire harness is loose or corroded. This happened to me on my old 02 S.

Mapping an electrical problem on these cars are a real pain in the behind.

 

I think I solved the issue. I just unplugged the battery,re-seated and/or swapped all of the fuses relating to the ABS control module and made sure all of the wire harness connections were firm (one of the fuses came out pretty easy, so I think that may have been the problem). I also unplugged the ECU and plugged it back in after about 10 minutes, but only because I was trying to get under the fuse box right next to it. Bentley manual says there is some sort of fuse/connection underneath it relating to the ABS module.

Ultimately I was unsuccessful in getting to that one (it was getting dark), but when I put everything back together and plugged the battery back in, the errors had all cleared except the check engine light which cleared a little bit later (after starting the car again). The issue has yet to come back (3 days), which I think is a good sign because the problem had gone from intermittent to always on about a week ago. The TPMS light did come on and then blinked for about a 10 minute drive, but (after checking the tires) I held the TPMS button down in key position 1, and also left the car in position 1 for 20 seconds without touching anything and it cleared.

I had finally decided to look into the problem after locking the brakes up seeing a deer about to cross the road. I guess my radio was too load because I didn't hear the tires squeal and momentarily lost control of the car (zig zagged around the road a bit). I never cared about ABS, but that pretty much sold me on it.

In my case the issues were intermittent and would sometimes cause warning lights to pop on and off and my speedometer to bounce from 0 to correct speed as if the car were possessed.

A complete list of issues for this problem are as follows:

Amber Check Engine Light, Brake light always on (regardless of e-brake position), ABS light, ASC light*, Tire Pressure Monitor Sensor (TPMS) light, Speedometer in resting position regardless of actual speed, odometer not recording miles, trip odometer not recording miles, door locks do not engage automatically when driving away after start-up, radio does not automatically adjust for road noise as speed increases, the fuel gauge became extremely unreliable.

ABS and ASC* are actually non-functional (and I think ASC associated systems are also non-functional). Otherwise the car seems to drive fine and I did not notice any difference in power. As I said, the issues were intermittent, which is how I noticed the radio.

Thanks for everyones help in this thread! I probably would have wasted a couple grand if it wasn't for your help (KNOCKS ON WOOD).


*Please note I used the term DSC in past posts, but my car says ASC on the switch. I do not understand the difference, but I am sure that it is an important differentiation.

 

@Genobia - I have all the exact symptomps you mention in the post above. I'm wondering if you have a moment to tell me where the ABS fuses are? The pictograms in the fuse box don't exactly make a ton of sense.

Also, did you just unplug/plug them back in or did you replace all the ABS fuses?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Maybe this will help with fuse locations

Engine compartment fusebox
F1 5A Digital engine electronics control unit
F2 20A Digital engine electronics control unit/Ignition coil/Cylinder 1-4 fuel injection valves/Crankshaft position sensor (From K6300 87)
F3 15A Camshaft position sensor/O2 sensor before cat/O2 sensor after cat/Solenoid valve, fuel tank ventilation/Relay K19 control power (From K6300 87)
F4 15A Tank Leakage diagnosis pump
F5 5A Relay, engine cooling electric fan (From K6300 87)
F6 30A ABS/ASC/DSC control module
F7 30A Magnetic clutch for AC compressor via relay K19
F8 30A control power K69923 Relay, electric power steering pump cooling fan/Switch unit Heating & A/C blower
F9 20A BC1 (X11177 2) unit via I01136 and I01137 (Relay front wiper motor fast/slow and Relay front wiper motor on/off)
F10 15A BC1/Left fog/Right fog/Switch panel via K47

FL1 50A Feed to F14, F31, F32 (BC1,Heating & Air con blower, cigarette lighter)
FL2 50A Feed to F1, F2, F3, F4, F19, F20, F21, F22, F23, F24, F25, F26, F27, F28, F37 (BC1, steering angle sensor, clock, instrument cluster, navigation, on-board monitor, wash/wipe, horn, audio system.)
FL3 40 A Convertible top control
FL4 100A Electric Steering control unit/Hydraulic pump
FL5 50A Feed to F15, F16, F17 (Sunroof, aerial antenna, rear wiper)
FL6 40A ABS/ASC/DSC unit
FL7 50A Feed to ignition switch
FL8 50A BC1 (X332 20) Headlight
FL9 50A DME unit and Switching unit 2-speed blower via I01135 (Relay electric engine cooling fan)
FL10 50A K416, Relay heated front screen
FL11 50A Switch unit, 2-speed blower heating & air con
FL12 50A BC1 (X332 17) Headlight

F01 5A Engine Control Module (ECM), Convertible top control Module
F02 20A ECM, ignition coil, fuel injectors, crank position sensor
F03 15A Engine control
F04 15A Engine control
F05 5A Engine cooling fan
F06 30A ABS/ASC/DSC
F07 30A Air Con compressor
F08 30A Heating A/C blower, EHPS cooling fan
F09 20A Windscreen wipers
F010 15A Parking lights
(Sometimes F0 fuses above are labeled F only in Eng. Comp. Fusebox)

Interior compartment fusebox
F1 30A BC1 (X332 3) power windows LH
F2 5A Steering angle sensor
F3 5A Digital clock/Outside mirror fold-in control unit
F4 5A BC1 (X254 27) Constant power
F5 5A Control module for instrument cluster/Diode (From Electronic immoblizer control unit)
F6 5A Brake light switch/Clutch switch module/Electronic immobilizer control unit EWS
F7 5A BC1 (X254 36)/Rain sensor
F8 5A Turn indicator/low beam switch
F9 5A Control module for instrument cluster
F10 5A Navigation computer/On-board monitor control unit/Radio control unit
F11 5A K119, Relay, rear washer pump/K5 Relay, front washer pump
F12 20A Ignition switch to heated seats
F13 5A Reversing light switch/CVT switch
F14 10A BC1 (X332 14) Constant power to interior/reading lamps
F15 20A Sunroof module control unit
F16 30A BC1/Rear window w/o antenna or Wave trap 1 w/ rear window antenna via K13/ Heated rear screen
F17 15A BC1 (X254 43)/Rear window wiper motor via I01142 (Relay rear wiper motor)
F18 5A Hall sensor driver &amp; passenger buckle/Multiple restraint system (MRS system)
F19 30A BC1 (X332 7) power windows RH
F20 20A K96, Fuel pump relay 1
F21 10A Control module for instrument cluster
F22 15A On board monitor control unit/Navigation computer/Eject box
F23 20A K5 Relay front washer pump/K119 relay rear washer pump
F24 5A Electronic immobilizer control unit/Horn for antitheft alarm system EWS
F25 30A Headlight washer pump via K6
F26 10A Automatic transmission
F27 15A Radio control unit/CD Changer/Amplifier
F28 15A Volute spring/Right horn/Left horn via K2
F29 5A Heating and AC control module/Sensor interior temperature fan
F30 5A Instrument cluster
F31 30A BC1 via K4 (X253 23) Heating & A/C blower
F32 15A Front cigar lighter via I01151 (Relay cigarette lighter front)
F33 10A ABS/ASC/DSC unit
F34 10A Digital engine electronics control unit direct and via K96/Eng management main relay
F35 5A Mirror adjustment switch/Electrochrome rear view mirror/Windscreen washer jet heater/Outside mirrors
F36 5A K416, Relay Heated front screen
F37 20A BC1 (X332 1) Central locking
F38 -
F39 5A Alternator/Electric Steering control unit/hydraulic pump
F40 5A Control module for instrument panel/Switch panel/Steering angle sensor
F41 5A Park distance control unit/power to K69923, Relay fan steering control module/pump
F42 -

 

@Braminator thanks for the info on fuses! That was perfect. I found the 30a fuse in the engine compartment box was blown and the 10a fuse in the passenger compartment was blown. After changing those two fuses the Brake, ABS, and Tire Pressure lights are all off. Odometer is working again, and the speedometer is working again!!!

One weird thing though, when i reconnected the positive terminal of my battery the brake lights all came on, as did the headlights, and the dash lights...Even though the key to the car was in my pocket, not the ignition. Now when I close the doors (two side doors or the boot) the headlights flicker real quick and the dash lights flicker too. Also, if I try to lock doors with key (remote) the alarm is not engaging.

I just had an issue where after driving to my office, i turned the key off and the car was still sitting there running!!! I have a manual so I just carefully stalled it and got it to stop running. After a few minutes the electrical stuff turned off. Does anyone have any idea what is going on with my now possessed car!

 

This sounds likea bad battery IMO. Have the battery checked.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I had the battery tested and at first it was 'too low to be tested'. They put it on a charger for 35 minutes and then did the test. It passed the test.

I went back and double checked all my fuses for anything battery, alternator, or electrical and all fuses checked out OK.

I didn't really believe the battery test, and frankly it's a 7 year old battery and I live in IL so it has to deal with cold winters (it's 10 degrees today). So I bought a new battery. It seemed fine on the way home but then when I got home it did the same symptoms again. :(

I'm going to start a new thread as this issue is completely unrelated to the original posters thread.

But, the only silver lining here is that following this thread I did successfully resolve my ABS/TPM/Speedo/Odometer issue!

 

UPDATE:

So despite my last post the issues came back and I basically ran without a speedometer/everything else until today. I recently moved to Atlanta and decided to get Way Motor Works to do my front brakes and take a look at this issue.

Way diagnosed the issue as a severed power connection to my ABS module. Instead of taking apart my dash to find the break (which would have cost a lot of labor hours), he ran a new wire. I picked the car up today and everything is as good as new.

So after 2 years this issue is finally resolved. Thank you Way!