OK. I've searched this forum until I'm blue in the face...

Here's the story. The car is an '08 R56. I live in SoCal and it's been, well, unseasonably chilly here lately. The car set for about a week and when I went to start it the other morning it wouldn't start. After 3 tries it fired then seemed OK. No death rattle, no noises, no nothing.

I had a doctor's appointment in San Diego. I drove the car to and from (120 mile round trip). The car ran great! But then, when I was about a mile away from home the Check Engine Light came on and the car started running like crap.

When I got home, I pulled the code and it was P1497. I tried to start the car and it wouldn't start. There was a rather loud whistle comming from the valve cover. Sound familiar? Anyway, after $300 for a hunk of plastic that is going to break again, the car once again starts and runs fine.

My only problem is now, how does one go about clearing the Check Engine Light? My code scanner is one of those $50 jobs and does have an "Erase" feature, but it won't clear the code. And no, unhooking the battery DOES NOT do it unless I'm supposed to leave it unhooked for longer than three hours.

Please, can anyone help?

 

Grab hold of a approved OBDII scanner for the MINI's protocol and simply erase the code; a local independent shop could assist you.

And you're correct in saying that removing battery power does not clear out fault code(s).

- Erik

 

Hmmm... Strange you cannot erase the code. How did you do it? Ignition should be ON but NOT the engine (the DME enters protected mode when the engine is running). Sometimes with ignition off it also works, as long as you are quick enough before the ECUs enter sleep mode (so first start then off and then to the OBDII).