Has anybody called ASK MINI yet on this one? Just wondering what their solution was. Thanks

 

I have an April, '04 build, v38, Alta CAI, Denso plugs, 15% Pulley, Nology Wires & use nothing but 91 octane gas from all different stations here in CA & I have the same problem with a/c on or off.

Please advise if there might be a solution.

I'll post any change if any, after my soon to be installed throttle body & WM ECU.

 

I brought my car in for a cold start problem. Now I still have the cold start problem and a rough idle virus! I must have picked it up at the dealership. Why can't MINI figure out all the software problems? It also feels a bit jerky with a bit of delay when pressing the gas. Strange that you bring a car to the dealer and it comes back much worse. Maybe MINI should go with a Bosch system rather than a Siemens!


Cheers,


Jay

 

I just updated to v38.0 yesterday. I am happy to be rid of my yo-yo, but now i have the rough idle! I just happened to find this thread- I thought it was just me! I have a sept 03 build. Any solutions yet?

 

Hey, Spoonleg, et al... I updated to v38 today at Towson with my MCS. I was having a rough idle & some yo-yo-ing. Took it in the first time & got a new intake hose...and then it was trying to stall here & there (new problem). Took it back, got the V38 update and had the smoothest ride home I've had since Sebby was just a babe... I haven't really put him thru his paces completely yet, but here's hoping the V38 fixed things for good with me!

FYI -- Sebby Binks is a 07/12/2002 build MCS, been motoring since 08/02/2002!

 

I run 93 octane 99.9% of the time, usually BPs. I got V38 today & it seemed to fix my problem.

But I'm curious -- I've heard the step-down in gas theory before too... heard it worked with an MC. A friend thought it might be because it's running too rich while at low idle. He thought it was probably due to poor software control of the throttle...

What do you think a tank of race fuel would do? I have a nearby station that sells 100 & 110 octane (I've always wanted to try it). If going down helps, shouldn't going up make it worse & therefore provide more evidence of the true problem? Anybody tried going up?

 

I been having this problem for almost a year,
i have 15% pulley, denso plug, CAI,
have a few software in there, now on the latest 38.1
still happening, happen every time i start my mini, some time it get so bad that feel like i am riding a horse.

so anyone with a fix please post here,

 

Since having v.38 installed, have you noticed the tachometer lag observed by Ryan and several others here? I am currently running v.37, and have had extended cold start cranking and rough idle while stopped in traffic since v.36. My car also has mild to moderate yo-yo. The only thing that's kept me from trying v.38 is the possibility of a lagging tach needle under acceleration- that's not the sort of thing I want with a 19% pulley on order!

Also, what station near Germantown carries race-grade unleaded? It'd be worth the 20-minute drive for me to get some. Even if my MINI wouldn't see a performance gain from it, I have a few older cars that sit in storage for extended periods. The 100 octane stuff is supposed to be more stable than normal street fuel when kept in storage over the winter.

 

Well, I only got the V38 in yesterday so I'll have to pay attention. But no cold start issues -- I haven't had that problem since before I got v36 (I skipped v37) and I never had much trouble with it.

My previous problems were (starting from the most recent beginning) yo-yo on acceleration. Usually in 2-3 gears. You could see & feel the tach move up, slow, move up, slow, move up, etc. It was rarely bad, usually a pretty subtle thing, but pretty consistent. It was only really obvious on hard acceleration -- other times my passenger would insist it was me (NOT). That's been around a while in various forms, before V36 and after (though better). This summer I started having a rough idle at lights/stops. Took it in, was told I had a loose hose. Got a new intake hose, car came back threatening to stall at lights/stops -- of course not always, more often acting fine or just a little rough, but annoying. So back to the dealership... V38 and now I'm running really smoothly. We'll see if it sticks.

I haven't noticed any lags yet in acceleration or tach. The biggest difference, except for the running smoother part, is that the car feels heavier. I can't quite explain it. Maybe it was the shift back from the Camry rental car, but I've driven many other cars and not ever thought that before. It didn't feel slower, but yet it was like a heavy sports car feel... like the big 700 series feels when you accelerate. Does that make sense? It wasn't a bad thing though... felt very solid -- like a new car. Stiff, solid, smooth... I'm happy right now I tell you -- but I'll post if I see tach lags or anything else.

The race fuel is at the Mobile in Dasmascus, MD on Rt 108 (9871 Main Street). It's on the left right after the first light when you've come up Rt 27 and turned onto Rt 108. FYI -- They don't let you put it directly in your tank. You must bring a gas can.

 

See thats what scares me. I have slight yo-yo no cold start and slight slight rough idle... main reason I wanted to get V38 was to improve the acceleration with AC on but I dont want to introduce a bigger rough idle. Now I gotta stay tune and decide more again.

Thanks to those who report back about V38.

 

I finally gave ASK MINI a call on this, all they said was to schedula an apt. with my service department. Mine is a 5/04 build I think I already have V.38...? Has anyboady, those of you who already have V. 38 w/ the rough idle, asked your service dept. about this? Is there a fix for this yet?

 

I've had V38 now for about a week... it's been running a lot smoother in general. I have only noticed a tiny, tiny bit of yo-yo, but I did have one "stall threaten" episode. I had so hoped that was gone for good. Following Casey's advice, I didn't gas it or anything in hopes that it would really stall and store a fault. It didn't stall though. About 90 seconds after it started, the engine recovered and went back to a normal idle. I didn't have the opportunity (at a light) to see if it would stall while acting up if I put it under a load. Maybe next time it... but I hope there isn't a next time!


Otherwise, I do like and notice an improvement on my '02 MCS with V38. Anybody tracking if the upgrades work better on some builds than others?

 

Now why didn't we think of that? Thanks again for trying to appear helpful, MINIDivision!

 

I got the same advice. It happened to me on my way to work again this morning.

 

Sounds like time to invite Erinn to Jimmie Cone this weekend and check it out!

(edit: it just occurred to me that those not local to here have no way of knowing that Jimmie Cone is an ice cream stop about a block from said Mobil station- thus the opportunity to use one of these to prevent drips. Lots of old muscle cars show up there on weekend evenings, too.)

The prohibition on dispensing directly into vehicles may be due to tax reasons (like "off-highway use only" diesel- the stuff with the tattletale dye in it.) On the other hand, a long time ago, we used to take 5-gallon cans to Lee Airport in Annapolis to buy avgas for our old Pintos. We had to use cans for a different reason- can't use aviation fuel in emissions-controlled vehicles. It's heavily leaded. The Pintos in question were the old non-cat 2.0L engine model, not the later 2.3L ones, so we weren't ruining catalysts doing this...:smile:

 

i have a March 04 build MCS with V38 the Alta CAI. it's had the rough idle on occasion since i got the car. it's lessened slightly since i got V38, but it is still there and i find even when i give it some gas the engine comes back down and starts choking... i've had the oil changed (Royal Purple) and it still persists. i haven't noticed any pattern as to how it's happening. i'm wondering if it's just a software thing, but as i have no mechanical skill i can't really say.