Hey All, looking for some direction here and if anybody has experienced this before. 2009 Mini Cooper Base, manual trans. Bought a couple of months ago and has been great so far. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago I decided to swap out the horrible factory radio for an aftermarket Kenwood unit which really perked up the factory speakers. I used the harness that retains the factory chime.



However while installing I was listening to the radio while reassembling all the trim panels and ran the battery dead. Tried to start it and got nothing but clicks from the starter and the chime box. Boosted the car from my truck, starting perfect on the first try however instantly I ended up with the brake light, abs, airbag, and traction control lights on. Car ran and drove fine as I drove it around to recharge the battery. I shut it off and restarted it and all the lights were gone instantly. Really weird, figured it was just something with it being dead. Drove the car multiple times that day, no issue.



Next day I go out and my car won’t unlock with the comfort access or the fob, or so I thought. I was walking back to my house and the car unlocked itself about 15 seconds after. I get in and it starts but the starter drags for an extra 2-3 seconds, but this time the cluster, tach, radio are all off, no output whatsoever. After about 10 seconds of running, the cluster and tach come alive, all warning lights are back. I shut it off, restart immediately, all lights are gone again. Drive the car multiple times that day, again no issues, no lights.



It seems to be that if the car is left for more than 3-4 hours without driving it, all the symptoms come back, so basically every morning now I come out, I unlock, wait 15-20 seconds until the car “wakes up” get in and start, get all the warning lights. Shut off and restart and all is good. It’s not every single day but most days.

My first though was the aftermarket wiring harness was messed up or I installed wrong but I double checked all my connections and all is good. Now I’m thinking it maybe was related to the boost more so than the radio.



I pulled code P1551 which is either a camshaft code or a battery current sensor circuit low input. It seems more fitting that the code was for the battery current sensor rather than the camshaft, would be the issue. I checked my negative terminal and my car does not have the IBS (intelligent battery sensor). So my questions is does this code mean anything else is the card doesn’t have the IBS?



I’ve also tested the battery with a tester at work and it says the battery is still good. Where to go from here? After searching forums I’ve found a couple of people who had the exact same issue after installing an aftermarket radio, but no resolution was ever noted. See links below.



I’ve seen other posts where people have had somewhat similar issues but usually with no start issues tied to them. I’ve seen people mention the battery can cause wonky issues if going bad, footwell module, the CAS module, the tach itself. Not sure where to go from here. Anybody else ever have a similar issue?



https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ew-stereo.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d-failure.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...and-p1551.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ghts-on-2.html

 

So just a follow-up, I cleared all codes yesterday to see which codes are current, with a Mac Tools scantool (Not ideal I know but it does pull codes). These are the codes I got.

DME
P15FE
309F - CAN MESSAGE, INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
30A8 - NO MESSAGE (TERMINAL STATUS 130)
30A1 - NO CAN MESSAGE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
2FE4 - EWS-DME MESSAGE INCORRECT
30B2 - NO MESSAGE (STATUS REVERSE GEAR,3B0)
309D - NO CAN MESSAGE IHKA
2FAD - ENGINE SWITCH-OFF TIME, PLAUSIBILITY

STABILITY CONTROL CODES
D35B - MESSAGE ERROR CAS
D35D - MESSAGE ERROR CAS
D358 - MESSAGE ERROR FRM
D360 - MESSAGE ERROR INSTRUMENT CLUSTER

AIRBAG CODES
C944 - KCAN LINE FAULT

 

Updated with a video of the issue.

 

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Hey man, I'm in a very similar situation. Replaced the audio head unit with a harness that has the chime box from Amazon, and now when I unlock it after sitting for a few hours, it will unlock the driver's door, but not the passenger side but the parking lights won't flash, and sometimes the gauges are dead for a few minutes and then they will come back to life. Everything seems perfectly normal if I shut it off and wait a few minutes. I did not need to jump start mine at any point.

My only other symptom is that occasionally I will get all three brake warning lights in the tach that will come on. I suspect that if the parking brake is engaged sometimes the error light are triggered, but if I disengage the parking brake before startup it never happens.

I'm starting to suspect problems with the CAS module or that the new head unit or harness is conflicting with it. I've reached out to RPM Motorsports who re-programs CAS modules to see if they have ever heard of this issue. Edit: RPM called me back and they don't *think* it is a CAS issue.

 

Thanks for the reply JNemec. It's very odd, and seeing other people in the threads I posted below having the same issue it would seem the Mini isn't overly fond of having an aftermarket deck. But looking at all the other cars on here with replaced head units but only few experiencing problems, it doesn't really make sense. Did you wire up the deck yourself? I'm curious as to how you wired your yellow 12V constant wires. I couldn't really find much on it. Doesn't seem like the one on the aftermarket harness is needed so i just tied the unused wire back away onto the harness and just used the yellow wire direct from the battery direct to the head unit yellow. I watched a video of a car audio shop installing one and that's what they did, which seems to make since, especially if it doesn't supply a constant 12V. But i saw on this forum that others have just wired all 3 yellow wires together. I've also been wondering if maybe these this harness was failed right out of the box. Mainly the chime box. Maybe if that's shorted or not working properly internally that might causing the issue as well. I bought the harness from Crutchfield and I hear they have awesome customer service, so I'm going to try and reach out to them this week as well and see if they have ever some across it.

Let me know what RPM says if you hear back from them. I'm working until next Tuesday but I plan on pulling the aftermarket deck and reinstall the factory radio for a few days and see if the problem still exists. I'll keep you updated as well. At least it will help me narrow down if it is the deck causing the issues or if there is an issue elsewhere. I've been leaning toward either the footwell module or the CAS as well. I love this car but have never come across a more finicky electrical system in my life. I wanted to switch out some of the marker bulbs and fog lights for LED's but after this problem I don't want to modify anything lol.

 

Yeah, I did the install myself. I also left the other yellow wire disconnected and ran a line directly from the battery to the new head unit harness. I've been re-thinking that too, perhaps it's a problem that it's not a completed circuit? Maybe all three should be tied together? It doesn't really make sense in my old-school brain, but that is another common denominator worth looking into.

 

Seems to be a fusebox issue or one of the communications bus shorting or malfunctioning.

 

this is why I will never put an aftermarket head unit in the mini - mine has the Harman Kardon system so its not too bad.

best of luck getting this resolved.

 

JNemec, interesting maybe the circuit does need to be complete. When I put the stock deck in next week if the problems go away, i may just try to wire this in just to see. My mindset is the same as yours though, I don't see why it would be needed. I also noticed some fibre optic wires in the stock radio harness but can't really figure out what those are for either. I've googled and searched and came up empty. I see talk about the fibre optic cable being for the amp in the upgraded audio system, but mine is just the base system, that has me wondering as well if that may be causing some issues.

Thanks MiniToBe. When i go on my days off from work I plan to give the car a really good once over, check all fuse boxes/modules for corrosion or signs of water damage. I do have a sunroof in mine but checked the floor and it's dry as a bone. I've found very similar issues on some BMW forums (not related to new radio install, but same symptoms) and many people had an issue where the TPMS receiver which is in the trunk on the BMW, was floating in water in the trunk well. This caused the same issues we are experiencing. From what I can tell the one for the mini is located in the rear wheel well, so I may look at that as well. Grasping at straws at this point.

I also have a Foxwell NT510 elite on the way. Not sure what full functionality this has for electrical diagnosis but worth a shot.

 

JNemec, does your vehicle have the comfort access? I never usually take my key out of my pocket. When the car did it's usual song and dance this morning with the gauges and everything off, I put my key in the slot and everything woke up immediately. i still have the warning lights unfortunately but that fact that it woke up all the gauges right away is leading me closer to some kind of issue/communication issue with the CAS.

 

I don't have comfort access. But there is definitely something going on with the brakes, every time I start the car with the parking brake engaged, I get the service light and all three brake lights consistently now. As long as I release the parking brake by the time the engine catches, its fine.

 

Hahaha man none of this makes any kind of logical sense. These are the weirdest electrical systems I have ever seen lol. I'll try taking my ebrake off before starting tomorrow morning and see what happens.

 

i just spoke to Crutchfield and he said the only note they have is about 3 yellow wires. According to Metra they say to wire all 3 yellows together, however it says just be mindful that connecting a contact 12V to the yellow wire on the Metra harness could possibly backfeed and supply constant power to other modules that would otherwise shut down. He said this wouldn't necessarily cause an issue but could cause the battery to run down if it does in fact power something that should be off. But he did make a good point that with that power not connected like we have done, the harness may not necessarily be supplied power/enough power to allow the chime box and harness to function properly. I'm a little skeptical on this but I go on days off at work starting on Wednesday, so I will wire it in and see what happens. Maybe this could be the magical fix, but i have my doubts.

 

Sounds good, I might be able to get to mine this weekend as well.

 

It's hard to find a good picture of the harness but it looks like the yellow power wire is piggybacked into the yellow wire that goes from the harness connector down to the chime box, so the more I think about it that makes sense. If the harness is only supplying power to the harness from the car, then the chime box/harness is power down after so long once the entire system shuts down, which would explain why it only seems to happen after sitting for a while. I also came across an interesting review on Amazon from a few years ago with the same symptoms in a BMW and talks about cutting a wire in the harness. if connecting all 3 yellows doesn't work I may try that was well. Worst case scenario I can always solder it back together. If you get to it before I do, let me know if any of it works or not.

Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2016
It is very convenient for this chimes' wiring harness because the previous version had loose wires that you had to either manually splice between the steering wheel control wiring harness (ASWC-1) and the vehicle wiring harness. This version comes complete with the ASWC-1 wiring harness pre-pinned out into the housing that fits into the vehicle wiring harness, so a lot of headache is saved as a result. The head banger for me was that there is a blue/pink wire from the housing (that fits into the vehicle wiring harness) that feeds both the ASWC-1 and the BMRC-01 units. When everything is plugged up, I get a vehicle sensor error for the brakes, check engine light, and a raised red vehicle symbol on my dash. (I have an 07 BMW 328i sedan). I spent a good hour and a half double checking my connectors. When I started troubleshooting, I narrowed down to the BMRC-01 to the main housing. Once I identified the blue/pink wire between them, I cut it, and everything was fine. Not sure if this is a bug, but it should be fixed as it took me through a lot of headache as a result. Other than that, it was great.

 

Oh wow, that is very promising!
yeah, super easy to re-solder, I've been using these and they are awesome: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B09JYSZ8...H7CHB1J1DZM7W3 bonds to insulation, heat-shrinks and solders, all with just a heat gun.

 

Any update on this? I have been too busy to touch mine.

 

Sorry wanted to give it a couple of days to see how it went. Hooked all 3 yellow wires together and the car has been working perfect. No lights on the dash, everything works, no delay on starting/unlocking. So the chime box is not just a box that makes noise, it must use the constant 12v to keep The canbus awake all the time. I’m guessing because everything is tied into the factory radio, that somehow kept the canbus system ready. Keep me updated whenever you do get to yours and let me know if it works.

hopefully this will help other people in the future. HOOK ALL 3 YELLOW WIRES TOGETHER lol.

 

 

I finally got a chance to tear into mine over the long weekend, and connected all three yellow wires as well, and mines works perfectly now too. really odd that a supply line needs to be connected, but I'm glad to have it resolved!

 

few years later, sorry! But I’ve been battling this same issue FOREVER, had my FRM repaired and reprogrammed, fixed battery grounds, etc. Now I read this thread and realize all my issues started a bit aftrr my aftermarket radio install.

Going to take this back to my installer, but just want to confirm-

still connect one yellow constant power source (fused), but ensure ALL three yellow wires on the harness are tied together, correct? Nothing else needs changed assuming I already have the constant power wire hooked up, just connect all three yellow wires together?

 

Just wanted to update this thread.

If you have an aftermarket radio and experience no dash lights and other issues that look like the FRM going bad, it’s probably not the FRM. Especially if you start the car a second time within three hours of starting it and everything works fine.

I had no dash lights intermittently, and when the car would “initialize”, I’d get the traction control, brake, and CEL on the dash. The CEL was P1551. I went through a whirl wind trying to fix this, and never did until I saw this thread.

My Pioneer radio and harnesses were the culprit. Crutchfield and all the big retailers say to leave the yellow wire from the aftermarket vehicle harness not connected. And to connect another yellow wire to the battery. The latter is correct, constant battery is needed. But you don’t leave the other yellow wire capped and not connected, you tie it to the other yellow wires. I guess some cars can leave it disconnected, but if you have these issues, connect it. Even the harness manufacturer of the BMRC1 told me to leave it disconnected. Wrong!

I attached an image from Crutchfield. They are wrong with their text in the bottom corner. The wire I have circled needs connected to the other yellow wires. Your car will initialize and dash lights and no CEL or random lights anymore.

 

Sorry for the later reply, but glad you figured it out. I literally only updated my last post on this thread just in case someone ran into this in the future as I couldn't find any info anywhere on this. They really should update their install sheets/instructions in big red letters that say to connect all 3 yellows together. On a good note, 2 years later with the same deck and same car and haven't had this issue ever pop up again.