I got the above engine code the other day after the check engine light came on. The light looked similar to this but was half-filled at a diagonal:
It was accompanied with some wording to the effect that engine performance was reduced and the car should be taken in for service.
The car only has about 37.000 miles on it, so it seemed premature for a major issue. But stranger things have happened!
A quick Google search for that code revealed... ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
Just great.
Over some water cooler discussions at work about this recent development, someone suggested I re-seat the gas tank cap. I recall my wife's Altima triggering the check engine light with a misaligned gas cap, so it was worth a shot. It hadn't crossed my mind originally, though, because I've had this car four years now and have never had an issue related to the gas cap.
When I got home, I re-seated the cap. When I unscrewed it, it was slightly more difficult than typical, so I was hopeful. I carefully screwed it back on.
Now I needed to reset the light to see if it returned. I took the car to Auto Zone, but they said it was against their policy to reset engine codes. Yippie.
Another Google search surfaced a forum where one poster suggested restarting the car five times would clear any erroneous, non-recurring engine code. I tried that. Nope. Didn't clear. Maybe it wasn't the gas cap? I ceded and scheduled an appointment with the MINI dealership (via their website) for the coming Monday.
After scheduling the appointment, I tried one more, last ditch effort... I called the MINI service department and spoke to a service adviser. I wanted to know how long it might take (or under what circumstances) the car to reset the engine light/code if it was due to a misaligned gas cap. The adviser told me that codes could only be reset by the service department and I'd have to bring it in. Oh joy.
The weekend came and went. Monday rolls in and I get into the car to begin the commute to the dealership. I start the engine, hear a friendly chime, and the check engine light turned off! I drove it to work instead of the dealership just to make sure it stayed off. It did. After I arrived at work I eagerly called the MINI dealership and canceled my appointment. The code hasn't returned since.
I posted this so hopefully it will be picked up by a Google search someone may do for the same engine code. Motor on!
Oct 27, 2016 update:
I just picked my MINI up from the dealership. I took it in for an oil change and mentioned the check engine light (as it occurred once more). It turns out it was a "fuel rail" issue. Here is the wording straight from the mechanic as printed on my invoice:
37851 FUEL RAIL PRESSURE SENSOR FAULTY CONNECTED BATTERY CHARGER. SHORT TEST FOUND 2BF2 STORED IN DME. FUEL SYSTEM TEST PLAN FOUND FUEL PRESSURE CORRECT AND FUEL PRESSURE ADJUSTMENTS CORRECT. FOUND RAIL PRESSURE SENSOR SHOWING INCORRECT PRESSURES AT TIMES. REMOVED INTAKE MANIFOLD. REMOVED AND REPLACED FUEL RAIL ASSEMBLY. REPLACED INJECTOR SEALS. REINSTALLED MANIFOLD. CLEARED FAULTS. TEST DROVE VEHICLE TO VERIFY REPAIRS.
I don't have a cost for repairs, as it was covered under warranty. Car has 37,894 miles on it.
Oct 27, 2016 update:
I just picked my MINI up from the dealership. I took it in for an oil change and mentioned the check engine light (as it occurred once more). It turns out it was a "fuel rail" issue. Here is the wording straight from the mechanic as printed on my invoice:
37851 FUEL RAIL PRESSURE SENSOR FAULTY CONNECTED BATTERY CHARGER. SHORT TEST FOUND 2BF2 STORED IN DME. FUEL SYSTEM TEST PLAN FOUND FUEL PRESSURE CORRECT AND FUEL PRESSURE ADJUSTMENTS CORRECT. FOUND RAIL PRESSURE SENSOR SHOWING INCORRECT PRESSURES AT TIMES. REMOVED INTAKE MANIFOLD. REMOVED AND REPLACED FUEL RAIL ASSEMBLY. REPLACED INJECTOR SEALS. REINSTALLED MANIFOLD. CLEARED FAULTS. TEST DROVE VEHICLE TO VERIFY REPAIRS.
I don't have a cost for repairs, as it was covered under warranty. Car has 37,894 miles on it.
