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 A puff of smoke and some misfire TOO!

 Created by: rixmini
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 Posted: Apr 6, 2018 10:29AM
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I know we're a little far, but MOTR (Minis of the Rockies) is always willing to help out if you get stuck.

While most members are Denverish based, We could probably do a half-way tech session somewhere like Castle Rock with some planning.

Good luck!

 Posted: Apr 6, 2018 08:12AM
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Thanks a million for the input. I will check into the fuel trap as soon as the weather permits & my honey-do list slackens up a bit! My house is getting new windows in 4 days and I've been clearing space and prepping the sills, etc. It often snows (intermittently) through May in this part of Colorado, so I'm at the mercy of Mother Nature. P.S. The smoke had no scent of antifreeze but rather a fuel smell [like sniffing an old can of gas]. That's why I discussed getting rid of the old fuel & starting over.

 Posted: Apr 4, 2018 10:31AM
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have you checked the fuel trap on the firewall? it has a vacuum line from the computer and out to the intake manifold they sometimes get blocked.
The white smoke is normal when cold outside does it smell like anti freeze?
Draining what fuel is left in the tank would not be a bad idea as ethanol fuels seem to go bad quickly.
Harbor Freight sells an inexpensive siphon hose to get the remainder of the fuel out.

If in doubt, flat out. Colin Mc Rae MBE 1968-2007.

Give a car more power and it goes faster on the straights,
make a car lighter and it's faster everywhere. Colin Chapman.

 Posted: Apr 4, 2018 09:48AM
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This problem started last fall, before I parked the MINI for winter. Winter here includes some freezing temps and I use fuel stabilizer when I park it. Anyway, as was the case last spring and again yesterday when I fired it up, I get white smoke for a while, rough idle and what seems to be a low RPM misfire, then it's fine by the time I get to the end of the road (1/2 mile). I've re-torqued the intake, checked the plugs, and inspected all the vacuum lines. Again, it gets better as soon as it warms up. Should I drain and flush the gas tank? Fuel pump in tank, filter under the car (below gas tank), I can pump it down to almost zero, but how best to get the last of what's in the bottom of the tank? I've looked through the forum posts to see if other folks have had similar trouble, but none relate to the Rover Electronic throttle body FI that my car has. Circa 1990-91. I would enjoy some input, as I know I'm overlooking the obvious.