× 1-800-946-2642 Home My Account Social / Forum Articles Contact My Cart
Shop Now
Select Your Car Type Sale Items Clearance Items New Items
   Forum Width:     Forum Type: 

 Posted: Jul 10, 2019 06:44AM
Total posts: 2271
Last post: May 23, 2023
Member since:Dec 29, 2004
Cars in Garage: 1
Photos: 9
WorkBench Posts: 0
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mylow54
Hi every one , new member here. I have a 2004 R53 and have just started to notice small sooty like spots on the rear of car ? could anyone please advise. I have just carried out an oil change with oil filter and new plugs fitted.
I think Dan covered things pretty well.

It's difficult to know how bad the 'sooty like spots' on your MINI might be, but a couple things to keep in mind:

The rear hatch design (very vertical) causes the exhaust gasses from the tail pipe to swirl up against the bumper when the car is moving. With this design, it is not unusual for the black sooty dust to collect in the area above the tail pipes.

The R53 Cooper S tends to run on the rich side, so the sooty exhaust tip is normal.

 Posted: Jul 6, 2019 06:29PM
Total posts: 332
Last post: Mar 25, 2024
Member since:Jan 22, 2018
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
Go to the NorthAmericanMotoring website to get questions on the BINI answered. You can ask here but there's only one employee of Mini Mania who knows anything about BINIs. I suppose that eventually you BINI owners will take overwhelm the site and we Mini owners will be SOL like you are now.

 Posted: Jul 6, 2019 10:07AM
TRP
Total posts: 53
Last post: Nov 24, 2020
Member since:Sep 26, 2018
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
Quote:
Originally Posted by thewerewolf
another STUPIC BMW mini post..  
Don't mind Mr. Wolf, he's not on the official welcome committee.

Welcome to the site. Lot's of quirks with the way the forum interleaves with the classic and BMW based modern minis. 

Hope you stick around and enjoy what we have to offer.

Ted

 Posted: Jul 6, 2019 04:07AM
Total posts: 9241
Last post: Aug 17, 2023
Member since:Jun 5, 2000
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
US
As above, where exactly is the sooty spot?

The car is new to you.  Have you washed the spot off only to see it reappear?  Is it perhaps on the left side of the car near the fuel filler door?

Doug L.
 Posted: Jul 5, 2019 11:33AM
Total posts: 1007
Last post: Jul 19, 2022
Member since:Jul 24, 2014
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
If this is a direct injection engine there will be more soot produced normally than a port fuel injection engine would.

You can safely de-carbon an engine by spaying water from a clean squirt type dish soap bottle directly into the throttle body while someone keeps the engine at about 2000 rpm. 8 to 10 one ounce squirts, ten seconds or so between each. Then reassemble the snorkel tube and go for a high rpm drive. 

 Posted: Jul 5, 2019 08:57AM
Total posts: 2036
Last post: Mar 27, 2024
Member since:Aug 29, 2001
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
Posting on the mini (classic mini) part of this forum rather than the MINI (BMW) part of the forum will not get you as much help. I have owned one of each. 

As usual, a diagnosis requires more information. 

If you had enough rich running to cause soot on the back of the MINI then the plugs probably were black rather than white or tan from normal or lean running. What color were they? Why were they changed?

a common cause of abnormal air fuel ratio in a mini is a wrong carb needle. I had that trying a BDK carb needle and it caused black carbon spots on my bumper .

But a MINI does not have a carb, it has FI controlled by a computer and sensors. A common failure is the mass airflow (MAF) sensor. You can just disconnect it and the car will run on default settings just fine. If the cleaned up rear of the car stays clean, then there is your diagnosis. Replacing the MAF is an easy $100 and screwdriver repair. Some people take them out and clean them and sometimes that works. Other times replace. Other options include running error codes. Advance Auto will do it for free, then it is up to you to interpret the results and respond.  So far these are cheap ideas. Other option is a real shop, or dealer$. 

 Posted: Jul 5, 2019 06:54AM
Total posts: 9528
Last post: Mar 27, 2024
Member since:Aug 14, 2002
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
CA
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mylow54
Hi every one , new member here. I have a 2004 R53 and have just started to notice small sooty like spots on the rear of car ? could anyone please advise. I have just carried out an oil change with oil filter and new plugs fitted.
Changing the oil and filter should not cause sooty spots. Changing the spark plugs, assuming they are the correct ones, should improve combustion.

You need to analyze the spots more fully.
Are they all over the back of the car or just close to the tail pipe(s)?
Where do you drive and park the car? (It may be an environmental issue and nothing to do with the car itself.)
Is the inner surface of the tailpipe coated in the same sooty stuff, or is it dry?
Are there any engine service or other messages in the instrument panel?

How do you drive your car - sedately with no hard accelleration or do you drive in a "sporty" way? If it only gets city driving and the engine never gets worked hard, it will carbon up, become less efficient and perform less well.
There is an old remedy commonly called an "Italian tune up" - you drive the car working the engine hard by accellerating in a top gear as hard as it will do several/many times, driving up long hills without downshifting so the engine labours somewhat.  The general goal is to clean out the engine, working it at a rpm where it might be having hesitation etc. 

.

"Hang on a minute lads....I've got a great idea."

 Posted: Jul 5, 2019 06:36AM
Total posts: 3919
Last post: Oct 29, 2019
Member since:Oct 4, 2013
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
another STUPIC BMW mini post..  

 Posted: Jul 5, 2019 06:09AM
Total posts: 0
Last post: 
Member since:Jul 4, 2019
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
Hi every one , new member here. I have a 2004 R53 and have just started to notice small sooty like spots on the rear of car ? could anyone please advise. I have just carried out an oil change with oil filter and new plugs fitted.