this AM, after warming up my '03 mini, 67k miles, for a while, when i went to move it out of the parking spot, the wheels spun on the ice. then the engine shut down. wouldn’t start up at all for a few minutes. got someone to push the car. wheels spun again, engine shut down again. started up right away after.
this has never happened before (i’ve actually never spun out before, either). i figured it was too much of a load on a relatively cold engine. i called the service advisor at the mini dealership and he said it was a case of vapor lock. i thought that was a hot weather problem. ???
Are you sure ypu want to take your car to that dealer, ever again?
There may be an rpm limiter control circuit in the engine computer. It would cut fuel if rpm exceeded a certain value. This is, usually, to protect the engine from excessive rpm. (It can, also, limit maximum speed). A technician could answer the question of how long it should take to reset.
Depends on what wheel spin is in your case.
It is pointless to do this if you do already know. It seems preventable.
no, i don’t want to use that dealership again, but have no choice since only they have the software needed to fix most complicated problems. actually, their mechanics are very good, know their stuff–it’s the “service advisors” who are the problem. you have to get thru to the technicians to get help and the SAs are the go-betweens.
In addition to the idea of the computer’s RPM limiter control shutting down the engine, there is another possibility. If this car has Traction Control, it is possible that it is malfunctioning.
When Traction Control works as it is supposed to, it will reduce engine power while simultaneously applying the brake to the spinning wheel(s). If the traction control system is not working properly, instead of merely reducing engine speed/power, it may shut the engine down. Does this car have Traction Control?