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Wonder if it's time to simply change the intrinsic design of plugs.

Poetry.

Btw, I agree on latter part of OP. There absolutely no fucking way to know ahead position of side electrode of particular plug in particular engine.

Interesting, and not urban legend. Straight from NGK page. In DI engine, you index it toward injector?

Spacer for rear O2 would, probably, fix your engine light. Goes between pipe/cat and 02 sensor.

I will pull the codes today. I don’t look at the check engine light anymore. I put an aftermarket manifold and cat on it last year and the rear O2 sensor does not play nice. I currently have 5 lights that stay on.

It used to be a hot rodder's trick to try to squeeze out a couple HP; usually pointless, but sometimes worth while. I recently learned that with some DI engines it's a big deal so if you have one and do your own work, make sure you check the info for yours. Some manufacturers get around it by using multi electrode plugs. Many say that if you buy plugs from a dealer they index properly, vs. the same number plugs from a parts supplier that won't index the same; I'm not sold on that.

The fill cap on some cars like to stick, but it seems likely that that one had been cranked down. No story about the filter so I guess he didn't go crazy on that.

Even if it didn't trigger a check engine light there's likely to be a "pending" code that will tell you which cylinder it was. From there I'd look at the plugs to see if it might be worn plugs or something else. If you replace the plugs I recommend OEM unless there's evidence of something that's better for it. They don't have to come from a stealership, just the same brand and number plugs. It's unlikely to be a coil, when they crap out it's usually permanent. I've seen some cases where they stop working cold but work as they heat up. The inverse could happen, but I don't recall ever experiencing it.

Good idea. I have thought of doing that, but it is such an intermittent event by the time I get home I have forgotten about it. Until the dead cylinder incident. And the stethoscope is in the barn so it is even easier to forget.

I just changed the oil on Molly's Subaru Outback, (SOB) I wish I could find the Subaru Tech who touched it last… FUCKING COCK SUCKING MOTHER FUCKER. 🤬 He must have applied the oil fill cap with a specialty tool torqued to about 60 pounds. The OIL FILL CAP!! Who does that?? . After I carefully removed it with a wrench my buddy said, “I bet the oil tech got fucked in the ass for forgetting to put the oil cap on previously.” Oddly, the Subaru cap appears to have slots for a speciality tool to be inserted for tightening…I’d never noticed that before. Next, when I tried to remove the oil drain plug with a 14mm socket and a 3/8’ ratchet wrench it wouldn’t budge. So, when I moved to a 1/2’ ratchet and it didn’t budge I began to become concerned. I pulled out the “Big Gun” the DeWalt 3/8’ cordless impact. The same tool I have pulled old, rusty bumper bolts with! Nada. Fucking reefed on. ‘’Out comes the DeWalt 1/2” cordless impact gun which I use for pulling wheel lug nuts. Well, the mother fucking oil drain plug busts loose, spins off, and I got hit with projectile oil vomit from the Subaru’s 45 degree exit drain plug. A fucking geyser which drenched my pants from the hip to the knee, and these were not my shop pants. I was pretty infuriated as I hadn’t bothered to put on my mechanics coveralls as it was a one bolt job. I decided to,change the oil on the SOB shortly after putting adjustable lower control arms on my buddy’s Jeep TJ. (The one we swapped Rubicon running gear into.) So, the point of this whole story…? I looked up the torque spec for a Subaru Outback oil drain plug and torqued that bitch to a perfect 25 foot pounds. 😀

Auto Stethoscope, listen on startup for general location and see if you can pinpoint it down. I have even used a short 2ft paint roller extension stick to pinpoint problems in the past. Press against your ear and listen. Naturally keep digits and loose clothing from belts and other spinning crap.

Not DI. I will try new ignition stuff. Thanks.

Outmotoring has an ignition set they just started advertising. Includes coil pak. It has been probably 10 years since I last replaced one. Thanks, will try that next week.

Is it DI or port injection? I doubt the injectors could do anything to cause a tick. If the motor's really worn the imbalance caused by a misfire might cause ticking, but I don't think I've ever experienced it. If it's DI and the intake valves are gunked up and leaking they might be able to cause a tick/chirp type noise along with a misfire.

I don't think first and second part of your post are related. First looks like hydraulic lash adjuster/ lifter whatever you wanna call issue Second, it would be, obviously, fuel or ignition. I won't elaborate any further because I'm totally unfamiliar with your Mini. Maybe just throw on it fresh set of spark plugs and ignition coils. Not that expensive.

For the last year or so my MINI has a loud single tick on cold startup. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. It goes completely away in about a minute or two, by the time I get out of my neighborhood. I assume an injector is getting sticky. The car is my daily driver, but one week a month it sits at my office when I am driving a “call” car. Last week I got in after a week on call and started driving home. It was missing on one cylinder. It did not go into limp mode so I said fuck it and kept on driving. About a mile out it cleared. Is this an obvious bad injector? 278,000 miles on not top-tier ethanol free premium gas. I run Techron through it every few thousand miles. Should I try to clean it or replace it? Probably will DIY. Should I replace them all (fuckers are pricey)?

My test was sufficient for needs outside of air/spacecraft. I measured it a few months apart against the other torque wrench. I know exactly how that can be problematic but was simply looking for repeatability/change and really don't care about ultimate precision.

+1 as in send it out for calibration. The Prime Air team that was building drones had theirs sent out every Friday for calibration....FAA and all....maybe Boeing should have been as methodical.

If it can roll away, they can take it in seconds. Don't matter how good, or how many locks you put on it. Meth-heads will even steal worthless crap, if not tied down. Parking boot and/or 3/8" grade 8 chain tied to something not easily cut or broken. A "dead-man" anchor screwed into the ground just at the edge of the pavement should do it. Secure that with the biggest, hard-to-cut locks you can find. Then install a motion sensor on that brick wall. Then you'll know when the fuckers try anyway, and you can go out and shoot beat the shit out of those fuckers. ANYONE WANT TO TRY TAKING MY TRAILER?

More importantly; what color? Black is typically the most sun resistant, but it'll convert sunlight into lots of heat and possibly fatigue the metal. White will reflect the heat better, but degrade faster. Both will trap moisture. A silver tarp perhaps, with appropriate strapping of course. Loosely bound with another fan to prevent moisture damage? I really need to reassess my stupid method of just throwing random old tarps over mine. I thought it was enough, but it's only been a couple decades and the scrap plywood I used as decking is already showing serious signs of age.

Have you not seen the lock picking thread in the pub? Don't trust a common padlock to secure that trailer, people would spin it and either pop that lock in seconds or just hook up the chains and haul ass. Look into a trailer ball hitch lock system. Some are better than others and even help lock up the safety chains.

How many mils thick should the bag be? What's the best way to secure it? If there's excess bag flapping around in the wind it might make too much noise. Is there a good website where garage bags are compared? It's got to be current up to date info though as garage bag data from last year or older is useless. He'd probably have to buy a whole box of bags even though only one is needed and that's how they get you...big garbage bag corporate conspiracy.

Seriously, I would just throw one of those contractors/garden huge garbage bag over tow bar.

And now those safety chains are rusted! The strength is compromised. You should remove those and store safely some place warm and dry. Properly clean, heat and oil-quench to restore. Better yet, start over, buy a new set. Those cannot be trusted. They look on the small side anyway. Do better research to make sure the new set is properly sized. I hear they make them in stainless…. Oohhh wait…does stainless have the same tensile strength as regular, zinc-plated?? Oh shit….more research……