Correct- Not charging-  The red lite on the dash is round not regtangular ??

Check your belt to the alternator it may be too loose and needs tightening-

This should cure your problem-

BIG AL

I'm an idiot.  I think I found it behind a plastic cover.  Unplugged and replugged it and the car started.  Not sure if it was a coincidence or not. Once it started though, the red light still remained on the dash until I gave it some gas.  Seems that indicates a charging issue.

Old mini: on the clutch housing.  Medium old seventies mini:  On the inner fender.  Eighties and onward A+ stuff:  On the starter itself.

Follow the main +12V cable from the battery to where it terminates.  That thing is the solenoid.

Thanks for the info.  It is not the injected motor.  I have my Haynes manual but I cannot locate the starter solenoid anywhere in the car.  Where the heck is it?

Is this a fuel injected car?  In a regular mini, the starter motor is powered via a solenoid, and these wear out as well as have problems with corroded connectors.  Also, a poor engine ground strap can cause these issues, as well as a poor battery ground strap.

Begin by checking all of your ground straps, and +12V connections to the battery, from the +12V cable from the battery to the solenoid, and then the cable to the starter.  In rare situations it could simply be a worn starter.

The starter solenoid is a common part available off the shelf at any auto parts place.  A Ford F-100 item will work just fine, though an OEM mini part from a British Car specialist looks correct and is simplest.

On injected cars, this is more complex, but these issues stated above should also be looked at first.

Hi All-

I'm new to my Mini and the honeymoon is over.  I'm having trouble getting it started.  Sometimes it starts, sometimes it doesn't.  When it doesn't start, it doesn't even turn over.  All I hear is noise coming from the fuel tank in the rear.  The orange and lights come on the dash and that's it.  If I have the headlights on and crank it they don't go dim so it seems as though the battery is charged.  If I do get the car to start and run it around town, then park it and try to restart, it usually won't restart until it sits for awhile.  The other thing to note is that if I get it to start, the red rectangle light stays on until I push the accelerator.

Here are my troubleshooting steps thus far:

• Replaced the battery.  I had it tested and one of the cells was bad.  As soon as I put the new battery in it fired right up until I parked and tried to restart it.
• Tried jumping it off just to be sure....nothing
• Checked the connection to the distributor, ignition coil and spark plugs

Any tip/tricks/thoughts/advice would be much appreciated!

Also, it's the 1275cc 4spd engine.

Thanks