Just sharing a re-build I did for a friend that had a leaky oil pan gasket on his 05. He wasn't diligent on checking the oil level. He heard it starting to clack and knew he probably spun a rod bearing. Upon checking his oil level, 3 quarts low, he brought it to me and I tore it down to find cylinder #4 rod bearing toast. So I went ahead and ordered a new crank and rods. At this point he decided he wanted a ported head and pulley. So in the link below are good reference pics of what all was done, that may help someone out in the future as I documented as much as I thought was neccessary.

enjoy..

http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ebuild%202012/

 

Hell yes, it helps.

I'm literally going through this right now (spun #1's bearing), but it was a case of a magical invisible oil leak (3L in less than 6 months).

I'm having a hard time finding a W11.

 

Are you saying you did not check your oil for six months?

 

Are some driver just rely on the low oil level indicator? Is it safe and how much oil is left when it reached that level.

 

Good work. I hope to keep my engine healthy enough it won't need a rebuild.

Where did you get the engine fastener torque specs? I didn't think that the bentley manual had rod and block-halves bolt torque. Did you get new piston rings and hone the cylinders? No machining needed on the block?

 

I'm going to check the Mini's oil this morning!

 

Minis have a low oil level indicator?? My '06 sure doesn't. If the oil light comes on, it's because the oil pressure is too low.

My '06 JCW cabriolet does use oil, but it depends upon how hard I drive it. Long distance steady state cruising and it doens't use much. Drive it hard in the twisty mountain roads and I have to check much more frequently. And I've had the pan gasket and sensor oring replaced.

 

These motors do BURN a bit of oil....so if you can't see a leak....
Some do as much as a quart per 1000 miles, and still run fine...
Seems to depends on how the inital break-in was done...
Mine was light and slow...basicly ZERO oil consumption, but some folks broke them in the hard and fast way....and these tend to burn iol from what I have see, especially in later years!!

 

Hayes manual has them, I did a google search and found them and wrote them in my Bentley Manual for future ref, I am not sure where I got them before as this isn't my 1st MINI engine rebuild, but then again I was using ARP rods and head bolts. I didn't do pistons, as they were fine and I was trying to save him money. if he would of kept running it with the spun bearing it would of needed new rings and or pistons, but it wasn't his first spun bearing in his abusive long driving career, lol.

 

On the R53's they have an oil pressure sensor on the back of the oil filter housing. If the oil pressure lite comes on you are in trouble. I lost an oil line on a 400hp engine and it tore up all the bearings and #4 piston in less than a quarter of a mile, Now granted I was on the boost at the time....lol

 

Good to know there is no 'low oil level light' I guess coming from a background of benz beemers and audi's I would have expected there to be a light. Heck even my '88 bmw has a low oil level light!! Not sure what the BMW/MINI engineers were thinking on this one.....

I guess I will be routinely checking now! I was assuming a light would come on if I were ever low. Thanks Guys!!

 

Yup, in my TT when she is a quart low, oil light....that's once a month at least!

 

One thing to remember...
The gen1 mini is not really a bmw product...
it was mostly desgined by rover, then updated, partially reengineered, and builr by mini/bmw....
So many "regular" bmw things are not included....
Others were left out to keep the price more reasonable....more mini and less inflated.

 

And I believe that the first gen engine is a Chrysler design.

 

I was slow and meticulous breaking in Artoo. I have changed each o-ring and gasket and still I burn about a quart every 1500 and has been for the last 75,000 miles or more. No leaks. Just an annoying burn.

///Rich

 

Cole...Dood...I havent checked my oil level in the Mini in like 3 years.. I have almost 70k miles on the same oil change (last oil change was @ 30k mile mark..car has 110k) and I ran the Midlands with absolutely no oil in the gearbox for 2 weeks and it ran like a champ until I Jiffy-popped it from my own wrong doing. The motor is still holding up strong with no valve tick or nothing abnormal. I am going to do an oil change on all the cars when I get back to the US in Sep so I will report back and take pics and post them...