So my dad and I are trying to fix my 2002 Mini Cooper s. And it's just down to the supercharger. We found oil inside of it because one of the stupid o rings died and was completely messed up. We don't know if there is supposed to be oil in there. I'm really upset about it. I haven't had my mini for almost 4 months now. I just need to know what to do and if its an easy fix because I miss driving her. Someone please help. I really need it.

 

What was the condition of the gears in the PTO (i.e., the water pump end)?

 

Oil on the lobes is not necessarily indicative of a blown supercharger. Does the thing rattle like hell when you run it, or does your car overheat?

 

Yes...There can be oil in the intercooler and supercharger...it is after all the intake tract....PCV gasses are vented INTO the intake track so they can be consumed by the motor....to do this, the PCV gasses must GO THROUGH the SC...and sometimes this oily PCV gas will condense.....thus you will fins an oily residue in the SC and the intercooler. Folks sometimes add a catch can to try to reduce the volume of oil, in hopes of making a slight increase in the effecency of the intercooler.......but the gain on a gen1 car is dubious at best. On a direct-injected gen2, with carbon buildup on the valves, it is a different issue!!
The car should IDLE fine No SC...the bypass valve is OPEN, meaning the output of the SC is getting vented to atmosphere when there is low load/lower rpms's.
Folks that find their S overheating (is that an issue?) sometimes have either a failed supercharger PTO..where the water pumps connects, get low on oil...the gears grind up, fail...the waterpump stops....
Or a failed Harmonic/Crank damper.....here all the items run off the belt fail....sc,waterpump, alternator, AC compressor....car overheats.
Overheat a couple times...it blows the head gasket...can even crack the head or the block.

 

Yeah before we looked at it and took it apart it started overheating. We're going to change the alternator and the crankshaft belt. And so there is supposed to be oil in there? Like oil from the oil pan was in there.. We've never worked on a mini before.. So we've been having to look up videos because we don't really know a lot about the car. I got it in July for my 16th birthday. I already had to change the fan.. It's just becoming problem after problem...

 

Why the alternator?
If the car was overheating, and the alternator light was on, it is lily the crank pulley has failed...
IMG_0670B.jpg?t=1245694342
or when they REALLY go


and the replacements...non OEM
http://www.waymotorworks.com/super-d...ulley-r53.html
or
http://www.waymotorworks.com/fluid-c...ulley-r53.html


yup....unless there is a HUGE Volume of oil in the SC and Intercooler, it should be ok....

 

What GOOD gears on a SC PTO look like






Failed, DRY gears...so no WATERPUMP

 

let me be the first to say this is an easy fix my friend, replace with an N14 and get back behind the wheel. muff said

 

You might want to get a "Bentley" service manual.

http://www.waymotorworks.com/bentley...ir-manual.html
Not cheap, but lots if GOOD info about your car.....

 

From what my dad just told me the water cooler isn't working. And he's havin difficulty removing the pipe from it? And also there was a clip that is like $35 and it broke.. He said he thinks the gear is bad... Do you know where we can get a cheap one...?

 

LOL...Not with a 10 foot pole!! Just wait till you need carbon cleaning, have a 0 PSI cylinder, a timing chain go, or a cracked piston, or have to replace an entire valve cover due to a bad PCV !!....LOL. Gotta love those FRENCH designed motors!! They take after their designers....they take several months of vacation off per year...in the S anyway!!

But all rivalries aside, lets just try to help this 16 year old with his first car!

 

if the SC gears ran dry, the seals in it are bad,,,
time for a rebuilt SC....
500-1500$

 

Uhm I'm a girl... Lol

 

My dad is planning to take out the supercharger and send it to Chicago to get it rebuilt. The guy does it for $800 instead of bringing it to mini and having them make you pay $3000 for it.

 

being a technician has its advantages all the common problems already taken care of hehe my jcw is running fine and i cant complain

 

ill do some research and try to keep up with this issue for you man we will help as much as possible. good luck with everything in the meantime

 

IM A GIRL WTF!! And thanks...

 

I stand corrected!!

Since you mentioned the alternator, PLEASE have your father (or the"guy") working on your car look at the crank pulley....you can wiggle it with a pry-bar to see if it has begun to separate...when it starts to slip, it can cause SIMILAR symptoms to the SC gear issue...with the exception that while the car is running BEFORE it overheats, a battery light is usually on, and sometimes a slight burning rubber smell is around .(The SC gears going starts with a slight change is sound....and as it worsens, almost makes a chains dragging type of sound, will usually overheat at slow speed, be OK at higher speeds as the gears start to "grab " the waterpump gears less).
They DO tend to slip...be ok...then slip...be ok...then fail entirely.
Sometimes it will be ok, then fail as the ac is turned on from the extra load.

But once it is fixed, I think a MINI is an awesome 1st car!! And an S no less!
Style and 4 wheels!! Not to mention enough power to get into trouble!
So watch out!
Good Luck!!

 

Yeah. And nope I've done everything so far. It's MY car so IM gonna fix it even though I'm a girl and I'm 16. I'm very capable of doing this stuff myself. And I'm proud of it. My dad is just there to help me when I need it. Other than that. It's all me.
And so what you're saying it might not be the water cooler? It might just be the crank pulley?

 

You rock!

 

Thanks haha. I've only been learning about car since I was like 2.

 

Actually nevermind. We looked at the crank pulley and its just fine...

 

Terrific that you are doing it!!
By "water cooler" I think you mean water pump....
The water pump shares the pulley with the SC...it is turned WITH the SC, through a series of gears...and the water pump BOLTS onto the the SC.
Just think back to when it was overheating...DID the BATTERY light turn on? You mentioned that your father said something about replacing it...
Guess it can be read two different ways....Since there is ONE belt, I read it to say you needed an alternator too?
If it was OK, then the crank pulley SHOULD be fine! Just trying to rule it out BEFORE you DIG very deep in the car, and then spend the $$ on rebuilding the SC. Crank Damper failures on MINI's are more common due to the factory installed design than on other makes, so sometimes it gets overlooked.
Maybe since you started off asking about engine oil in the SC...It is normal, and is NOT a failure...I am trying to find out MORE about WHAT the problem was...just overheating, then finding some engine oil in a SC is kinda expected...overheating can be from many things,,,just don't want you paying to fix stuff that is not broken. That is why I posted pics of GOOD and FAILED SC gears where they connect to the waterpump....even the water pump can fail exclusive of the SC...as can a BLOCKED radiator in an older car that has not been flushed regularly or a bad thermostat!
It sounds like you have plenty of help....I just HOPE they have a clue!
What I hear "bad water-cooler" i get kinda nervous..............kinda non-specfic, non-existing part....overly general.

 

AWSOME!!
Good to rule out the simple to check stuff!!
First rule of auto-repair!!

 

Yeah we went back and looked over stuff. Everything is working fine except the water pump** lol my dad thinks one of the gears might be bad... That's it. But he still wants to get the SC rebuilt just incase. And yeah. We're going to replace the alternator.