What hidden compartment?

 

It is really a “secret” compartment. If you don’t know the secret, we can’t tell you ... I have one on my 2012 ...

 

Sorry, could resist...
Hint:
Press and release the plastic panel on the dash above the glove box...

 

That's only on the R56, this is a third gen forum.

 

Yup, know that. My sales person told me the earlier F56 had that but it was gone on my 2019... Was he wrong? Seems like 02fanatic has it...

 

Ha! I actually don’t use mine for anything yet, but it’s nice to know it’s there as storage space is limited in a MINI.

Btw, I still use MINI 5W-30 Synthetic Oil in my JCW. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with 5W-30.

 

Mine is a 2019 JCW and I have both the extra cooler and the secret compartment.

 

How did you get the secret compartment?

 

I bought it. They are sold by a few of the vendors that support this site.

 

That is bizarre!
There is a saying about “a death by a thousand cuts”. MINI is going to kill this car by cutting a thousand nickels.... Cutting that out probably saved MINI a few dollars that showed up in their bottom line but not in the price of the car...

Hey, back on Topic...

Does anyone know the real oil capacity of this engine?
I have read that it is:
5 qts
5 liters (5.3 qts)
5.3 liters
Some vendors are selling 6 qt oil change packages
Some vendors are selling 5 qt oil change packages

The 5.3 L comes from a screen shot of a dealers computer, so that seems likely to be what it is. The 5 qt came from a YouTube post, but I found some errors with some of those videos.

 

I think the confusion comes from the different oil capacities between the cooper' 1.5L and the S and JCW's 2.0L engines.

This is the information I have:

Cooper (1.5 ltr engine): 4.25 ltr or 4.49 US Qts
Cooper S (2.0 ltr engine): 5.25 ltr or 5.5 US Qts

 

My 15S has the the "secret" compartment. I believe that it was dropped in 17. I was for a CD player option which, obviously, went away. I asked my SA last oil change about service bulletin about the new specs for 20W oil. He said that BMW changed so that it could meet Euro specs on millage. Thinner oil, lest friction/resistance, better MPG. Have not used any oil in over 40,000 and I said "not." He stated "no problem" they stock Shell 10W-30W and will continue to do so.

 

Thanks.

I think you are right about the confusion between the two engines. When I was looking I saw some of that. I actually found the amount for the 1.5 ltr engine more quickly and correctly than I did for the 2.0 ltr. Then, what I found for the 2.0 ltr was what I posted above.

It is nice that MINI has increased the oil capacity of the engine. I always through that the 4.5 qts for the R56 was a little shy of what it really needed.

 

I’ll have to check my prior research notes, but I believe there is a slight difference in the JCW engine and the MCS engine due to a larger oil cooler on the JCW.

JCW is 5.25L whereas the MCS is 5.0L

 

Wow, got to say, each day I own this car the more I am impressed with it; a larger oil cooler is a bonus!

 

Yes, my notes based on specifications shows the following:

Engine Oil: Cooper S = 5.0 liters, JCW = 5.25 liters.

Also, 5.25 Liters equals 5.5 Quarts

 

 

My JCW doesn't get tracked. But if it did I would have no qualms about using/sticking with the 0w-20 oil that the dealer puts in the engine.

0w-20 is not too light an oil.

Almost certainly the engine bearing clearances are very tight -- to make for a quiet/smooth running engine with a very low oil budget which is what you want with an engine in a street car -- and 0w-20 (the 20 is what counts at high temps, it is the high temperature viscosity index and high temperature is 212F) gets in those tight bearing clearances and just as important gets out again pronto.

Thicker is not always better. I talked to a guy who chose to run 15w-50 oil in his car (not a Mini) instead of the 0w-40 recommended by the factory. On the track his car was slower and on the street gas mileage was down a bit with 15w-50 when compared to 0w-40. But even when I reminded him of these things -- which he had mentioned in a previous post -- he still wanted to run 15w-50 oil, thinking if its "thicker" it has to be better.

Another problem with thicker oil is it generates more heat due to molecular friction. Running too high a viscosity of oil could have the oil temperature in the bearing above the oil's high temperature limit and oil break down and engine failure could be the result.

As for how often to change the oil, when I raced motorcycles then auto-crossed cars I was told by those that know (professional motorcycle and automobile mechanics and who also raced) to always show up at the track with fresh oil in the engine. This ensures the oil has as little contamination as possible. It is contamination -- mainly water -- which lowers the viscosity of the oil and leads to more foaming/frothing of the oil and more oil vapor. More foaming of the oil runs the risk the oil pump ingests oil with air still in it. (This can happen even if the engine is not tracked. It is a not unknown event on the dyno, an engine (fitted with a wet sump oil system whch is barely adequate for street use) when run at near red line experiences a sudden drop off in power. This has been traced to air in the oil which causes the hydraulic lifters to partially collapse which causes the engine output to fall off.)

On the track you have to keep in mind the engine is spending a great deal of time at high RPMs. As a result a lot of oil is not in the oil sump but suspended in the engine as oil mist/vapor. Video of an overhead cam engine shows at idle liquid oil being slung around from the cams and such, but at high RPMs the liquid oil is whipped into an oil mist and the atmosphere under the camshaft cover becomes a thick cloud oil mist/vapor. With no oil scavenge pump one just has to count on the oil contacting an engine surface reverting to a liquid and letting gravity pull it down into the oil pan.

As a result of all this oil in mist/vapor form being suspended in the engine spaces the oil level in the oil pan gets lower and there is less time for the oil that returns to the pan to shed its air before it is pulled down and into the oil pump pickup tube. Also, more oil vapor means more oil is lost via the air/oil separator. After a track session the intake walls downstream of where the crankcase vent tube connects to the intake will be wet with oil. Odds are too the oil level will be down.

 

RockC - thanks for the post. You make good points. The JCW with a greater volume amount of oil than the R56, should do better on that basis, too. It was noted above that a ScanGage provides a way to monitor oil temp, which I have done on my R56. I have found that to be very beneficial out on the track. And I have done the fresh oil thing, too..,

 

That extra cooler is not an oil cooler. It supplements the radiator. BMW calls it an AMOeK

 

Yup, and, per 02fanatic, the JCW has a larger oil cooler. The more cooling, oil and water, the better.