I am a Mini newbie and bought an 05 Pepper White "S". I really like my new Mini "Crisis" mobile!
I decided to change my own oil rather than pay the $85 that the local Mini specialist charges. (Nearest dealer is 60 miles) So I bought an OE oil filter & wrench from MiniCarPats.net and away I went. I quickly remembered why I stopped doing my own oil changes several years ago, skinned knuckles, burns, tight working spaces etc... It took quite a bit of effort to get the filter housing off, but it finally let loose. I swapped out the filter and noticed that the "O" ring that came with the filter was not as snug fitting as the old one, but I oiled it up and swapped it anyway. I put the housing back on and felt it was a little light screwing it in, but I tightened it up, refilled with 5 qts of Mobile 1 and cranked up the motor. About 30 seconds later my son called attention to the fact that oil was pouring out from under the car. My heart sank! I shut down the engine and saw that the oil was coming from around the filter housing. I feared that I cross threaded the housing and really messed up. I tried to get the housing off and it was impossible. Figuring that I could not make it any worse I resorted to a hammer and shaft to tap the ratchet on the filter housing loose. When I finally got it off I noticed that the rubber "O" ring was mangled and that it had gotten cut as I was spinning it back on during re-assembly. I noticed that the gasket was short and that a small piece was missing and might have stuck in the housing manifold, so I tried like heck to find it probing around. No luck finding it. I re-assembled using the old gasket and it went back together nicely and did not leak. I was fearing the worse during the crisis: Having to flatbed my car to the repair shop and explain I had screwed it up with a DIY oil change. The laughing stock of the service techs!

Anyway this long winded post ends with 2 questions:

- If a piece of gasket did fall down into the area the filter housing mounts in, what is it's likely path? Down into the oil pan out of harms way, or into the motor to clog an oil channel?

- Are the OE filters prone to having loose "O" rings that are tricky to get back on?

TIA

 

$85 don't seem so bad now .. does it..

LOL

that is why i am so afraid to do it myself.. i will screw something up.. why don't they have 'normal' filters on these things ?? and in a place you can reach..

i guess , its to make you go to the dealer..

good luck with your fix.

 

My Mini is the only car I've owned in the past 22 years that I bring in for an oil change. That filter is a joke and the risk vs. reward is not worth the hassle. I spend the hour at the dealer test driving cars I can't afford and eating the cookies. Worth every penny.

 

No need to be afraid. The MINI oil change is not much different from other cars than the filter. Even that is not much of an issue if you take your time.
I understand if someone does not want to change oil themselves, but it is not hard or even that tricky.

 

I just did my own oil change yesterday, the second time since I bought the car in January. The canister/filter arrangement is a huge pain in the ***, especially trying to get the canister to seat correctly when you put it back on.

 

i dont have any problems at al changing my oil, i do it religiously erery 5k with royal purple and a wix filter. the only hard part i have is getting my socket down there because i dont have the filter tool i just use a short 36mm socket. other then that 20 min max

 

While not the easiest oil change I have done, the MINI is not all that bad. I take my time & have never had any problems other than Son of Kong at the dealer over tightening filter housing & drain plugs.

How big of a piece of gasket is missing? I'd hope it will be OK. Not much else you can do.

I've never had a problem with an O ring. I use oem filters.

Welcome to NAM Jim.

Go out for a drive & put a smile on your face. That will make all your hard work & trouble to change your own oil worth it.

 

Jim,
If it is any consolation your circumstance will save someone the headache of attempting this project...maybe. I am a BIG DIY'er but I still take in my wife's Monte SS for service and my MINI goes in for service. It is not that I can't do it, it is the consequences of a failure. If I screw up the wife's car I'm in deep do-do but if the dealer does something wrong, they can tow it in and fix it. Same for the MINI.
Now my CTD is the easiest oil change I've ever done. Its just a LOT of oil but the filter is simple and doesn't spill a drop. My 318 on the other hand creates a hazardous waste situation.

 

i hate doing my MCS's oil change. that canister is such a pita to get
back on. ive done it like 5-6x now but each time i dread doing it.

the filter and o-ring i got from minicarparts.net was OK on mine. it's on
my car right now. i check the filter area and dip stick every other week.
or so. no leaks. (changed earlier this spring).

my legacy is also a pita to do. not as bad as MCS, but around the filter
there is exhaust piping 360degrees. talk about hot hot hot!

 

I'm guessing if it is too hard then just spend the money & have it done.

Ken our Forester XT is one of the easiest cars I have ever changed the oil on. I don't touch those pipes.

 

but that takes out all the fun trying to unscrew the filter out of the
hot pipe nest.

i personally prefer the filter at the bottom of the car tilted horizontally.
those are by far the easistest to do imho.

 

I had the same thing happen once... sometimes those O-rings just don't do what they're supposed to...

http://www.blimeycabrio.com/?p=171

 

I guess you need a set of nice Kevlar gloves that go up to your elbows. I believe they are available. Maybe we should get a group buy going.

For me that filter that hangs down is perfect. It allows me to fill the filter with oil before installing it. No dry starts after the oil change.

 

no, i just need to get rid of the subaru.

yah, i use to do the filter fill before installing, but it was just another
step. haven't noticed any difference between filling it and not filling it.
maybe if you're using dino oil it might be good.

 

Yep it's a pretty tough step might as well skip it.

Only difference I've seen is that the oil light does not come on when I start it after a change. Not even for a second or two. I like that, makes me feel like I'm being so nice to scooby.

Better get back on track here.....

MINI oil changes & the men who love doing them.

 

I use OEM filters and have still busted the o-ring once....I always have 2 filters on hand b4 I start....

Biggest hint I can offer (for an S): when you go to screw the filter housing back on PRESS DOWN HARD .... you need to fight a spring, the filter element and the o-ring.

I've found FIRM pressure down on the can while turning with some form of glove on for extra grip will allow me to get the filter to a snug position where the o-ring is still holding the can off a wee bit. A 1/4 turn or so with the wrench snugs things up tight. (using the wrench to tighten a filter is just so contrary to everything else)

Be glad tho .... look around here and you'll see the many posts about folks who couldn't get the drain bung out either! I've stripped two..... consider a Fumoto valve if you plan to continue DIY. After a couple of times it does get easier. I do changes for locals who ask.....and buy lunch

http://www.qwikvalve.com/index.html?...FQZqswod5HH-FQ

 

Ditto with Capt bj the key is firm pressure on the filter housing!

 

werd, cause even on the legacy the oil light has never come on after
the change and empty filter. if it did, i would definitely fill it before
screw it in.

i dont think there's that many people here that needs to remind themselves
they are men, crashton.

 

I've done a few and have yet to have an issue.

My suggestions (for the hearty souls who try )
Get the right socket (or the wrong one, and cut it down like I did!)
Loosen canister, let oil drain back in
PRE-FIT filter, both on the filter assembly and on the canister
Just for jollies, screw canister onto assembly w/o the filter in place
Lube ring well

 

I'm guessing your oil light mustt be burnt out Ken. Maybe you should consider going with a HID oil light kit from fleaBay.

Back on topic....

MINI oil changes & the persons who love doing them.

 

My guess is the piece was 1/4" to 1/2 ". With any luck I will find it at the bottom of the pot after the next oil change. I'm a glutton for punishment and will do it again in 5k! Thanks for the welcome aboard ...

 

In my neck of the woods, the dealer is 60 minutes each way, you need to make a reservation and it takes over an hour hanging around, and they do not serve cookies! So if I am going to take time off from work I would rather drive to the seacoast and hang out than drive to the dealer and read magazines. So it's more than the $$$, it's also the time. I'm scared to death to take it to one of those 15 minute Speedy Lube places. I doubt the ones in my area see very many Mini's if any...
With any luck I dodged a bullet and I am in the clear.

 

Please don't go to Grifty Lube. I am in the same position like you Jim. I have been changing oil since my first car in college, but I am scared to death touching this one. The tight space, the so "Euro" style canister. I am going to be out with my covered maintenance this year.

 

Jim,

Likely path of a piece of gasket (these o-rings really aren't know for breaking into many pieces) is into the oil pan and stuck to the oil pump pickup screen. Mostly out of harms way. Audis have gone very far with a lot worse (think 1.8T sludge cars).

Just did the oil change on the girlfriend's car. O-ring was tight, as well as every o-ring I've used @ work.

In the future if you find the o-ring too loose- try putting it in the freezer for a couple of minutes. I've used this to get fuel pump gaskets to fit properly. It shrinks the rubber just enough to fit snugly during installation.

Cheers!

 

it's not scary to do. and you can use a 36mm socket from sears. that's
wat i use, none of that low profile socket wrench dedicated to this car.

it's just a pita to get that canister to thread back on. it's a push and
twist ordeal and once you get the hang of it you can get it to pop in
in a few tries. you can definitely tell by the amount of torque needed
if you are cross threading or not. you should definitely try it.