Hey guys i was going to install my pulley today but when i jacket up my car and looked under the car there was oil leaking from the gasket on the oil pan. is this a hard job or expensive to fix? has anyone dealt with anything like this before. my car only has 54k on it.. is this normally something that happens around this time/mileage?

needless to say all my mods are on hold :(

any help would be appreciated

thanks

 

I have an '06 and been there. First time was due to whatever. The second time was due to the bolts being tightened too much. From what I understand it a bit of a pain to do the repair.

 

the Miles seem about right....
I would monitor the leak rate...check your oil...and you might be able to wait a bit...maybe combine the fix with a clutch job someday...
It can be a common issue...there have a been a few revised part numbers for the gasket...
most Gen1 MINI's will need one or more in the future...many have already have them...
It was said that MINI brand oil had some seal conditions in it once on White-roof radio..not sure if it was BS or not...

 

Yeah Zip is right, have to drop front subframe, may find a shop to narrow down shop book hr to 4, but not many will do that. But if you are good with a clutch waiting for that day may be far off.

When doing so I highly recommend replacing your OEM front sway bar bushings same time with the purple powerflex front sway bar replacement bushings .

Feels like you got a larger bar up front.

 

this might be a stupid question but is there anything that i can seal it up with for the time being? also so i be worried right now or should i be alright for the time being... i still have to install most of the mods in my sig and get a tune in about 2 weeks, should i hold off for now or should i be ok?

thanks for the replies so far guys

 

Are you having to add oil between changes?

There are 3 types of leaks. Weep, seep & leak. The first 2 are nothing to worry about & the third is not too bad as long as you watch the oil level & add accordingly.

 

Be very careful in adding any type of "stop leak" to a motor....
it contains chemicals that soften, and swell up gaskets...as long as the chemical is present...but when it is not used, the seal/gaskets tend to shrink to smaller and harder than they were before...so it is like crack for a motor...it can harm the good seals...and cause them to leak when you stop using the stuff....
SO IMO, just monitor the weep, seep, or leak unless it is big.....
In aviation, we joke that with the big radial engines, when they stop leaking, it is a bad sign, cause you are out of oil....the same kind of jokes folks make about British sports cars...
Be diligent about checking your oil, and keeping it at the full mark...and if you need to add excessive amounts ( that is up to you based upon mess, etc) then have the oil pan gasket done. IMO just check the oil level at every fuel up...more if you park on a hill (the angle of the car can cause a worse or less worse seep/weep/leak).
Unless it is a pretty bad gusher...I don't think it will hurt your plans!!

 

Let me add to this... Just don't! If you have a leak and it is bad enough, get it repaired properly.

 

And Harleys.........

 

and chevys.....

 

Not sure if you can get to all the bolts but what's wrong with retorqueing (checking) the pan bolts or adding a half turn of tightening?

 

It might (probably won't) help unless you find a loose bolt or bolts, and it might even increase the leak.
I also can hear the pre-echo of the words "oh, sh;t" when a bolt snaps with the extra half turn.

 

Mine's been leaking for a almost a year now. I'm waiting for my clutch to fail to repair it. I had two techs look at it and they didn't know where it was coming from. Seems to happen more if I park facing downhill. Oh well, at least I get some new oil between oil changes. =]

 

I think I have a similar oil leak but I have to admit I don't know exactly what I am looking at.



I assume the aluminum thing I'm looking at, with the grid stamped into it, is the oil pan. The leak seems to be coming from the gasket where this is bolted on. There is a lot of caked on oil/dirt on the front of the engine just behind the radiator. I've cleaned out what I can but it's hard to get to. Can someone confirm this is what I'm dealing with? I have more photos though none are very good. It's hard to get a view up behind the radiator.

The leak itself does not appear to be a "fast" leak. There have been intermittant spots on the floor for a while now but it seemed to come and go. We did recently have to add some oil but we're also nearing time for a change anyway. Any help is appreciated.

 

@MiniQ

Looks like an oil leak from the oil pan gasket, also check the valve cover gasket to see if it has a leak as it may be leaking down the side of the engine and off the oil pan. (Just to make sure its actually the oil pan gasket ).

@unxpectederror

I would fix the leak as soon as you can. 2 weeks doesn't sound too long as long as the leak isn't crazy and you double check the oil at least every day to make sure its topped off.

You both need one of these(#3):
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...84&hg=11&fg=10

 

Thanks and ahearty DUH! for me. I've changed the oil before and should have realized the drain plug is just to the rear of what I was looking at. I'm not real bright sometimes, I admit it.

More seriously, as I look up in behind the radiator at all the oil it seems there is quite a bit much higher than what I would say is the top of the oil pan. At first I assumed this was from oil leaking and getting thrown about and sticking higher. In hindsight I'm thinking the leak might be higher up. I'm handy but I'm by no means an expert on engines. Any suggestions on determining if it is something else, like the aforementioned valve cover gasket? Also, how does that repair compare to the oil pan gasket?

 

The crank sensor is up there and notorious for leaking $.20 O-ring and a PITA to get to.

Personally, for things like this, if I am not losing a lot of oil (I am old, so a lot of oil means "a lot of oil" as in the good old days) I would buy the o-ring and wait until I had to take the front off (service mode) and do it next time I have to dive in. I have lots of parts like that lying around so when I go places, I do everything at that time.

 

Interesting, I will try to get a better photo. There does appear to be something sticking out up there with lots of oily crap caked onto it. Could it really be that simple? Damn I hope so. Thanks for a ray of hope.

I have been considering buying the Bentley service manual anyway. Would that show me A) what you're talking about and B) how to service it?

 

Just search crank sensor and you should get lots of hits.

 

Thanks, I found another thread that makes me think even more that you are correct. I really appreciate all the help I get on NAM. Now just have to figure out how to replace it and what else I should do at the same time.

ETA: I really don't want to take it to the dealership because I simply don't trust any of them. We took it in about 2 years ago and they told us the oil pan was leaking then. The "repair" wopuld have been something like $1500 if I recall. Turns out, after searching NAM, the hydraulic motor mount had blown. Fixed it myself for the cost of the part. I had a recent bad experience with Nissan where a $3500 rear differential "fix" turned out to be a bad bearing I got replaced for $550. I'm a little wary of dealers right now.

 

THis is probably a dumb question but is the o-ring fairly standard one I can pick up at the local parts store or is it unique enough to get from Mini? I only ask because we're not that close to the dealership so if I can save a trek down there...

 

To ensure you get the exact right one, many vendors can ship/mail it to you....save the trip!!
Waymotorworks and penskeparts come to mind....