So like the title says I went for a 20 minute hard canyon run. My CEL lit up on the way back down. I can't find any results for these codes in my Bentley manual or online.

P2F25
P2D52
P2DCC
P2968

Any help with these? Plus I got a low oil warning light in a very hard right hand corner, is that normal? Thanks.

 

2D52 is the super-knock code, usually fixed by cleaning the intake valves.

 

Not sure about the CEL codes but you shouldn't ever be getting a low oil warning light. Your oil must be pretty low. Better check that.

 

I did but for some reason I find the dip stick hard to read. I added a quart but it still looks the same to me...

 

hi! i understand from your previous posts that you've upgraded your exhaust & etcetera… might not be a bad idea to check for any leaks or any connections that may have gotten loose perhaps. good luck and hope you get it resolved real soon!

 

If you added a qt and it looks the same you might be 2 qts low

 

The factory dipstick is hard to read. Make sure the car is on a level surface and use an LED flashlight to look at the dipstick (will make it easier to determine the oil mark). If you are so inclined, I would just do an oil change and take note of how much comes out of the car. Figure out the mileage since your last oil change, factor in the qt you just put in, and that will give you an idea of how often you need to check/fill your oil.

 

I put it up my lift and checked it out, everything looks good. Power still feels awesome too.
Yea, I can't tell if it's actually reading on the dipstick or if I'm just getting residual oil in the tube on it every time I check it. I have now added a quart and a half. Thing is I check my oil every weekend and didn't notice it going down, but I think it's getting oil from the tube and fooling me. I'm going to stop by my local drive through oil place and see what they think.

 

I gave up on stupid factory and got the craven

 

Is it easier to read?

 

Pull the dipstick. Go back in the house and have a cup of coffee so the oil tube can drain. Now check the oil. It also helps to get a paper towel and lay the dipstick down on it flat. The oil on the dipstick will bleed over to the paper towel showing you the oil level.

 

I was frustrated trying to read the factory dipstick so I just replaced it with the one from Craven. I do find the Craven dipstick much easier to read.

 

It could just be that you took a corner really hard and had the oil 'slosh' around enough to trip the sensor. I know R53s you can get baffled oil pans. Maybe if you consistently hit the canyons or track you could get a shop to baffle your existing oil pan. It wouldn't be hard to do but it wouldn't be free... Get a craven dipstick for sure. Super easy to read. Cleaning the intake valves is my next suggestion. Easy to do yourself, just time consuming.

Here is an example of a baffled oil pan for an R53 just to give you an idea:
http://www.madnessmotorworks.com/mad...d-oil-pan.aspx

 

That's a good tip! I did try to let the oil tube drain. I removed the stick and let it sit. This is when I realized maybe it's not even hitting the stick at all That's when I added the quart and a half, which is all I had in my garage. But after that the stick still looked the same. Funny how I can install all my parts myself, but reading a dipstick stumps me

 

That's exactly why I was wondering if getting the warning was normal. I know the oil moves in corners. Just wondering that if it's full could you ever corner hard enough to trip it? Maybe I should do a dry sump system!

 

No need for dry sump. Too 'involved' in converting if you get my meaning. I thought about the same thing too, but baffling will solve the issue in these cars for a lot less money. It's def possible to trip it. I live in CO (maybe you do as well if you have canyons...) and during summers I take my MINI through a canyon and my buddy follows behind in his tuned GTI. I haven't had that warning in my MINI, but my buddy's GTI has tripped the sensor twice. If the turn is tight enough and fast enough it's def possible. I would check everything twice over, but if everything is ok and there are no leaks I would diagnose it as a hard cornering.

 

I live in Southern California but in an area with many great roads. The dry sump was more of a joke. It does leak a tiny bit of oil on the ground, and usually consumes 1 quart in 5000 miles. It has been 3k since my last oil change and I added half a quart at 2.5k to compensate for the consumption. Not sure why it seems so low this time.

 

YES

 

I've only gotten the oil light in the mountains once, and the oil was low. The recommendation to let the oil drain out of the tube and then taking a measurement is good.

Also try and make sure the dipstick doesn't spin when you put it in to get the oil reading. With mine one side is usually covered in oil but the other side gives a good estimate of where the oil level is. I check it every week as well.

 

Well I went by the oil place and they confirmed that the oil was not even touching the dip stick. They added another 2 quarts before it was full! So that was 3.5 quarts added in the last day! I may have a theory as to why it was so low when it never has been before. At 50k miles I had my oil feed lines replaced by my MINI dealer. I can only think that maybe they under filled the oil after. I'll keep an eye on it and see how much it uses.

 

so you ran it HARD with next to no oil. I would be trading it in tomorrow.

 

Figures... I was checking the oil every week since I got it back, but I guess the build up on the stick was throwing me off into thinking it was full. Oh well I will see what happens next, and hope for the best!

 

If not trading in, get some miles on the engine and send an oil sample to http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ and then you will know if your bearings, rings, pistons etc are toast.

 

+1 For Blackstone!

 

Yea I'm still keeping it. Thanks for the tip!


Well now that I have the oil situation figured out, any one know what the other DTC codes mean?