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OUCH !!! That's a head gasket I'm going to guess. But please beware, without the car in front of anyone, it's very hard to diagnose the issue properly. Has a leak down test been performed on the cylinders ? Pressure test the coolant system to check for more evidence of leaks ? However, that may not be a head gasket. There is a liquid to liquid cooler for the engine oil. Antifreeze keeps the engine oil from going through the roof due to the turbo. It's located by the oil filter. There are also orings that are used when the cooler is installed. Pressure test of the coolant system really needs to be done before you rip into it.
Whats weird is the car never overheated like this or ever for that matter. I know the older supercharged minis had this problem with the oil cooler but i havent seen a single post for a r56. Only external oil leaks from oil cooler
Check your oil filter housing as well because the oil filter housing has a one peice gasket for coolant and oil, if this gasket is bad enough it can cause the mixing of oil and coolant. The only other way I know for this to happen is the head gasket like Sprint cars suggested.
Thanks for the input but its only oil in the coolant. No coolant in the oil. The oil level actually went noticeably down. I will pressure test the coolant system this weekend before i tear it apart.
Thanks for the input but its only oil in the coolant. No coolant in the oil. The oil level actually went noticeably down. I will pressure test the coolant system this weekend before i tear it apart.
Oil found its way into to cooling system, if your oil level went noticeable down then your coolant level should have skyrocketed which it didn't to the point of over pressurization. If oil found a way out coolant found a way in.
UPDATE. pressurized coolant system and it passed with flying colors. How common are blown headgaskets with these cars? Guys at the shop refuse to believe its the headgasket and think its the oil cooler
UPDATE. pressurized coolant system and it passed with flying colors. How common are blown headgaskets with these cars? Guys at the shop refuse to believe its the headgasket and think its the oil cooler
A bad oil cooler or oil filter housing gasket are far more common to fail than a head gasket failure, so I'm going to have to agree with your mechanics. I bet all that own at least a 2010 MCS have had their oil filter housing gasket replaced do to leakage.
The oil cooler and oil filter housing gaskets are a common failure point. On my 08, the gasket split between the oil filter housing and the engine block. I didn't get oil into the coolant, but got oil leaking outside the engine (dripped down onto the exhaust where it goes under the engine).
Do you regularly check fluid levels, what I wonder is: where did the coolant go? Was the level proper before the oil situation?
It took me about 5 hours to change these gaskets and the turbo oil lines (they are in the same area). It is not a difficult job, just takes a while to get done. This means it will not be cheap to have someone do.
The failure would have to be internal to the oil cooler/filter housing for this kind of leak. An external oil leak is understandable but would have to be a completely different failure for coolant and oil mixing. I couldn't find one thread for a r56 oil cooler problem. Only 1st gen mini. I have the mini in service mode now. I will just remove the oil filter housing and "see what happens"
There is coolant that passes through the oil filter housing as well, so make sure you check both sets of gaskets. While you are in there you should replace the turbo oil line if it hasn't been done before, it is common for the line to develop a leak at the turbo end. My drain line had some crusty crap in it, so I replaced that as well.
Fully expected, but glad you got it fixed, did you take advance and clean the chambers free from black carbon deposits? There's nothing like clean combustion chambers free from carbon deposits especially on an N14 engine do to the oil ingestion! If you did to keep the chambers carbon free run a can of BG44K every 5000 miles to keep them clean.
I haven't run any BG44K in 2015 and already I see deposits forming right underneath the spark plug in one cylinder.
I currently have the same problem. A few weeks ago they already change the oil coolant and after cleaning the engine multiple times I'm still finding oil in the coolant reservoir. This morning found the leave very low so its back at MINI
Should this be happening to an 8 year old car with 59446 km? Apart from that the engine is only 2 and a half years old I had to change it because of some pistons gone wrong after 5 years. This is crazy.
I currently have the same problem. A few weeks ago they already change the oil coolant and after cleaning the engine multiple times I'm still finding oil in the coolant reservoir. This morning found the leave very low so its back at MINI
Should this be happening to an 8 year old car with 59446 km? Apart from that the engine is only 2 and a half years old I had to change it because of some pistons gone wrong after 5 years. This is crazy.
Would appricate some feedback
Thanks in advance!
Take care
Malcolm
Coolant reservoir
Hello Malcolm, check out the oil filter housing and oil cooler, but I'd probably suspect your headgasket as the possible cause. I'd get this issue looked at and fixed ASAP.
I have it in the water. I account it from working on the motor. If it's not in the crankcase oil I could care a less. Let it lubricate the water pump. I run low on fluid from time to time as well. Oh well. I fill it up and keep going.
Whether it should or should not be happening, it depends on how well the car was designed. Since the R56's release in 2007 it's been having serious problems right out of the gate, not just multiple timing chain replacements but major engine damage (weak pistons, casting flaws) do to many different badly designed components.
Many people that buy an R56 have multiple problems that seems to never end, do you think these same people will ever buy another Mini again? I'll make an educated guess that you won't, because a well designed car doesn't have many issue at all. I have never seen a car have so many issues with under 100,000 miles if you make it that far at all!
I would never buy a Mini again, might as well buy a higher quality car, one you don't spend $5000-$15,000 on after you buy it!
Last edited by Systemlord; Nov 3, 2015 at 07:47 PM.
Whether it should or should not be happening, it depends on how well the car was designed. Since the R56's release in 2007 it's been having serious problems right out of the gate, not just multiple timing chain replacements but major engine damage (weak pistons, casting flaws) do to many different badly designed components.
Many people that buy an R56 have multiple problems that seems to never end, do you think these same people will ever buy another Mini again? I'll make an educated guess that you won't, because a well designed car doesn't have many issue at all. I have never seen a car have so many issues with under 100,000 miles if you make it that far at all!
I would never buy a Mini again, might as well buy a higher quality car, one you don't spend $5000-$15,000 on after you buy it!
Best good point I seen you post yet. Not being smart. But I really agree strongly. Damn good point.
How quickly is coolant transitioning from the cooling system to the crank case? There is a freeze plug in the head that we have seen pop out 3 times now that will allow coolant to flood the crank case. Requires you to pull the head and install a new plug as well as multiple flushes of either systems to purge as much contaminates as possible.
