Hi All!


I'm having a problem with my oil temp/ battery voltage gauges in my R53. Occasionally while driving, the voltage will drop down to around 12.5 to 13 volts. Also, at the same time, the oil temp will start to climb to 140+ degrees. I'm wondering if these are accurate indications or if there's something wrong with the gauges themselves. I haven't noticed any other electrical issues and the oil pressure light never comes on. Has anyone else had this issue?


Thanks!

 

Need a lot more information. Year and miles and how old is the battery? Last oil change and when was the last time you checked the oil level. How old and how many miles on the serpentine belt, slipping? And, I'll bet there are some other factors that could be contributing, lets see who else chimes in with ideas.

 

+1 to Fly'n Brick

Also, where do you have an oil temp gauge? Is it an aftermarket one?

 

Most aftermarket guages that are wired in are DC....so if the ground changes, the readings change....same for input voltage to a certain extent...
I would check the wiring a bit...check for cuts, and look to see if the grounds are good.

An oil temp spike combined with a coolant temp might make sense if the water pump was having issues....the oil cooler has a coolant loop....so if the supply of coolant is reduced, the oil temp WILL climb.
One thing I am going to suggest....is take a look at the crank pulley....
The OEM unit has two metal parts, with a rubber metal....the rubber starts to age, and it will start to tear or slip...when this happens, the belt will not turn at the right rate for a bit till it fails....so the alternator, SC, and water pump will all slowdown....
Just hunch...but something that is easy too look at.

 

Hey! I've tried uploading the image of the gauges, but it doesn't work for some reason. It's the gauge console that sits in front of the shifter. Right under the Window control toggle switches. I think it's a Mini product. The car is a 2004 MCS with about 116000 miles on it. The oil has been changed pretty regularly. About 8 to 10k miles between intervals. I haven't checked the coolant level recently, but the coolant isn't overheating. The battery was changed a few months ago. This problem occurred prior to and after battery replacement. I guess I need to check coolant and oil levels just to rule those out as possible causes. I haven't checked the serpentine belt, and I don't know when/if it was replaced. I bought the car in 2013 when it had about 85K miles on it.

 

Well, after driving for about 3 hours AT NIGHT with the oil temp gauge pegged high, I realized it's some sort of electrical problem. As soon as I got home and turned the headlights off, the oil temp went down to about half way. And the battery voltage went back up to around 14V. Guess I'll start checking wiring....

 

Check the crank damper...when they start to fail...the rubber slips and tears....then they grip when the load is less...aka less load from the alternator and SC, and AC.

 

Seriously.....
The symptoms match....at some point it will finish tearing...and the waterpump, etc stops, and the dash will light up like a Christmas tree...it tends to progress....some fail fast, with no codes...some slowly get with then bammmm...If you don't have a lift, Jack the car up, yank off the passangerside tire....and yank the linerback...the plastic pop-rivit thoughts are reusable most of the time..The stock crank damper is two Metal parts, separated with a rubber middle... Issue is the rubber drys out, fatigues, and will start to slip and tear...if the wheel liner is off you can look at it for cracks in the rubber, or if on a lift, try to wiggle it with a pry bar...they get a bit less stiff before they fail according to my mechanic... He can spot them.
To just replace them without looking...I might say use "watchfull waiting", monitor it, but once the rubber starts to crack or it gets soft, swap it out...
Folks sometimes get ocd about fixing stuff that " commonly fail" on boards...heck...once any car gets old enough, everything can fail, lol..some things are just good till they are not, and getting a good MINI experienced mechanic look over your car yearly, even if you diy most stuff IMO is a good move. Some thing like bushings, ball joints, tierods are things a good mechanic will catch before they fail, but a home mechanic is likly too miss them till they fail, and that can be dangerous at the worst, or inconvenient at best.

 

Thanks ZippyNH! I'll definitely take a look at that.