So I back my Mini out of the garage today after sitting there about a week, and there's a puddle of blood in like an L on the floor. I drive her a little, park it again and once again oil drips down. So, I pop the hood and here's what I find.

First of all, what's the part in the circle in this first picture?



Secondly, I'm assuming that's where the oil is coming from cause look at this picture:



Any ideas guys?

-Eric

 

Motor Mount leak.......

 

Uh-Oh, I don't like to see three frowning smileys.......is this really involved? Luckily she's still under warranty. :-)

 

have the dealer replace it and then when it leaks again TSW and AXC will have a dry motor mount to replace that one with. It's in devo now and testing soon.

 

Well crap, I setup the appointment for warranty work, problem is I'm leaving on Monday for vacation and won't be back til December......and I was going to drive the MINI on the trip............ :-( This stinks.

Is it still OK to drive? I'm assuming it's not engine oil on the ground then but the fluid in the mount that's leaking then, correct?

 

IMHO the slight leak of fluid from this motor mount would not be significantly increased by the driving of a holiday vacation. Have fun and be careful! Just have it replaced when you get back!

 

That's the hydraulic Motor Mount... I had the passenger side unit replaced when it leaked - the dealer caught it, not me. They are notorious for failing and leaking.

 

You should be OK to go on vacation, the oil in the motor mount is thick and stains the frame pretty bad. Just take some rags with you and wipe it up occasionally. have it replaced upon return.

Good luck.

P.S. I had this issue as well.

 

Keep the aftermarket motor mount in mind, but you may never need it. MINI redesigned the mount, so the new one that the dealer puts on for you will be an improved version compared to the one that came with your car.

The factory mount in my wife's MINI failed at about 25k, and mine failed at about 35k. I know *lots* of people that have had to get the original mount replaced, often quite early in the car's life, but there are a lot fewer cases of people needing a *second* replacement after the first one, so the new part must be working better than the original design.