The Mini isn't my car, it's my mothers. But being a shade tree mechanic, I'm the one who does all of the work it needs. Earlier this summer I gave it an oil change and neglected to change the drain plug with the gasket.

I get a call yesterday, asking why the oil lights on. I go to check out the car and the dipstick DRY.

I inspect the plug and I can see a slight droplet forming. I think it's just been slowly leaking for months and months, and nobody has bothered to ever check the level...crap. I very rarely drive it, so I never checked the oil. I probably should have checked it every time I drove it..if I would have, it would have been obviously low...

When I pulled the plug I only got about 1 or 2 cups of oil out of the engine....With the plug out I put one bottle of new oil in to clear some of the crap out, and then changed the filter and gave it fresh oil. It seems ok. I can haer a tick on the top-end like a lifter, but otherwise the engine seems just fine.

I think the plan is to drive it gingerly for a few days and then change the oil and filter again. Running so long with so little oil, I'm sure there was plenty of contaminants which could not circulate around..want to make sure to get all of that crap out.

Is there anything else I should do? Maybe seafoam it?

I can only imaging how much damange running it dry did. Those poor main bearings, etc..crap.

 

run a bottle of the motor flush (gunk). about 5 bucks. will thin out any deposits. i am actually planning to flush my high mileage engine again tomorrow with that stuff. good stuff. i know it work because i normally run it before i tear down any old engine, and you will be amaze how clean some of the heads, and engine block arewhen i open it. just put a bottle in just before the oil change, let it IDLE (do not rev the engine) for 5 mins. and drain the oil.

 

Seafoam would get my vote. It's been more proven, not only to run thru our PCV hose, but tosed into our gas tank and engine oil.

 

Seafoam is good too.