Here's the story.

I bought 5 quarts of oil, oil filter, and 2 quarts of transmission fluid because this would be the first time I changed the fluids in my MINI since I've owned it, and I wanted to have peace of mind that I was starting off fresh.

I have a 2005 MCS 6 speed. The car has 42,500 miles on it. Since it's been in my care, it has always been parked in my heated garage.

Recently, about 2 days before I changed all of the fluids, I noticed a tiny drop of black oil on the ground. After I finished changing the fluids/oil filter, I began driving it as usual. Now, I see about 2-3 drops on the ground every day when I pull it out of the garage.

I read as many threads as I could about areas of the engine that could possibly be leaking before I decided to start my own thread. I also took a few pictures of the area I believe is leaking.

Can anyone help me?

 

It looks as if my gasket is weeping but I'm not 100% sure. Because it only drips down the side under the driver's side.

 

Had the same exact thing with my 06 I took it to the dealer they put some kind of dye that showed up under light brought me back there and ran the car on the lift for a little while and I watched the oil start coming out from where the timing chain was and they said the gasket needed to be replaced but told me that they wouldn't recommend changing it because it was so minimal...A year later and a couple oil changes and it stopped leaking...I recommend having it checked out to make sure that's what it is but I'm almost 100% certain that's what your problem is...just check your oil weekly and you should be fine...1st gen Minis leak I've had almost every maintenance thing done to mine with a few more left but I'm pushing 114k on my 06 mcs jcw and it still runs like a champ...keep on motoring hope that helps :-)

 

I have a small leak as well. I ordered the crank position sensor gasket which is a common cause of oil leaks in our cars. This leak can look like the oil pan gasket because of how the oil leaks out. The piece is like $1.00, there is a way to change the gasket using a ratchet strap but I plan on doing it the long way (putting the car in service position) and cleaning the front of the block.

That being said, since you just changed your oil and it was your first time check the filter housing and everything you removed. Good luck!

 

Wow guys I really appreciate the feedback.

This is literally driving me crazy because it didn't start leaking until a week ago. Like I said, I'm only getting a few drips on the floor every day, nothing more. I hope it'll just randomly stop. I'll look into the crank seal and check that out. I read a write up on how to replace it and it doesn't look too bad. Let me know how it goes when you replace yours.

Thanks again! I'll continue to keep an eye on it.

 

Looks like it's coming off the back of the block, rather than the front where the CPS lives. Given that it started after the change, my first suspect would be the oil filter housing. I'd start by reaching down and wiping that area with a paper towel and see if you get any residual. Usually when they don't seal (i.e. o-ring gets compromised), it happens in rather dramatic fashion. But I'd still start there.

 

It started about 2 days before I changed the oil.

I already checked the housing very thoroughly. No drips, residue...etc

 

Well, I've recently had the crank sensor o-ring, thermostat housing and outer crank seal replaced which stopped most of my leaking. I still have drips (which look like yours) and I'm told that my output seals are leaking on the differential. I'll have these replaced next week (under extended warranty) - apparently a 3.5hr job.

Makes me wonder if R56 would have been a better choice?

 

Let me know how that goes! I don't think it's that big of an issue. Every car has it's qwerks. I'm willing to deal with it as long as it doesn't harm anything.

 

.

 

Pictures of possible leak turned out to be moisture from rain that took dirt down and settled.

After further examination of engine, it was decided to take everything apart to get down to the t stat. Thermostat was in tact and no leakage was coming from it. Everything was reassembled.

Mystery remains unsolved.

The green, bitter tasting liquid that has been seen on the garage floor is thought to be anti-freeze that is leaking from an unknown location onto the engine block.

 

3 places I've had leaks on my car:

-upper passenger motor mount. It is oil filled and has a tendency to leak a lot. When mine went I noticed a bunch of black oil spots on the floor underneath it.

-crank position sensor. It sits above the oil line when the engine isn't running so you won't notice any drips when the car is off. When the car is moving the oil will drip down the front of the engine and blow across the oil pan towards the back of the car.

and last, but probably least likely in your case:

-my front drivers side strut. I initially thought the engine was leaking, but the oil was just dripping down the strut, across the control arm, then falling off right underneath the engine

 

Just ordered a replacement upper motor mount. Mine has been out since I've owned the car. I haven't noticed any fresh oil leaking from it. It's all dried out. I'll check the other 2 places.

Thanks for the advice!

 

Tasting auto fluids on garage floor JSKeith111 to determine a source is Highly NOT recommended unless you happen to be a Terminator T3000...

Even in small amounts ethylene glycol can kill you...takes only about a tea spoon to kill a cat damaging the central envious system and crystalizing your kidneys.....

 

"Pain can be controlled, you just unplug it"

I know, I know. It wasn't a spoonful... It was a tiny dab on the tongue. Trust me, I would never willingly taste a chemical leaking from my car unless I knew it was harmless.

 

""""ammodave ammodave is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Niceville Fl
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Your AC refrigerant should not make a puddle; it should vaporize instantly in the atmosphere. The power steering is electromechanical, no fluid involved. You said it wasn't antifreeze; are you sure? MINI antifreeze is blue/green and has a bitter taste (not sweet). Try soaking up a bit of the puddle on a small piece of paper towel and attempt to light it. Antifreeze will not support a flame whereas a petroleum product like trannie oil will. I don't know what color the oil is in our transmission is but I have used synthetic transmission oil in the past that was green. If the paper towel does not burn, I think it's antifreeze. If it does burn, you might have a transmission leak. Good luck.
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Like I said about reading and researching before I made my own thread: Here's a post from someone who has experienced the same thing.

 

My situation is quite similar so I hope you blokes don't mind if I join this thread. I was planning on changing the motor and gear oil a couple days ago when I noticed drops of oil on either side of the oil pan...







Hoping to diagnose the leak. Searching around the most likely candidates seem to be oil pan gasket or crank sensor o-ring seal. Is there a clear way to diagnose which it is without adding a dye to the oil? Or is something else leaking?

I have a major mini R&R planned for next month when I tackle changing the supercharger oil. Trying to figure out if I should hold off on the motor oil change and take on the oil pan gasket while I've got the front end apart for the SC.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

I don't mind at all!

Well, I've read that mini recommends that you change the oil drain plug with a new one every oil change because constant temperature changes will dry out the rubber seal. Since the drips in the picture are near the plug, it makes me wonder if you just need to get a new drain plug. I went ahead and bought the fumoto drain valve when I changed my oil! (Will totally be worth it).

With that being said, go ahead and change your fluids/plug. Clean the oil pan and anywhere else with build up on it. If you still notice the drips you can do several things:
1) drive yourself mad trying to figure out where it's coming from like I have...
or
2) put a piece of cardboard under your car, letting whatever oil that may still be leaking to fall on, along with checking your oil levels occasionally and dealing with it.

I still can't find out where mine is coming from. I thought I was dripping oil, then I changed it, and now the drops look greenish in color but I think that's just from the old oil? Still confused and frustrated.

Hope that helped!

 

Also,

When you change the tranny fluid, make sure you loosen the top (fill bolt) before you loosen the bottom one to drain.

Ps: after looking at your pictures a little longer, it looks like we have the EXACT SAME problem. The oil buildup on your car looks exactly like the oil on my car. Same locations, drip pattern, everything. If I figure it out I'll be posting on here.

Cheers

 

Andy,

While driving, the leaky crank sensor will cause oil to drip down the front of the engine block, down the oil pan, and flutter off the oil pan towards the back of the car? I haven't seen any oil on the front of my engine block. Is it possible that the oil coming from the crank position sensor could blow back from the side of the block or anywhere else?

I still have this leak and its bugging the heck out of me. I'm still trying to locate the cause. I might get under it today and clean it all again to try and find the source.

Thanks

 

4th post down in this thread there are some great pics courtesy of grey raven.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...nk-sensor.html

Hopefully that gives you a better idea of the CPS leak

 

Oh wow...

His was leaking pretty bad. Now that I have an idea of where it is, I'll see if I can get under there, remove that plastic piece and examine it.

Thanks for the help

 

Good luck. Hopefully that turns out to be the case as its a really simple and super cheap fix with the ratchet strap method.

 

I had the same problem, it was the Oil Pan Gasket that failed. I had it replaced and it was expensive.

 

As I was looking through my carfax, I found out that the oil pan gasket on my r53 was changed at 30k miles. (I bought the car with 38k miles).

The car now has 43k miles. I checked my t-stat, my crank sensor o ring, and everything else it possibly could be. Everything seemed to be in order. I replaced my upper engine mount (passenger side).

This has to be my oil pan gasket. Is this a common issue with the r53? WHY?