Maybe this is a good opportunity to upgrade! :D


http://new.minimania.com/part/NME451...-Mini-Cooper-S

Edit: Found a cheaper one, but don't think I trust it from Ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=201029140704

 

Good call on the more frequent oil/filter change ECS. I'll run some conventional oil for a day before dumping it and putting in the synthetic.

Thanks for the option firechief but I did look at some aftermarket ideas (I always weigh the options between original parts and better aftermarket ones) but it's definitely not going to happen due to price and the fact that I don't think I'll ever have a problem with oil temps.

 

So I changed my heat exchanger and will have to wait and see if that resolves the problem. I suppose doing a bench pressure test on the old one will confirm whether it has been compromised but I currently don't have a tool/hose to do that (anybody have any ideas how to rig one up?) I tried sealing one of the cooling sides with my hand and running shop air through the other side but noticed no gross pressure loss nor did I ever notice any obvious signs of failure.

For those interested, you can indeed change your heat exchanger from the right side wheel well without removing the wheel liner or axle or anything else besides the wheel itself. All it takes is a T30 with a 10" extension (and a heap of patience) and you can reach all (4) torx screws. Be careful not to strip them out! Have a oil pan to catch the oil that will pour out of the filter housing and then something to catch the coolant as well (remove cooling hoses first to avoid getting coolant in the oil filter housing). If you are removing it for inspection or to replace, ABSOLUTELY get new gaskets. Once I removed mine and reinstalled it, I knew to be careful lining the new one up as it would be easy to move the gaskets accidentally and not notice you've shifted a gasket. Well apparently even though I was cautious, I rolled one of the gaskets over slightly and crushed it. When I started the car up, I had a fairly good drip coming from the exchanger. When I realized what I had done, it was too late. The old gaskets were not only very hard a brittle after 105k, they were so compressed that using an old one (and then trying with both old ones for "fun") did not create a seal. I had to drive 45 minutes to the dealer to get their one remaining one and after like the fifth time, I seem to have gotten it sealed up. The job should take an hour. I'll post a link to a writeup of this when it's live but it's an easy job.

 

Putting the O-rings securely is indeed a bit of a challenge. An old school trick is to apply a tiny bit of grease as adhesive to keep it in place while bolting up.

 

See and I knew about that trick, I just didn't want to introduce anything into the oil system or to the o-rings that didn't belong there. Would have saved myself a few bucks and a whole load of time though :/

 

Yes, we sometimes let our OCD take over, but running w/ coolant/oil mayo is definitely more harmful than a tiny bit of grease around the O-rings.

 

Tis true but hey, now I'm a PRO at replacing those!

I've got to be honest though, I never noticed any mayo and my oil cooler in particular looked clean. It's possible it's just condensation buildup? I'm not really sweating it at this point, there's not too much I can do besides monitor it. Still considering sending out a sample for testing but I didn't have a new filter on hand so that could potentially have coolant in it. Also, if the oil was contaminated and the problem is now fixed, I'm worried I'll get a false positive from residual coolant (or maybe not w/ almost 5 liters through the system a couple of drops won't come up).

 

Having a new cooler is 1 potential problem eliminated. Hope it's all sorted now.

 

If you have a MOTIVE pressure bleeder, it will double as a coolant tester since the MOTIVE cap will screw onto the recovery tank. (Same thread as the brake fluid reservoir)

 

I live in Montana and have a milky oil appearance on oil fill cap in winter because of cold weather. If you drain oil when time to change it and it looks ok its just condinsation in valve cover mixing with the oil. Usually happens when engine is run on short trips of 10 to 15 minutes. Take a long trip and the engine heat will get rid of the milky color.

 

You are welcome. Glad you got things sorted out in the above post. You might get a little bit of milkiness again on the cap after one change.