Hey everyone. A few days ago i was noticing a burning smell from the engine/exhaust not sure. Today i went to cousin subs and the engine was running oddly so i shut it off, started it, seemed ok. drove to work again then noticed it sounded ''hollow''. idk.

Pulled the dipstick. NOTHING!

Lifted the car on a lift, oil is leaking heavily from the intake tube to between the throttle and the supercharger.

i will get a new seal for that which i understand.

but why is there oil burning through my intake to the point where it is accumulating in my supercharger intake tube and then pouring out of the seal.

Thank you for the advice,
Mike.

 

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The W11 R53 engine has a 1L range on the dipstick.

If the dipstick is reading at the middle, 1/2L of oil needs to be added. If it's "dry" then at least 1L needs to be added.

The engine has a not-too-uncommon habit of "consuming" oil without showing that it is doing so. No blue smoke, no massive drips, no leaking into the coolant. Just consuming it. MINI Corporate has said that 1L/1000km consumption is "within tolerance" - even though we all can agree that's bat-sheet-insane.

I know all of this... because I went through it. I was 3L down on oil 6 months into my used car ownership, and consequently spun a rod bearing. Never saw any evidence and I had never even heard of things like that possible.

The PVC system also regurgitates the oil and it passes into the intercooler and intake downstream.

The oil you are seeing at the front of the engine can be from a couple of different places:

1: valve cover
2: "Green Gasket" where the SC connects to the intake
3: Crank Position Sensor
4: Oil Pan

There are solutions for all of the leaks

1: Replace the Valve cover gasket
2: Replace the gaskets, then add an Oil Catch can (which, on the R53's will reduce the amount that gets into that section)
3: Replace the CPS gasket and put some RTV around it
4: Replace the Pan gasket


To answer your question:
The oil isn't so much burning through the intake, as much as it is travelling through the airstream (via the gray vacuum tubes connecting to the SC) and collecting there when the car is off as it's one of the lowest points. The green gasket is a real PIA and should be changed when removed. It's even worse when the black plastic throttle body tube has a worn mounting hole to the SC and you can't fit the parts together again.


So, most importantly.... Get some oil in there immediately! See how much you end up putting in. If it's over 1L, you should start to save up for some serious work/costs ($2-7K range depending on how you handle it)

If all goes well, you'll realize why the forum recommends checking the oil level at every fill-up.

 

The oil you see in the SC tract is from condensation in the pcv systems.... 100% normal.
You need to check your oil more often....or your mini is gonna get very $$$ to keep....
Go more than 1 qt low, and you can have oiling issues from lack of oil on the cam....much less than that...and it can fail entirely....
Fix your leaks....
Then check the oil at every gasoline fill up till you learn how much it uses the way you drive it....

 

Hi MiniswithAttitude! A certain amount in the intake tube is normal. Oil catch cans are popular with some. Here's an article on the topic, and please let us know if we can help!

http://new.minimania.com/The_Oil_Cat...y_You_Want_One