My R53 has 167k mikes with many mods and does not leak a drop of oil ( yes replaced all the seals and gaskets) however I’ve been going through roughly a quart of oil every 1,500 miles. To me this isn’t normal but that’s what I’m asking. I sent off a oil sample on my last oil change and came back good.

 

At 167k miles, without any leaks it's definitely worn piston rings. Getting any black smoke or soot deposits from your exhaust tips?

 

A quart every 1500 miles doesn't seem too bad for a car with 167k miles. When you get under 1000 miles per quart it gets annoying.

 

No smoke but maybe deposits. I recently added a product called “Restore” that’s supposed to help seal piston rings so we’ll see?

 

Has the pcv valve been cleaned or replaced? They can sometimes be the culprit.

 

Yep been replaced recently. Thanks!

 

Do MINI owners do a de-carb with Seafoam like other carbon prone engines? I have not seen it mentioned. I'm new here though and may have missed the topic in my searches.

 

1st gen Minis are not carbon prone but the 2nd definitely. Still always a good practice to do though

 

Yes, I did a seafoam on the motor recently, I get a ton of smoke each time.

alconk maybe try hot shots stiction eliminator in the crank. If you have sticky rings it can lead to excessive oil loss. I suspected I had that on the ram (3~4 qts in 7k miles) and did the SE install, after the SE had time to work it dropped to a consistent 1~1.5 qts in the same time period. Started 50-60k miles back now (?) and no noticeable change in oil usage (still ~1.5 qt in 7k), motor has 449k on it. I am running it in my MINI but dont put a lot of miles on it so its hard for me to tell if there is any change in oil usage or not.

 

Ok thanks I’ll look that up. I recently poured in “Restore” and did a motor flush on my last oil change.

 

IMO, Restore types of products are going to thicken up the oil to slow down loss/mile. (have not researched it but that would be my assumption) Whereas if you used something like the HSS SE or Marvel Mystery oil or even Sea Foam in the crank it will clean up areas where oil is in contact and IF there are any sticky rings and the oil can get to it, it should free it up. If the ring is stuck slightly compressed then it could lead to oil loss.

It sucks to dump fresh oil so maybe wait ~3k miles and do another oil change with one of the above mentioned additives. I've used all 3 and have gravitated to the HSS SE over the other 2.

 

After looking it up I ordered a 16oz bottle after reading about the product. Hmm never heard of it so I’m very curious to see how it will work. Should I flush the engine again before I add new oil and the SE?

 

I would do a drain & fill & leave the filter since its new... with the other stuff you dropped in there, better to be on the safe side.

 

In 1992, purchase off showroom floor - Montana Green GTi 16V.....it ate a qt every 1,500 miles when it had just 10 miles on the odometer....I was told " that is an acceptable amount by any factory standards"....lol.

 

The W11 engine is not direct injection, so one can just dump Seafoam into full tank of fuel....

 

does not work as well as thru the intake...



Project farm... respectable testing by independent reviewer of all kinds of automotive stuff.


engine restore test....

 

Typically pour some in the gas, some in the oil then suck the rest through the brake booster line till it chokes, smokes and drowns to a stop. Let sit two beers then fire up and smoke out the neighbors. One good lap around the block and change oil, filters and plugs. Works great on old Fords. This is my first mini so still learning.

 

I'm not a fan of additives, flushing oils etc, especially on a high-mileage engine.
I think your oil consumption is within MINI's 'standards', but I do suggest switching to a 5 or 10W40 oil.
MINIs do like their oil!

 

Researching the Restore some... leave it for the OCI and see how it does.

 

sorry but what is “OCI”

 

0W-40 would be more appropriate.
Going to 10W will increase engine wear....that is a "flow" number not anything to do with weight.

 

Oil Change Interval... OCI

 

Do you have a link to a study on engine wear and oil weight? If so can you share it?

 

Never had the need to introduce it into the engine in that manner.

244K miles on mine, still runs like the day I bought it but even better with JCW upgrades.

 

0w40 Mobile 1 or Liqu Moly is what I use.