Alright, sorry for the long post, but here we go...

2009 Mini Clubman S
118k Miles, No CEL/Codes...

So I just got my first Mini the other day, and I had hoped to use the forum for good things only.. But of course I'm burning some oil and my coolant seems to be low, always. I purchased the car and immediately drove it about 20 miles. At a stop light I noticed some smoke coming from the engine By the time I got home I noticed it was slightly worse, but still nothing too bad, kind of like when you spill a lil extra when topping off the oil. Anyway, I pop the hood, look everything over, and the car seems clean. I popped open the coolant reservoir a little bit later and it was bone dry... So I went to BMW (in my work car ) and got a gallon of the good blue stuff. Went back, poured half of it in til at full mark. Drove around, still had burning oil smell, but when I got home, coolant was low again. I let the car cool off, filled it back up to the max line, turned it on and let it run until some coolant was sucked down and it was at minimum line. Then I added enough to put it back to normal (almost a gallon...) I'm wondering if I need to change the coolant thermostat that supposedly goes bad on the R56s? Any thoughts, suggestions? I can't find/see anywhere else that it is visibly leaking from..

I ended up changing the valve cover and gaskets since I saw some oil around there and one of the bolts especially and figured since it seems to be a common failure on these cars I'd have my problem solved. Well, its not. The VCG is completely sealed and oil free now, but I'm still getting the burning oil. After searching around online it looked like some people experience leaks from an oil line going into the turbo? Where/what would this look like? From under the car I can see an obvious oil trail coming down from the driver side of the engine, but I still can't pinpoint an obvious source.

Any help is MUCH appreciated guys/girls. Below are some photos to help with the puzzle.. Thanks






Bottom of engine looking up. Obvious trail of oil starting from that silver thing up top (what is that?)





That black tube in the background with the metal tube coming out... It looks like a coolant line but also seems like a culprit for leaking oil?





Trail of oil from up on the drivers side of the engine...





Another shot from under the car showing the same trail of oil...

 

Bet the oil feed line to turbo is leaking oil.....I would also replace the oil filter housing gasket and the Coolant gasket for the heat exchanger that is piggy backed there on the oil filter housing...

 

Awesome, thanks. Got any links for write ups for changing these?

 

Turbo oil line DIY here and well as the oil filter housing gasket, I did mine on my R56 MCS at the same time since i was there. It can also leak coolant from the oil filter housing gasket as the gasket traps the coolant going into the oil filter section as a cooler.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-oil-leak.html









The thermostat housing usually leak on the back of the transmission, but best to get that out of the way also: 11537534521

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...8-no-heat.html

 

Here is the write up for just the oil feed line: Detroit Tuned TOL Install

I would recommend replacing the oil filter housing gasket as well.

We sell a kit that contains everything required to do the job, our line will remedy the oil line leak for good, as well as replaces all the necessary leak points in that vicinity. Detroit Tuned TOL Super Kit In stock and ready to ship.

Your vacuum pump may also be leaking oil, you can remove it and re seal it yourself if you have the time.

 

Awesome. I actually ordered the super kit last Saturday so just eating for that to come in and I'll pull apart everything while I wait so I can throw it right in. Thanks for the info!

 

I was hoping there is a way to check and see if the thermostat housing NEEDS to be replaced? Or is it totally worth it to drop another $100 and just order it and put it in? Thanks, mysterious ECS man..

 

The thermostat is either going to leak or have a faulty temp sensor. If you aren't having trouble with it yet there isn't any need to replace it, in the long run you would save about $20 in coolant by doing the thermostat at the same time as the super kit install.

Thank you for the order, if you ordered Saturday it just went out on today's truck and should be to you within the week.

Let us know if there is anything else we can do for you whether it be with parts or advise on the install of components.

 

Mike is the name Or just ECS Tuning Mike ..... I am not a superhero most of the time.

Two ways, you have a leak on the bottom of the thermostat, which then pools on top, then does not drip down the bottom. Or you have a fan running much too long, even when cold. You have a CEL for the thermostat sensor. Can be signs its bad, other then maybe the heater starts to get cooler at idle. And warms up when car is throttled. But steam back to seeing the leak.

 

If a fault occurs in the thermostat, a fault code is stored in the ECM, usually with a description of "Map cooling circuit". A fault code can be present yet the vehicle will lack any cooling system issues, such as overheating. This is because the thermostat has a fail-safe mechanical function as well. If you have this fault code, replace your thermostat and bleed your cooling system. Other symptoms of a faulty thermostat are engine overheating, slow to warm up and lack of heat. The thermostat could have a hairline crack and pooling on top of the transmission. A pressure tester is the quickest way to find these leaks if you cannot find it. Depending on what you find we have some great overhaul cooling system kits HERE or just the thermostat.

 

Awesome, thanks Mike. No CEL light before I started tearing the car apart.. I think I'm going to go ahead and order a new thermostat. It's probably worth the extra cheddar to just get it done while its apart. Ill keep you all updated.

 

Thanks, I will probably be ordering a new thermostat from you guys as well. I'll be in touch.

 

Thanks PelicanParts. Shout out to you guys, you saved me many a time when I drove a Boxster, 911, and 912! Hopefully I won't need too much saving with the Mini!

 

You welcome, let me know if you need anything else.

 

Cool cool, give us a call with any questions or if you're looking for anything else. Everything short of special order only components on our website is in stock and ready to ship.

 

Great! Yes, hopefully you wont with the MINI, but if you do we are here for you as well.

 

Oil leaks I had to fix.
OFH gasket-initially suspected turbo oil line.
Vacuum Pump-mounts to the drivers side camshaft.
Crankshaft oil seal

My thermostat housing cracked and leaked a lot of coolant onto the top of the transmission housing.

 

Got everything taken apart so just waiting for parts to come in. Hopefully I can get everything in and running by the weekend!

 

Remember slow and steady wins the race, make sure things are properly torqued, surfaces are clean between gasket surfaces.

It's not a hard job, but it requires removal of quite a few components. If it came off, it has to go back on, I can't tell you how many cars we get in the shop that another shop worked on and omitted 4-6 bolts of this job because they couldn't "get their man hands" in some tight areas.

Feel free to give us a call if you need any guidance throughout the job.

 

Great , let me know how it goes. Post up some repair pics if you like.

 

I'll be doing the same exact thing, my dealer just found a coolant leak and suspects the oil cooler gasket. So I figured I'll replace the turbo oil line at the same time, and maybe even install a new DP for my future Stage 2 Manic tune. Dealer wanted $1200 for the oil cooler gasket replacement! But if I and a couple friends can do all these things for maybe $200 (excluding DP) that would be awesome. I've done brakes, short shifter, and oil changes so this will be a new experience for me. My car has 75k miles on it and I'm contemplating getting a new MINI instead of this, but since it's all paid off and otherwise running great I might as well keep it and then make it even better!

I really appreciate all the vendors on this forum, they make daunting tasks like this less stressful. I'll probably order the super TOL kit from Detroit tuning. Any good catted DP's I should look at? I have the fJCW exhaust and love the noise level, not too loud but not too quiet, and I don't want to introduce any drone.

 

The gasket change isn't too bad of a job from what I've done so far. I did however get hung up on removing the auxiliary water pump that cools the turbo after the car is turned off? There are two 8mm bolts that hold it onto the OFH and they are a pain in the A$$ to get off.. At least they were for me. Take your time, keep track of all your bolts and what order things go. Report back here if you experience anything different! Good luck!

 

One of the toughest coolant leaks to track down is from the oil cooler. This can happen from corrosion at the cooler. This photo shows an oil cooler with pitting (red arrows below). When this happens even a new seal will not repair the coolant leak. You will have to replace your oil cooler if you find this issue. We have a DIY with this info and a step by step process that can help you with the gasket replacement. It's under MINI > tech info (tab at top) > R56 articles > Engine. It's not too difficult of a job and shouldn't take more than about 2 hours of your time as well as way less money than the dealer quoted. We have the gaskets and associated parts HERE. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Good to know for when I actually get mine off!

 

The article has a lot of great information so be sure to check it out if you need to during the process. Otherwise, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out. Good luck!