Dude... Where's the oil? Well is empty - HELP
 

Hi guys...I attempted to change the oil for my 08 MCS for the first time. I used the car battery operated oil pump (Used this thing on my lawn tractor and pressure washer) but nothing was sucked out. I can put the tube in deeper than the oil stick. This made me very nervous...either the oil well is empty (can't really check the level with the oil stick as u already know) or the oil pump didn't like 5W-30. It sucked 10W-30 warm oil fine on other machinery perfectly. Please tell me what is going on.
thanks

ps. the Italian table cloth checkers will be posted tonight. Also got free black box gift from MINI...Finally :-)

I've tried sucking oil out of mine to remove excess oil the dealer put in. I used a piece of flexible plastic tubing from a hardware store. You have to thread the tube way down in there around what feels like multiple bends. I had to go up and down a lot of times to get it to what felt like the bottom. It's not a straight shot by any means, but some have done it. I think a rubber tube would work way better than plastic. Has to go further down than the dipstick.

Thanks for the info BigNewt....I'll try again.

sure you can, you just have to now how to read it.

OK...would you please shed some light :-) for me AmazingGrando ? And BigNewt...how do you the dealer "overfilled" your engine? Aren't they they "experts"?
Thanks

experts with wrong info. most of the time they fill it to 5 qts.

lol :-)
Just bought 5 Quarts Mobile 1 Fully Synthetic Advanced. I was going to pull all 5 quarts. Thanks for the heads up....btw, what happens if you overfill?

This car does have an oil plug right?

oil drain plug? yes on the oil pan.

it can foam which reduces the ability to coat and protect metal.

Thanks again...Learn new thing every day. Now please tell me how to read the oil dip stick so I can suck out the extra oil :-)

Sorry, wouldn't the car come from Oxford, prefilled with the appropriate lubricant?

I have had the oil changed twice now by the dealer. The 2nd time I went in I told them they overfilled it by 1/2 quart. They did the same thing the 2nd time. I mentioned this on the survey they send you by e-mail a few days later.

I got a call from the dealer the next day. They said this is their standard practice. They put 5 quarts in on purpose, believe it or not. They said because the change interval of 15,000 miles recommended by Mini is so long they figure by the time 15,000 miles comes up the oil will be down 1 quart. They also said overfilling by 1/2 quart is within specification.

I think they think that Mini owners are dummies that never check the oil.

Pull it out, wipe it clean, stick it in, pull it out, swipe your finger across the bottom couple of inches of the dipstick to see where it's wet and where it's dry. A little messy, but easy. Once the oil has a few miles on it it's easier to see without the wet finger method. If you don't like getting motor oil on your hands you can lay the end of the dipstick on a paper towel or clean rag and get a reading the same way.
If it's above the top mark it's overfilled. You could drain it all into a clean container, and then pour back all but the excess, or just loosen the plug enough to let out about a quart or so, then retighten the plug and refill with fresh oil until you get a reading between the marks.

Why couldnt the bmw knuckleheads go with a 4quart or 5 quart sump? I hate saving a little bit of leftover oil.

Thanks.