Hi Guys,

Was driving home last night and the oil light came on. I stopped at the services and opened the bonnet to find the dipstick had blown out a couple of inches and there was oil all over the engine bay/bonnet.

I bought some oil, topped it up and put the dipstick in.

Set away again and then about 5 miles later the light was back on again, I stopped and checked...same again, dipstick had blown out and there was oil all over.

I managed to limp the car home and dumped it on the drive...

Does anybody have any ideas of things to check.

Would the PCV give this issue? If it's failed and isn't opening could it be the case that the pressure is going it's easiest route and blowing the dipstick out?

I've had a look today but not sure where the PCV is... I think it must be part of the rocker cover?

Cheers!

 

Is this an S? And are your o rings on your dip stick good?
PCV connects on back passenger side of valve cover.

 

There is a valve that is supposed to prevent "Boost" from passing back through the PCV system. Sounds like yours might not be doing it's job.

 

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies!

Yeah, it's an 07 S. The o rings on the dip stick seem pretty good. The dipstick isnt loose in the tube and needs abit of a pull/push to get it in and out.

I went out last night and started the car on the drive. After a minute or so it started to idle rough and the idle became erratic. When I removed the oil filler cap there was pressure behind it.

With the oil filler cap off it started to idle normally again.

It seems like its pressuring up and unable to vent?

 

Dumb, obvious question, but are you out of warranty?

 

Yeah, unfortunately I'm out of warranty!

 

did you get a fix to this problem yet?

 

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-and-more.html

 

Sounds like a clogged positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system which is creating the pressure inside the crankcase.

- Erik

 

Hi, just when i thought the car was fixed i have issues.
recently replaced timing chain, turbo and intercooler.
Car started running rough and smoke so pull over. Find the dipstick blew out and oil all over.
Thought i may have overfilled so drained the oil. Havent got an exact reading yet but doesnt look excessive.
Pulled plugs, all are good except 1 or 4, the cyl closest to driver side is very wet.
PO gave me a receipt for a new valve cover done recently but maybe its bad too?
edit: pulled calve cover and flap opens and closes when blown or sucked. Also has URO stamping, only a few thousand miles old. Im lost, do i try replacing it again?

 

First, did you get this sorted out? If so, I am curious what the source was. If not...
How long after you made the replacements did your car start running rough and smoke?
In what style were you driving when this happened -- high rpm, long pulls or "neighborly?"

I am curious: are you using an oil catch catch on the turbo intake port (with potentially restrictive tubing size or restrictive filters in the catch can), and are there plugs in the PCV valve* back port and in the intake manifold? What I am trying to determine is whether any air-restrictive accessory was added. In specific cases, undoing the mod and assessing the symptoms can point to the cause. Sometimes the mods cause no issues for some drivers, but headaches for others.

PCV valve* = PCV integrated into the valve cover

For example, my oil catch can came with fritted filter disks installed in the intake and outlet ports. These restrictions caused crankcase backpressure that made my turbo leak oil, and the hot oil smoked on the turbo body. This leak was likely through the turbo seals caused by pressure in the turbo oil return line. After I removed frits, the leaking and smoking stopped.

Was the turbo new or rebuilt. High crankcase pressure will prevent the turbo oil gravity draining back to the crankcase. That oil can blow past the turbo seals, enter the turbo track, and go to the intake manifold.

By plug "1 or 4," did you mean "1 AND 4," or is there confusion about which plug is which number (1 is on passenger side)?

Man, I know these PCV values look complicated, but, in principle, they are a simple series of hinged flaps and a spring loaded valve that respond in concert to boost pressure or intake vacuum in the crankcase. Unless you see evidence of oil leaking on the top of the PCV, I would look for other sources of high pressure in the crankcase.

For now, I would not replace the cover. You may have simply a faulty dipstick seal.

Suggestion: post pictures of your engine bay (passenger side, front, back, driver side) so the forum can see if any modes were done. If you can get photos of the crankcase pulley and other bottom areas, those would also be helpful. This information would inform the readers if any other areas are leaking due to overpressure.

Another example, while many MINI R56 Gen 2 owners have been able to plug the rear port of their PCV with success, I found oil leaking from the seal between my block and oil filter housing (with new seal) and rear main seal (evidence of oil at weep hole between engine block and gear housing). I fixed the oil filter housing leak after adding sealing agent, but the rear main seal still leaked along with a leak at the passenger side valve cover. After removing the rear PCV port plug and putting in a second catch can, I was surprised to see all of the leaks stopped, even when excess oil was added. I drove 2400 miles from the Midwest to Texas in August 2021 (very hot weather!), pushing the throttle with other driving enthusiasts (in non-MINIs) along the way, and underneath the car remained dry.

I enthusiastically await a reply, so this thread can be informative.