While tinkering with my dipstick trying to make an improvement, I managed to drop a small piece of plastic tubing down the dipstick hole. It's a piece of clear plastic tubing about 3/16" in diameter and 1/2" long. Should I be concerned that it might be sucked up by the oil pump and damage something? Is there a screen on the oil pump intake?

 

Yes be concerned for the reason you mentioned. You need to drop the oil pan and remove the tubing to avoid damage.

 

I would be concerned too but I would drain the oil first to see if it comes out without having to remove the oil pan. You could do an experiment with another piece of tubing to see if it floats or sinks in oil, if it sinks you may have a better chance that it will come out with the oil.

=Laserjock=

 

It doesn't float; it sinks! I drained the oil today but the tubing didn't come out. I'm reluctant to drop the pan just for this; surely the oil pump has a screen to prevent ingestion of small objects.

 

Not worth the risk, I would drop the pan.

 

If you could get your hands in a fiber scope - I bet you could get that puppy outta there. Know any knee surgeons?

 

Drop it baby!

 

Oil pan for 2nd Gen are not like the 1St Gen.

They are sealed from the factory with loc-tite hardened gasket seal and should be put back that way. MINI no longer recommends using the older style flat oil pan gaskets for 2nd gen.

I can get you a part no. tomorrow.

Also beware, they are a PITA to remove if you are breaking a factory seal. Have to be really really careful not the bend the oil pan when prying it off....not a pretty sight and totally a big dollar item to replace.

 

Maybe flush with kerosene just pour through engine not running.or a fiber optic cam to find it.

 

how exactally did you manage to get that piece of plastic in the dipstick hole?

 

+1

 

Pan needs to be dropped.

 

I'd fill it to the max with oil, pull the plug, and keep running oil through in the hopes it will flush out. When the oil is draining I would take a small screwdriver and poke at the drain hole in case the plastic piece is stuck horizontally across the drain hole.

What about rigging up an air compressor to the fill hole and trying to "blow" it out.

Still want to know how you managed to get that piece in there. I can tell this will be a good story already.

how about this:
http://www.zorotools.com/g/00054629/...FeEDQAodFEwAww

and this:
http://www.garrettwade.com/product.a...FbEBQAodHHIAlA

 

Read the first post. I was trying out a temporary modification to the cursed dipstick and the tube was attached to the bottom of the dipstick when it came off. I've decided not to remove the pan after reading the Bentley manual and the post above. You have to drop the exhaust and you run a significant risk of damaging the pan. The item is small and soft and does not float. I'm hoping it remains harmlessly on the bottom of the pan + I don't really believe it can be sucked into the oil pump. If I encounter an oil pressure problem in the future, I'll have the car towed home and deal with it then. Wish me luck.

 

It will not stay in the bottom. It will get kicked around when the engine is running. keep the heat in mind as it could begin to melt.

 

$120 for the scope seems a bargain compared to the potential damage that could cause. Don't compound the mistake of putting something down the dipstick hole by making the mistake of leaving it there until it screws something up...

 

Yep, especially considering that scopes 5 years ago were thousands.

 

Harbor Freight has inspection cameras for $100 and ones that make a recording for $200.

I don't think that a 3/8" by 1/2" piece of vinyl tubing is going to hurt anything, it'll just come out in a oil change someday.

It's hard to tell from the pictures in the Bentley manual, but it looks like it may have a strainer at the intake of the oil pump.

I'd just drive it.

Dave

 

This the part number for the oil pan sealer kit from MINI for 2nd Gen.

Right now all quantity is in Germany, so will have to be special ordered until they
are eventually sent over in bulk.

83-19-0-404-517 LOCTITE 5970.

 

If it got on that way could a top side oil changer remove it either thru the plug or up top ?

 

I have a topside oil changer but I haven't used it on the Mini. The suction tube that will fit the Mini is only 1/4" in diameter (outside). The inner diameter of the tube is too small to pick up my foreign object. The little bore scope is an interesting alternative but I'm comfortable just leaving the object in the crankcase. Thanks to all who responded.

 

The tube from a topsider isn't gonna pull anything like that out, it's way too narrow so as to fit down there in the first place.

 

I say you have to get the plastic out one way or another before you drive. Just wondering why it was, well how? uh what? You know, why did it find its way into the dipstick tube? I understand the desire to solve the dipstick problem but I don't understand just what was going on before the impending doom of the plastic alien adventure and recovery effort of the foreign plastic monster began.

This is the kind of stuff I can't stand when it happens to me. Two weeks ago I was adding oil to one of my cars when I noticed a flash just before the oil went in. The oil was Red Line and the container was open before as I was just topping off the oil. When I saw the flash I thought,....... was that the? ....... pog? Yep, it was the pog (the paper part under the cap). Well this was not that big of a deal but I had to get it out before I could drive the car and I was parked in the middle of a runway at an airport. Fortunately the airport was converted into a race track but unfortunately My car was just about to be raced. So I went diving into the valve cover with every tool I had that looked like it may help and after about four attempts I got the stupid pog out. Yea! I got the car to the start line in time and won the race.

Just hate to see a day wasted just because some stupid thing fell in the motor but one day of fishing is better than a week of rebuilding the motor.

 

Had to been a " One in a Million " shot !

 

still under warranty? just say it was a manufacturing defect