I just got back from a 2700 mile road trip. Today, on the last leg, I spent half the day in rain and snow. I popped the hood when I got home and was surprised at the mess in the engine compartment. It was as dirty as the outside of the car. Is this from my hood scoop? If so, I may have to plug the hole or something.

I also checked the oil several times and about burnt myself the first time. I have a Cravenspeed dipstick and it was really hot. Is the stock one the same way?

Thanks for tolerating the noob questions.

 

The engine bay gets dirty partly from the hood scoop and partly from the low pressure area at the top of the hood between the cowl and the top edge of the hood. As for the dipstick, the Craven will be hotter because it's all metal whereas the stock one has a plastic pull handle on the top.

 

It is an engine bay. Not to be mean but, what do you expect? I have never seen an engine bay that stays clean.

 

Use two paper towels or rags on the Cravenspeed. One paper towel on the grip of the dipstick it all it takes to be able to hold it when hot.

 

The stock dipstick doesn't get hot. Cover the fusebox, air filter if you have a cone filter, and rinse the engine bay down with low pressure water. Then go drive the car a little to dry the engine. Has worked for me since I first got the car in 2010. I rinse it about once every 2 weeks, stays clean.

 

also, you shouldnt be checking the oil level when the engine is hot....allow it to cool back down, this gives the oil time to drip back down into the oil pan and allows you to get an accurate reading.

 

Make sure that you rinse the intercooler, condenser, and radiator through the grilles to get some of the built up road salt out of those items. rinse the engine bay down, spray with simple green (or something similar), and rinse again. If you have a long-bristle brush you can hit things like the valve cover, underhood, and radiator support.

It may take a couple of washings, but you will get it cleaned back up again. I normally wash underhood once per month or so, and it stays pretty clean.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Thanks for all the input. That floppy Cravenspeed dipstick is a PITA to use. I'm going back to the OEM one.


The car is new to me and I'm going to check the oil every time I get gas. If you wait until after you fill the gas tank, there is no difference in the readings then or the next morning when the engine is cold.

 

The issue with getting an accurate reading is that the tube that the dipstick goes through fills with oil. It takes time for that to drain. If you are getting consistent readings, then keep doing it the same way. My method is to pull the dipstick at night and check it in the morning. The big thing is that you check it often to learn if your engine uses oil. It seems that some use a bunch of oil, and others use little to none.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Waiting untill your engine cools down before checking oil is not realistic in the real world.
The design of the OEM Mini Cooper dipstick has two "bulbs" on it, one at the top of the plastic reading tip and one at the bottom. The top bulb should not be submerged in oil when checking the oil but the bottom bulb will be and this bulb pulls oil up into the tube coating it with oil as you withdrraw the dipstick for checking.
The solution is to remove the "bottom" bulb.
I have done this along with "flattening" the portion below the top bulb with a file and it makes checking your oil level much easier.
You don't need that bottom bulb and can get a proper reading without it.

 

How is not realistic in the real world? Just check it in the morning before you have to go anywhere. Pull it once to wipe away what's drained onto the dipstick as it ran back into the pan, then pull it again and check the level. Adjust oil as needed.

 

If you use Simple Green, dilute it. Full strength will remove paint if the engine bay has no clear coat. It was that way in the 1st generation cars.

 

This is what I do almost to a T.

I use a 2-gallon Garden Sprayer with a 1:1 mix of water and Simple Green. It last quite a while. Unless you let is dry, the mix doesn't leave any residue.

Rather than closing the hood and driving to dry things out, I use compressed air. I know not everyone has a large compressor but I do and I highly recommend it because it works great.

 

Even that is not realistic. 99.99% of car owners are unwilling to do that every morning. I wouldn't.

 

Checking ones oil daily might have been a requirement in 1914 but should not be necessary in 2014 .

 

I'd rather burn my fingers than my engine, you wallet with thank you. Everytime I go to the DIY high pressure car wash near by I always have to open my hood because somehow water spots get all over the engine, my engine bay is as clean as my Mini or cleaner! You need the hood scoop to let out all the heat from the turbo, when parking in a garage I open the hood everytime to cool it fast!

 

BUT, we have minis....

 

I didn't say to do it every morning. I'm saying that if you do feel like checking it, do it then, not in the middle of the day when you've been driving it around.

 

My brand new off the floor VW GTi 16V in 92' ate a quart every 1000 miles. Dealer fell back on industry standards..AND it wasn't a turbo or supercharged.

So if you think oil consumption is MINI specific, guess again.

 

OMG!!
You did not order your car with the "climate controlled dipstick option!!!"?
Oh well....I hear the new gen3 lacks a dipstick......seems too many folks were burning themselves checking their oil...the horror!!! Lol....
Hmm...hot oil....metal dipstick....of course it is hot?! Use a rag...or better yet...check the oil with a cool/warm, but not a hot engine if you can avoid it....stock is plastic and fiberglass in most variations....but they break....costs $$ to fish out the parts....
As to a dirty motor after 2700 miles....
If you ran a marathon.....how clean would you be?!
Okok...get my sense of humor I hope...kinda dry I admit, but if you can't laugh at your statements....ouch!!

 

p.s.
The vented scoop is vented for a reason....
Many early gen2 cars had them MELT and WARP from the heat...various fixes were applied...venting, shielding, etc.......
Just a fact of life...live with it....

 

No doubt that, with the Mini Coopers' oil consumption history, checking your oil every mornig before starting out is a good and perhaps prudent idea.
However, when on trips I ( and I assume those prudent Mini Cooper owners) always check my oil level when filling my tank and in that instance it would indeed be be unrealistic to have to wait a long period before checking the oil level.

 

It must take a dip stick to burn themselves checking the oil...

 

Back on topic...

The engine gets dirty from airflow underneath the car that sucks up dirt, and from air coming in through the front grills (remember that there's a big radiator fan actively sucking in air). You should get less dirt from underneath if you install aerodynamic underbody panels (and you'll get better mileage as well).

The hood scoop and cowl openings have been mentioned, but those openings have mostly outward airflow.

 

Thats fine and dandy if your MINI's are like mine that don't use oil but if you have a oil user and your on a long trip what option do you have ?

The factory handle is plastic and does not get hot, my craven is way too hot to hold without a rag unless engine is cold.