How might this happen? No visible leaks or smoke.

##Update: Engine burn - driving hard for 16,000 miles will easily burn 2 quarts quite naturally.

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Most likely through a leak in the valve cover gasket. Make sure there is no oil underneath and then let me know.

Randy

 

That's what I'm guessing. No leak to see. I'd look one more time but it's at the dealer's awaiting their valued opinion. Thanks for yours. Unfortunately I've no idea how long I've been driving around like a maniac with .7L of oil in the pan. Called MINIUSA as soon as I found out and they really HAVE been great about it. Don't chastise me for not checking my oil irreguarly, but I never thought I'd have to on a new car. This leak could have happened over a very long period of time. Who knows what kind of shape the engine is in.

Oil Pressure light never came on. That makes me a bit angry.

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My MCS uses oil. Not a lot but about 3/4 of a quart in 8K miles!

Look at your tail pipes, and think about the Alta Catch Can !!

Randy, don't you think the MCS uses a least a little oil ????

Ron

 

o o o O O! Randy Advice thread - anything about OIL and the MCS!!!

No really - how likely is the pressure sensor not going to pick up as pressure difference with but 3/4 of a liter.

 

I suggest sending in a oil sample. We analyze oil. Would you like one?

 

What happened to your 10,000 miles service?? This should have caught some problem. Or did you figure this wasn't necessary on a new car, too. If it didn't, then you've recently sprung a leak or it's being pushed out the tailpipe.

Let this be a lesson for everyone that a car, especially a new car, needs to be continually checked. We all know the factory can make a mistake. Don't be an unwitting victim of one!

 

>>What happened to your 10,000 miles service?? This should have caught some problem. Or did you figure this wasn't necessary on a new car, too. >

oooo moorlox i was just thinking about an oil change then, but the dealer is so very far away and my computer said to wait until 12000. :smile: My goodness, if checking the oil weekly is necessary on a new car i really had no idea. I wouldn't REALLY dream of skipping a scheduled appointment.

I personally have been leaning toward the internal leak as a culprit, but then I can't still quite forgive myself for not checking the oil every week. Yes. Let that be a lesson. I'm really not in the mood.

Zappa
If I only knew before i was pooring quart after quart of oil into the car that I'd probably want a sample of the slush i didn't know existed yet at the bottom... Zappa, can I send you the slurp suspended in Mobil One Synth? How much how much and where too. You really are too kind. Thanks.

 

Personally, on a new car, I check it every day for the first few days to make sure it's pretty stabilized. Then I go to once a week or so, dependent on how many miles I put on and how they were put on. Very spirited driving seems to use a bit more oil. After a couple thousand miles I'll relax a bit and use the "garage floor" check. If I back out, and there's no oil drips, I feel I'm good to go. I also do a quick check of all the other fluid levels at the same time.

Hopefully there's no permanent damage.

The issue of the oil light not coming on came up with someone else on here recently. I'm still a little miffed at MINI for not springing for a gauge instead of that idiot light! There's no reason a car now days should be using those lights.... even my mini van has a full set of gauges.

Oh and don't feel like the Lone Ranger on the dealer distance....mine's 2 hours away.



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03 B/W S model; Madness intake; Cibie 45 lamps; Magnaflow exhaust; H&R springs; Helix swaybar

 

check your coolant...is it brown? Might be an oil leak into there....

 

It seems that the oil light is pretty useless if the engine is running, since this is the second case I've heard of that the car had no oil and the light wasn't on. It was explained expertly by another MCO'er that with the tolerance of the oil pump being so tight, enough AIR pressure may be produced to keep the low pressure light from being tripped.

As far as bruning oil, I think you would have noticed if 4 quarts were blown through the exhaust. It's tough to see, because it runs rich enough that unless you are **** about keeping your exhaust tips clean (not that there's anything wrong with that), you can't really tell what gook there is on the tailpipes. We are going to be using Total Seal rings on the big bore kit, so I'll let you know if there is any reduction of oil consumption. I typically will burn about a half quart in 5000 miles (all very hard driving). That is reasonable to me, but I come from the land of air cooled engines.

Hope that helps, and let us know what the dealer finds.

Randy

 

Just talked to the advisor at New Country MINI. They're opinion: if the compression test shows fine - then the engine is fine. My opinion: the engine is an x-factor now. I have no idea how much wear is on it no matter how strog they say the compression currently is.

So update: the car is having it's first inspection and while that happens they'll check the compression. That's it. Something wrong here?

 

>>It seems that the oil light is pretty useless if the engine is running, since this is the second case I've heard of that the car had no oil and the light wasn't on. It was explained expertly by another MCO'er that with the tolerance of the oil pump being so tight, enough AIR pressure may be produced to keep the low pressure light from being tripped.
>>
>>As far as bruning oil, I think you would have noticed if 4 quarts were blown through the exhaust. It's tough to see, because it runs rich enough that unless you are **** about keeping your exhaust tips clean (not that there's anything wrong with that), you can't really tell what gook there is on the tailpipes. We are going to be using Total Seal rings on the big bore kit, so I'll let you know if there is any reduction of oil consumption. I typically will burn about a half quart in 5000 miles (all very hard driving). That is reasonable to me, but I come from the land of air cooled engines.
>>

I have always thought that if oil was burning the tail pipe would be white inside. Is that a fact. I notice the tip of our MCS pipe gets a little black on the bottom of the tip, but felt that was the engine running rich. Are these assumptions correct? I have not noticed any drop in oil but changed it at 1500 and have just reached 4000

 

Hey Randy (or anyone else who knows), how do you read a half quart on that god-awful dipstick. I have the hardest time reading mine. As long as it kinda sorta looks like there is liquid on the dotted part of it, I am under the impression that it's good to go...but I feel like those stupid dots are sort of capillary acting and that they draw the oil a little higher than it really is. Does that make sense?

 

>>I have always thought that if oil was burning the tail pipe would be white inside. Is that a fact. I notice the tip of our MCS pipe gets a little black on the bottom of the tip, but felt that was the engine running rich. Are these assumptions correct? I have not noticed any drop in oil but changed it at 1500 and have just reached 4000
>>

Maybe so with the whiteness. Yeah these babies run wicked rich and thus the charcoal hangig out on our tips. That's my never before so humble opinion worth next to nothing in this thread.

 

A compression test is not a complete diagnostic of the motor's condition. It will let you know if you have problems in the cylinders (pistons, rings, valves, etc). It won't let you know if the bearings or other parts were damaged by the lack of oil. The only way to check these completely would be to tear the motor down for a visual inspection. The dealership would probably only do this if you footed the bill.

Of course, this still leaves the mystery of the disappearing oil. They need to find out how or why 4 qt's evaporated out of the motor.

I have always thought that if oil was burning the tail pipe would be white inside. Is that a fact. I notice the tip of our MCS pipe gets a little black on the bottom of the tip, but felt that was the engine running rich.
As rich as these motors run, I think it would be hard to tell much of anything from the tailpipe. If I remember right from the past it goes...light gray to white = too lean, medium gray = alright, black = too rich, black and damp = oil burning. On these cars I don't think you'll ever see the first two.

>> how do you read a half quart on that god-awful dipstick<< If you check the oil in the morning after it's set over night you should get a real accurate read on the stick. Don't know if you can do it on this car but I've found on some in the past if you yank out the stick quickly it'll create a siphon effect and pull oil up the stick. I would think the dotted area equals one qt.

 

I have a May 16, 2003 build MINI, and this option wasn't available on the online configurator back then, but I just used it recently at miniusa.com and noticed that there are tons of "extra" options to add to the 2004 models... like a set of extra gauges that go behind the shifter...including an analog (needle style) oil pressure gauge and battery (voltage) meter.

I was thinking of having this installed...but I want to make sure my dealer knows how/has done at least a dozen of them first!! I think the oil pressure guage requires a new style canister with some sorta of sending unit attached to it.

Anyway...maybe getting these analog gauges wouldn't be such a bad idea on a MINI..

-Joe

 

>>Anyway...maybe getting these analog gauges wouldn't be such a bad idea on a MINI..
>>
>>-Joe
>>
>>

Not a bad idea at all. I'm eyeing a set of aftermarket gauges currently.

 

I talked with mechanics and it seems very likely that the engine is fine. Of course the dealer pesented the same. The oil was overfilled by at least 1 1/2 qts. That is reassuring. It takes a while for the oil to flow to the pan - and i hadn't waited before measuring. As long as there was no valve rattling and tapping - there is likely to have been no wear. If the pressure was high enough to prevent that, it matters not the amount of oil. Compression test was normal.

Besides i am now inclined to think the pan was nearly half full. Not nearly as bad as 4/5 empty.

All oil loss is attributed to engine oil burn over a long period of time.

Thanks for your help.

 

>>Hey Randy (or anyone else who knows), how do you read a half quart on that god-awful dipstick. I have the hardest time reading mine. As long as it kinda sorta looks like there is liquid on the dotted part of it, I am under the impression that it's good to go...but I feel like those stupid dots are sort of capillary acting and that they draw the oil a little higher than it really is. Does that make sense?


You're not alone. You have to hold it vertical to avoid having the oil crawl up the stipple pattern (or crosshatch, or whatever you'd call it.) When the oil is dirty it's not so bad but I swear after a fresh change or in poor light it'd damn near impossible to get a good read.

Oh--and I thought no one knew what capillary action was! I've given up trying to explain that one to folks.

Jeff

 

<<<Hey Randy (or anyone else who knows), how do you read a half quart on that god-awful dipstick>>>

I HATE THE DIPSTICK!!!

After a recent change, you can't tell. Oh heck--when it's dirty, I still have to dip 5 or 6 times just to feel reasonably assured... I'm with you, Maxwell, as long as there seems to be pooling oil in the little dotted area, I assume I'm fine.

 

Don't like the dimples on the dip stick? It's plastic, just file them off two sides. That'll give you both original and smooth sides to look at. Easy enough fix.

 

I believed someone let the oil out of my car. I was bone dry on oil at 10k. I found a pool of sludge in my driveway and assumed someone let the oil out of the car. Yet there was no sign of tampering. It siezed my engine. BMW claimed it was because of my modifications. THIS ISS TOO CREEPY. I am going to PM you to see if we have some similar build dates and if something is wrong with the cars.

 

What does this do and will it really help keep from losing oil? I am sometimes down in oil. My oil pressure light has been coming on now and then but the oil level is fine. Just took it to the dealer to check it out and they said nothings wrong. Oh well.

 

>>Hhhmm, I have about 22k miles on my 03 MCS.
I put about 1/2 quart in before the 1st service, had first service at about 12k miles, and have put another 1/2 quart in since, no more. I'd say mine uses about 1/2 quart every 10k miles, not bad for a high specific power engine (as in 100 hp/L).

Makes you wonder about getting ananalog oil pressure gauge though.