What's up guys...I have an 04 cooper and just as of recently I started noticing the oil signal coming on. What's weird is that it comes on only making sharp turns. Other than the fact that the signal coming is a bad thing, trying to figure out what the problem could be.

I've also recently noticed a clicking sound as well. When accelerating, the clicking becomes faster. When at a stop, the clicking is very minimal(slower, I guess).

Not sure if the two are related somehow, but any input or advice would be greatly appreciated. I've never had problems with my coop until now and would like to get this thing resolved asap.

 

Check the oil level first. Could be oil starvation as oil is pulled away from the pickup in the turns.

 

We had this problem with our 2006 JCW at around 48,000 miles. The oil warning light flickered intermittently, rarely at first, then more consistently with movement/acceleration, not directly related to any particular RPM or engine workload level.

The oil level was never low and they finally figured that it was a problem with the wiring harness, it was rubbing and was shorting out or grounding intermittently.

The dealership installed a new wiring harness under warranty and the problem has not returned. I think it was a special order part and they replaced the WHOLE engine wiring harness as it was easier to do it under warranty, maybe they'll just do a local fix if you're out of warranty to save some $$?

If that didn't take care of it, my Service Manager said the next thing they would have checked was for a faulty oil pressure sensor.

Good luck,

Dave

 

+1. Check the oil level first. If not that, then probably a shorting wire or loose connection.

 

Thanks for the input so far everyone...Will do with checking the oil. That was my initial thought but wasn't competely sure. Hopefully it's just the oil level and nothing else because it is out of warranty and I want to avoid having the dealership charge me an arm and leg for repairing it.

As for the clicking noise, anyone else have a clue on that?

 

Your oil is LOW. You are starving the engine of oil when that light flashes on. The ticking you are hearing is because the top end of the engine is not getting enough oil. You are damaging your engine running it low on oil. I'd recommend a once a week dipstick pull.

Now go out check your oil & add as needed.

 

You are running on Low Oil man. I would check level and you will see how very low it really is. Plus when you do a oil change maybe you might consider adding a 20% mixture of Lucas Oil Stabilizer. It is good stuff that really protects your engine.

 

I am literally speechless

YD

 

Chill, not everyone knows there car inside. out. If everybody did I wouldnt have to share a parking lot with dodge neon which only has 3 of 5 lugs on one wheel.

Top off the oil before you drive it anymore and hope that you havent hurt anything, that is all you can do at this point short of pulling things a part and examining individual components.

 

Thanks everyone for the help...Went over it and topped it off with oil and that fixed everything...Yikes....

Hopefully nothing too serious was damaged...

 

No offense to Panganiban, but ignorance is not an excuse for everything. That's a big problem with people today.


Red lights on the dash mean STOP the car immediately. If its an oil light, just shut the engine off and coast.

Amber light means you can continue driving, but have the car serviced/checked ASAP.

These lights are universal. Colors are the same in every car, and the indicators themselves are generally the same.

This link is a good reference for people who have little or no automotive knowledge, it may help save your car one day. http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice...ng_lights.html




PS: This stuff is all in the owners manual. You did read it cover to cover, as you are supposed to, before you drove the car or as soon as you got home, right?

 

Thanks for posting back. I was wondering what the cause was. Now keep an eye on the oil & top up as needed. With luck your MINI should be fine, but do monitor all your MINI's fluids on a regular basis.

Motor on...

 

No problem...Glad to know that was the only cause of the signal.

Got that taken care of but I have a new problem! I decided to take it in for an oil change at a local shop and they stripped the oil plug! I tried myself first but the plug wouldn't budge so I thought I'd just have a mechanic at it. Needless to say, they stripped it and told me to come back with a new plug and that they'd try from there. Didn't take it back because I'm afraid they're just gonna screw it up more. I know I should just take it to the dealer, but it's not covered under warranty anymore and I'm afraid they're going to rape me with some ridiculous price.

I took it in somewhere else and they said they could probably do it but would have to heat up the area where the threading is and slowly work on the plug to get it off....Haven't made the decision yet, but will doing more research on who actually has experience of removing stripped plugs in my area.....

 

Sounds like they've borked the head of the drain plug. Bet the bozo used a 12 point socket on it. If it is only the head of the drain bolt you'll get off cheap.

A new drain plug is cheap. If the oil pan is damaged it will cost more. The only trouble I can see with heating the pan to loosen the drain plug is that the drain plug has a neoprene gasket. If they heat the pan & can't get the plug out you may have an oil leak. I'd talk with this other shop & try & get a feel for their ability to do this job. My take is if they want to heat it they have an idea about what they are doing.

An oil change at the dealer is not cheap, but considering the time money & aggravation you are going through it may have been cheaper than you thought.

I don't know where you live, but if we did know maybe someone could point you to a competent mechanic in your area who is familiar with the quirks of a MINI.

I'd sure as heck give shop #1 the bill for the drain plug & the other shops time to correct the screw up.

Good luck...

 

What did they strip? The threads or the bolt head?

If its just the bolt head, use some Vice Grips or a pipe wrench and back it out.

 

Damn your fast Chuck!

 

For an old fart. I can rarely beat you young guns to the draw.

 

Hey guys! Thanks for the advice so far. It's nice to know that people are willing to help fellow mini members out. I've had my coop for about 5 years now and have loved every single bit of it...

As for the problem they stripped the head of the plug...It's pretty torn up. Everything else seems fine, cross my fingers. It's just the plug itself. They tried using some special vice and couldn't remove the sucker, which is why they went to plan b(heating it & slowly working away at it).

I live in Orange County, Ca. Anyone know of any spots familiar with this type of problem?

 

I've had the same issue with the ticking, and oil starvation. My car runs through most of it's oil inside of 10,000 miles. I'm going to start changing it's oil more often, and not being so damn lazy about topping it up... I've ashamed to admit how low the oil has gotten in my car.

 

Your 4.5 qt oil capacity is not something to be "used up" between oil changes. You're always supposed to be above the min line.

- Mark

 

1) Oil plug is metric, but ALWAYS use a Good Quality 1/2 inch box end wrench, it just fits tighter and will not strip the plug as easy.

2) Let them heat it up some and it will come out. Had same issue with mine for my first oil change. Doesnt take much heat from torch to free it up. The prior owner of my MINI had some gorilla do his oil change I guess.....

3) Always use the Factory recomended Synthetic oils and change it regularly and don't wait the recomended 15 thousands miles either......I would not go over 8K miles if you plan on keeping your MINI for long time b4 trading in.

4) Check under car and garage floor for few days after each oil change for any signs of oil leaks. Some places who don't know BMW's have issues with our filter set ups and proper torque of the drain plug.

5) While under there in the shop, spin the cooling fan for your power steering pump and make sure it spins freely, and check to make sure it kicks on as it supposed to. The failure of this fan (near the drain plug) accounts for 99% of all power steering pump failures in the R53. If it doesnt spin freely, take it off and tap it on the floor to remove debris that has collected, A shot of WD-40 and some high pressure air blown into the fans shaft area from the shops air supply works nicely.....