today i was changing my oil,n i notice the oil pan is sweatin,i read couple of thread alreadi,my car is 2004,it hv 40000km onli,n i think my car dont hv warranty anymore,shud i wait n drive couple of more days or shud i go to dealer n get it fix asap

 

It sounds like you have a bad oil pan gasket, which is not uncommon, I actually had the same problem. The gasket isnt likely to fail catastrophically so you dont need to fix it right away. What that does mean though is that you should be watching your oil level very, very, closely.

 

Mine was leaking once, but that was after reusing the gasket when I removed my oil pan following a catastrophic oil leak. I used correct torque values and tightening order when reassembling.

I had to go back later (12,000 miles and about a year) and replace with a new gasket. But even that started to leak. Later on, about 13,000 miles and half a year, I dropped the pan again to use some oil pan gasket sealer on it. Now, it doesn't leak any more.

Oh, before any of this, the original gasket was fine and didn't leak.

 

thanks guys,i guess i shud check my oil more frequent now,how much will it cost to replace the gasket?

 

You will have to move the modular front end to gain access to some of the bolts and accessories mounted to the oil pan. This will take time to do=bucks.

 

is there a DIY for this?

 

New gasket is needed.

And maybe a grammar coach.........

(hate seeing spelling shortcuts.....)

 

I think the going rate is about $600. Since I've done it myself 3 times, I can get it done in 3-4 hours. The steps are numerous, I just followed the Bentley manual's steps. Hardest part is unbolting/bolting on the a/c compressor in the tight space behind the extended MFE and engine block.

 

How complicated is it to check the PCV on the Mini? A clogged one would not allow pressure to escape and cause leaks at seals, valve cover and oil pan gaskets.

 

I thought I had an oil leak because there was a significant coating of oil on the front and bottom of my oil pan. It was so oily that it was imposible to determine the source of the leak. Strangely enough, no oil ever dripped on the garage floor.

Last time I had the oil changed, the tech cleaned the oil off so we'd have a better chance of discovering the source the next time I came in for an oil change. Yesterday, I had the oil changed (after 5K miles) and the engine was still clean! Evidently the oil was the result of spilled oil from a previous oil change. This is pretty common so, my advice is to double check that there actually is a real leak before replacing the gasket!

John

 

I had an oil leak on my 02 MC, coming from what appeared to be the dipstick tube. Looked like I was going to have to pull the intake manifold to get to it.
It wound up being a O ring from the dipstick itself!