I am coming home tonight from work. I notice my oil pressure running higher than normal. It does go up and down from about the half mark to the top. I get close to home and as I pull in the drive way it goes to 0.!! I checked it and no oil the stick is dry. The passenger side is soaked with oil front to back, but none on the drivers side. I jacked it up and pulled the wheel for a better look. I can see that right below the oil filter housing is what looks to be an oil cooler?? It and everything below it are covered in oil. I just cannot tell where it is pouring out of. By the way I checked the oil this morning and was full.

 

It looks like your stock heat exchanger bit the dust. I do not know why.

Did the oil light come on at all?

Be sure to promptly wash the oil off the exterior.

 

I've heard of the oil heat exchanger biting the dust before. That's the most likely culprit. Good on you for noticing the fluctuating oil gauge! At least you caught it early.

 

No lights at all. Kinda disturbing that none of the idiot lights came on. Just thankfull I swear by Fully synthetic. Was planning on washing it off in the morning. So I guess I will need the exchanger and a gasket? Any other parts I should get as well?
Thankyou for the fast response.

 

make sure you check the filter housing . if it had an oil change recently,and the o ring or housing were not put back right it'll leak like a pig . probably not the issue but could have been leaking for a while .

 

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...95&hg=11&fg=30

here is an exploded view of the area in question. hope it helps and you are back on the road soon.

 

Oh, and Classic Mini has great pricing and offers NAM member discounts.

 

you say it does go up and down . so you think bad pump . but coulda been pulsing out the leak . if coolant is clean of oil and oil is clean of coolant it may not be exchanger. they tend to fail internally and mix oil and coolant .

 

yes, but he has oil coating the passenger side of his MINI

 

Thus the problem is more likely to be a leak at the oil canister rather than the oil cooler/heat exchanger.

 

You're not using a STP oil filter are you? I have read here on NAM many MINI owners having problems with the supplied O-ring.