Does it look as though it's coming down from the front side? It seems to be a pretty common problem. Well, it's not going to get better by itself. In all probability, it's coming from the crank position sensor O-Ring, p/n 12-14-7-514-983. Remove the front bumper cover and then go into "service mode" (both procedures are covered elsewhere on the Forum).
The CPS is located on the upper right hand side as you face the engine in a very inconvenient spot. The connector requires that you push the orange lock tab up before depressing the release and pulling off the connector. Clean oil off from around the area as best you can, remove the small bolt holding the CPS in place, then twist the CPS out. Clean the hole out with a paper towel, remove the old o-ring, clean off the CPS and install the new o-ring. I swiped some blue RTV on the o-ring for added measure and re-installed it.
Before putting everything back together, I found it a great time to install new serpentine belts, since there was plenty of room, even without removing the right front wheel. FWIW, both our GP's had this same problem, one with 53K miles and the other with only 23k miles.

 

Hmmm....

Yes I have oil on the bottom of the engine. Mostly in the middle near the junction with the trans. the dealer has "fixed" it 4 times now replacing the oil pan gasket. Going in again tomorrow. Will mention it.

 

Nope, just dirt.

Dave

 

Yep, at leaste its dripping on my garage floor. 1st time, they replaced a oil pump o-ring and that fixed it. Now leaking again and they're saying a solenoid valve

 

Looks like this was the source of the leaks on my car. Good thing they finally figured it out after doing the oil pan gasket 4 times....

 

I've had 2 oil pan gaskets replaced and now it's leaking again. This time you can tell it's not coming from the oil pan gasket. Looking at the oil it is coming down the front along with a fresh coolant leak. That isn't coming from the expansion tank this time either. Maybe the water pump this time. Either way, back to the dealer this time.

 

Well got it back. Replaced oil pump solenoid valve and removed oil pan and replaced and resealed oil pan gasket. So far so good but this is my second oil leak in a year. Still love the car though but...........

 

Never had oil leaks on mine until 2 years ago and now it will be my third. Nothing bad that would do damage or leave me stranded but still annoying. Actually I was a little upset about the last one I just found. I got the car up to put on a skid place and noticed oil seepage across the lower engine. I had just had the oils changed by the dealer (get really good coupons) and they didn't even mention it. When I pulled the stock skid plate you could see it up front with the coolant.

Since I am friends with my service manager i'll let him know.

 

I tried, and couldn't figure out how to get this out for the life of me. I saw orange bits near the CPS end of the connector, but they didn't seem to move.
Responded to your other post WRT accessing this without going into service mode.

 

Not sure why MINI chose to incorporate a removable clip on a connector that is so hard to get to. Very frustrating. The clip must be removed completely before the connector will release.


Clip part of the way out for illustration:



Illustration of how clip engages tangs on male end of connector:

 

I wish ALL connectors were documented like this, this is awesome, thanks

 

Mine was repaired yesterday at the dealership. Oil pump solenoid AND engine wire harness were replaced.

2011 MCSa CAI CB Forge fmic, StopTech bbc NM rsb, MN stage 2 tune & rsb, Motegi wheels

Tommy T

 

just a few tips... This job is do-able without removing the front bumper cover and putting the car into service mode. I have giant hands and am able to get a 1/4" drive deep 10mm socket with 1" extension as well as a 10mm ratcheting wrench onto the sensor (Crankshaft Position Sensor is officially abbreviated CKP by the Society of Automotive Engineers [SAE.]) It will scratch your hands a bit but if you have decent lighting and some patience, this will save you quite a bit of time.

I would say the most common oil leaks in order from most common to least on the R53 are:
1.) CKP sensor o-ring
2.) Oil pan gasket
3.) Oil cooler o-rings and valve cover gasket
4.) Front timing cover gasket and rear crank seal, Camshaft position sensor (CMP)
5.) Front crank seal

 

LOL...you have a different MOTOR!!
This is a thread about the cast-iron block gen1 tri-tech motor....
Good to hear you got your car fixed!!

 

I doubt that even 1% of the pan gaskets that have been replaced on Gen 1 engines are actually leaking - it's almost always the crank sensor o-ring in my experience.

I don't bother to take the wire connector off, I just take out the 6mm bolt and slide the whole sensor out of the hole, replace the oring, grease it up good and put it back in.

 

That's what I did, too. Thanks to Maj for documenting the function of the connector. Bolt is 10mm vs 6 though, no?

 

Eric_Rowland
I believe the bolt in question is a 6 mm thread with a 10mm hex head.

[QUOTE=Eric_Rowland Bolt is 10mm vs 6 though, no?[/QUOTE]

 

Initially, I removed the bolt with connector attached since I was unsuccessful in getting the connector to release. With the sensor dangling from the wire, it is much easier to get the clip out (plus I was curious how to get the damned thing apart). The other reason I wanted to get it apart was that the sensor is easier to reinsert if not tethered to the wire. If tethered, there is a greater chance of raking the sensor around against the block (and thus picking up crud) while reinserting. Yeah, I sprayed/wiped it down before removal but this Florida sand sticks to everything. Reinserting the clip into the connector required a pair of hemostats, which was a pain. The task is indeed much easier just leaving the connector attached to the sensor.