Wow thanks for all the information and the pics. That engine is oily! I wonder if mine will look like that after I take it apart. I've never done engine work like this before. Oil change, brakes, and intake is usually what I tinker with. Its starting to look like a lot bigger of a task as I had first imagined.

That is a lot of oil on the engine. I wonder if mine will look like that when I tackle this task. All that oil is what ask leaked out of your old banjo connector? When you say that the oil feed line failed, you meant it leaked right? I've read that sometimes, the oil feed line actually gets clogged and the turbo ends up not being properly cooled and then seizes.

Again, thanks for the great info!

 

I would imagine that this heat shield is more for protecting the hood/hood scoop from warping due to high heat. So it looks like it actually wouldn't help very much with this oil feed line gasket problem. The shield is actually on top of both the turbo and the connector so I think you are right in that it might actually expose the part to more heat.

MINI actually started to put a heat shield for the oil feed line in their later S models. It actually divides/sections off the turbo and the banjo connector and looks like this. Its totally one of those fix the symptoms verses the actual problem of the rubber gasket. Everyday I'm Motorin is right, make sure you get an aftermarket part that doesn't use the rubber gasket, as that is the actual gremlin of the leaky line.

 

I hadn't done much more than you have either. Fluid changes, lots of brakes and bolt on parts. Just think of this as another bolt on upgrade. You just have to unbolt A LOT of parts to bolt this one on.

Yes, all of it came out of the fitting where the stainless tube and banjo connector meet. No clogging, thank goodness. There is an o-ring under the tapered fitting that failed. I admit that when I finally saw all the oil on the engine, I though their had to be something in addition to the feed line leaking and I got a worried that I had multiple problems. I ran this all by a trusted friend of mine who is an ASE mechanic and he reminded me that the line probably contains 60 pounds of pressure when the pump is running and that much oil is absolutely possible from that one failed fitting. I trusted his advice and continued on with fixing the feed line. Turns out he was right. I'm driving around leak free after just replacing the feed line.

This must have been going on for a few weeks. The weird thing was I never saw any oil spots on my driveway. I always look for these types of signs that something might be wrong but it never happened. I saw and smelt a little smoke when I got home one evening and noticed I had a problem. I attempted to get it the dealer the next day but I only got 5 miles down the road before I though she was on fire under the bonnet because of the amount of smoke. Scary moment for sure.

And yes, the line can clog without regular oil changes. When I first got my MINI, I visited with the MINI service adviser and a tech that was hanging out in the customer area. I asked what to watch out for and what consistent problems they saw with my type of MINI and what to do to prevent problems. The first thing from both of their mouths was don't change the oil at the regular service intervals (15k miles). Change it every 7 or 8 thousand miles to avoid oil lines getting clogged and seizing the turbo.

 

My wife's '09 Clubman S has developed a burning smell also. I suspect the turbo oil feed line. Seems like two kits are offered, the Detroit Tuned supply line (http://www.detroittuned.com/shop/?productID=581), and the set of lines from Way Motor Works (http://www.waymotorworks.com/turbo-oil-line-set.html).

Both companies appear to replace the rubber o-rings with crush washers for more heat resistance. Can anyone comment on the Way Motor Works kit? Do I really need the return line as well?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

A couple of things. Check the oil feed line to the top of the turbo and see if it looks like the one in the pictures above (oil stained) and look for oil resting on the flat surface just below that line. That's a good indication that you have a problem.

Second, I've ordered parts from both companies and they both have outstanding customer service and do a great job. The only kit offered from Way Motor Works is the factory replacement feed and return line. The copper crush washers shown aren't where the part failed. You'll need those whether you go with the OEM or aftermarket stainless braided line. The aftermarket braided line eliminated the o-ring that is prone to fail on the OEM line. Detroit Tuned designed a custom line as a direct replacement for the OEM line and that's all you'll need to replace. Here's the link. http://www.detroittuned.com/shop/?productID=581

When I spoke with the guys as DT they told me the supply line is the only part that has failed 99% of the time. After rooting around in my MINI for 2 days, I tend to believe them and replacing the return line isn't necessary.

I hope this helped.

 

That makes sense and helps a lot, thanks. Looks like I'll order the Detroit Tuned line. Would the Way Motor Works turbo oil line heat shield (http://www.waymotorworks.com/turbo-o...at-shield.html) provide any additional insurance, or is it overkill with the upgraded oil supply line?

 

From what I've read, it's overkill if you replace the feed line with a quality stainless braided line without an o-ring. The shield was factory installed by MINI on later models as a band-aid to solve this problem. They choose this route rather than fixing the design problem with the line. Save your money.

 

Interesting question. I would also like to know since I also have the heat shield.

My guess is that it could be more likely since it is heat related.

 

So my wife's car doesn't have the heat shield. I checked the oil feed line today and the area looks damp. It doesn't seem like any oil is leaking out when the engine is running. Is this normal?

 

From the picture. It doesn't look good.
Mine looked like the same thing before it started to leak really bad couple weeks later.
I first noticed when mine started to leak when I bumped into it when I was detailing the engine bay. The feed line moved back and forth.
(Your picture looked like it backed out, I wouldn't touch the line. It makes it worse, like what I did). Get the line replaced before it makes a real mess (I had smoke trail, oil dripping and then a smoke bomb when I stopped my Mini home. Looked like a wounded animal.)

Get the line replaced before it get bad. Mine went about a week ago. It takes a good 4-5 hours for a decently skilled person and about 9-10 for a novice to replace it. Replace it early and you won't regret it. I still haven't finished cleaning all of the oily mess it made.(underside of the hood, whole engine bay, whole underside from front to back, and the boot all in oil.)

Here's a picture of what my line looked like after I pulled it out. Notice the marker mark I made. Look how much the feed line moved.

 

daym, more money that needs to be spent...At least it's cheaper than a new turbo. So are people reusing the same OEM replacement part or are you guys buying the one made by Detroit Tuned? I'm definitely not taking this to the dealers. Paying 6 hours of labor at >$115/hr is too much... Should i also change the oil return line?

 

I installed the Detroit Tuned line and I did do the oil return line.

 

From doing research, it looks like dealers are charging anywhere from 800-1500 to change this. How much should i expect to pay if i bring to a shop that specializes in MINI? I know doing it myself will save $$, but this seems like a big job and I don't feel comfortable doing it.

 

I thought I had read a posting from Way Motor sports that they were not seeing alot of the return line failures, mostly the feed
I could be wrong about that though

Tony

 

I would think since you will already be in the area to just change both....depending on your mileage. My 2007 has 76K on it and I'm thinking this might be a good preventative saturday project before I have any issues.

 

If you can find such a shop, call and ask them how much to do this repair. If they work on MINI's exclusively, I'm certain they have done one or two of these repairs.

I wouldn't waste the money or time replacing the return line. This part is not failing like the supply line is. You'll be replacing a perfectly good factory installed part where if not done correctly will cause big headaches down the road to go back in and do it again. To me, it was an unnecessary risk to take so I left it alone.

 

From where the oil was, I kind of think my return line was part of the problem. But very hard to tell. Given how cheap the part is and the easy installation once you have everything out to get to the feed line anyway, I went ahead and did mine.

 

I called my local MINI shop-Greasy's Garage and they are charging $400 for labor. I would need to provide the parts which is around $90. So total cost would be around $500. Does this sound reasonable?

 

The price for a garage to do it sounds about right. For a garage to do it should take about 3-5 hours. If your going to change the line. Go with the Detroit Tuned one, its cheaper than the OEM one from MINI and I bet it tougher too.

If you do mods like intake, exhaust, and downpipe, then doing this is nothing, it's just time consuming work. I like to do my own work because the money I save not going to the dealer paid for most of the mods to my car.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

I went with the detroit tuned kit and had it installed today. The installer said my original line was loose and I was lucky that the oil hasn't spill all over the engine. BTW, I have a brand new heat shield cover for sale. $20 shipped. PM if interested.

 

I was right it being backed out a bit. Glad you got it fixed early or it would have been a bigger mess and headache to deal with.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

So my take away here is put a mark or scribe line at the line crimp as a reference for any movement that may happen in the future.

 

I think I may be developing the same problem as everyone here.
I came out of work today to find coolant had leaked out of the car, overflow tank was empty, We're assuming its the Thermostat, Topped it off and went home immediately and got under the car to get a better look.
While I was under there I could see the underside of my turbo and the wastegate was covered in oil.
I pulled my M7 heat shield and found that the area of the feed line was greasy.

I got the car to the dealer asap and pointed all of this out. With only 57k and a good reputation around there I'm hoping its taken care of gratis. Its clearly an issue and shouldn't be, I've been babying this car for over 4 years and they know it.

 

Is your dealer MINI of Peabody? I called them to see how much they were charging to replace the line and it was $850 just for the feed line. This is of course using OEM part which will fail again in 50k miles.

 

Yeah it is, I am worried to find out what they have to tell me tomorrow on the phone.
All I know is I am not paying that price and they will too. Crutial engine components failing by 50k miles in a MODERN car!? it's absurd, This s*** should and will be covered by MINI, mark my words