Looks as if I have the turbo oil feed issue in my "09 Cooper S at 56K miles. Following an oil change I noticed spots on the garage floor. The dealer replaced the filter and fiddled with the drain plug to no avail. Then I noticed oil around the turbo oil feed and pointed it out to the dealer via photograph and have an appointment tomorrow. Strange coincidence that the feed line should start to leak immediately after an oil change. I have also hit the MINI trifecta as I have had the timing chain rattle, the auxiliary water pump problem and now the turbo oil feed leak. I have to admit I do tlike the car though I do have pangs of envy when I look at the Consumer Reports reliability charts for Toyota or Subaru cars. Thanks to all of you for posting such valuable information. I can at least push the dealer for a good will discount.

 

Had I read Consumer Reports before buying my Mini I probably would not be apart of this awesome and supportive community of owners. Every time I get behind the wheel of my Mini I am reminded how much fun it is and the repairs are justified.

My oil supply line went two days before Christmas. Then my water pump went out (almost) 3 weeks ago. Last weekend , my thermostat housing. I did all the repairs myself. And I can say that when I look out the window of my office and look at my Mini I can honestly say I would do them all again if need be. Cause I love my Mini.

 

Well said, friend. I'll keep those points in mind.

 

Does a 2009 JCW clubbie use the same Detroit Tuned Turbo Oil Line Kit? JCW is not mentioned in the drop down list, just a clubman S.. I sadly have the leak.. ugh. Thanks all for the great write ups.

 

Following full turbo oil line replacement plus various gaskets to the tune of $1,200 including at 10 percent goodwill discount, car is still dripping the same amount of oil in the exact same spot in my garage. No oil appears around the new turbo oil feed, so that's something.

 

Did they replace the oil filter housing and heat exchanger gaskets? Since it happened right after an oil change, it sounds like those, assuming that you already checked the oil filter gasket to make sure there wasn't 0 or 2 o rings in there.

 

I am embarrassed but relieved to tell you that the oil is no longer seeping out. I can only think that a spot of oil was left on the floor when I drove the car off to the dealer to be repaired. No leak since I wiped that one up. In answer to your question, the oil filter housing gasket was replaced but not the heat exchanger gasket unless it is the same as the one between the turbo and the cat. Nevertheless, it isn't leaking. Oh, and I did ask them following the oil change to make sure the filter was seated properly. Sorry for making something out of nothing.

 

FYI.. the Detroit kit is for JCW too..

What a giant PITA this job is. Not that is is technically hard but, wow getting around to get the heat sheilds off is such a Pain in the neck, Literally. I am so glad for this thread tho, I am by no means an A class mechanic but this thread kept me going, was almost going to call it quits at the begining but than i thought really give Mini that much money NO WAY, car was expensive enough. I just have to get the two shields bolted up tomorrow and I am done, it got to dark and too cold to continue tonight. Thanks again all for the posts.

 

Its easier to put it back together Your almost done

 

DONE!!! Was much easier to put back together, mostly cuz i knew what to do, some what.. Had a little freak out when i first started it up, smoked a bit, though it was still leaking but i think it was just some burn off of the engine clean and left over oil. Took it for a spirited drive and all seems ok, no oil leak. Fingers crossed.. Once again thanks, especially to every_day_im_motorin.. directions were spot on.. Totally a doable job, keep patient. have to use your imagination a bit on some of the bolts but it can be done by the shady tree mechanic. Just wish it didn't have to be done in the first place, DAMN U MINI why do you make such cool cars.. I've save a bunch of money doing the repairs myself and maintaining the car but, this should never happen, along with a host of other things but yada yada, i.. peace.

 

Tell me, I'm part of the club now, aren't I? I just noticed this after popping the hood because the the last couple weeks, my car would start to make a weird diesel-sounding vibration/whirling noise from the engine. I made a post about it here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...om-engine.html

 

Congratulations, You have "the leak".. Hope you enjoy home auto repair or have a few hundred bucks to **** away.. sorry man, it's a total PITA to fix but you can do it. Good Luck.

 

Unfortunately, my engine is also making a vibration/rattling/diesel/whirling noise on occasion -- so there may be more to it than just the leak. May have lead to a bad bearing in my turbo -- or quite possibly it's not related at all. Going to check the turbo bearing today.

 

Have you checked the timing chain guide and tensioner?

 

Just checked the turbo fin, and to me the bearing seems fine. No scraping inside the housing from what I could tell (but I'm no expert)...but then again the sound is only intermittent and doesn't happen all the time.

COOP310, I haven't checked that as it's already been replaced once (replaced piston for timing chain tensioner by the Dealer), a while ago...and back then I had a noise (though somewhat similar) only during cold starts. Though I guess it could still be related.

I guess I saw the slight oil leak from the turbo line, so also figured the sound was related to that...but I wouldn't be surprised if they were two separate issues with this money pit. Haha.

 

Hey DogT, replacing the oil line got rid of a diesel sound? I'm just started having an intermittent diesel/vibrating/whirling noise while driving (a few times a week). It's not constant though. Was your Mini having similar sounds?

 

I'm really hoping I don't have to do this soon (40k miles on a 2008 cooper s hatch) but all these success stories with the DIY procedure give me hope in fixing it myself!

the timing chain however seems like an issue that I wouldn't be able to fix with a DIY :(

 

Hello Gents



I have the DT kit waiting and I will be tackling this task within the next week or so. My question is in regarding to the Downpipe gaskets that many say to replace.

I wasn't sure if it is it the Turbo to DP gasket or the DP to exhaust gasket (or both)?

The car is my DD so this bring me to my next question: How long would I be able to drive with the oil line in this condition? Obviously as soon as possible is ideal but I will only have free time on the weekends. The leak is not profuse as I do not see any spots on my driveway, but I do see seep-age of fresh oil from the line and the faint smell of burning oil on drives. I've been checking and topping off the oil level every couple of days to ensure it the levels are acceptable.

What can be the worse that can happen if I drive the car too long in this condition?

 

I love hearing these success stories. While I agree that things like this shouldn't become an issues at such a young age, I too love my MINI enough to put up with it. Although that's being tested REAL hard at the moment as I'm in the middle of my own timing chain replacement. Ugh.

If they replaced the tensioner with the same model tensioner, you could be having the issue again. At some point they've improved the tensioner. I'll let others more experienced with this issue speak to this. It was just a thought.

Stay tuned and I'll let you know...
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3726143

 

Turbo to downpipe gasket. The DP to exhaust is connected by a pesky v-band style clamp. I remember wrestling with this clamp for a while both in removing and re-installing it. It's not the best design.

From the time I started noticing the smell and saw "the leak" to complete failue was roughly 4k miles. I waited too long but at the time I wasn't sure what was going wrong.

Complete failure will include spraying oil all over the engine compartment resulting in potential fire, starving the turbo of oil and burning it up, along with a larger mess to clean up. I honestly though my MINI was on fire when it finally failed because their was so much smoke. Don't let it go that long. You'll probably notice oil spots on the ground just before it's ready to blow.

 

Yup I've been following it! Thanks so much for letting us follow along, I'm sure documenting what you find will make it easier when we (almost inevitably) have to do the same. Unfortunately I don't have the time right now to do all of this maintenance but I'm sure I'll have time over the summer! Your guides will definitely be invaluable.

If only you were in st louis...

 

Thanks for the info, looking to tackle it this weekend

 

Everyday I'm Motorin,

It's owners like yourself that make forums a great place to be, fantastic write up which will help many other accomplish something they really didn't know they could. Kudos to you for a selfless act to take pics and keep details I order!! Great Job and I'm sure you'll find the timing chain install not as challenging as its portrayed, once you get all the bolts removed and the cam's locked down its a straight forward remove and install assembly, yet the lower sprocket having no key way seems odd only friction holds it, a BMW design which seem to work.

Enjoy and looking forward to write up of this as well.

 

I posted this question on a similar post, do you have to remove the O2 sensor or can I just unplug the connector and fish it through the cut out in the heat shield? My wife's oil feed line on her clubman S started leaking a week ago and I plan to replace it with the DT kit this weekend. If I have to pull the O2 sensor I'd like to do that first other wise it should save some time by just leaving it in the down pipe and fishing the connector through the hole.

 

I'm pretty sure that you have to remove it. Those shields don't come out easy as it is.