Hello all,

First time posting in the repairs section. I have been browsing NAM for a while and it is all interesting and helpful.

Anyway..

I bought my 2003 MCS with 220k miles from a friend for very cheap. The engine bay was filthy, so the first thing I did was attempt to clean up. The drive axle boot were split and all the grease flung out, there were oil and grease deposits all over the engine/subframe.. I probably made the car 3lbs lighter with all the gunk I removed. This was back in March.

The first repairs I did were the drive axles, oil pan gasket, and crankshaft position sensor Oring. The first time I replaced the CPS Oring, the oil deposits were so heavy I could have used a spoon to clean it out. I bolted it all back together and it didn't take long for it to start leaking again.

So here is where I am at right now: I pulled the radiator to get a look at the CPS Oring again (last time I worked under the radiator so I couldn't get a good look at it). And holy jeez. It is a s**t show.

The gunk in the pictures below is more than 1/4" deep in some places. At this point, I think I'm going to do a major rebuild of the engine, have the supercharger rebuilt (it was never serviced), and replace all gaskets I come across.

So my question is: Does anyone have an idea where the major leak is coming from? It looks like it's coming from under the head (the head is relatively clean, thank goodness), somewhere behind the supercharger.

Thanks in advance










The sensor on the right is the crankshaft position sensor

 

Could be just a head gasket. Before a rebuild, do a leakdown and compression test to gauge just where you are and what needs to be done.

 

Doesn't look like it's the head gasket, it looks pretty clean. As soon as I figure it out I'll post it.

I will be doing a compression test but I'm not sure where to rent a leak down tester.

 

Looks like it's leaking from higher up onto the head gasket area. Probably an easy fix once it's diagnosed.

 

The only thing above the head gasket I can imagine that would leak oil would be either the valve cover gasket or the cover itself. They have been known to crack.

 

Folks can sometimes over tighten the coil pack...cracks the valve cover...leak is USUALLY on the back...but it is plastic...so if it is distorted a bit from heat...could be leaking anywhere....maybe just a bad gasket..but might be worth looking around.

Guessing if you pull the plugs, the oil gaskets that keep the plugs from getting oil on them are dried out too...if you do a valve cover, be sure to spend the 15$ or so swap them out too.
Just be 1005 sure you use a TQ wrench if you do the plugs..and check them later....MINI's have a reputation for spitting out plugs..even on PRO's..and needing a heli-coil to fix it....so be careful.

 

I've been lazy and have not touched the engine yet. I will be doing a valve cover gasket job but it seems dry around the front.

Whatever the problem is it is clear it has been there for a while.

 

From the crusty sheen of the oil, it looks like you may need a waterpump as well. Coolant leaks in that area tend to give the oil a "gloss coat" as they intermingle.

Dipstick tubes are also known for leaking at the base, as it is a simple O-ring seal same as the CPS, you can clean the mess up really well and seal the dipstick tube in with black RTV.

Due to the PCV design you will have oil leak from the supercharger/black intake pipe gasket. It is an inherent flaw of the design.

 

I would dig into more , +1 on the waterpump. Without getting behind the inter cooler and seeing whats going on top, its hard to tell. Once you pop off the intercooler , look straight down toward that leak.

Here is a DIY : https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-mcs-only.html

 

I don't know how active (dripping) that is, but it sure looks like "blow by" from the green gasket right there...

Yah it's much more mess than I've ever seen, but the position is a dead ringer for it. Perhaps it just got a lot of environmental garbage stuck to the blow by.


(oh - and are there ever any "Pretty" Oil leaks?)

 

That seems to be correct! The leak doesn't seem to be water, although it is all around the input water hose into the block, but that is right behind the supercharger intake which is loaded with oil.

The intercooler itself seems to have never been cleaned, so everything involved is pretty dirty. As well as cleaning everything downstream (intercooler, intake manifold), I will also install an oil catch can.



Top hose is input from water pump, white plug is CPS


intercooler filled with oil


Now it's on to rebuilding the supercharger. This may be the appropriate time to make another thread, but what are my options? It seems pretty taboo to talk about rebuilding SCs on NAM, but in all seriousness it seems like with these gears, and this rebuild kit, it is something that is do-able. I also have access to a machine shop so I can really get into it if necessary.

Another alternative is to buy a used one off ebay ($300-600) and then service it. Any input?

 

Looking at that updated photo, I'd have to say it's looking much more like the waterpump inlet gasket. That's a MASSIVE amount of gunk for blow-by


It's not taboo at all about SC's.... but rebuilding is really rare to do yourself.

Why does it need to be rebuilt? Open up the end, drain out the oil into a container you can measure with. Inspect the gears. No shavings? No rebuild needed.

Worst case, send it out for a rebuild/replacement from one of the many vendors that do it. For the price, it's not worth messing around.

Sounds like you want to rebuild it though, but if the gears are fine, it's not worth doing. If you're down on oil, you can install a SuperCharger Recharger, or have it rebuilt/replaced.

Nice to see new SC repair kits being made though. Few years back that wasn't available.

 

If the gears are ok, i would just change the oil. But it does have 22ok, has the supercharger been replaced ? Is ther a date numberin the casting ? Glad it was just the gasket and not something else major. Unless you see an issue.

+1 One easy , the other is hard to reach.

The oil is right here: and it does have a noticeable smell to it. Part # 12345982

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/12345982/



And do all the gasket:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...on-02-mcs.html

 

Supercharger has never been serviced or replaced. It's making a pretty bad sound as it rotates, I'm pretty sure it's the classic PTO gears. My options are to have it rebuilt, buy one off ebay, or attempt to rebuild it myself with the ebay gears.

 

could always look into one of these if you don't want to rebuild.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...brand-new.html


EDIT: Damn, all gone. Contact him though, this isn't his first batch that he had for sale

 

For new ones ( not rebuilt ), right now , 11657556981 & 11657526657 are available, no factor rebuilds at this point.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...on-02-mcs.html

 

I took the SC apart. The PTO gears are bone dry and rusted. Now that I have a good look at it, it looks like it's pretty dang hard to rebuild. But I really don't want to spend a grand on this just because of two faulty moving parts. What you're paying for is the back plate, that's not worth $1000.

Plus I hate paying a lot of money for something that is fundamentally flawed :/

 

Yikes, well at least it's caught now.

Fundamentally flawed.... Isn't it great that it's classified as "lifetime" for its lubrication, and that the dealer won't even service the oil in it? "Lifetime" is classified as "out of warranty" past that they don't care enough unless a class action is brought against them (like the PS, and almost the passenger weight sensor).

In all fairness, there are plenty of the SC's out there in high mileage engines that are as good as new (same with the OE clutches). But it's also not uncommon to be a failure point.

You could investigate the electric water pump. But it's likely you're in for a used SC, rebuilding that one (or having it rebuilt), or buying new.
Change the CPS and/or gasket + some RTV around it, replace the water pump while you're at it, using the blue coolant from the dealer (50/50 mix with distilled) and be careful to bleed the system well

 

I went for a rebuild. I found one that has a 3 year warranty on ebay for 800. I thought about an electric WP but I didn't like the fact that it pumped at a constant rate w/o a controller.

I bought a new WP, and I'll look into the blue coolant.

Thanks to everyone for their input, I'm excited to put it all back together.

 

Hi There

Thread resurrection....
Did you solve the oil leak issue?

I have a similar oil leak in my 2005 MCS, and it seems like it is coming from where the plastic intake meets the SC with the green gasket.
I did an oil change on the super charger and in the process also changed both water pump inlet o-rings.
The valve cover is dry and i have also changed the crank sensor o-ring and the oil sump gasket.
But still get an oily oilpan that seem to originate from the green gasket (also changed).
I dread that perhaps my piston rings are shot (the engine got about 110k miles on it), thus creating a lot of blowby, but the compression is fine and even across all cylinders.
I have also replaced the PCV valve but to no avail :(

I also have a high oil consumption of about 1 quart / 1200 miles if i run short trips. when i go for longer trips the oil consumption is a lot less.
The car doesn't seem to smoke anything out of the ordinary, and just passed emissions with flying colors (very strict here in Sweden) and runs great.

I'm thinking of installing a oil catch can to see if there in fact is a lot of oil coming thru the PCV lines. I wonder if there might be something wrong with the baffling inside the valve cover or perhaps that the new OEM PCV valve is faulty (quite a long shot i know).

Wow this became a longer message than anticipated, so to summarize:

Did you solve the issue with the oil leak?

Anyone else experienced oil leaks thru the green SC intake gasket?

Reason for oily PCV with good engine compression?

 

...just another reason why someone needs to come up small inexpensive Steam Cleaner for the Home Shop.

I hate (well Hate is a strong word) but I highly dislike working on cars that look like that.

Once you use the stains to Identify the trouble areas.

Motor On!

 

FWIW, 1L/1000km is "within spec" according to MINI Canada Corporate. I had that level of consumption (without knowing) and had no signs of it as well (no one believes that can happen, and thought I was thick). That engine ended up throwing a bearing, and was rebuilt (now going into my "project Jodie").

If you stay on top of it weekly, and fill the oil, you could continue to use it (other than your emissions issues), but at the end of the day, that engine is going to continue to consume it until it is rebuilt.

PCV valves are "dumb" units. If you shake it and it rattles, it works. It's a loose ball valve, if it's stuck, clean or replace it.

The system is working as designed, and if your compression is similar across all cylinders you're still fine.

I found on R53's, OCC's will capture a lot of moisture and condensate in the winter, but barely anything in the summer.

Yes, if not sealed correctly (and it's a real PIA to get it to seat) there could be dribbles coming out of the green gasket as it acts as your oil catch can (condensing at the leak, and because it is the lowest point). On Project Jodie, the engine was destroyed, but there was at least 3 oz of oil that oozed out when we disassembled it. It was massive and more than I've ever seen or heard of - but that engine was not functional and not in normal running condition - oil was even dripping out of the header joint.

 

Just an update we have these JCW superchargers in stock and they have been price dropped 59% off and free ship.

11657556981

https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...h/11657556981/