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Stock Problems/IssuesDiscussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for MINI Clubman (R55), Cooper and Cooper S(R56), and Cabrio (R57).
First off, this forum is a godsend. Been on here every time I have planned (or unplanned) maintenance and the recommendations seem to be pretty spot on.
Lately, I noticed my 09 MCS R56 going through oil a bit quicker than expected. I make it a point to check & top off the oil semi-frequently (once every couple - few weeks). While doing a routine oil change, I noticed (what looks like) signs of an oil leak. This seems to explain the oil "consumption" issue.
Pictures
For all the pictures, I basically had to lay the phone almost on the ground and shoot upward.
The area shown is mostly on the driver's side of the vehicle.
In the attached pictures, you can see what I'm referring to. I marked up the photos for what seems most relevant to me (but, then again, what do I know).
Notes
The top of the engine is clean, no signs of oil leaks there.
Oil pan itself seems fine to me. I wiped that clean as well and don't see any oil accumulating around it.
It seems to me like the oil is showing a "spray" pattern. It could either be caused by a leak from something where oil is under pressure or from the wind while driving - I can't be certain, but it might be a clue. You'll see what I mean in the pics.
Can I get some help/thoughts about what the culprit is most likely to be? If more pics are needed, happy to do it; just help guide me on what needs to be in the frame.
If you think you have a pretty clear idea, it would be great to get a sense/recommendation on what should be replaced (like just the valve cover gaskets, entire housing of some sort, whatever the case is) and whether there is something that's a good idea to replace while I'm in the guts of that area.
Lastly, I plan to do this repair myself unless it exceeds my mechanical comfort level or if there's a collective "don't do it" recommendation based on experience. So, looking to the crew here for that as well.
Vac pump is an easy DIY. The after market pump is ~$140 shipped from several vendors, ECS is one. The mech's labor seems really high, mine took me ~40 minutes.
The valve cover leak looks really small. Unless you have reason to want to inspect the cam chain I would not bother.
Very skeptical of the rear main seal claim, the oil stain is way higher that I would expect. Fix all other leaks, clean the oil stain off, replace the rear main only if oil stain returns.
Inspect the oil cooler/oil filter assembly (on front of engine behind the cat) as that is a common leak on older/high mileage cars. It is a bit tricky to get a line of sight up there, so be persistent. If you do the rear main replacement, do the oil cooler seals and turbo oil line at the same time
That looks like an oil filter housing leak. you would need this seal to fix that. http://www.detroittuned.com/mini-oil...g-seals-gen-2/ i would never guess rear main on that one as the oil is too high up, as well and that is not a seal that we see fail often. BUT i would highly recommend using our Super kit to fix the leak as it will have everything you need as well as your turbo oil line is going to leak at some point and its the same amount of work. here is a link http://www.detroittuned.com/dt-turbo...ine-super-kit/
If you do the job, you need to change both - oil cooler gaskets as well as oil filter housing. It's a PITA job, but you need to do it once. Also consider head cover gasket (and use some liquid sealant at corners near vacuum pump and HPFP- those leak even with new gasket).
I am also sceptic about transmission side sealing, as oil dirt is much higher than crankshaft line.
Check out our oil leak diagnoses article here: http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti..._Diagnosis.htm. It will help you determine what exactly is leaking as a lot of the times something that is leaking will drip onto other components of the vehicle making it appear like it's leaking from an area that it truly isn't leaking from. Let me know if you have any questions.
