2007 MINI Cooper (Non-S) Sport Button Manual Transmission
135,000 miles

I rarely drive in Sport Mode and I change my oil often.

A month ago it had become very cold in Los Angeles and I noticed some hesitation and jumpiness upon taking off quickly after a cold start while cycling through 1st and 2nd. After three days of driving in Sport Mode regularly I started getting hesitation while accelerating through 1st and 2nd; also while cruising in higher gears at low rpm and giving the accelerator a little bit of a press. I was also getting an occasional stalling when coming to a red light while in neutral and not on the clutch.

On the third or fourth day I got P0015 ("B" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Retarded (Bank 1)). I checked the oil which was oddly low but inside of the minimum. It was just about time for an oil change which I did. And I removed, cleaned and switched the Camshaft Position Sensors and Solenoids which were all very clean looking already. I did notice that I had dry oil build-up under the Vacuum Pump and the area. But​​​​​​, ​the car drove fine and the code didn't come back.

(Then)



I paid attention to the oil level almost daily and noticed a small drop in oil level after a week or two. In the fourth week I got P0012 ("B" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Retarded (Bank 1)) and saw just a bit of wet oil build-up under the Vacuum Pump and the area.

(Now)



In hindsight it was dumb to switch both the Sensors and Solenoids as now I don't know which one might be at fault but, I want to say that the code migrated with the possibly failing Sensor and or Solenoid? Not a big deal to change both of course but, the length in how long it took between fault codes and this oil leak under the Vacuum Pump has me questioning things.

I've been driving/accelerating very slowly the last two days and can feel long hesitations as I cycle through all the gears. I'm taking it up to about 3,000 rpm's before shifting but I'm still getting that bogged down rattle between some gear changes. And, when I got on it a little to make an aggressive lane change and came to a stop it stalled on me.

I've been anticipating if it's been time to sell it before I really have to put big money into it and the time may have come.

Should I go about it cheaply? Take the Vacuum Pump off see how the o-ring looks. Maybe just replace the o-ring it it's gone bad and clean out the Vacuum Pump if it looks fine? Or, Replace the whole Vacuum Pump myself if it looks bad inside as it doesn't seem to cost much online? And, from there replace the two Sensors and Solenoids as those aren't much online either?

Or, should I take it in to someone to open up the valve cover and really inspect whether or not it's and actual Over Retardation or Vanos Gears or the Timing Chain?

I'm not driving it now until I make a decision just in case it's much more serious internally.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have guys.

 

I have an N12 project car, and honestly have much more experience with the N14 engine. My first thought is timing tensioner since every Mini I have purchased had similar symptoms, error codes, and every one was resolved (almost) with a new tensioner / timing chain kit.
Reading your description - it seems the hesitation is not going away. Lower temperature in LA - and you likely got some gas with condensate in it, comes with the territory and colder weather, I'm afraid, could've caused a misfire that put enough pressure on your failing tensioner that caused the timing chain to jump a tooth.
I believe the oil leak is just a sign of the years / high temperatures / high mileage. Re-sealing the top end of the motor is a quick, cheap job assuming you do not need a new HG.
I would start by checking compression, then checking timing - only way I know how to do it is remove the valve cover (make sure you have a replacement valve cover gasket, and make sure you correctly torque so you do not damage the VC!) and use the timing tool set. Check the tensioner while you are there. Vac pump can be separately tested - good writeup in the shop manual and I use a cheapie vac gauge from China Freight for that.
Hope that helps.