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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 Cooper (R50), Cabrio (R52), and Cooper S (R53) MINIs.
I changed the head gasket and oil cooler.. Still getting coolant in the oil..
I'm hoping someone can help me figure this out. I've already spent lots of money and man hours trying to fix this.. My Mini R53 is getting coolant in the oil. It started when I was chasing an oil leak.. I ended up changing the oil cooler because I found peanut butter looking gunk in it while changing the rings.. I then decided to flush the coolant (because of the gunk) and while doing so I walked away and the car overheated briefly while idling..... after that I began getting coolant in the oil. I assumed it was the head gasket because those have been known to fail after overheating.. and I had a new oil cooler. So I removed the head and had a machine shop inspect it.. they said it was in good condition... so I put it back on with a new gasket.. now I'm still getting coolant in the oil...
I'm out of ideas.. I have a friend at an import shop that has a customers R53 with the exact same issue and we are both baffled by this... Both cars got new head gaskets and oil coolers.. Does anyone have an idea of what to check next?? Maybe we both got bad oil coolers? do we have cracked engine blocks? Seems like cracked R53 engine blocks are rare...
Yes the spark plug hole. There was a post here where you could not see the cracks unless you looked really really close. With minor cracks it not always easy to verify with a leak down test either.
Yes the spark plug hole. There was a post here where you could not see the cracks unless you looked really really close. With minor cracks it not always easy to verify with a leak down test either.
can it be seen on a camera/scope? Just don't want to take car back apart unless I have some proof that is the issue.. My #4 spark plug felt like it was slipping after 15 ft lb.. I never got it to 20 ft lb...
First and foremost I would find out way it overheated, while idling. Then with luck that would drive the ability to find the cause of coolant in the oil. You had the Head checked but what about the top of the block and the cylinder sleeves?
The oil cooler may be the leak source.
This is a known weak point!
It is located at the oil filter area.
Over torquing the cooler can cause it to warp and leak.
Has the block and head been checked for flatness?
Last edited by ItsmeWayne; 08-01-2018 at 08:26 AM.
Reason: added info
The cracks near the spark pug hole don't actually go into a coolant jacket (I cut one in half to check) and if they did it would be puffing white smoke out the tail pipe or causing a hydro-lock situation when there was pressure in the cooling system
If you're getting coolant in the oil after a head gasket job I have to ask:
Was a brand new oil cooler installed or was it a used unit?
Was the head checked by a machinist for flatness?
Did you replace the head bolts and torque then in sequence and to torque spec?
Did you change the oil and filter before starting the engine after the head was re-installed?
Did you change the oil and filter after about 15 minutes of running the engine to flush any remaining water out of the oiling system?
First and foremost I would find out way it overheated, while idling. Then with luck that would drive the ability to find the cause of coolant in the oil. You had the Head checked but what about the top of the block and the cylinder sleeves?
Best of luck.
Motor On!
It overheated while I was running distilled water through the system in attempt to flush it.. I filled it.. let it idle for a while.. dumped it.. let it cool then repeated... I was on my 3rd and last cycle when I walked away for a minute and the bottom drain hose popped off (because I didn't put the clip back on because I was there watching it).. I came back to steam and a pegged temp gauge...
The head was taken to the shop and inspected but the block I just visually checked out.. It was strait and level.
Anyone know how to pressure test and combustion chamber test the coolant system with one of the aluminum aftermarket expansion tanks?
Could this be a failure of the new oil cooler I installed? Can overheating cause an oil cooler failure? How can I test or inspect the oil cooler to see if it tase failed?
How can I test or inspect the oil cooler to see if it failed?
Check out post #7 of THIS thread (how I tested the oil cooler) where I had an oil cooler failure, which led to the opposite of your issue, as I had oil in my coolant.
Was the oil cooler you installed a brand new OE part?
The cracks near the spark pug hole don't actually go into a coolant jacket (I cut one in half to check) and if they did it would be puffing white smoke out the tail pipe or causing a hydro-lock situation when there was pressure in the cooling system
If you're getting coolant in the oil after a head gasket job I have to ask:
Was a brand new oil cooler installed or was it a used unit? Not sure. I got whatever Advanced Auto Parts sold me.. OEM replacement is what I was told.. I can calling ask if this is important.
Was the head checked by a machinist for flatness? YES
Did you replace the head bolts and torque then in sequence and to torque spec? YES
Did you change the oil and filter before starting the engine after the head was re-installed? YES
Did you change the oil and filter after about 15 minutes of running the engine to flush any remaining water out of the oiling system? I changes it after 75 miles.
How much water are you seeing in oil? Not a lot at this point.. I'm loosing coolant somewhere and I'm seeing moisture on my fill cap and up my dipstick.. also a little snot on the dipstick.. When I changed the oil after 75 miles I got exactly 5 qt back out of the car which made me think the problem was solved.. But I'm still getting signs of moisture after the oil change..
Check out post #7 of THIS thread (how I tested the oil cooler) where I had an oil cooler failure, which led to the opposite of your issue, as I had oil in my coolant.
Was the oil cooler you installed a brand new OE part?
It was brand new.. But I don't know if the same manufacturer made it as the original.
It was brand new.. But I don't know if the same manufacturer made it as the original.
The Advance Auto Parts website shows the replacement to be a MAHLE, which is exactly what I got from the MINI dealer when I picked up my replacement, although, the original to the car oil coolers were made by KTM. I assume yours is a MAHLE?
The Advance Auto Parts website shows the replacement to be a MAHLE, which is exactly what I got from the MINI dealer when I picked up my replacement, although, the original to the car oil coolers were made by KTM. I assume yours is a MAHLE?
It remember was not KTM.. so it was probably MAHLE.. I can't imagine too many companies make them.
Ok, if all you're seeing is a little snot on the filler cap and dipstick, that is normal after coolant contamination of the oiling system. This is just the moisture that got trapped in crevices of the block during the contamination.
As far as loosing coolant, how much are you losing? Any major loss into the oiling system would result in a milkshake condition pretty quickly.
Did you open both bleeders (upper radiator and next to the thermostat) after running the car for a few minutes then shutting it off?
Did you do this multiple times? (Make sure your heat is on hot and the fan is off to help burp the heater core)
If you replaced the oil cooler the system was pretty close to empty and there will be a lot of air in the system
Ok, if all you're seeing is a little snot on the filler cap and dipstick, that is normal after coolant contamination of the oiling system. This is just the moisture that got trapped in crevices of the block during the contamination.
As far as loosing coolant, how much are you losing? Any major loss into the oiling system would result in a milkshake condition pretty quickly.
Did you open both bleeders (upper radiator and next to the thermostat) after running the car for a few minutes then shutting it off?
Did you do this multiple times? (Make sure your heat is on hot and the fan is off to help burp the heater core)
If you replaced the oil cooler the system was pretty close to empty and there will be a lot of air in the system
My fingers are crossed that this is normal. I'll continue to monitor but would still like to pressure test my coolant system to ensure there are no leaks.. Does anyone know how to pressure test the system with an aftermarket aluminum overflow tank?
I did a pressure test of the coolant system.. It held 20psi for 2+ minutes pretty well.. The gauge moved a little but not a lot... my best guess would be 1-1.5 psi which is within spec (i think).. I changed the oil.. This time I got a little more than 5 liters out of it.. and I'm still getting moisture at the oil fill cap and up the dipstick. It looks like water... It's clear, not milky.
My coolant levels seem to be dropping slightly not near as much as before I did the head gasket.. Not sure if I still have an issue or not. I might drive it for a few weeks then change the oil and have the oil tested by a lab for coolant
Yeah you'll see moisture for a bit especially since you're in a humid climate.
As the small bubbles of air work there way out you'll see the level drop, check it in the morning before starting the car for the next week or so and you should see it stop
Having they oil analyzed by someone like Blackstone labs is never a bad idea.
Short trips, especially in humid summer conditions will often show milky at cap. I have a short commute to work and wouldn't be surprised to see it on the cap. I had another car where it was really noticeable, but that car lasted years and I never added coolant.
Just tossing it out in case you are taking short trips
We have seen the head crack by the rear most head bolt where the timing chain runs right to below the cam shaft, take a look there. I have seen in a hand full of cars with coolant in oil issues. And it only shows up when the car is hot till it gets really bad. The only fix I know of is a new head. The Alum on the head is very poor and will not weld.
This morning I had to add coolant again..
Going to change the oil again this week.. if more than 5q (the amount i put in) of oil comes back out I'm thinking about trying a "leak stopper" additive... I just don't have the time/money/energy to take this engine back apart..
Based on where this leak could be (head, Block)... Does anyone have a recommendation on which type of leak stopper to try? aluminum? coper? powder?.. I'm thinking if I can get by for 4-6+ months, I'll have more time to fix this properly.
If you have coolant in the oil it's not the amount you should be watching it's the color. If there is actually coolant in the oil the oil will look like a light chocolaty brown or as we normally call it "milkshake" as the water/oil mix creates something that no longer looks like oil.
Changed the oil tonight. It looks normal to me..
I got 4.5 qt out.. I put 5 qt in but I didn't change the oil filter (only 450 miles on it) and I usually get more oil out when the filter is unscrewed..
I'm having a lab test the small bottle... the 2 L bottle I'm going to let sit and see if there is any separation between oil and coolant.
I'm also going to rig a tube from the aftermarket aluminum overflow tank (pressure release valve) to a small container to see if maybe I'm loosing coolant out that way.
I will continue to monitor..
07-31-2018, 05:01 PM
