Hi all
So I’ve had my (first) Mini for about a month.
Car was bought privately, and it turns out the seller wasn't completely honest. I hope you good people can shed light on these engine issues I unknowingly inherited. I'm in Europe btw.

Model: Mini One 2009 (R56)
Engine: 1.4 with automatic transmission (N12 engine)
Mileage: 64.000km / 40.000 miles

I changed the oil, oil filter and engine filter immediately after purchase.

Symptoms when cold:

• White smoke from exhaust pipe - usually white smoke is coolant being burned, but mine smells very much like fuel, can’t tell if oil or fuel (se video here). Smoke is less visible after engine warms up.
• Sluggish when accelerating - car is very low on power until engine is warm, takes about 10 min.
• High idle @ around 1.300 RPM, takes about a minute for the car to settle. I have a Scangauge hooked up as seen in this sped up video here.

Some preliminary diagnosis I've done:

Valve cover leak?
Small amount of oil on the valve cover, not sure how or if the oil seeped out (se video here). But spark plugs are clean, no wetness or residue. Spark plug well is also clean.
Any way to eliminate possibility of clogged/faulty PCV valve?

Had gasket leak?
No visible coolant leak. Looked into the engine, no obvious contamination, no froth or sludge. Oil looks fine, oil cap had very small trace of white stuff, perhaps vapor and oil mist (it's winter down here).

Vacuum leak?
I read somewhere that vacuum leaks can cause high/rough idle. Can a vacuum leak cause smoke?

--

I want to eliminate all other probable causes before considering serious engine defects (valve stem seals, pistol rings, etc)
In the meanwhile I'll keep an eye on the oil level.

Thanks.

 

Sounds like a coolant issue. I would worry about a damaged head gasket, especially since the car is sluggish. Sounds like the seller dumped his ailing Mini on an unsuspecting buyer. All you can do now is get it to a shop for service. Sorry for your troubles. Your story is why I bought my used Mini from a dealer that certifies their cars and offers a 90 day warranty. Good luck getting it sorted out.

Kat

 

About 1 minute of high idling when cold is what my Mini also does in Winter, especially in the morning. If below freezing, it may take even longer (at similar rpm's as yours). How cold was it when you took the video and how long was the car parked?

Does the smoke and fuel smell stop after about 10 to 15 minutes of driving?

 

did you check the spark plugs? timing chain? catalytic converter? what codes are you getting?

 

@giorgos Car was parked overnight, temperatur was about 5°C/41°F in the morning. Exhaust continues to smell of fuel even when warm, though the smoke is less evident.

@MiniToBe Spark plugs are fine (no sign of coolant or oil). I have an intermittent fault code for lean fuel mixture (suspecting vacuum leak)
Haven't checked the timing chain yet. I'm not sure if what you can hear in this video are the fuel injectors or the dreaded chain rattle

 

The engine sounds rough in the video. Hummm take the valve cover off and check the chain and guides.

By checking the spark plugs I also meant the pluts gaps.

Also, the gas could be bad!

 

I think the white "smoke" is just normal condensation from the exhaust system on a cool humid morning, as it dissipates quickly in the air. Coolant or oil smoke would hang around longer, in my opinion. Also, coolant being burned would have a sweet smell to it. The fuel smell is most likely just the richer cold start fuel mixture. Keep an eye on your coolant level, and if it doesn't appear lower at the same temperature, I would say you are not burning coolant.

 

@MiniToBe : I will do some through tests this weekend: spark plug gaps, compression tests, fuel injector inspection, etc
@renchjeep : Definetely not condensation, it was a bit windy that morning, and the smell of fuel is unmistakeable. I would be a lot less worried if it was due to rich mixture. I'm currently checking oil and coolant levels every morning.

 

I checked this afternoon at what coolant temperature the idle rpms are reduced: 25 degrees C (i.e. similar to your video). Outside temperature was about 5 degrees C all day long and the car was parked on the street for some days.

The oil on your valve cover looks like somebody spilled (a lot of) engine oil while pouring it into the engine. That is not necessarily a leaking gasket (though the latter cannot be ruled out, of course).

What makes you rule out condensation? Unburnt fuel (for whatever reason) does not result in white, steamy smoke like in your video. Indeed, it looks just like the steam my Mini emits while condensation gets vaporised.

Does the car smoke after it has been driven for say 30 minutes or more non-stop?

 

That's noted, @giorgos, thanks. I had it on the highway recently and it was still smoking after I came home about 30 minutes later. Does burning oil smell like fuel to a degree?

So...... I was going through my morning ritual (coolant and oil check) and I looked under the oil cap... what a mess! There was no froth last time I checked about 5 days ago.
Somebody, please respond with "...but that's not a definitive sign of blown head gasket" so I can keep hoping a little longer

 

Oh! This does not look good.

 

Dang. Yeah, that's no good. Sorry, man.

 

I suspect coolant in your oil.
Remove the oil filler cap and shine a light in and take a look.
If there is sludge on the valve train it is probably a head gasket.

 

So sorry that it looks like a blown head gasket. Don’t try to drive it anymore, until you get it sorted. That’s a very expensive repair.

Kat

 

If you are mechanically inclined, have tools and a place to do the work you can replace the head gasket yourself.
There is lots of information on line (youtube is one) on how to do the job. It is a big job though.
As Katgirl says it is an expensive repair.

 

Thanks for all your replies so far.

Here's an update:
I had some time to poke around the engine today. I've attached a picture of the vent hose for the PCV (frothy oil, if picture is unclear). If I understand the engine diagram correctly, the vent hose is directly connected to the intake manifold. I unplugged the hose while engine was running, and this video recording shows considerable blow by.

I'm beginning to suspect that the fault might be in the valve cover.
What do y'all think?

@minidd99 : No sludge on the valve train, and the coolant level hasn't fallen - I've been checking for 3-4 days.

 

Will need someone more knowledgeable then me to chime in.
I am out of ideas, You could be correct.

 

Yep, coolant in the oil. Most likely a blown head gasket. Though it could be something else, won't know until you pull the head. I wouldn't drive it with the oil contaminated.

 

What has been the outcome of this story?

I once bought a car that had oil in the coolant. Literally. The PO had topped off the oil by pouring it into the coolant reservoir. That was an interesting day spent flushing out a radiator and whatever else I could get access to.

 

I realize this is an old thread, but it would be interesting to know the outcome. While I agree that it appears to be coolant in the oil, with an N14 turbo charged engine, there is another way for the coolant to get into the oil that isn't mentioned.

I've been chasing oil leaks on my Mini, and today replaced the valve cover. However, earlier this year, I replaced the gaskets on the oil cooler, which is located on the front of the engine near the oil filter. Both oil and coolant travel through the oil cooler and there are gaskets that seal the oil cooler where it mounts to the engine. It is possible for the gaskets to be leaking and also cause this problem.

I didn't experience this problem myself, just suggesting that it should be explored before going directly to pulling the engine head, which is a very expensive repair.