Last night, after a 10mi or so city drive, in the bumpy and nasty streets here in NY, my Oil Pressure dummy light came on a couple times, in time with a couple of particularly pronounced dips. I was driving under 5mph, and when the street levelled, the light went out (it was never on for more than a flicker, about five times total). Reading though the manual at a traffic light, it said 'Stop the car immediately. Call Mini.' Well, they have never tried to park in NY, and it was 3AM. The light never came back, and never was really lit solid.

I will check the oil tonight when I go to move it, and possibly call MINI. But has anyone else had intermittent single dummy light flashes? My reading from the manual is that is should come on, ON, when there is an oil pressure problem.

 

Not in the S or the Cooper. But I never drove them in
NY at 3 AM. Even when the Cooper would have the stumbling
idle problem, the oil light would not come on....when I kind of
thought it might. I'd get it checked...

 

so oil pressure light is back, big time. Still blinking, a little more insistent. Left VM at dealer, but in the meantime, I tried to check the oil, but I can't figure out that dipstick. What happened to Max and Min marks? Is the break between the diamond pattern and the straight line the mid point? The max? My manual shows a different dipstick.

And this might be the sign of the problem, but in the half light of the turnpike gas station, I could not see really any of the slight line that would sit on a flat metal dip, so I could be pretty dry, or the damn thing is so camfered and bezeled and patterned, I don't know what I am looking for

2003S, 3500mi, 0902 build

 

username. As I read it, the cross-hatched bit is the middle of the range, with the top and bottom of it being full and empty.

The dipstick is terrible, though, I'll agree. I'm never sure exactly what I'm looking at with that thing. If you hold it flat, the oil quickly fills the voids and looks full.

It sounds, though, like yours is low.

Jeff

 

just came back from the dealer. Word from my Service Advisor, or whatever they call them, is that the hatched area is the range, with the mid point hash (meaning where the hatching ends) is 'full.' In the better light of the Bimmer service garage, it (oil mark) was evident in a way that was not last night. He still topped it with a half quart (his comment was that one could expect a 1qt burn/loss over the first 10K). Light came on once directly after I left. He did say that there is a sensor (which is a borrowed Bimmer part) that has been known to be balky on Bimmers but he had not seen it happen to a MINI yet. So, equiipped with some knowledge, and some new oil, I can motor reasonably as ease for the holiday, though it looks like I will be returning to have that sensor checked in detail when I return.