R53 MINI Cooper S oiling issue?

Oh great braintrust of GRM, I beseech thee. Lately, the wife's Cooper's been having what appears to be a weird oiling issue. When it's at idle, it has a LOT of valve clatter up top. Like, loud. It's not knocking, and it's not hitting the top of the piston. It sounds just like loud lifters, or loud valves. I've read that as they get higher miles, they tend to burn a bit of oil, so I checked that- it was low, added some. Reads fine now. However, the clatter is still there. Car has 98k on it....... what's my problem? Failing oil pump? Bad PCV? Vac leak somewhere?

I think if your oil pressure was low enough to cause this you would have seen other symptoms by now.

If you have a stock PCV system pull the crankcase breather hose and make sure there is suction coming from the valve cover side. If you get pressure coming out you know something's wrong.

Will do... as soon as I figure out how the hell to get to it...

Hey - Odd thought - have you checked the Harmonic balancer? The HB on our Cooper S completely sheared the rubber ring so that the metal serp belt drive ring was rotating freely around the crankshaft. At startup it caused a fierce knocking then settled into a light tick as it contacted the block under rotation.

Maybe yours is separated and causing other odd noises. It is aparantly a very common problem on R53s above 50k miles.

ultraclyde wrote: Hey - Odd thought - have you checked the Harmonic balancer? The HB on our Cooper S completely sheared the rubber ring so that the metal serp belt drive ring was rotating freely around the crankshaft. At startup it caused a fierce knocking then settled into a light tick as it contacted the block under rotation. Maybe yours is separated and causing other odd noises. It is aparantly a very common problem on R53s above 50k miles.

Replaced at 85k under warranty. That grenaded on me at highway speed, and threw the car into limp mode. Scared the hell out of me, thought i'd popped the motor, and realized the car was still idling.

what weight and brand of oil are you running?

I've notice with 5w-30 Mobil 1, the clacking of lifters comes on half way through the recommended milage cycle necessitating an oil change. OEM oil seems to last a bit longer with clacking at 3k or less to go. At 50k, I started using 0w-40 mobil 1 in the MCS, now with 120k on the clock. I don't ever get the clacking noise now. The throwout bearing for the clutch makes up for it in spades. As you may have noticed, I have not done any oil analysis. And you read it on the intarweb.

Looks like I'll have to add an ATI HB to the laundry list. SWMBO is gonna have a conniption fit.

0w40 is the "new" recommended grade. Lucky for me, it's the same Mobil 1 I run in the TDi.

I'd check (or have checked) the timing chain tensioner. They do wear over time...

Lots of things going on in that engine bay that could sound like that...supercharger, all that intake/IC piping over the valve cover. Gear-driven water pump. Timing chain tensioner. I wouldn't discount the OEM balancer being out again-it sucks and sounds like valve tick.

heyduard wrote: what weight and brand of oil are you running? I've notice with 5w-30 Mobil 1, the clacking of lifters comes on half way through the recommended milage cycle necessitating an oil change. OEM oil seems to last a bit longer with clacking at 3k or less to go. At 50k, I started using 0w-40 mobil 1 in the MCS, now with 120k on the clock. I don't ever get the clacking noise now. The throwout bearing for the clutch makes up for it in spades. As you may have noticed, I have not done any oil analysis. And you read it on the intarweb. Looks like I'll have to add an ATI HB to the laundry list. SWMBO is gonna have a conniption fit.

heyduard wrote: what weight and brand of oil are you running? I've notice with 5w-30 Mobil 1, the clacking of lifters comes on half way through the recommended milage cycle necessitating an oil change. OEM oil seems to last a bit longer with clacking at 3k or less to go. At 50k, I started using 0w-40 mobil 1 in the MCS, now with 120k on the clock. I don't ever get the clacking noise now. The throwout bearing for the clutch makes up for it in spades. As you may have noticed, I have not done any oil analysis. And you read it on the intarweb. Looks like I'll have to add an ATI HB to the laundry list. SWMBO is gonna have a conniption fit.

Mobil 1 full syn, 5w30. Looks like it's getting an oil change.

Tyler H wrote: Lots of things going on in that engine bay that could sound like that...supercharger, all that intake/IC piping over the valve cover. Gear-driven water pump. Timing chain tensioner. I wouldn't discount the OEM balancer being out again-it sucks and sounds like valve tick.

Tensioner/chain/etc all checked when the car went in with 85k on the clock after the HB toasted. Thank god for an extended warranty. 6k worth of work and a new clutch later..... it was back in my hands for roughly 10% of that.

I don't know what the specific factory requirement is for the R53 MINI (and searching didn't turn it up), but the current models require not just any full synthetic, but one that meets BMW LL-01, which is a significantly more stringent standard. The garden variety Mobil1 5w30 is very light for its grade and does not meet any of the Euro ACEA standards (on which LL-01 is based). Anecdotal evidence suggests BMW engines do not like the M1 5w30, often becoming noisy in the top end; not sure if any of this translates to MINI or not, but it's worth figuring out exactly what your oil requirements are.

02Pilot wrote: but the current models require not just any full synthetic, but one that meets BMW LL-01, which is a significantly more stringent standard. The garden variety Mobil1 5w30 is very light for its grade and does not meet any of the Euro ACEA standards (on which LL-01 is based). Anecdotal evidence suggests BMW engines do not like the M1 5w30, often becoming noisy in the top end; not sure if any of this translates to MINI or not, but it's worth figuring out exactly what your oil requirements are.

+1

Yep. Mobil1 0w-40 meets the LL-01 standard. One can usually get it at Wally world for about 6/quart. Or when NAPA parts has a sale. Lubro Moly is supposed to be the cat's meow. MINI's OEM oil is formulated by Castrol Germany. Haven't tried Redline yet.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/ is more than you ever wanted to know about motor oil.

BUMP! I'm zombieing my own thread. Wife's car's been doing this again, it's traced NOW to a low oil condition due to a leaking oil pan gasket. Apparently this is common. I've read horror stories of "Thousand bucks at the dealer" to "it's a piece of cake to do". Anyone done this personally?

IMHO, it depends on how bad the leak is. IIRC, there are a few things bolted to the oil pan that make changing the gasket a bit of a task. I've never done one before but I'd probably try it, although working on these cars doesn't scare me.

I've yet to work on a Tritec that didn't leak oil. Some worse than others. MINI's are "proper British cars" in this regard...

It's rapidly going from "annoying" to "sieve" status. I can deal with "annoying" but it's low already (doing the valve clatter thing according to the wife) and it needs to get done. It actually seems like a halfway ok job to do upon research- I've read guys doing it as fast as 45min... . I'm probably not that good, but I have a BMW friend with a lift now- so all is possible with enough beer.

After we broke up, my ex-g/f changed the coolant hoses on her R53 along with a few other things. Had the whole front end ripped apart (posted pictures on FB). Granted, she'd seen me do it a bunch of times, but had never done it on her own, and without my lift and without my somewhat silly tool collection. She did it got it all back together. They really are pretty easy cars to work on.

Sometimes an oil leak is not the oil pan. It is sometimes an o-ring for some sensor at the top front of the block.

Previously diagnosed as a weepy oil pan. Guess we'll see.

mndsm wrote: Previously diagnosed as a weepy oil pan. Guess we'll see.

My MINI had spent a lot of time in the garage and started leaking when I bought it. I bought a VR oil pan gasket and the crank position sensor o-ring for the job. It mysteriously quit leaking with usage.

I'll send you the parts for the cost of shipping if you email me your address.

Tyler H wrote:

mndsm wrote: Previously diagnosed as a weepy oil pan. Guess we'll see.

My MINI had spent a lot of time in the garage and started leaking when I bought it. I bought a VR oil pan gasket and the crank position sensor o-ring for the job. It mysteriously quit leaking with usage. I'll send you the parts for the cost of shipping if you email me your address.

Were they S parts? If so- incoming message.

a shop will charge around $500, mini about double that. i dont see how it could be done in 45 mins.

Apparently the guy has it down to a science. I doubt very much I can do it in 45min, but I can do it cheaper than 500 bucks.

The guys who work on the cars every day learn tricks and short-cuts. A buddy of mine has figured out some tricks that allow him to R&R a MINI clutch in well under the book time. When I was doing them more often, even I could beat the book time on the front LCA bushings, provided the car owner didn't ask to "help".

In reply to Ian F:

Oh I believe you that he does it in 45mins, but he must have some nifty short cuts. I didn't do mine myself, but I looked up the procedure and there were many steps including putting the engine in service mode.