[brainycheddar]

Hi guys, I was tooling around with my 02 MCS and I noticed that when I removed the intercooler, there was what seemed like engine oil all over the inside, I'm guessing that it's from the supercharger, and that the supercharger blew a seal, this would describle the sometimes rough idle, any help would be much appreciated.

[alski]

i think you may need a product called an oil catch can, gtt sell one over here, oil inside my intercooler july 05, only a fine coating but noticable al the same
i suggest if you had an air leak/loss of pressure in the system you would notice it all the time
for example if intercooler not fitted correctly air leaks an cause massive surging in engine idle speed
you may need to look further more to sort your idle

[brainycheddar]

hmm, an oil catch can, I suppose I could install one, I'll probably buy it from a stateside retailer, because overseas shipping is murder.

As for the idle problem, it's no surging that I can tell. its kind of weird, I explained it the the MINI dealer, and they said it was probably old software, however it continues to haunt me with the newer software installed, like every once in a blue moon, after the engine is warm, it will miss and get kind of low RPM and rough at idle like a race car with a long duration camshaft. air filter seems to be in check, and when I blip the throttle, it returns to it's normal hum. I figured the two would be related. maybe I should just buy the Bentley service manual and throubleshoot it for a couple of weekends (grumble....grumble...grumble....)

[Root Ginger]

Oil in the intercooler is perfectly normal.

[Ant FR]

yep oil in the ntercooler is normal. I always used to occasionaly flush my old Ibiza's intercooler with degreaser

[brainycheddar]

ok, that's a relief, but now I don't have an excuse to buy myself a JCW supercharger...

wouldn't oil and it's insulative properties prevent the intercooler from working optimally?

[Mike Edwards]

Yes. The oil vapour (from the engine breather) will also cause the engine management to retard the timing.

Hence the development of the catch can by various suppliers.

[brainycheddar]

thanks, I'll order a catch can, and hopefully that'll do it, first I'll clean out the intercooeler, and then I'll see how it drives. if it stops hesitating, then I know what the problem was

[Richard Crofts]

oil in the IC is normal. It comes from the rocker cover blowoff pipes ( the rubber/spongy elbow on the top left as you look at the engine, comes from the MINI on the rocker and then turns under the snoots onto a hard plastic pipe. An oil catch can plumbs in from that MINi to a can and then back onto the plastic pipe under the IC. This helps reduce the amount of oil that goes into the charger and thus IC, oil reduces the IC ability to cool air. Clean out IC with fuel or brake cleaner and replace....jobs a good un (make sure to let it drain and dry out before refitting )