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5w30 oil failure suspected

10K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  alanwrench 
#1 ·
Hi all, I have tracked a number of threads on the oil light ocing on despite there being more than enough oil in the engine. I have a 56 shape min cooper which uses the 5w30 fully synthetic oil. I noticed a change in the engine noise which coincided with the oil light coming on when I went around bends. I feared the worst but an oil and filter change provided an instant cure. All was good until I again found that the red oil light was coming on as before as I approached the oil change interval. Still plenty of oil in the engine.
I immediately changed the oil and filter and again instant sweet engine note, no oil light etc.

This does look like oil performance failure, especially around viscosity. Seems to manifest as you approach the oil change interval, in this case on interval as I am only doing circa 5K miles per annum at present.

Does anyone have an insight into this or experienced the same problem. I cannot think of any other explanation other than a deterioation in the oil properties. If this is the case surely BMW should be aware of this.
Comments appreciated.
 
#6 ·
Yes, I did that as a matter ofd course on both oil changes. There was plenty of oil volume in the engine and this matched up with the dip stick indication. I have tried to think about the system issue that could produce this effect but it keeps coming back to the oil losing its viscosity towards the end of the change cycle.
 
#8 ·
Oil getting hot

I have a R56 turbo. What it seems to me to be is a real tight power train system. That has all of the components working together. If one component is not up to par. Then the power train system tends to cascade with other problems from the previous problems.
EXAMPLE: One spark plug fouling out in the number 2 cylinder because of the emission system pumping fuel and oil vapor into it for a reburn can cause a vibration problem That I believe would lead to the timing chain to fail. This is just me.
The alternator being in a hot location and not providing enough power to the coil packs. can also make the thing foul.
New coil packs two times if I drive 10000 miles a year with it. New pack of spark plugs between oil changes; changing the spark plugs at the same intervel that the oil gets changed.
The mini cooper I own Is the best thing I have had I don't race it but I feel it needs to be treated as a upper level car. Spark plugs I change with the oil or in between the oil changes.
Octane booster every time I fill up. Some octane booster will foul the plugs so using caution as to which octane booster I use is a must.
Detroit tuned has the replacement oil line for the turbo 56 I replaced both lines and change the oil every three months if driving around town or any time I leave town.
changing the stock pully tensioner between the dampener and the water pump not the one on top and replacing the alternator at the same time makes for reliable electrical power for such a electric dependent car.
You said you were going around a corner when this problem occured. Well you may be right about that the mini cooper is not a side oiler engine.
In the end I don't know about you but I paid alot of money for my mini and I am not going to buy into the oil cooling unit offered from the one website. Because I don't race it and the oil pump in the mini cooper is not design to run the extra length of oil without a problem; it would need a new high proformance oil pump with the oil passages in the head and block bored out.
But I am going to get the oil catch can to clear up the problem in the number 2 cylinder and possibly lengthen the time I replace the spark plugs.
I am going with the fuel filter change as often as once a year if I drive 10,000 miles.
There is no easy way for me to put to someone what this car is to me. It's like the classic sports car that always needs the up keep.
keep the cylinders firing and everything will get burned away and vibration free. keep the oil lines from spraying oil and coking up with burned residue. and keep the fuel lines clean. This is what I have to offer I hope this helps.
 
#10 ·
I never trust "idiot lights".
Verify the low pressure with a mechanical gauge.
Jonnyman- if you arent having crankcase venting issues, and you fouls plugs on a turbo, check your turbo clamps, you may have a leak.
Im not saying this is the problem, but thats how it could be.
Octane boosters?
You are making it harder on your engine to burn the fuel.
The higher the octane, the more heat needed to ignite it. Are you running a modified cylinder head? Higher than stock compression?
If the answer s no, stop using that crap.
Use of injector cleaners, and water "removers" may screw with some emissions systems.
Just sayin..
PS- The oil pump doesnt have a clue how much oil it pumps through it. Mounting a cooler with long lines wont matter.
If the oil is "coking" in the lines, you may want to install a turbo timer, so that the engine is not shut down at its highest temperature: Allows engine to idle to circulate the oil through the turbo while the turbo is cooling down from having exhaust blasted through it at pressure. Then it shuts the engine off, automatically. After you lock the doors and walk away.
 
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