Coupe repair -- again

[davester]

There has been talk on NAM about an oil leak on the N18 engines. Sure enough, my Coupe had such a leak. The leak was coming from an O ring around the oil pump solenoid in the oil pan. Oil is leaking out of the gasket and leaching up the wiring harness going to the DME. If oil gets there, the computer could be fried. Baron has fixed this problem on the cars on the lot and checking other N18 equipped cars when being serviced. No recall but a bulletin has been issued by MINI. The oil pan has to be removed so new oil will be installed -- no filter, just oil. Might want to have yours looked at. This affects the N18 engine only.

[IowaM1N1]

Thanks for sharing! Glad you caught it before it became a problem.

Where is this on the pan? Front, back, left, right?

[davester]

It's on the pass. side of car. If you wait too long, they may have to replace the wiring harness. Mine was just starting to leak. Baron is working on or finished the lot cars they have on hand.

[Sspreso]

For clarification if its a N18 issue then it could affect any S model 2011 forward.

[davester]

For clarification if its a N18 issue then it could affect any S model 2011 forward.

Yes --- except for some JCW models

[IowaM1N1]

My '11MCS (with the N18) has been sitting in the same spot in the garage for over a week. No oil spotting on the floor.

Eager to learn more about this as the information becomes available. Will every N18 suffer this issue? Only a few? A certain range of build dates?

I know you don't have these answers, Dave, I'm just wondering out loud.

[davester]

Go on NAM to 2nd Gen R58 and look for oil wicking on wiring harness. It should help you. That's where I learned about it. The way I understand it is if you see oil on the ground, the wiring harness is saturated and may have to be replaced.
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/fo ... ck-it.html

[IowaM1N1]

So here's the funny thing...I've already had this repair done and didn't realize it. They fixed it back in May.

However, the repair at the time was to put on the identical part that failed. Since then, they have a new design, so they get to do it again.

So here's the funnier thing...while they were in looking at it and verifying that it was leaking again, the found a leak from the transmission. Ends up the seal on the shaft coming out of the transmission was leaking. So they have that pulled apart and the transmission is sitting on the shop floor waiting for the new part. The clutch was fine -- no fluid had gotten to the clutch material, and the flywheel looks fine, too.

It gets better...when they were pulling it all apart, there is an issue that sometimes crops up with the steering column. There is a nut midway up the column that receives a bolt that holds it all together -- it often gets cross-threaded when it is initially manufactured. Mine was cross-threaded, so I'm getting a new steering column, too.

And to top it off, there were two outstanding service campaigns on my car -- something about a timing chain tensioner seal (not sure I understand that one) (campaign per SIM 11-05-12), and another one about engine coolant temperature sensor kit (per SIM 17-06-12).

If you think I am complaining, I am doing the opposite. I still love the car and have no issues with these things that have cropped up. My main point is -- Thank you, Dave, for convincing me to talk to Isaac on Saturday. If I hadn't made that appointment, I would not have found out about these other things until something potentially serious had gone wrong.

And the standard bit of advice that I usually try to live by (but didn't this time), never buy a first year car. 2011 was the first year for the N18 engine and there a quite a few annoying little things MINI is still working out.

[Minidave]

The timing chain tensioner seal is about some tensioners that weren't torqued properly from the factory, replacing the seal they retorque it. The ones that didn't get torqued properly tend to back out and dump all the oil on the ground.

[davester]

Yeah, I've had the engine coolant temperature sensor kit fix a few weeks ago. You will notice that your cooling fan will shut off quicker after the motor is shut off. I guess the timing chain tensionor seal will be next.

[dimini]

Davester-

Thanks for the post. My wife's 2011 countryman has a little oil leak on the passenger side. I'm pretty sure it has the same engine--And likely the same problem with the same consequences if we don't get it taken care of as soon as possible.