if they say API SH, you can run SH and better - most current being SN.

Given your consumption though, I'd find the root of the cause, rather than trying to go with a different oil. it'll just get worse and worse

 

thanks. I'm not really worried about the consumption, its within spec and common apparently. I dont know what oil the dealer used. so I want to change it so I know whats in there this time.

 

Strange/ before starting up the engine, it tells me 7K miles until oil change. At first it was 8,500 miles. I thought it meant I was 8,500 miles over-due! Can it really be that many miles between oil changes. I don't want to do that. What is the protocol. I want to use synthetic oils, probably Mobile 1. My brother in law is a master mech on German cars and loves the Mobile 1. Any other thoughts?

 

I think (and I could be wrong) that the manufacturer recommended interval for oil changes is 15-20,000 miles aka INSANE. Most full synthetic changes are fine at a 5,000 mile interval, it's just most important to keep an eye on levels constantly. Personally, I have heard that ACEA is the best rating to shoot for, any you will see most API certified oils list this on the back as well. However, these will most likely be ACEA A5/B5 which is a typical ~5000 mile oil. The mini, or most models I believe, come from the factory with ACEA B3/B4 which is a higher-mileage interval (they say 15,000, probably not. ) I just picked up a 5 quart of the mobil 1 full syn european formula for the same price as the 5W-30, only this is a 0W-40, and has the longer interval ACEA B3/B4 like the standard mini/bmw long life oil from the factory (though I believe this might be made by castrol-which apparently isn't even full syn, just re-formulated regular). I noticed before that my mini seemed to burn less oil using the pennzoil Ultra as compared to mobil 1 5W30, so I'm going to see how long the european formula lasts now for another comparison. I think the main this is to go for full synthetic and check the rating on the back, and only change oil at a max of 7k mile intervals, though 5k are best probably.

 

You also might want to check your timing chain, the early r56 engines have issues with the timing chains. (I just got the recall letter from bmw, but they have known about it for years.) If your car has timing chain issues it will probably leak oil, not burn it. Check with your dealer you might have a recall, they have to replace the chain, tensioner, guide, a cam sprocket and a bunch of other small parts. I had a wrx that burned oil... and I have an 08 cooper s that used to leak oil until they fixed the timing chain.

 

Thank you for saying it and no It is not normal to mysteriously use 1 quart of oil in less than 1k miles or for that matter in 15k miles. When the N14 (or any turbocharged engine) does the engine or the entire engine system has a serious issue and if it is not immediately addressed can and will damage the engine or turbocharger!

If your engine is mysteriously consuming 1 quart of oil in less than 1k miles and there is no sign of it under your car than there is only one place it is going and that is into your combustion chamber, and unfortunately on a turbocharged engine this is the worst place for oil to go. When oil gets into the combustion chamber it lowers the octane rating and causes pre-ignition and detonation which can damage your engines pistons.

Here are the two ways turbocharged engines mysteriously use oil and have no sign of it going anywhere. 1. By design the turbochargers increase combustion pressures in the combustion chamber. This added pressure will cause more air to leak past the piston rings, valves, and valves seals than a naturally aspirated engine. This air is called “crank case gasses” and the more pressure in the engine the more crank case gasses the engine will produce and the more crank case gasses produced means more oil vapor entering your intake system through the crank case ventilation system.

This oil vapor will condense and build up on the inside of the intake system and intercooler and can enter your combustion chamber and cause pre-ignition. And when your car is under boost pressure this pre-ignition can cause your pistons to crack. Most people install an oil catch can to keep this oil out of the engine also the older the engine the more crank case gasses leak by the rings and valves. Most of the time this will not cause the engine to use 1 quart of oil in 1k miles more like 1 quart in 10k miles however this issue should be addressed if you are running high boost pressures or have an engine with over 100k miles.

2. Due to emissions standards the catalytic converter was relocated as close to the turbocharger as possible. Over time the heat from the catalytic converter damages the pressure seal in the turbocharger (note; turbochargers do not have oil seals) once the engine is turned off. Eventually the pressure seal will fail and when the car is under boost the exhaust gasses will enter the engine. These extra gasses will prevent the oil foam (that is spinning off the turbine shaft because it is rotating at 250k RPMs) from draining back into the oil pan and it will push the oil into the intake system passed the compressor side front pressure seal.

When you let off the throttle the exhaust system depressurizes and all that pressure that is in your engine now rushes out of the engine and back into the exhaust system passed the non-working exhaust pressure seal. This rush of air will carry oil foam with it and spray it onto the catalytic converter. As the oil burns on the catalytic converter it leaves behind the debris in the oil and over time will block the air flow through the exhaust system. As the pressure builds in the exhaust system it will overwhelm the crank case ventilation system and push more oil into the intake system and we have also seen the engine become pressurized and leak out of every engine seal or gasket. At this point the engine is definitely getting oil in liquid form into the combustion chamber and at that point you risk serious engine damage.

This issue (post turbo pre catalytic converter back pressure) is the main reasons for the myth that the N14 engine has week pistons. In the last year all turbochargers that we refurbished were damaged by back pressure and they all fail in this manner. 10 years ago the catalytic converters were not as efficient as they are now so you would see the tell tail sign of blue-ish smoke when the turbocharger starts to fail. Now they can and do burn all of the oil in the exhaust system that you would normally see when the turbocharger starts to fail. The catalytic converters are made so well today that we have not even been able to see the tell tail blue smoke out of the exhaust on cars even when they have a cracked piston!

If I had to guess what was wrong with this car I would say that it has a serious back pressure issue and the oil is leaking into the intake and out the back of the turbocharger. Since it is not a high mileage car there probably is not a huge issue with blow by unless the previous owner changed the oil as Mini recommended every 15k miles.

Fortunately preventing back pressure is easy, all that you need to do is to idle the car until the EGTs go below 900deg F, (I cool them down to 700f on our cars, see O2 bank 1 sensor 1 if you have the Torque app). We have seen back pressure start in as early as 15k miles and turbos generally fail on these cars at about 20 to 50k miles. If you want to test for back pressure just install a snap on back pressure gauge in the first O2 sensor location and run the car up to full boost pressure. If there is any pressure after the turbo than the catalytic converter is clogged and the turbo should be rebuilt and the catalytic converter replaced. Otherwise you risk damaging your engine and/or turbocharger. For more detailed information on how turbos fail and engines fail due to this issue please see the link below

http://www.jmturbocoopers.com/Cooper-N14-Weak-Piston-Issue.html

 

Any reason why a compression tester wouldn't be able to read exhaust back pressures with the proper adapter, perhaps not sensitive enough? Also how much psi should the exhaust back pressure tester have since our cars are turbocharged running around 12 psi? If no to question #1 which gauge would you recommend that's not to pricey?

Thank you for the very informative info!

 

thank you, you should repost this in a separate thread so they sticky it, and hopefully stop the "1 quart is normal" rumor.

 

Just a note as I'm working my way through this thread.. When I sold my 95 Talon TSI AWD with a larger turbo and 180k on the clock, it did not burn any oil. I ran it at 23 psi daily on pump 91 with water/meth and all pcv systems in place. My MINI with 46k goes through way more oil. The only other car I have personally seen do this is a 2000 Jetta with 130k on it.

 

hm, so should i get a obd bluetooth reader and see what I can find? I'm getting the oil changed tomorrow. I'd do it my self but I'm getting a deal.

 

Any gauge will do the hard part isfinding the O2 adapter. The gauge doesn’t need to be realaccurate, generally they only need to be accurate to about .5psi. About 1/2psi will cause thrust bearing wear and 5psi will push largequantity’s of oil into the intake system. Also you might want tocheck for back pressure every so often. We have seen turbos start toleak oil around the pressure seal at about 15k miles but it dependson how and where you drive your car. If you do a lot of in towndriving the turbo will start to leak oil around 15k miles but if youdo a lot of free way driving they will last 100k miles or more. Soyou never know when you will start having a back pressure issue.

 

I would, it wont tell you if you have back pressure but it will let you know when the EGTs are low enough to safely shut off the car.

 

Do you or anyone know what size threads are used on the 2007 MCS O2 sensors? Most sensors for sale are either 12 mm or 18 mm.

 

What temp range is considered low enough? Is this something I can monitor with a Scangauge II?

 

I have a MCS 07 that burns a lot of oil too. I have OCC + Catless DP and I burn around 1q every 1000 km. :(

 

That's really bad even though you removed the main reason for most of your restriction, a catless DP. I burn about 1/3 of a quart every 1,000 1,500 miles and change my oil every 5,000 miles, oil gets contaminated and dirty. I can't imagine changing my oil every 10,000 miles. I ordered a O2 sensor socket tool from Way, use my brothers compression tester, though I plan on buying an official high quality back pressure gauge soon to keep tabs on pressure buildup over time.

When I still had my AEM CAI (sold it) and before the walnut blasting I was getting something entirely different than a knock or a ping, it was like a surge of charged air that sounded unlike anything I ever heard before. My brother didn't even know what it was and my brothers mechanically inclined. Even after my carbon cleaning I still had pings and knocks periodically, but since I installed my stock intake back on I have yet to hear a single ping or knock.

I believe that for some reason the AEM CAI was making a lean situation, for what reason I'll never know. I can't believe how much torque I have gained by simply removing the AEM CAI and installing the stock intake. Throttle is waaay more sensitive (especially in Sport Mode) and torque is neck snapping!

 

I think it is 18mm.

 

I usually turn off the car when it is below 900f (482c) wich is still pretty hot 700f (371c) or cooler is better.

 

N14 MCS (no engine or tuning modification) with 66k on it and it hasn't burned a drop of oil in my ownership... Knock on wood. I've had it for 7/8 months and have changed the oil twice now at around the 7,500 mile interval using OEM oil filters and full synthetic Pennzoil Ultra 5W30 oil. This thread actually scared me into checking my oil religiously.

 

This seems near impossible. I drive slowly, no boost coming the last mile or so and let it idle for a bit. I was surprised to see I only got down to 1050 or so with the primary cat still in place.

 

Is it at all possible that if one found an oil that doesn't burn off that you would not have any oil vapor to lose in the combustion chamber?

 

Would you be kind enough and tell me the torque spec for reinstalling the first o2 sensor? I'll be measuring the back pressure tomorrow at my brothers house, I have the special 22mm tool to remove the o2 sensor.

Thank you

 

Doesn't surprise me, am sure it made it too lean as the CAI is less air restrictive. On my Mustang, addition of a CAI is very popular, but always accompanied with a tune. Fortunately, adding a different tune to a Mustang is relatively cheap and easy to do. Is too bad to say that's not the case with a mini..

 

Doubtful a CAI can make it run lean as the maf is measuring the airflow and the DME will compensate with the fuel trims.

Now if it screws up the flow path going through the maf, then yeah, it could cause issues.

Some items sold for MINIs intentionally lower the airflow signal for more power (i.e. the JB+ which likely does this in combination with a temp adjustment).

 

So my MINI is using about a quart per 1,000 miles. I only have been using Pennzoil Ultra full synth. 5w30 because I'm a Ford technician and I get it free. I changed the oil at 65,500 miles and at 68,500 miles, it has consumed 2.6 quarts. I'm going to change the oil again in 500 miles, maybe sooner, and switch to Mobil 1 full synth. 10w30 and see how that goes. I probably won't change the filter considering it's only been 3,000 miles and MINI thinks it's okay to not change your oil for 10,000 miles (previously 15,000 miles)...