Hello everyone, first post here, recently i bough a R53 03' with 90k miles on it.
Everything seemed fine, for a week the car was doing great, didnt have a problem with the car at all, neither with the check engine light but i wanted to do an oil change because it needed.
So after i got it serviced from a car shop, changing oils and oil filter, the check engine red light comes on while the car stays idle, if i rev up or im moving the light goes off.
The car mechanic told me that something might broke, like an oil pump or something. I dont think that something like that happened while servicing the car, because minutes before going to the mechanic the car was fine with not red light on,
after the service this problem started.

Anyway, i want to add that the mechanic used a cheap oil filter, priced 4$ and 5w-30 Castrol Full synthetic oils. The car was running with 5w-40 if i remember correctly at what the owner told me.

so what do you think is the problem, I hope its a faulty oil filter, or like the 5w-30 wont work that good on that engine.

 

 

^Fastlane
Thanks for the response.
I really hope its an oil filter problem and not something big.
How hard is it to change that plastic little valve and how much its gonna cost? and, is it bad for the car to drive it around for now? Im gonna check it on the car mechanic on Monday, but i fear that i have to leave my car there for like 4-5 days to find out problem.

I actually ordered an OEM oil filter as i read its one of the best for this one.

 

 

 

Well, how is it possible to break during an oil change? And, if it was broken, wouldnt the red light be on all the time?
Anyway tomorrow il be visiting a mechanic to see whats going on, hope its not that valve because 400$ for an oil service is a bit too much...

 

Picture of what you should see when you look into the oil filter housing

 

 

Got news.
Went to a new good car mechanic near my place this morning, i told him to look there first as we said that probably its the valve, and with my bad luck, he called me and told me that that valve is broken
Then he told me that he already ordered a genuine valve and will put it up tomorrow and my car will be fixed for 60euros. Sounds strange cause i heard that you cant find that valve alone as a part and have to buy the whole house holding.
What do you think? Is this guy trying to trick me or someting? or is he gonna try another valve that fits there?

*edit: Maybe its easy to find that valve here in Europe,Greece?

 

 

Did you ask him exactly what he saw that was broken and what he's going to do?
If not, please do for your benefit. I'm not sure where he's going with this for the 60€.

The drainback plunger is not listed as a separate part.
Unless he has a used oil filter housing that he's going to pick apart?

 

He's probably using the Dorman 904-261 part as it's a lot cheaper than replacing the whole housing.

 

 

does that fit perfectly? If it does then i think its a good solution.
Anyways, im gonna find out tomorrow, as he said its gonna be ready.

The mechanic told me that he checked inside the house thingie and found out that a valve is in pieces so it needs replacing.

Edit. Also he told me that he tried to put it back inside but couldt fit perfectly and still had red light at idle and until 2.000rpm. So he told me that this thing is broken and needs replacing

 

 

Still very expensive for a plastic thing but still a better option than replacing the whole thing.
Anyways, i will have my car back maybe Wednesday or Friday because the replacement didnt came and tomorrow is day off for all Greece cause of national holidays.
Its ok i learned to live with my bad luck.
Also the car mechanic told me that he ordered it from BMW carshop, and its genuine, Cant believe him cause as far as i know theres no a genuine part that sales seperate than the whole housing

 

Have you stopped by the shop to have him show you the broken part?

 

To OP, piecing fragments of post history together I infer that is the poster on this forum making the prototype replacement drainback valve and stopped further update. You can see Outmotoring chimed in on the thread before it went silent.

for $10.99 on amazon has been discussed in some Mini forum that can be used, but I will have to see and test it for myself to be sure. The $64,000 euro question is what part your mechanic use. The colour of the part will give us some idea as one is white, and the other is black.

 

I went to the car shop today a couple times, they had removed the oil filter and cap thingie, but i couldnt see clearly inside, Im sure its the valve, and they gonna fix it in a couple of days.
Prolly they will be using a similiar to this or i dont know. Will post when i got news

 

In any event, some of us have learned of at least two aftermarket sources of replacement plungers...

 

So i guess, replacing the whole housing is an "old method" now ? we saw atleast 2 replacements for the valve so i guess that fix costs a lot lower now than used to be

 

 

I nominate you so please, and I trust your judgement that you will do a proper job.

 

Bad news. they found out that they cant buy the valve alone and told me the whole housing needs replacment, 250euros, he also showed me my current one and yeah the black valve is missing, tried to replace it with another one he had from another mini s but it had a different valves inside the housing.
Anyways, will see tomorrow...

 

Order this from Amazon "Dorman 904-261" and it will save you a ton of money