1st Gen R52 Cooper Convertible Oil leak help...not Cabrio specific

Hi all...disclaimer: I did try doing a search to see if there was a similar post on the problems I am experiencing but with my general lack of car knowledge and terms used I am not certain if there were already threads that covered my problem. If there are, please point me towards them and sorry for the duplicate post. If this isnt really a duplicate post, any input would be appreciated, thanks.

Some point in August I started noticing a small splotch of oil beneath my 2005 MC Cabrio (non S) automatic transmission. The spot of oil was between the size of a nickle and quarter and darker in color than the oil when I would check my oil level (which throughout this has remained constant). I would notice a new spot only if the car sat for more than four days. Didnt really think that much of it since it was so little oil loss and I wasnt seeing any oil loss as measured by the dipstick.


At the beginning of October I had to bring the car in for the state inspection so I brought it to the local dealer. They noted a leaking valve cover. After doing a bit of (quick) research we decided that by doing it ourselves we would only save about $100 and given that we were scheduled to leave on a vacation in a couple of days, it seemed to be a slightly involved project and that there was no telling how bad the weather would be when we got back (and, therefore how miserable it might be in upstate NY to try to work outside) we decided to just have the dealership change it right then and there.


We were gone about 10 days and there was no spot on the floor beneath the MINI when we returned. At the end of October I once again started noticing a small splotch of oil on the floor after the car would sit for several days. The spot of oil was about the same size as before, between a nickle and a quarter, but the color seems lighter. I wouldnt bet a lot on it but I am pretty certain the color is lighter. I didnt take any pictures before so nothing really to compare it to.


This past Saturday we were at the dealership to see the Countryman and looked in to see how busy they were on the service side. They were busy but were able to put the MINI up on a lift to check her over to look for any obvious issues. Since I had been driving her for about three weeks after the leaking had reoccurred, she was pretty messy underneath. They did clean her up and watch for a bit but no new oil was obvious. They said I can bring her in for a more thorough examine this week.


Does this sound like any common MINI illness? A reoccurring problem I kept seeing (on NAM) when trying to research this was a leaky oil pan gasket but the leaking was referred to as weeping...is the quantity of oil leaking that I described *weeping*? I was never a car enthusiast before getting the MINI in May 2009. I have come a long way but still lack a lot of knowledge and confidence when it comes to problems and repairs. Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks!

 

When you say powerwash do you mean taking the MINI through a car wash that will do the under carriage? I generally only hand wash the MINI so the underside only gets a good washing once a year (after road salt season).

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I have added the thermostat gasket to the list of things to research and/or ask about.

 

Well Smurfette isnt leaking any blue Smurf juice!

Initially I thought the oil might have been from me dripping some oil when I was checking the oil level, that was partly why I wasnt too concerned. From when I first noticed oil on the garage floor (August) until I took the MINI in for the state inspection and was told the valve cover gasket was cracked I saw oil only 2 or 3 distinct times and I had checked my oil about as many times. Of course now that I am noticing the pattern of only seeing oil after the MINI has sat for four or more days, that probably only happened two or three times when the weather was nicer (August to October). Now that it has turned colder I would say I only take her out once or twice a week and I have noticed three new spots of oil in the little more than three weeks since the spots started re-appearing. So that was a long winded way of me saying I will add leaky dipstick seal to the list. Thanks!

 

We had her up on a lift and the oil/ grime was blown all around.

Crank pulley seals are only on S models, right?