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oil leak
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:25 pm
by dellerie
not your usual oil leak...... it's not from the chain cover and not from the rear crank.
if you look carefully, it's not leaking from the pipe into the filter housing. that i have noticed, is dry. when i started the car after 4 months today, oil literally, pis*** out of the housing. to me, it looks like the bit where the filter meets the housing. there has always been a very small leak there, but now if i drove the car for 3 mins, i'd have no oil left, its that bad.
what woulkd cause this? could it just be a nackered filter? could it have anything to do with the pressure relief valve? i'm baffled.....
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:33 pm
by MarkyB
The gasket there has given up the ghost for some reason, very unusual, unlikely to be the pressure relief valve, unless the filter is blocked too.
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:02 pm
by bmcecosse
Can't see anything from that picture........... but it won't be anything to do with the relief valve.
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:18 pm
by brucek
If it's coming out of the joint between the oil filter bowl and the filter housing it is almost certainly the rubber sealing washer that has perished or hardened and is now no longer sealing properly. If you have not used the car for a while then it is possible. Pop a new filter on, making sure you re-assemble it the right way and remember to remove the remnants of the old sealing ring which often gets left behind.
See this thread for more oil filter woes and hopefully you'll sort it.
http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... er#p408461
Alternatively, fit the ever popular spin on conversion. A few pounds at your local yard on a Mini assembly (together with the studs into the block) makes changing the filter a doddle. Good luck

Re: oil leak
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:48 pm
by dellerie
brucek wrote:If it's coming out of the joint between the oil filter bowl and the filter housing it is almost certainly the rubber sealing washer that has perished or hardened and is now no longer sealing properly. If you have not used the car for a while then it is possible. Pop a new filter on, making sure you re-assemble it the right way and remember to remove the remnants of the old sealing ring which often gets left behind.
See this thread for more oil filter woes and hopefully you'll sort it.
http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... er#p408461
Alternatively, fit the ever popular spin on conversion. A few pounds at your local yard on a Mini assembly (together with the studs into the block) makes changing the filter a doddle. Good luck

that is a spin on filter. thats why i am baffled
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:55 pm
by brucek
Aah - hadn't spotted that - sorry.
Could still be the seal ring. Might be worth whipping the filter off and inspecting both faces. Could still be a seal that has perished.
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:56 am
by dellerie
here are my findings this morning
so when i fixed the leak before..... taking out the double nipple and PTFE it back in, i have over-tightened it and split the housing. i should know this with my experience...
so i have found the leak. but with me, this car and everything else going on, i have now f****d the oil feed pipe. i don't have another, the car is off the road AGAIN and the MOT isn't a million miles away.
help. does anyone have a spare pipe and banjo, as i've killed the banjo bolt as well.
happy days eh?
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:07 pm
by bmcecosse
Good old cartridge filter - it works...........
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:32 pm
by dellerie
not sure i follow you? it's my stupidity that has got me in this position
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:36 pm
by dellerie
this is what i am after

Re: oil leak
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:40 pm
by bmcecosse
That boss looks pretty fragile - no wonder it cracked - and the oil pipes are notoriously fragile. I'm suggesting that if you had stayed with the 'good old cartridge' you wouldn't be having all this hassle and expense now........
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:45 pm
by dellerie
bmcecosse wrote:That boss looks pretty fragile - no wonder it cracked - and the oil pipes are notoriously fragile. I'm suggesting that if you had stayed with the 'good old cartridge' you wouldn't be having all this hassle and expense now........
no, spin on filter is the way to go. this is just an inconvienience at the moment. i should be mobile at the weekend if i can find one this week.
this also gives me a chance to change the oil, plugs and give the block a fresh coat of paint again. every cloud has a silver lining as they say......
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:55 pm
by bmcecosse
I'm not at all convinced.......

Re: oil leak
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:57 pm
by dellerie
with the exception of my balls up, it's cleaner, quicker and better filtration with the spin on version. i pick them up from auto jumbles for about £1.50 as well. i have a few in stock!
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:05 pm
by bmcecosse
£1:50 !!!!!! Crivens man....... cartridge filters are only 50p - got a good stock, and I am sceptical of your better filtration idea. However - I do accept that there is no plate/spring etc to lose - and that has been the death of many an A series over the years.... Actually -I also have a box of canisters at 50 p each too, and a set of screw-on parts - just in case I run out of cartridges..........The same cartridge is used on my 2 litre TR7 - but the plate/spring is captive in the can with a clip to make sure it can't be lost.
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:08 pm
by dellerie
bmcecosse wrote:£1:50 !!!!!! Crivens man....... cartridge filters are only 50p - got a good stock, and I am sceptical of your better filtration idea. However - I do accept that there is no plate/spring etc to lose - and that has been the death of many an A series over the years.... Actually -I also have a box of canisters at 50 p each too, and a set of screw-on parts - just in case I run out of cartridges..........The same cartridge is used on my 2 litre TR7 - but the plate/spring is captive in the can with a clip to make sure it can't be lost.
thats london prices for you!
Re: oil leak
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 7:13 am
by M25VAN
I think the main suppliers will sell these pipes although ESM look out of stock, Bull Motif have them listed. Perhaps there is a more modern flexible pipe alternative? There is a picture of one here.
http://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/to ... pipe-leak/
Maybe BMC can give some (positive

) info on these with his experience of mini's.
As an aside you can keep the original filter head and still use a spin on filter so no need to dislodge all the pipe work swapping over heads, which is what caused my pipe to eventually fail as well.

Re: oil leak
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 9:47 am
by bmcecosse
Looks like he just used an oil-cooler hose.
Re: oil leak
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 6:09 pm
by dellerie
M25VAN wrote:I think the main suppliers will sell these pipes although ESM look out of stock, Bull Motif have them listed. Perhaps there is a more modern flexible pipe alternative? There is a picture of one here.
http://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/to ... pipe-leak/
Maybe BMC can give some (positive

) info on these with his experience of mini's.
As an aside you can keep the original filter head and still use a spin on filter so no need to dislodge all the pipe work swapping over heads, which is what caused my pipe to eventually fail as well.

thanks for the reply....
i have the pipe, banjo and filter head off now. the filter head has died, so has the pipe.
that braided hose looks decent. however i have noticed it would cost me £58 to get delivered to me. way too much i'm afraid.
Re: oil leak
Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:31 pm
by dellerie
sorted. i have 50psi at tickover and a throaty...... roar when i put my foot into the wilton.
did i tell you i had deep pile?