I need advice for the Minis latest problem.

Kinja'd!!! "sony1492" (sony1492)
04/06/2019 at 16:04 • Filed to: Mini JCW

Kinja'd!!!0 Kinja'd!!! 12

It’s been leaving clouds of oil smoke in city enviroments, more info after the jump.

Kinja'd!!!

The old problem: Wastegate has play within the turbo housing allowing a leak which was throwing the car into a limpmode. I adjusted the wastegate a bit, installed a downpipe(because I thought the cat was getting clogged), and now the car builds boost, great.(still a little spotty on actual power delivery as the wastegate still doesn’t seal 100% sometimes)

After going about 1500 miles the car is pushing clouds of oil smoke in 1st-3rd when your out of boost leaving stoplights and such. Revmatchs into second send a nice large puff of smoke out. The cloud is significant enough to pass me as I come to stops. Also when the cars warm visible amounts of smoke come out at idle.

So Heres what I know so far: All 4 spark plugs have oil on them, the turbo charge pipe is clean, and the catchcan is remaining empty.(which makes me think its not the turbo leaking oil since it wouldnt get into the combustion chambers)

It sounds like something to do with valve stem seals but the catchcan being empty maybe says something about the rings? I was going to throw the stock catted Downpipe back on in a last ditch effort but its sounding like I’ll need to finish my other project asap and park this for an engine rebuild.


DISCUSSION (12)


Kinja'd!!! LOREM IPSUM > sony1492
04/06/2019 at 16:07

Kinja'd!!!2

Cloggged PCV valve perhaps?

Edit x3 : reread, saw catchcan part. Maybe not then, but might be worth a look anyway. I imagine if it were stuck open it would fill the catchcan, but stuck closed, might be causing blowby? Wild  guessing over here. 


Kinja'd!!! sony1492 > LOREM IPSUM
04/06/2019 at 16:10

Kinja'd!!!1

The valve is within the valve cover that I just replaced but I will double check.


Kinja'd!!! Michael > sony1492
04/06/2019 at 16:20

Kinja'd!!!0

White or blue? Blue is in the combustion chamber, white is leaking  from turbo exhaust side into downpipe


Kinja'd!!! gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > sony1492
04/06/2019 at 16:21

Kinja'd!!!0

Able to do a compression check?


Kinja'd!!! sony1492 > Michael
04/06/2019 at 16:23

Kinja'd!!!0

Whit e on the rev match, the vast majority is blue


Kinja'd!!! sony1492 > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
04/06/2019 at 16:25

Kinja'd!!!0

J ust bought a compression tester online, so in a week. For what it's worth p ower doesn’t feel any different


Kinja'd!!! richii0207 > sony1492
04/06/2019 at 17:42

Kinja'd!!!0

If white smoke comes out mainly during idle and never when cruising, or driving at same speed, then it’s the valve stem seals.

Basically all the symptoms point to the valve stem seals which are not uncommon for the R56 n14 engine. Mine had the same issue.

Best of luck.


Kinja'd!!! sony1492 > richii0207
04/06/2019 at 18:02

Kinja'd!!!0

Damn

This engines kinda crap to be needing valve stem seals at 105k not to mention 2 timing chains and at least 1 hpfp.


Kinja'd!!! Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > sony1492
04/06/2019 at 22:36

Kinja'd!!!0

White smoke and an iffy wastegate with lots of smoke off boost?

It’s not the valve seals. It’s the turbo. You’re dumping. If it was valve seals, you’d have more smoke on boost because of oil dumping into cylinders. What you’re seeing is oil dumping from the turbo seals until it hits blow-by point.

Which, by the way, means your cat is toast. Cats don’t like oil being dumped into them and aren’t designed for it. Also your turbo oil lines should be assumed full of chunky seal bits.

This. Is. Not. Going. To. Be. Cheap.

You need a new turbo; too late for a remanufactured CHRA . New turbo lines (coolant and oil.) New catalytic converter. New muffler or resonator (your current one has oil in it now.) New EGR (you guessed it, full of crispy oil.) Plus you’re dumping into the cylinders AND you’ve got possible blow-by so now you also get a TOTAL ENGINE REBUILD to go with your shiny new turbo.


Kinja'd!!! sony1492 > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
04/06/2019 at 22:45

Kinja'd!!!0

There is no oil in the charge pipe so theres no way for oil leaking through through shaft seals to get into the combustion chamber.

It may be burning oil on boost too I cant tell what's boost or not with a turbo this small, it's more about the fact that it only blows clouds accelerating from stops or low speed. It's much less smokey at hwy cruise.


Kinja'd!!! Devin > sony1492
04/08/2019 at 07:12

Kinja'd!!!0

When I had this issue it was the oil feed line into the turbo. They are terribly engineered. Detroit Tuned makes a braided steel line specifically for fixing this problem. It took a weekend but it’s something you can do yourself for about $100. 


Kinja'd!!! sony1492 > Devin
04/08/2019 at 09:48

Kinja'd!!!0

I will look into that, it seems like I’ll need the new oil feed line if I rebuild anyways so it cant hurt.