998 Mini City - Standard engine.
I think I already have the answer to my own question but as a relative newbie I wanted to run my thoughts by you guys before taking any bits off and missing something obvious.
Back at the beginning of the year I changed the diff side cover gaskets due to an oil leak and replace the pot joint seals at the same time.
As soon as it was changed they were leaking immediately but was much improved so I thought "hey its a mini" and got on with it.
However this leak has got slowly worse, I should add it was in more than one place, and each time I leave the car overnight there is a substantial pool of oil under it.
So, last night, I got the front of the car on ramps, cleaned all of the excess off and the idea was to leave it and wait until it started dripping again and it would make it easier to locate. There was so much oil all over the bottom of the engine before that it would have been impossible to see where it was coming from.
However, its now been 24 hours and not a drop of oil has reappeared ( yes, I have checked there is some left ) so this has made me think that its a moving part that causes the problem and my first thought is that the pot joint seals didn't take rather than the gaskets didn't seal properly as I first thought.
I have checked the usual places, gear linkage is dry apart from residue that has crept onto it. The sump plug shows no oil coming out either. The oil that I wiped off had covered both sides of the bottom of the engine so I ruled out timing cover and clutch seal as I would have thought they would only cover one side.
So my logic takes me to the fact that the oil is leaking from the pot joint seals and then spraying all over when the wheels are turning and the only reason it has been getting worse is that the residue has been building up over time.
Does this sound right or am I missing something obvious?