4 replies to this topic

[Ben_yo]

Evening, I have recently bought my first MPi powered Mini and it of course comes complete with the obligatory oil leaks. In the interests of saving oil (and my driveway) can anybody please tell me what the two plugs/ bolts on the sump are and what I can replace under there to prevent the leaks.
Many thanks.

[phillrulz]

Front engine steady are you talking about? They shouldnt leak as dont enter the gearbox , there is a sump plug which protrudes towards the driver side of the car 

[cal844]

Can you give us a rough idea as to where its dripping from? It can be multiple things.

Gear selector shaft O rings and diff output seals,
Timing cover gasket or half moon seal,
Gearbox to block gaskets
Primary gear oil seal(check that the wiggle pin in the clutch casing is dry)

Sump plug if the threads are gone ( caused by over tightening or lack of servicing, this is the worst case scenario as to repair properly is a full strip of the engine)

I hope this helps, all minis mark their territory

[Bobbins]

Just to give you some hope .... recently mine had a really bad oil leak much of which I knew was being caused by the primary gear oil seal and the oil it was spewing onto the clutch causing lots clutch slip. I renewed the clutch and oil seal and there's now no leaks whatsoever so it is achievable, the belief that all Minis leak oil is a myth.

One point of note is that whilst doing the job I disconnected the engine steady that connects the bottom front of the gearbox to the front of the subframe, I left the bolts loose while doing the job and it allowed a surprising amount of oil to leak out of the casing. Definitely worth checking that everything's tight.

Best place to start is to spray it all with some Gunk and clean the oil off the best you can, you'll have more chance of seeing where it's coming from. Can't help with your description of "two plugs" without a little more detail.

[Ben_yo]

Thanks for the replies all, I appreciate my question was a bit vague, i am away at present but returning home at the weekend where I shall be putting the Mini away for the winter. I will try and get some pics of the two points it appears to be leaking from. I will then take Bobbins advice of cleaning it all up and seeing what appears after that.