R50 Mini Oil Change

R50 Mini Oil Change - shows how to change the oil and oil filter and which oil filter to use to stop the red low oil pressure light from coming on.

[@banjaxedcars]

Best filter to use on R50 Mini = MANN HU 816/2x This filter will stop the red oil pressure light from coming on - it has an internal cage (see video for fuller explanation). Oil Capacity = 4.5 Litres Oil Sump Plug = 25Nm Oil Filter = 25Nm Hope this video helps you.

[@umbrellaman2501]

You're right about the Mann filter. I used a Bosch filter, and only after a couple of months of use the base of the filter was soft and kinda mushy. It was surprising to see it had already deteriorated in such a short time. The Mann filter I bought, as a replacement, has a much stronger feeling white base (opposite end is plastic).

[@banjaxedcars]

@@umbrellaman2501 Yep, you're right, it's definitely the one to go for!

[@Bill7078.]

Thank you for this video

[@chrishere4118]

Nice video man!

[@banjaxedcars]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@gregorycasey2271]

If you have a pre facelift R50 or R53 check your bypass filter if the oil light comes on . They are the biggest killer of early r50 and r53 . They get knocked out of place by people being rough when changing the filter and the filter screen can also get stuck in the old filter causing the paper filter to get scrunched up after a while . Lots of r50 Minis make it to 300,000 miles if you keep the oil clean and full . Mine an 06 S and gets worked hard including pulling a trailer but gets fresh oil every 6 months or 3000 miles . 156,000 km and never let me down and doesn't use oil . The highest mile r50 on North American Motoring has over 700,000 miles and hasn't been rebuilt . Old Harold

[@banjaxedcars]

Good to hear. Thanks for your input.

[@williamkrusejr1846]

On my 2004 Mini i either use the Mann or Wix they both get very good rating on line, it's just a bit messy job.

[@banjaxedcars]

Thanks for the suggestion. I have never used the Wix one before.

[@juniorchats7565]

Hey mate. Great video and glad I came across this today. I've had a bit of a nightmare trying to find info. I have ended up with the same MANN filter without the cage or spring. First attempt I was given the wrong filter that had no internal cage and had the oil pressure light instantly. Went back and got the MANN. I was actually able to get the cage off the old filter, but it was so old it's got some damage from breaking them apart, and it was missing the spring. I decided not to use it. Plus it doesn't work with the MANN. How did this hold up?

[@banjaxedcars]

My car has never had the cage and spring in the filter housing that it should have had, it was obviously lost long before my ownership. I've changed the oil in this a good few times now and only the Mann filter works perfectly - with it the oil pressure light never flickers. The Mann filter has a cage built in and it just seems to fit better and be of higher quality than the other filters. I changed the oil on Saturday and went for another Mann filter - it's the only one I trust. Use the exact filter i use in the video and you'll be grand 🙂

[@williamkrusejr1846]

You should check the motor mounts your motor moved straight upquite a bit when started

[@banjaxedcars]

Thank you, yes I certainly will do.

[@chrishere4118]

So you just used the early oil filter cover without spring and cage plastic and just put in the Mann filter right?

[@banjaxedcars]

That's exactly right. I haven't changed the cover - it's the original one. The spring and plastic cage were long gone by the time I got the car. I tried a Mahle filter and it didn't work for me, however, the MANN filter worked perfectly straight out of the box and has done for many hundreds of miles.

[@MecanoDeLaCave]

Thanks for posting this! I'm discovering it now as I'm doing my oil change. I previously used a Purflux oil filter on which you could fit the cage (I still have it), but after buying a Mann filter this time, the stock cage DOES NOT fit. It's great to know it'll work without issue, though I might go on another brand that fits the cage next time. At 3:50, do you know the usefulness of the small black tube in the oil filter housing? It dropped down during my previous oil change (2 years ago) and I've been running my Mini without it ever since, since I did not know what it was or where it went.

[@banjaxedcars]

Okay, thanks for that info, I've never had the old cage that was supposed to be in these filter bodies, so I didn't know that it doesn't work with the MANN filters. It seems odd that MANN would sell a R50 filter that doesn't fit if the original cage is present, but I'll have to take your word for it. All I know is that if your MINI has lost its cage and spring the MANN filter works perfectly. The black tube is the drain back plunger. See: www.minimania.com/MINI__02_04__Oil_Filter_Confusion___Problem___Hints. If this has broken, then you're probably looking at a replacement oil filter body. I would go for one of the newer ones from the facelifted Gen 1 R50s, as they work without the cage and spring.

[@MecanoDeLaCave]

@@banjaxedcars Turns out while it worked without that part for 2 years (but with the spring & cage), now with the MANN filter and without the spring & cage, I have the low oil pressure warning light at idle. I'll try to find that black tube and thread it back in the housing (it's not broken, it just unthreaded itself during last oil change and I didn't know where it went). I'll also revert to a filter that allows me to refit the cage as I stil have it. Thanks for the help! Your video was definitely crucial to me figuring out where this black tube went and why this low oil pressure happened.

[@banjaxedcars]

@@MecanoDeLaCave Sorry to hear that the MANN filter didn't work for you, but if you have the cage and spring then use those. If I had the original cage and spring then I wouldn't have gone off trying to find a filter that worked without them. As for the MANN filter not working for you, that's a pain. It works for me and I can only report back my own findings. I also know that upgrading to the newer filter housing (on facelifted Gen1 R50s) also works - with any filter. Good luck rethreading the drain back plunger. There's always something to keep us busy with theses cars. 😀

[@MecanoDeLaCave]

@@banjaxedcars Yeah, I just wanted to point it out in case someone else wanders here looking for answers as well :) Informations are not easy to find on those. Again, it's probably not the MANN filter but the combination of missing spring+cage and missing drain back plunger. Also yeah I know about the newer filter housing, I'm just trying to avoid to pay for one if possible. Perhaps a project for the future, when either the cage or the drain back plunger will inevitably break due to plastic aging. Thanks! I'm waiting on a new filter that I know I can fit the cage in (it'll be double-caged since that filter also has a cage) so I can fit all parts were they rightly belong.

[@banjaxedcars]

@@MecanoDeLaCave You're right, the information could be helpful to someone. Good luck with yours.

[@formulavon]

Did the oil light come back on after fitting the Mann filter?

[@banjaxedcars]

No. It has never come back on. I will stick with MANN in future.

[@petea7323]

I think you need the spring on it to keep the oil filter sealed ?

[@alanmccormack292]

Hi, no, not so far. I have put thousands of miles on this oil filter and it hasn't ever leaked or given me any trouble. The spring is not needed if you use this Mann filter. Which is great news when you think of all the springs that, like mine, have been lost over the years.

[@petea7323]

That’s good to know. Thanks

[@larryhicks9277]

Everything i I’ve read says you do need to replace the cage and spring in order for the filter to seal inside against the base. If you don’t, it will loon and act fine but oil will bypass the filter defeating the purpose of the filter. You need to replace the outer cup with the new ones they changed to after July 2004.

[@banjaxedcars]

Nearly 40,000 miles and this hasn't been an issue for me. The Mann filter does the job.

[@cruzcooper213]

Did you have any issues with that filter And has the car been okay since?

[@banjaxedcars]

No, never an issue. It's the only filter that works for me.

[@LBZDreamer]

According to mini the engine takes 4.8 quarts of you have the W10b16.

[@banjaxedcars]

Are you talking about a specific type of engine? I'm not familiar with that code, but the engine in question is the 1.6L petrol engine. I thought all 1.6L petrol engines in R50 Mini Ones were the same? I think that 4.8 quarts and 4.5 litres are about the same, so yes, you are right about that, although I wouldn't be too dogmatic about the specific amount. You put in the oil until it is between half way and max on the dipstick and you you check it again immediately after running the car and then at regular intervals after that.