The only way you can tell if your oil is doing what you want is by how well it keeps up oil pressure.

If you read that oil thread, most people are using 20-50 grade.

I do not know if your car has a oil pressure gauge or not, but if not, that and a temperature gauge will tell you the most of how your engine is doing.

The Mini automatic runs higher oil pressure than a manual trans car because of the hydraulics in the transmission.

When the engine is cold, it will have good, high pressure.  As it warms up, and the oil warms, the oil will get thin and the pressure will decrease.

The 20-50 grade oils lose less pressure than lower grade oils such as 10-30.  Some 20-50 oils hold pressure better than others.

As your engine wears with use, the warm oil pressure will decrease  because of the engine wear. An oil pressure gauge, over time will show that.

Over time, as the engine wears, the transmission will also wear and will begin to behave differently. It will take longer to shift gears and may not shift at the right time.

Your car is 26 years old, but it may have had an engine change and you do not know how many miles are on the engine.

The 20-50 grade oils can compensate a bit for the wear in the engine and transmission.

It will be difficult to see if the motorcycle oil helps the transmission until (if and when) you have the transmission rebuilt and some parts, such as the clutches, show a lack of wear. That is just something you will need to accept on faith.

Read that thread on oils.  See what oils people swear by or swear at.  See what your local auto parts stores carry. Also, go to the speed shops that cater to racers and see what oils they carry.

If your car does not have oil pressure and temp gauges, you may want to put them in.  Be aware, some gauges are better than others.

Russ

Thanks russ. Yeah, I'll probably try motorcycle oil for the next oil change, and then something else for the next one, and so on, until I found what works best. 

//www.minimania.com/msgThread/115590/1/1/New_owner__first_oil_change

This is a thread about engine oil.

Richard1 mentions the motorcycle oil for the Mini automatic.

Other posts name specific brands and weights that have zinc.

Your local auto parts store should have zinc additive, but it is best to get oil with it blended in at the refinery.

Too much zinc is as bad as is not enough.

With your automatic, you have two things to worry about: zinc in the oil and protecting the transmission.

I bought my Mini before MiniMania and this web site.  I had an owner's manual and was able to get a factory repair manual from a BL dealer.

Now, there is probably better support for the cars than then.

If you absolutely need a repair shop, someone here probably knows of a good one near you.

Have fun with your car

Russ

Wow, this is good info Russ. Thanks for tanking the time to write this down. I'll start searching for a zinc additive. 

I recognized that hulking big oil filter on the front of the engine.

Many mechanics want nothing to do with a Mini because they are difficult to work on, most mechanics have never seen one and are unfamiliar with it.

Mechanical work is priced from a flat rate book.  The service writer consults the rate book to determine the cost to do a particular repair.  A good mechanic can do a job quicker than the time the rate book shows that is required so a good mechanic can get more work done, and thus more pay than a poor mechanic. The flat rate books do not cover work on Minis.  If the books did, even a good mechanic would need more time to do a job if he never saw a Mini before. 

There are other problems with older cars such as rusted bolts and nuts that break off or strip out threads. Repairing damaged parts that were broken while attempting a different repair takes unbillable time.  Many mechanics will not even do an old style tune-up that includes points and condenser.

Before you do your first oil change, do a search on this board for "zinc additive in engine oil" or something similar. The basics of zinc are that zinc used to be an additive in motor oil, Mini engines need zinc in the engine oil, zinc is not in most modern engine oils, so we need to use specific brands that still have it.  One board member uses oil designed for motorcycles in his Mini automatic because it is good for the clutches in the gear box.

Some Mini owners will rave about driving their car all the time.  For most Mini owners, a Mini is a hobby car. A Mini requires much more work to keep running than a modern car. Many Minis are only driven in the spring or fall.  The cars are too cold in winter and too hot in summer. A Mini can develop a mysterious problem that could have multiple causes.  Minis are small and difficult for many other drivers to see. You will need to drive like you would drive a motorcycle.  Minis are noisy, especially at freeway speeds.

The best thing is MINIs ARE FUN.  For not being made since 1999, you can buy just about every part except a new engine block, and that problem can be solved with a Honda conversion!

So, read the repair manual you will buy. Read the posts on this board. Look at the parts diagrams on this site to see how what parts fit together. Come back when you have questions and, lastly, enjoy your Mini.

Russ 

Oh No. Is it because it's an automatic Mini Cooper that no one will want to touch it?  Thanks for the valuable insight, and good eye on the Auto Tranny!

Dan

Thanks MPlayle. That's very helpful information!

It looks like you have an automatic transmission.

The oil filter will be different than on a car with manual transmission.

The filter is not just a spin-on throw away cartridge like on most cars.

Your oil filter is a take apart cannister with a removeable filter inside.

When you change the filter, be sure to get one for a Mini automatic.

MM has them listed, but they are hard to find at your local auto parts store.

When you take your filter apart, pay attention to how all the pieces go together, particularly the big "o" ring.

The filter has higher oil pressure through it than on a manual trans car and it is more critical that it is reassembled correctly.

Since the transmission uses engine oil, it is good to change oil and filter more often than on a manual trans car.

If you have not yet, it is good to get a repair manual.

Your local garage mechanic probably will want nothing to do with your Mini.

After reading the manual, you may have a good idea what to ask if you need help.

Have fun,

Russ

Hello all, 

Just bought a 88 Mini cooper, but it came with non mini engine. From reading through hundres of threads, I've gathered from the engine serial number (12Hd23) that it's from a "12HD23    9.75 : 1    1989    1.3 Saloon, Vandenplas,MG Metro".  

Does anyone know which mini equivalent I can choose in order to order various engine maintenance parts from? I was thinking maybe the "998CC, 'A' Plus 1980 on"? I've attached some pictures of the engine, if that helps anyone.