R53 JCW smell of burnt oil on hard acceleration

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   Hey guys,
I've had my '05 JCW R53 (~70k mi) for about 2 months now -- picked it up from the outskirts of LA and had it shipped over. It's in good condition overall, but I noticed that upon hard acceleration I get a strong smell of burnt oil or burnt something (I don't think it's rubber but I can't tell for sure). It tends to happen if I accelerate up to and/or over 5k RPM, typically on 2nd or higher gears, and I feel it's gotten more frequent now in the last week which has me worried. 

There appear to be others having this same question/problem: http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/drivetrain-cooper-s/186722-burning-smell-after-hard-acceleration.html.

Anyone here know how to diagnose this? Is it time for a run of Seafoam through the tank? Is it indicative of something else? Car seems to run great otherwise, cold-starts fine, etc.

Thanks for any pointers!

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beemboy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MINI Motorer Joined: November/03/14 Location: 98034 Status: Offline Points: 18	Post Options Post Reply Quote beemboy Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: R53 JCW smell of burnt oil on hard acceleration Posted: December/02/15 at 10:10pm
	Hey guys, I've had my '05 JCW R53 (~70k mi) for about 2 months now -- picked it up from the outskirts of LA and had it shipped over. It's in good condition overall, but I noticed that upon hard acceleration I get a strong smell of burnt oil or burnt something (I don't think it's rubber but I can't tell for sure). It tends to happen if I accelerate up to and/or over 5k RPM, typically on 2nd or higher gears, and I feel it's gotten more frequent now in the last week which has me worried. There appear to be others having this same question/problem: http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/drivetrain-cooper-s/186722-burning-smell-after-hard-acceleration.html. Anyone here know how to diagnose this? Is it time for a run of Seafoam through the tank? Is it indicative of something else? Car seems to run great otherwise, cold-starts fine, etc. Thanks for any pointers!

CORNERS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List PSMINI Expert Advisor PSMINI Member Joined: July/29/10 Location: Bothell, WA Status: Offline Points: 3733	Post Options Post Reply Quote CORNERS Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December/02/15 at 10:33pm
	I'm going with the burning clutch theory. It will be a chemical/synthetic smell similar to overheated brakes. It's unlikely you would smell unburned fuel or burned oil. The conditions you describe are exactly the conditions where a clutch would slip. Start saving for a clutch. PS: I replace clutches for local MINI owners. I've done probably a couple dozen by now. Let me know if interested.
	Kurt/04 R53 Check out My MOD MINI repair videos channel @ YouTube

beemboy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MINI Motorer Joined: November/03/14 Location: 98034 Status: Offline Points: 18	Post Options Post Reply Quote beemboy Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December/03/15 at 1:50pm
	Ouch, sounds bad if that is indeed the case. Thanks for the offer ! How do I get in touch with you? I'm located in Kirkland.

CORNERS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List PSMINI Expert Advisor PSMINI Member Joined: July/29/10 Location: Bothell, WA Status: Offline Points: 3733	Post Options Post Reply Quote CORNERS Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December/03/15 at 2:25pm
	Send me a private message on this forum and I'll share my email.
	Kurt/04 R53 Check out My MOD MINI repair videos channel @ YouTube

beemboy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MINI Motorer Joined: November/03/14 Location: 98034 Status: Offline Points: 18	Post Options Post Reply Quote beemboy Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March/03/16 at 12:17pm
	Just reposted this here (http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/r50-r53-hatch-talk-2002-2006/299876-r53-jcw-smell-of-burnt-something-on-hard-acceleration-3rd-to-4th-or-4th-to-5th.html#post4182872) for wider coverage: it's gotten a bit worse. Zahntech told me my clutch still has at least 10k on it.

Dave Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List PSMINI Expert Advisor PSMINI Member Joined: September/06/04 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 966	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dave Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March/10/16 at 8:31pm
	Curious - what's the average life of an R53 clutch in your experience?
	David & Linda

CORNERS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List PSMINI Expert Advisor PSMINI Member Joined: July/29/10 Location: Bothell, WA Status: Offline Points: 3733	Post Options Post Reply Quote CORNERS Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: March/10/16 at 9:57pm
	If your clutch smells and is slipping, I think what they mean is you have about 10K left before it leaves you stranded.
	Kurt/04 R53 Check out My MOD MINI repair videos channel @ YouTube

CORNERS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List PSMINI Expert Advisor PSMINI Member Joined: July/29/10 Location: Bothell, WA Status: Offline Points: 3733	Post Options Post Reply Quote CORNERS Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: March/10/16 at 9:57pm
	Average seems to be around 130K, I just replaced one for someone that was 200K on the original clutch.
	Kurt/04 R53 Check out My MOD MINI repair videos channel @ YouTube