Just picked up my 2004 MCS yesterday. My second Mini with a manual trans. The shifter feels very notchy and/or reluctant to go into some gears,.....If I shift very slowly,....it feels a bit better,...but if I am shifting faster, it really fights me, not wanting to go into the next gear.

Is there a fix for this?

Brian in Austin

 

Hello Brian - Does it feel like this all the time, even when you first initially start driving? Couple of things to check, some may not be related, but good to check. Check your slave cylinder for any type of signs of leaking. A spongy feel to the clutch pedal, grinding of gears when shifting, long pedal travel, and hydraulic leaks under the car are all signs that one or more components of the system have failed. Here is a thread on NAM where someone was having to use force to shift into gear as well. See if it may be helpful. Maybe even inspect shifter linkage and bushings.

 

My shifter cables were corroded and binding. Could be that, too. (No hard linkage, just Bowden cables). But you have to figure out a way to narrow down the choices.

 

Do I check my bushings and Bowden cable from underneath, or do I pull the center console out?

 

The shifter end of the cables is reached from underneath. The transmission end is under the intake air filter housing.

It's been a year or so, but I think you need to loosen the exhaust heat shields and slide them out of the way, but I think you can get away without dropping the exhaust. Thankfully...

 

^Yes. You can remove the 6 center bracket bolts and the two front flange bolts and hang the exhaust.

Reluctance to go into gear is more likely the end of your clutch life. Bring it to an experienced MINI mechanic and they'll be able to tell immediately if you need one. If the stiffness is worse when the car is cold, you might need to replace your trans fluid.

 

We have a shifter cable DIY here that should help you with gaining access to check them out. Cables here if needed. And yes, when was the last time the transmission was serviced?

 

My car suddenly developed this issue a few days ago, out of the blue. I have a 2006 MCS with 120k. It's difficult to get all gears into place, regardless of temp or how long the car's been running. The difficulty, however, seems to constantly fluctuate. I was going to inspect the cables and linkages on my next day off. With Helix's post above, I'm thinking that I should just take into the dealer and let them figure it out.

If it is the clutch, can anybody recommend a replacement, or should I stay with EOM?

P.S. I can't quite tell if my clutch pedal feels any softer than it did before. Also, for the past year to year-and-a-half, I've noticed that my clutch feels quicker to engage. I've not experienced any slippage, however.

 

When you go to replace the clutch (which it sounds like you need), go with OEM replacement parts.

 

Stick to OEM. We have some great clutch super kits and just normal clutch kits HERE. The super kits include everything that you should need to change during a clutch job. You could also look into the conversion kit listed at that link. It's a popular conversion that MINI owners do. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

I don't know if you're used to a smoother shifter like I was, but when I drove 5-6 R53's when I bought mine in August, they all had notchy shifters. Coming from my dads R50 which I drove for several years, the shifter in the R53 felt way stiffer and notchier. I misshift way more in this car and it is very difficult to shift fast as a result. Sounds like you're having a more severe problem, however.

 

After looking into the issue further, I think I've narrowed the problem down to the master and/or slave cylinders. I'm going to have my mechanic take a look on Monday. And yes, you're accurate Sevin, I'm the original owner of my R53 and the shift has always been notchy, which has lead to mis-shifts. A bit obnoxious when shifting quickly, but this car is mine for life, haha!

 

The mechanic just got back to me and confirmed that the problem is in fact the clutch assembly and flywheel. That's over 2 g's out the window. Good news, however, is that I'll finally be able to experience the full benefit of the 17% pulley! Taking a few steps back, I realize that I might have experienced slipping of the clutch, which began immediately after the pulley was installed. At the time (posted in a different thread) I had thought that the short losses in power at lower RPM ranges was a different issue. Anyway, I'll look forward to having my car returned to see if the clutch solves all the previously experienced problems. As always, I appreciate everybody's feedback.

 

I just picked up a new to me 2004 MCS and on the 830 mile drive home I would notice a little bit of difficulty getting it into gear. Mine was the opposite though, if I shifted like my grandma, it would seem to take a little extra effort, but still no gear grinding like with the syncro issue. If I shifted faster which is usually how I drive, no issue. Car has 82k on it and supposedly the clutch was replaced around 45k miles under warranty. My problem seems counter-intuitive to what I would expect if the clutch was about done, I'd expect it more like you are seeing. Once it stops raining here, I'' follow some of this advice to chech out the slave cylnder/cables, etc... Hoping it's not the clutch....