I installed a new clutch and finally got the transmission back in today. I was able to remove it by myself but it is most definitely a 2-man job to get it back in. There is no pilot bearing so aligning the clutch spline to the disc is a major PITA and requires an incredible amount of finagling, turning the crank, lifting, repositioning, jacking, etc. If you swap your clutch, do yourself a favor and buy two/three M12x120mm cap bolts to thread through the trans into the block to help align it before mating them up (be sure you have the threads all the way through the mounting holes on the block). I installed a Valeo flywheel, clutch disc and pressure plate package and my clutch pedal is substantially softer than the clutch I replaced (MINI). The slave cylinder and pivot arm on the trans appear to be working properly when the clutch pedal is pressed so that makes me believe there's no bleeding problem in the slave cylinder. Before I reinstall upper motor mount, axles, etc., I would like to get feedback from those who have installed a single-mass Valeo clutch to know if they also found the clutch pedal much easier to push. Anyone?

 

I'm due for a clutch soon and will be doing the job by my lonesome...

...special tool 21 2 210 can be had for around $70 --- worth the investment to make life easy?

Or will those M12x120mm cap bolts you mention work just as well?

 

I've only pulled transmissions out of an r56 twice but both times I didn't have much trouble getting everything to seat back together. Support the trans with a jack and wiggle and turn the input shaft till it pops together.

For the OP. What year is your car?

 

I'm not familiar with tool 21 2 210 but the M12 bolts (cap bolts not fully threaded bolts) act as alignment guides for the trans to slide toward the block. V10climber evidently had a much easier time with his R56 than I did with my R53. I'm not sure how he was turning the input shaft since it's buried inside the transmission and inaccessible when the trans gets near the block. Hopefully he can explain how he did it. I was turning the crank to help align the clutch disc to the trans input shaft and just could not mate them up.

 

I appreciate the tip about the bolts.

The 21 2 210 factory tool is referenced in the Bentley manual,
but it's also available aftermarket from UK vendors:



When browsing online I came across this write-up and the guy said it helped him out a lot:

https://www.motoringalliance.com/art...ini-cooper.56/

 

Attached pics: #1 is the old flywheel/clutch disc/pressure plate; #2 is the new clutch installed; #3 is the trans showing the input shaft. The Valeo kit (or just about any clutch) comes with an alignment tool. The clutch disc is the only component that needs to align with the transmission input shaft. Most non-MINI clutch applications also have a pilot bearing that needs to align so there are normally three components that require alignment -- pilot bearing, clutch disc and input shaft -- so the tool makes more sense. The Valeo clutch disc self-centers on the flywheel and the pressure plate simply installs on top of that. The issue arises when the transmission bolt holes are finally aligned with the engine block, the input shaft may not align perfectly with the clutch disc. I used a breaker bar/socket on the crank pulley to turn the installed clutch disc (and therefore the engine) in order to mate it up with the input shaft but it took quite a while before they finally meshed. It also required my buddy on the trans side rocking it back/forth and in/out to try to align the input shaft/clutch disc. In addition, the Getrag trans is a weird shape so it's difficult to use a jack to orient it correctly (to the block). I also had a 4x4 laid across the shock towers and used a ratchet strap to hang the trans from the top. As I said before, it's not an overly difficult repair other than all the other vehicle components that need to be removed in order to drop the transmission. I'm still curious how anyone could turn the input shaft since it's inaccessible once the trans is close to the block (but before it's meshed correctly with the clutch disc).

 

I'm in the middle of a clutch job myself, waiting on parts which I just ordered yesterday. My situation may differ from yours in that my R56 trans has a cast-in eye on the top of the case near the center, which I plan to use to "hang" the trans like I have my engine supported, after bringing it in from under the car.

When I pulled my axles, it was easier to leave the CV joint (female-half, for lack of a better term) in the case on the left side. So my intention is to turn that instead of the engine (with trans in gear). I'm not replacing my flywheel (stock dual-mass) and the clutch seems to center/align itself, but I'll know for sure when my stuff arrives.

As an aside, I used a piece of 2" angle and drilled holes to match the slave cylinder mounting bolt pattern and screwed a chunk of 2x4 to the angle (wish i had a picture, but I'm at work). It's not perfectly level, but lots better than resting the trans on it's case

 

Yep, that 4x4 (actually two 2x4s screwed together) I mentioned above was used to secure a ratchet strap that suspended the trans from the cast-in eye you're mentioning. However, that doesn't allow enough rotation to get the trans in position to mate with the input shaft to the clutch disc. I think it's just one of those things that will take longer than you think it should. Or, since this is the first time I've changed a MINI clutch, maybe I made it more difficult than it should have been. I'm just happy it's finished!

 

Did you need to pre-load the pressure plate 10-12mm (or as the BMW instructions that accompanied the clutch say, "install the pressure plate with the clutch dis-engaged")? I don't have the tool that resembles a large gear-puller to do this, but Way Motor Works didn't mention needing it. They DID recommend replacing the throwout bearing guide tube, and since the clutch came from them as a kit, I figured they would have mentioned a tool if it was necessary.

 

No need for the 'special' very expensive tool to align the clutch. I used a standard plastic alignment tool that was slightly too small and wrapped it with tape to fit. Worked perefectly. Box slipped right in first time and I was going solo.

 

so much easier to just pull the engine out and simply lift the box off and on, no suspension out, no subframe, shafts just hang, lower ball joint and front wheels only apart, all wires stay in the engine, octopus raised with engine out, one earth wire to come off, no need for guide bolts.

yes change the guide tube if not the input seal too, also the fork arm bushes or at the very minimum lube then and free then off fully, clean up and re-lube. I just bought the tool from BMW, same for rear main seal.

doing it this way needs no support bar, no strain on the top mount either, or exhaust if people are trying to do this with it connected.

 

Not sure what "pre-loading" the pressure plate actually entails but I did not do that. Check out ModMini's video on YouTube for the entire clutch replacement process.

 

Pre load is fancy speak for tightening down the bolts on the clutch plate housing with the guide in place in the middle.

 

Got it. But again, the clutch plate doesn't align with anything but the input shaft on the transmission due to the lack of a pilot bearing. The plastic "alignment" tool that comes with the Valeo kit is pretty much useless because of that (and the fact that the clutch plate self-centers on the flywheel).

 

That tool should go into the smaller recess of the crankshaft and center the clutchplate whilst tightening down the housing, this ensures the input drive shaft slips in first time when mating the box back on. The tool should be a perfect fit?

 

Scudder, I think you just got lucky and your input shaft magically matched up with the clutch disk. I wish I had had the same fortune. I used the tool as instructed by Valeo but it still required additional work to mate the input shaft and clutch disk. The alignment tool might help center the clutch disk on the flywheel but doesn't align the external teeth on the input shaft to the internal teeth on the clutch disk. If they're 1mm off, the trans will not slip in. That requires that the crank be turned until exact alignment is achieved.

 

The plastic alignment tool should center the hole in the clutch disk and use the pressure plate fingers as a reference. While the clutch disk does self-center to an extent it's still usually off center a tiny bit. The alignment tool helps fix that.

You can turn the crankshaft or what I do is just slide the trans back slightly (it's on a jack or suspended from above) and reach in and turn the input shaft a tiny bit. Usually only takes 2-3 tries although I have gotten unlucky doing it on other cars and have to turn the input shaft a bunch. But when everything is lined up properly it all pops together pretty easily.

 

Ok, men, my motor and trans are as one again! Kudos to Cooper48 for the excellent tip regarding guide bolts! In my case (2012 R56S) I used M10-1.5x90, one each side. The engine was supported at the factory hook point as was the transmission (separate hoist utilizing the cast-in eye in the case). My toughest challenge was aligning/squaring the two, finally using a floor jack out on the end of the trans to get a better angle.

I did NOT use an alignment tool (didn't even get one with my factory BMW clutch kit). I saw that the clutch outside diameter was identical to the pressure- plate's, so I just screwed in the bolts evenly, achieving the "squeeze" while feeling around the perimeter for an even edge (clutch to pressure plate).

Again, I cannot thank Cooper48 for his guide-bolt suggestion. Only other thing I did differently that might be worth noting is using a screwdriver against the lower locating pin on the engine to turn the flywheel as you tighten the guide bolts. Monitor the alignment of the trans and motor mounting surfaces, and occasionally check for anything that may have fallen down between the gap. I focused on the evenness of the gap, turned the flywheel a few teeth and finally got that satisfying "pop" when the planets aligned!

I pulled my subframe and exhaust, but did not take anything more than the bumper cover and aluminum bumper off the front. No service position, no draining the coolant. It's tight around the top and front of the engine, so be advised that the bolts hide well under the wiring and turbo/oil filter housing.

 

Glad it worked out!