Corners: where are you?

 

Seattle area. That's just for labor of course.

 

anyone had any experience with lining up the valeo flywheel? Im to the point, and on the DMF clutch it has a point for alignment but not the valeo

 

just got mine in after a headache. They originaly sent me a clutch that was warped. You guys weren't kidding about the pedal feel, it is insanly lighter. Not sure if I like it quite yet, but it will serve me better in LA traffic.

 

you followed Bentley or some write up to replace the clutch ?
I found a decent write up at pelican. Not all torq specs are mentioned, but looks decent to me. is this a good guide to replace clutch on 05 MCS ?
I am waiting for the parts( valeo f/w conversion kit) to arrive. its an 05 MCS /66k miles. Thanks guys
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...eplacement.htm

 

I just did this on my r53. The Valeo is working great so far. My only real performance mods are a HAI and a 15% pulley.

When putting the bell housing back on, my step-dad (an old gear-head) came up with a great shortcut: I bought 4 new bolts from the hardware store, just like the bell housing bolts only 3 inches longer. I used these to line up the bell housing, and it just about fell together. Then put the original in the other bolt holes, and then replace the long bolts with the normal ones. Sure beats struggling with that thing. Im keeping the old bolts just in case...

I did not drain my coolant.

Also these vids help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of27ADMbOyc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPXZIOB9QiM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA9QIXtBGuM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA5p_m4zbYs

 

Thanks.

Three of those videos are actually mine! :-)

Longer bolts is a good idea (or cutting off the heads and just using them as alignment studs. What I do is suspend the transmission from above so you're not wrestling with all that weight.

And don't tighten down the bolts if there is any resistance more than around 5 ft-lbs. Resistance=input shaft and clutch disk spline are not lined up - you could bend something.

 

THANK YOU for those videos!!!!

 

Hi guys, I recently put the valeo single mass conversion clutch kit in my 04 MCS. I know there is supposed to be a bit more chatter from the clutch and flywheel but i think mine has a bit too much. when i go to pull out, the car shakes until the clutch is fully disengaged. there also seems to be a problem when shifting, as if the clutch isnt dissengaing properly. is there any way to adjust the clutch? what could this be?

PS, i did get a new pilot bearing and throw out bearing with the kit.

 

I have the Valeo in my 06 as well. I have absolutely no chatter or vibration that I notice. The Veleo is a direct replacement for the Mini's Dual Mass Clutch. I would take it back to whom ever installed it. Or Perhaps you have something else wrong.

 

I didn't read through all 7 pages of this thread, I'm late into this, but I can give you my impressions of the Valeo Single mass flywheel conversion.

First some background:
I had a factory clutch replaced in 2013. My original from the factory clutch finally started slipping. Problem, the flywheel is extremely expensive in Canada and the MINI dealer service felt the Flywheel was still good. I was unemployed at the time so decided to keep the original flywheel and only replace the clutch and bearing. My initial review on a local MINI Club site stated:

As it turned out, the replacement stiffened up nicely the clutch wore in but a disconcerting amount of clutch chatter started and got louder with time. Also, it became harder and harder to shift between gears as the shifter would not go in. Something was becoming misaligned.

In May of 2014 (almost a year) I was accelerating out of my office parking lot and when I went from 2nd to third, I got a loud bang and no gears.

As it turned out the spindel at the center of the clutch disk was stripped smooth. The clutch surface was not even worn. For certain, I was not abusing the clutch. The center spindle was defective so MINI would warrant the clutch. However, I needed to buy a new flywheel. The dual mass flywheel was double the price of the Valeo Single Mass conversion. I was not going back to the dual mass set up. As good as it felt while driving, it was just too troublesome.

So after the conversion...

Extremely quiet. No more helicopter noises, and besides the supercharger whine, I can even hear the belt and a lot more of the mechanical things happening in the engine bay area now. Much easier to diagnose problems.

Very light pedal. Hardly any force to push the clutch pedal down at all. It might get stiffer as the clutch wears in, but for now, it feels too easy to push down and maybe a bit more difficult to modulate. The friction point is slightly higher and the pedal movement between friction point and full clutch engagement is wider. Some might call this mushy. This clutch feels very much like the F56 Cooper's clutch I test drove a couple of weeks ago.

I can feel the engine vibration/shakes more. Perhaps the dual mass flywheel from the factory was absorbing more of the vibrations coming from the engine.

I'm glad I got the conversion. The conversion including labor costs (subtracted from the final bill because the labor was covered under warranty) less than the cost of a replacement dual mass flywheel part cost alone. With this being a simpler set-up, I anticipate fewer problems into the future. The trade-off is the clutch does not grab quite as hard as the stock set-up. But I don't anticipate driving my car hard enough for that to be an issue. It does not slip, but in a heavily modified car, the clutch may not be strong enough to handle much more additional torque/power.

Four months in, I am still happy with the Valeo SMF clutch set up. I am getting used to the softer pedal. However, if I were racing my car (which I am not) I would probably want a more heavy duty set up.

 

Thanks Minian for your experience with the clutch. i will be callin the shop tomorrow when they open. the whole job is under warranty so hopefully they fix the problem without charge. i will keep updated with the process for future users.

 

I've just replaced my alloy Clutchmasters flywheel and Exedy clutch assembly with a Valeo SMF after the Clutchmasters started slipping when cold. When the clutch was removed I found that the clutch plate was dished and the friction surface was wearing unevenly.

With the light flywheel, the Clutchmasters took a bit of co-ordination to get the Mini off the line quickly but once it hit 3k revs the acceleration was aggressive! The pedal feel was nice and firm but there was some chatter and gear changes could be a bit a bit jerky due to less inertia. Engine braking was also jerky, as the car slowed down to come to a stop, there was a noticeable jerk once the revs dropped below a certain point.

I've had the Valeo for a few days now and I'm struggling to get used to the very light pedal although I'm coming around. The friction point is also much closer to the floor (although the CM was quite worn) Gear shifts are smooth as is engine braking and there is no chatter. Acceleration isn't quite as aggressive (only marginally) as the alloy flywheel although once moving it does feel a bit more torquey.

Overall I think the Valeo is smoother and easier to drive than the Clutchmasters and is a better option for a daily driver. I'm just hoping the pedal stiffens up a bit with wear.

 

Don't expect the pedal feel to change. Mine hasn't in 35k.

 

Valeo says that the single mass clutch conversion doesnt fit after 2010. Any experiences?

My 2011 R55 has a shredded clutch. Massive failure at 58,000 miles.

What about other aftermarket options. Not looking for performance. Just dont want to pay $1200 for OEM flywheel?

2011 R55 S 58,000 miles

 

We just did the Valeo swap too. Main complaint is the lightness of the pedal feel. We saw the reviews about it being light but we still were shocked. Feels much like a FRS. Is their a fix for this or is it just the way it is? I assume if they had one everyone would have done it by now.

 

It will get a little bit stiffer over time. Either way, you'll get used to the different pedal feel pretty quickly. Even an brand new stock clutch has a pretty light pedal.