Well I'm basically stuck at the moment. My transmission went out unexpectedly this past week. I opened it up and it looks like a blender was turned on in there . My Mini S has 160k, plenty of mods and is pretty much a solid car up until this point. My question is should I just bite the bullet and spend the 2k to get it up and running again OR part it out/sell it. My son and I love it, and he would kill me if I got rid of it. I've spent sooo much money on this car already! Trannys are $600-$800 plus $1000 for the southbend clutch, add in some miscellaneous parts here and there. Worst part is I just spent $1000 on parts for my bike (1199 ) two days before my trans blew! My luck I tell ya! Any advice would be really appreciated.

Mod list:
WMW supercharger
M7 big intercooler/scoop/diverter
Detroit tuned bypass valve
poly mounts everywhere
tsw engine mount
alta tensioner
pro-mini 17% pulley
M7 2% crank pulley
all new engine gaskets/seals
MSD coil pack/cables
aluminum racing radiator/silicone hoses
new axles
M7 strut tower bar
Metal coolant tank
aero wiper blades
megan racing coilovers
pro mini end links
H/R rear camber arms
team dynamics pro race/bridgestone
wilwood large six piston front calipers
pro mini short shifter
stereo/amp/speakers
thule complete bike rack/ 2 rocky mounts
and I'm sure I'm missing more....

 

What's wrong with the tranny? Bearings ? Gears? Why a south bend clutch? Just get an oem clutch for way less.

 

Gears are shredded. I wouldn't feel comfortable rebuilding the trans after what happened. Especially if something happened to the dif. or casing damage. I have the original clutch in there but with the mods I have I'm pushing more power than the OEM clutch can handle. As far as the clutch goes, I've heard good reviews on the southbend kits and not just for minis. ECS has them for around $900 with flywheel. I yanked the entire powertrain out, so I'm finding things that need to be replaced from old age :'(

 

You definitely aren't above oem clutch power capacity, few are. That's a bummer about the gears, wonder how that happened.

 

Believe me I wish I knew. Started it up, then a block away from my house I started hearing a clicking sound. First thought was one of the axles was going. So I depressed the clutch, sound went away. Next thought was ok maybe throughout bearing/clutch? So I shifted through the gears and they all engaged properly with no hesitation. Syncros/clutch ruled out. Then it got worse and I heard/felt a loud bang! Limped it back to the garage and drained the oil to find metal shards. Absolutely no warning to this happening. It just decided to let go.

 

As far as the clutch choice I really hate dual mass flywheels. So even if I did stick with OEM I would need a new flywheel which would still put me in the $900 range. I've had a couple of cars with the same dual setup and switched them to single lightweights and there's no going back. Just so damn tired of dumping money and TIME (I do everything myself) into this car.

 

If the rest of the car is in good shape then I would fix it. It's a common interest/love you both share and you know the history of the car.

 

Been in your situation and it sucks.

I bought a used 06 trans add a svt lsd and went with an act clutch and flywheel. The difference between the oem fw and act is insane.

Don't forget to take a look at the rats nest of rubber heater hoses under there while the trans is out. They are a lot easier to replace with all the extra room.

 

Yeah I've literally replaced all the hoses and seals on this car. I'll look into the lsd as well. I forgot that the svt dif fits thanks for the reminder

 

If you were "pushing more power than the stock clutch can handle" it would slip.
I guarantee you thats not the case.

 

So when I would be in fourth and go on boost, the rpms would quickly rise and the car would hardly accelerate. That's not the clutch slipping? Haha it isn't rocket science. Whether or not the stock clutch handle the power is not the question. Cost of oem versus aftermarket is one and getting rid of the flywheel are easy reasons to ditch the stock set up. Is the aftermarket clutch overkill? Maybe, but better be safe than sorry. I for one do not enjoy ripping this car apart.

 

Sorry to hear about the problems. There are a couple articles on our site regarding both stock and performance, clutches and flywheels. Please take a look and let us know if we can answer any questions!

http://new.minimania.com/Search_Results/clutch/All

Also, here is an application guide:


http://new.minimania.com/Mini_Cooper...lication_Chart

 

I had the same thing happen to my R53. I found a used transmission for $200 with a broken slave cylinder mount and used the FTT bracket to fix it. It worked beautifully and for about $800 (new clutch, flywheel, slave cylinder) I was back on the road. If you can afford to park the car for a little while and look for a deal on a transmission it might be worth it.

 

Well can't complain I'm riding my panigale for now so I can buy some time. The r53 market on Vegas is pretty scarce so I'm pretty much stuck with lkq. Even though the car is in great shape it is over a decade old. So the shift linkage bushings gave out and a couple of other random parts need to be serviced/replaced. So I might just rough it out and do a mini engine bay restoration. I'll update once the parts start coming in. Also if anyone wants any write ups/photos let me know.

 

Check car-part.com. Most of the businesses that list there are willing to ship a part for less than you'd think. The junkyards will not tell you this, but the trans for a 2005-2006 r53 LCI is a direct fit (if you have an early car) and has shorter gearing. Make sure to replace the little plastic clutch fork bushings inside the transmission. Also while you have the subframe out, its a good time to do front sway bar bushings/lower control arm bushings if you haven't already.

But the cheapest option is usually to find someone parting out a whole car on craigslist.

Or this guy with a trans for $100 in Las Vegas. Who knows what the problem is, but that seems reasonable.
http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/pts/5553330452.html

 

Shipping is what kills finding a deal out here. I'll find one for cheap out nearby but once shipping is factored it comes out to about the same. That trans might be a can of worms. I would have to get it inspected and for that price, if it's too good to be true then it probably is. I'll check that website out and see what they have. Bushings have been done. Just debating on keeping the steering system or deleting it since it doesn't work. Got a letter from mini for the pump recall but the mini dealership out here is TERRIBLE!!