Posted in R60/61 but I’m hoping a few more eyes will see it here.

My wife has a 2012 Countryman w/ manual trans. +/- 80,000 miles. It has developed a horrible crunchy sound like rocks in the gearbox and only makes the noise while moving in gear. Coasting in neutral makes no sound at all. I assume the internal bearings have gone out.

I can’t find anyone that rebuilds mini manual transmissions, so we’ll have to replace the gearbox. I plan to replace myself, and am capable of doing so. I’m having a hard time finding base 6 spds anywhere near me but there are plenty of S model 6spds available. Are the two gearboxes interchangeable? Can I put an S 6spd in a base R60? I’d greatly appreciate any insight you guys could offer!

 

Unfortunately, the G255 transmission in the Base model has different gear ratios than the G253 TU model in the S. The vehicle uses engine rpm vs vehicle speed to determine which gear it is in so swapping them would probably not be great idea.