Stupid question y’all. I have an 04 mini cooper in my garage with a 6 speed conversion. I put a 6 speed getrag in it. I sold it about 5 months ago.
The new owner called me a said it will not move. I got it towed to my garage to have a look at it. You can go thru all the gears and no go on movement of the car. No grinding sound when going thru the gears. I got under the car. Had my wife push the clutch. The slave cylinder is pushing the arm.
I can hold one wheel and spin the other. When I let go of the wheel an spin it. The other wheel will go the opposite way slowly. Then it stop.
I’m thinking the differential may have gone out.
What are your thoughts?

 

Need to define “not move”? Does the engine rev up when in gear and clutch pedal out, but not move? Or does the car stall out when in gear and letting the clutch out? My first guess would be something clutch related.

 

Engine rev a runs fine. Put it in gear nothing. No matter what gear you select.

 

Again, “nothing happens” meaning the engine revs but the car doesn’t move? if so, I would suspect either an axel popped it of the dirt, or something in the clutch assembly went out. Check the drivers side axel to make sure it’s actually seated in the differential. It could be out just enough to have drag when spinning the wheels in the air, but not enough to move the car. If the axel is seated correctly and tight, then you’re going to have to pull the transmission.

 

Wheels rotating opposite directions means an open differential vs LSD thus unlikely related to the problem. If the clutch had been operating normally for age and mileage, it seems doubtful that would suddenly fail completely much like an electrical device. During the 6-spd Getrag conversion, which style shifter and cables were installed -- PFL or FL? If PFL, I'd check the shifter cable connections at the transmission for failure breakage. Its possible the shifter action isn't engaging the gearbox. If uncertain whether PFL or FL style shifter, carefully pop up the shift boot ring inside and look at the top of the shifter housing. If yellowish its PFL and if black its the newer FL. If determined the shifter cables are the culprit, replacing the entire shifter and complementary cables with a used FL donor set is a lower cost option. Forum member Mod MINI did a video 5 yrs ago which illustrates the symptoms, differences and replacement process.

 

I found the issue. The lady I sold the mini too. She killed the clutch. Only had 5k on it.

 

Good grief

 

Yikes, sure didn't see that coming!

Curious whether related to driving style or defective components as well as anything else related now toast.
Unless that buyer is either friends or family, clueless why the car came back to you after 6 months...

 

Clutch plate worn to the rivets in under 5k miles? That is not a material defect. That's a driver defect.

 

Riding the clutch.

 

Prob revs the hell out of it and slips it on takeoff too, slipping it on hills instead of brake etc...

 

Derpy Derp

 

Wow

 

I suspect that clutch was never totally disengaging or someone spent a lot of time with the clutch out figuring why the car wouldn’t move in 6th gear.