Hit it on the end with a dead blow hammer to get it past the c clip. It helps if someone holds the brake/steering knuckle/strut assembly away so that the entire axle is straight when it goes in.

 

Become a NAM Alliance member and download issue 2 pages 45-58.
It's there.

 

I'm searching this pdf for someone on Club Mini Québec, if anyone still have it, it would be great! Thanks!

 

In the following link I have included all the resources I have used or created to aid in my Getrag 6 speed swap.

http://personal.stevens.edu/~jdunn

Some additional items to note:
You definitely need a new cover plate for the transmission. The bolts from the cover plate for the midlands transmission can be reused.

Shift lugs are interchangeable for the 5 speed and 6 speed. You will need MCS shifter cables however. Please pay attention to which shift lug you are using.

An air compressor makes a world of difference. If you can rent, borrow, or buy one, definitely do so.

Although it is not the approved method for getting the outer ball joints off of the steering knuckle, a large hammer does definitely work.

If doing a short shifter, it might be easier to drop the whole exhaust, unless you have an aftermarket exhaust already on the car.

I have all the specialty tools listed in the spreadsheet found in the link. I am willing to lend them out. I only ask for a safety deposit to ensure the tools are paid for if kept and you take care of shipping. Nothing in it for me. Just looking to help other members out.

Major thanks to Way Motor Works, Classic Mini, Detroit Tuning, Custom Car Central, Promini, and Baum Tools.

 

I just wanted to throw out a quick note:

When gathering your parts, you will probably see that the output shafts are pretty pricey through the dealership (around $600 each). Most places call them drive axles, and you can find them much cheaper elsewhere. Just giving everyone a heads up, because when I was originally calling around, nobody had any idea what an output shaft was. I ended up getting the left and right "drive axles" for a total of $200 shipped. Definitely a big chunk of money saved there!

Also, I just wanted to give a quick THANKS to everyone in this thread- your comments definitely helped me out a lot during the swap!!

 

Be careful about aftermarket axles, however. I've heard that sometimes the cheap ones are cheap (won't last long).

 

Hey Man,

As someone who just did the swap not too long ago, trust me, you do not want to go cheap on the axles. When it comes to a part that gets a lot of use, it is best not to go cheap. You will end up paying the 200 for the cheap axles, and dropping money on the real oem axles. (I can't stress how much you really should get OEM MINI axles.) I am not saying the 100$ axles wont work, they are a good fit, but they will crap out on you way sooner than OEM ones would. Classic mini gives you a great deal for being on NAM. Check them out!!

Enjoy the 6 speed.

 

I bought OEM axles from a salvage yard I found on car-part.com. I think they were $150 for both. They've been fine for the last 50,000 miles.

 

I am trying to convince my dad that switching my completely wrecked CVT for a 6 speed Getrag transmission, and we are both worried about the Check Engine light not going off after doing the transition. Has anyone encountered this problem and how did you go about making the electrical things work correctly?

 

I think there's a thread on a CVT swap and the electrical.

 

OK, I am confused. I have seen several comments that you need to use the cables from the S with the Getrag and several that say you can use the existing ones from the midlands. Which is correct?

Thanks all for the great comments! and direction!

 

My mini is a 2002, and I swapped a 2003 S tranny into it. I had to switch the shift cables. The 5 speed midland cables were too short, and wouldn't allow me to shift into 3rd 4th 5th or 6th gear. Also,there are 2 different versions of the shift cables, so make sure you talk to someone at mini to figure out which ones have the correct ends to match up with your shift linkage.

Hope this helped!!

 

I think someone famous once said, "you can re-use all of the cables some of the time, and some of the cables all of the time,
but you can't re-use all of the cables all of the time".
I beleive it depends on whether the version of the cables to the original shifter matches the version that fits the donor shifter you're putting in.
There are two versions of the shifter boxes (see version A and version B on the following diagrams) and two versions of the cables as well.
you have to match the shifter box version with the appropriate cable version:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...86&hg=25&fg=05 (R50)

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...86&hg=25&fg=05 (R53)

It's still not perfectly clear to me - perhaps someone can clarify this further.

 

I think the bottom line is to match the cables to the gearbox, not the shift lug. I can verify the R50 cables are shorter than the R53 cables. When I did mine, I put them side by side to check. I'm not a mechanic.

 

anyone have an idea about how much money this will cost if i had a shop do it?

 

trw92a, don't get a shop to do it. I am local, have done it before, and would love to do it again!!

 

Hi guys,

I have a 2003 mini cooper S (6-speed) with 140K miles and my clutch is about to give out so I know I will have to replace it soon. I am looking to upgrade it to a stage 2 clutch in order to increase performance but don't know what to look for in a clutch or what brands are good and reliable. Can you guys please help me and educate me so that I can make an informed purchase. Also is there anything else that i will need (e.g flywheel) when swapping the clutch/repairing the transmission.

 

this is the wrong thread.

 

Hi all,

New member here!

Does anybody have this pdf they could send me? the link is broken for the original!

The input shaft bearing on my 2002 MC sounds like it's about the go soon. I sourced a Getrag six-speed from a 2005 and hope to do the swap on my own.

 

Not from the OP but http://personal.stevens.edu/~jdunn/ looks to be a pretty good read from post #79.

 

Hey everyone thanks for the info posted here... i am about to pull out my getrag 6 speed and see why i lost reverse and try and rebuild it. Again thanks for the info....

 

Hi,

I am about to do the 6 speed swap. I am trying to gather all of the parts together.

I was looking at Realoem.com for a start motor part #21411517328. It does not seem to be there for some reason and this part number came from the "Fixing the Weak Link – Getrag 6-Speed Swap for the MINI Cooper" website http://personal.stevens.edu/~jdunn/ . All I see is the R53 starter motor part number is 12417570488. Should I get that part number for my 2002 Mini Cooper R50 with the 6 speed?

Also I have the condition "A" gearbox. Would I need the linkage cables from 2002 to 2003 R53 part numbers 25117531708 & 25117531707?

If I wanted to switch to the condition "B" R53 gear box, I would need the linkage cables from 2004 to 2006 part numbers 25117548431 & 25117547371?

I should be okay to reuse the parts that are already with my R50 2002 MC to go with the 6 speed:
-Output cylinder clutch #21516777428
-Input cylinder clutch #21526774078

I see those parts are the same as the R50 and R53 from the realoem.com site.

Please let me know thanks.

 

Anyone? I am not getting any luck from the search. Please help thanks.

 

Can anyone post a new link to this PDF it seems to no longer be working or if anyone would be so kind as to email the PDF to me? It would be very appreciated due to my transmission just failing.

 

Download issue 2 on this link (most of the way down the right side of the page)
and start reading at page 45.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/alliance