Thanks for the post, it saved me a bunch. The details were very good. I was able to replace my original clutch (after 83,000 miles) with little trouble, standard tools and a solid weekend. Kudos on the instructions.

An aside to the MINI owners on this site complaining about poor design and/or reliability: check your driving habits and maintenance schedules! It might be a BMW, but it still needs TLC.

The MINI is one of the easiest to fix and best designed FWD cars I've ever worked on.

 

Any more info on this? You mentioned having a new approach to removing the old rear main. I just got my clutch apart and wanted to do the rear main, but with your experience and very little weepage I got scurrred and put the new flywheel, clutch and pressure plate on without replacing it

Turns out the clutch disc is facing the wrong way....maybe...so it's gonna come off again anyways (used red loctite - that should be fun.) What was the new approach to removing? I work for a MINI dealership and the techs said they just pry them out - sounds a bit too harsh and easy IMO.

Also, what's the size of the PVC you used to install the input shaft seal?

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the pics and directions - I followed it closely in conjunction with your front sway bar install and I couldn't have done it without them.

 

When I was researching which way the CM disc should face, I found users who had faced it both directions. CM told me it didn’t matter.

Fine metal drill bit and sheet metal screw to remove the old seal.

If the rear main seal has only a minor weep, don’t touch it.

Flanged TLPC 1 ½ X 6 for the input seal driver.

 

lol WHAT? Doesn't matter???? I can't imagine that making sense - the clutch disc has such a clearly defined two-sided design with the sprung hub extended on one side. Which way did you put it? I'll put it that way since it's working for you

AWESOME idea for the rear main - seriously. Never would have thought of it - but after reading it can't believe I didn't. It's really not that big of a leak:

 

I was wondering that, as well, but it sounds like this may be what kevin talks about when he discusses the difference between the old and new versions of the flywheel? Who knows, perhaps it's a pressure plate issue.

 

Perhaps this is what Kevin is talking about when he discusses the diff between the onld and new flywheels? Mine is very noisy when depressing.

 

Great write Thanks, I am about to do the lsd and clutch in my 05 S.

 

does someone want to install my clutch? I will give them a badass 8-9 hour professional detail and $200 on top of that! and even beer! If you are available in the los angeles area and can help, please let me know! I got a ltw flywheel and fx200 clutch to install! let me know if we can workout a deal!

PM ME! ASAP!

 

Bump... install would be anytime after wed this week

 

damn... no one? ill even raise it to $300 plus food whenever you want, beer, and a 10 hour detail!

 

Just got it done at steves auto clinic.... great place to go!

 

Clutch Replacement Questions for an R53
Has anyone replaced their clutch?

How involved is this job?

Did the engine come out the top or bottom?

Did the front bumper and radiator have to be removed?

IS there a pdf instruction booklet out there?

Any help anyone can provide would bne extremely helpful.

 

Look for The Getrag swap how-to guide on here written by Texas Speedwerks. It's a hot-to to change the 5-spd Midlands to a 6-spd Getrag in a R50, but you gotta disassemble most of the same stuff to change a clutch. I'm sure it will help.

 

Hey thanks I will do that.

 

Try looking at the first page of this thread, be sure to look at the link for dropping the subframe.

 

thanks i scrolled down it will be a huge help

 

An easy one. Where can I buy new clutch release shaft’s nylon bushings ? Are they available at dealer?

 

Thanks for the write-up - the more info the better as I get ready to dive into this...
(especially on the lubes and loc-tites)

An unanswered question from a previous post: why couldn't you use the L/W flywheel?
I found everything at http://www.ddmtuning.com/index.html - both bushings, the guide tube, the seal, even new pressure plate bolts (was advised that the 'incoming' clutch kit may have the wrong ones). Good prices, if shipping did seem a little high, but at ~$75 total I'd rather have it and not need it than wait a week+ to get it...
P/N's: Guide tube (1) 23117551719 / 18mm bushing (1) 23117509744 / 16mm bushing (1) 23110530904 / Seal (1) 23117518633 / PP bolts (6) 21207520449

 

The CM pressure plate model was incorrectly packaged, and one of the flywheel pins was defective. No replacement parts were available and a production date was unknown.

 

Thanks DaveVT02S for the info about clutch lever hardware.

There is something I would like to share. My car is a MCS 06 JCW with OEM LSD I use for AutoX. It has 70K km (44K miles). This winter my project was to replace the OEM LSD by a Quaife.

So I removed the tranny from the car. Then I found something very strange. Inside the clutch housing, there was a quite large amount of grease on the walls. (see attached picture, sorry I am not used to it and don't know how to post an image directly on this page).

I used a scraper to remove it and I evaluated a quantity of about one cup of grease.
Before someone asks, no, it is not oil leak mixed with clutch dust. Crank shaft seal, tranny input shaft seal and oil pan gasket are dry. I can certify it is similar to bearing grease. Clutch bearing is in perfect shape.

So how the grease get there? Either someone has the stupid idea to apply grease on the ring gear or it went out of the dual mass flywheel.

Do someone know if the dual mass flywheel contains grease?

Thanks for your help.

 

DISCLAIMER (aka "lesson learned"): I ordered from these folks on March 9th (late), and as of close of business Friday (the 25th) my order still sits "pending fulfillment". Spoke w/ a sales rep last Tuesday inquiring about the delay, and after 30 minutes of being on hold and 10-15 minutes of general double-talk / run-around, I figured out my parts are pretty much on a slow boat from Germany (assuming they're actually coming at all). Glad I'm not in a hurry - if you are, you probably ought to shop around and pay a little more (and post it up, please...).

 

The later model flywheel does contain a small amount of lubrication http://www.gif-ac.com/en/company/par...tions/gat.html, but I don't think it would be that much. The early model supplied by Luk does not list grease as a component http://www.schaeffler.com/remotemedi..._zms_de_en.pdf. Look to see who's manufacturer markings are on the flywheel.

Sabotage perhaps?

I had good luck with them at the beginning, then they sucked a short time later. Based on months of run-around and fluctuating policy depending on who I spoke with, I suggest cutting your time loss investment, canceling, and purchasing elsewhere.

 

I only needed 18mm bushing 23117509744 and 16mm bushing 23110530904. So I have ordered from my dealer. Price: $2.08 (16mm bushing), $7.51 (18mm bushing). At this price I didn't hesitate to order. The busings were there the day after.

 

Thanks for the info. Mine is made by LUK. Based on page 27 of the LUK document it does match with the failure description:

Heavy grease leakage
Grease egress > 20g
- Housing covered with grease

They do not mention the maximum possible grease qty, but 20 g is a quite large qty. Of course it is not a cup, but maybe I overestimate the grease qty I have removed from housing (it was a rough estimate, si 1/2 cup could also make sense).

 

2005 MCS clutch replacement

Based on the excellent descriptions of clutch replacement descriptions I found on this site and information in my Mini workshop manual, I decided to replace the clutch in my 2005 MCS myself. The car has 100,000 miles on it, and the clutch had reached its end of life. I had some experience in replacement of clutches in VWs, and rear wheel drive cars, but none on front wheel drives and none on Mini Coopers. But I do have a tool box full of tools, and air compressor, jack stands, a floor jack, torque wrench, etc. And I am a mechanical engineer.

It was a much more difficult job that I had anticipated.

I did discover some things that I would like to pass along. I am not going to try to cover all the stuff that you can get out of the workshop manual and the directions on this site, but I do want to point out things that were not mentioned in either.

First thing is to jack up the car real high and get some good jack stands under the car. You are going to spend lots of time under here, so be sure it is well supported. Then you take off the front bumper. This was so easy; I got over optimistic about how fast I could get this job done.

The sub frame comes off next. This is a real big assembly of steering gear, frame, and suspension. It is held on with a bunch of big bolts and attached to the wheel struts. There is an excellent description of this process at:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post1420223

I bought a tool similar to the one used in the photos for breaking the ball joint at Harbor Freight, but I did not get the number of the part, cost about $5.

One real difficult issue was removal of the big nut that holds the axle (drive shaft) on the brake disk. I bought a 32mm socket at Northern Tool and a 600 ft/lb IR air wrench. I already had an air wrench but it did not have anywhere near the torque to remove this nut. It is installed with lots of torque and then the corrosion and heat from the past 6 years had really stuck it on. This also requires a helper, someone to stand on the brakes while you operate the air wrench. I had also let the nuts soak in penetrating oil overnight. Cost of the air wrench $150.

It does require a helper to guide the power steering reservoir around the heat shield and engine. And then I had to get it off the jack, on the floor and scoot it out from under the car. It is big so you need some place to put it out of the way for a while.

The axles come out next. It is a little amazing that they just slip out. As described by k-huevo in another excellent post at:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...verview-2.html
You do need to support the center support bearing on the right side axle when you remove the bolts holding the support to the engine.

The real problem with this job is getting to and removing the bolts on the top of the transmission that hold the transmission on the engine. After installation of the engine support bar (Harbor Freight #96524, $60) you must remove the air cleaner box, the electrical control computer, the motor mount, and all the electrical harness on top of the transmission. This harness has some bolts and screws that are near inaccessible. You must remove a connector to the water temperature sensor. I broke off the plastic part of this sensor. A new one was ordered from Mini Mania and I got it in a few days for $18. But it required an extra long 19 mm socket to install (and a visit to Sears to get the socket).

Other special tools required was a Torx bit to remove the plastic holder for the shift cables. This is especially difficult to do. The three bolts are tight and have glue on them, so they are tight all the way out. And you are are laying on your back working in a tight space between the firewall and the transmission.

You also will need a female Torx socket to get the pressure plate off the transmission. Another trip to Sears. And since my torque wrench only went to 50 ft-lbs, I had to buy a 150 ft-lb torque wrench. I bought mine from Sears, but you can get them at Northern Tools also. I probably spent $200 on special tools that I did not already have.

Not only do you have to remove the electrical harness (actually I could not get all the connectors undone, but I had it loose enough to remove the transmission). But I also had to disconnect the water hose going to the head. This let enough anti-freeze leak out to make a mess.

I bought a transmission jack from Harbor Freight (#39178 for $80). This is essential not only for removal, but it is critical for the re-installation when you need to fit the transmission back to the engine.

I got a clutch and flywheel kit from Felton Clutch in Chattanooga (423 266 8858) for $450. The kit is from Valeo and includes a solid flywheel that replaces the “dual-mass” original equipment flywheel. The kit comes complete with new bolts and a throw out bearing. The one thing missing from the kit is the dummy alignment tool used to position the clutch disk before tightening the pressure plate. The good folks at Felton's made one for me. The alignment tool can cost almost $100.

The workshop manual instructs you to drain the transmission, and I did. This is probably a good idea, since when you remove the drive shafts, there is two big holes in the transmission, and the oil would easily drain out. The problem I had was finding replacement oil. I could not find anything at the local auto parts stores. Then I called the Mini dealers. They only sell transmission fluid in 27 gallon barrels. Or the Atlanta dealer offered it at $48 per half liter. ($150 to fill up the trans) if I would bring in my own container. Mini Mania came to the rescue again with Redline MTL oil for $16 per quart (1.5 quarts necessary). Actually getting it in the transmission is a little tricky. Do it before you install the sub frame.

One issue with re-assembly was the hose clamp on the air hose going from the air cleaner to the throttle valve. I worked for a couple of hours to get this clamp to latch, gave up and bought a normal hose clamp from the local Ace hardware store.

Another thing that was tricky is the screw that holds the heat shield on the starter. You have to get this thing in by feel. I ground the end of the screw down to a point and ran a die back over it to clean up the threads. Then I could start the screw by feeling when it was in the hole.

The clutch works smooth, and I think the Redline oil makes the transmission shift even better. The Mini Cooper was out of commission for about a month, as I only worked on it on weekends. I might try this job again, but my wife would probably pay someone to do it. The clutch/flywheel kit cost $450 and all the special tools, oil, jack, air wrench cost an additional $500. If anyone wants a used dual mass flywheel and clutch assembly, let me know. My wife wants it out of the garage.