I recently bought a 2011 All4 Manual and have been reading through all of the clutch issues and I was hoping someone could describe to me what I should be watching out for? Mine still has the original clutch, I'm at 25,000 miles now, so I want to be able to keep an eye on it, but I am not real sure what I should be looking for.

Can you describe how it feels / sounds when the clutch slips?


Thanks ahead of time.

 

If you've ever broke traction on ice, it feels identical.

As the clutch slips, engine revs rise quickly but the car doesn't accelerate in proportion to the increase in revs - or doesn't accelerate at all, once the slip has become bad. To start with, the clutch may only slip briefly just after a rough gearchange, but when it's completely gone, it won't even allow you to use full throttle without slipping.

What happens is: as you push the throttle pedal down, the engine makes more torque and that becomes too much for the clutch to transmit, so instead of accelerating the car, the clutch slip allows just the engine to rev up. It's tricky to be sure when it first starts happening, but then it gets worse and it becomes obvious.

A sorta burnt smell is fairly common from a slipping clutch, so if you suspect clutch slip, try sniffing the car after it has happened. Don't lean out the window to do this while driving along as people will think you are a dog and check for anyone watching before doing it when parked as people will think you have some bad coke habit.....

 

Described well above, but smell is bad. We named our car Smelly Clutch 3 weeks after getting her in February 2011. She still smells. And MINI stinks.

 

go about 35-40 mph, shift into 5 or 6th gear, floor it. If the revs climb in porportion to the speed, youre fine.

If the revs climb but you dont accelerate, your clitch is slipping.

 

Rpm gain does not match increase in road-speed.....

 

BTW, the slipping is the final part of the failing clutch syndrome. The clutch can also unexpectedly grab and stall your engine when starting out in the ALL4, another indignity. Of course, the slipping phase is terminal.

 

I never thought about the grabbing issue. Happens every once in a while and I thought it was because I wasn't paying attention. Every now and then I get the smell. 32,000 miles and documented with the Mini people.

All the explanations listed are correct. I think you will know.

Bill

 

Thank you all for the information, I think I know what to watch out for now... thanks again.

 

a clutch typically will slips when cold,,,,the flywheel gets warm, and expands, and will stop the slipping for a bit...till a bit more wear occurs.