Hey guys,

I am new to Mini's. Have been a BMW guy for quite some time now and couldn't pass up a great deal on a 2006 Cooper S 6 Speed. The car has ~130k but they seem to be all highway and it handles great.

My other car is a E39 M5 and I recently sold a E30 325is that I am comparing to this. (Honestly, I liked the E30 better).

I am not used to small engines and superchargers so I want to find out if this is an issue with the car.. or with me, lol.

When pulling off, I am usually used to low RPM's.. a little above 1k. I find it hard to do this sometimes in this Mini.. sometimes it will hesitate heavily and shake until I give it a good amount of gas. Sometimes it seems like it goes, but its very slow and steady and then just seems to go out of nowhere. Usually if I give it a little more gas than I am used to when pulling off, these symptoms do not appear, but still I feel like something is off, like there is some hesitation.

The previous owner told me the clutch has been replaced at some point, however I am pretty sure I hear the release bearing making noise.

Also, sometimes when turning, also under lower rpm's I hear what sounds to be like a belt squeak. I have not checked this out yet.

The only issue I am aware of so far is a leaking oil pan which will be fixed soon.

Thanks in advance guys.

 

Forgot to mention, I did the ECU reset. It actually seemed like it got a little better, but now maybe I got used to it, or maybe it was just placebo effect.

 

I'm new to MINI too. Got an 05 MCS at the beginning of last April. Here in Portland, the MINI gave me a top-side look over at no charge. They said they only charge if they put it on the lift, and a complete inspection is around $250.

Anyway, I just wanted them to confirm that the sound from the clutch I was hearing was in fact the normal (but annoying) sound of the Dual Mass Flywheel. I was worried that it may have been the Throw-Out Bearing.

A couple times I've noticed pulling out quickly, and a complete loss of power type of hesitation. I realized it was the ASC taking over to prevent tire spin. I've always been pretty good at modulating the throttle myself, and in some circumstances a Little Bit of tire spin actually allows for quicker acceleration once it gets hooked up. Now I will sometimes turn off ASC if I need to get out from a stop sign and up to speed as quick as possible.

Not sure if you're just more used to the torque of that straight 6 in your BMW, but I get fairly smooth and good acceleration, even when I don't even touch the throttle until after the clutch is completely engaged -rolling at idle. There are times when it feels like the power comes on all at once, but I have a slight yo yo too, so I suspect the bypass valve may flutter a bit sometimes. I gotta fix one thing at a time though. I changed my belt and motor mount first. Next will be LCA Bushings.

With your little belt squeak, and 130k miles, I wonder if the SC Pulley slips a little. Does it get worse with the AC being on?

Air Filter and Spark Plugs are a good start too. Remember that you should only change them when the engine is COLD COLD, like after its been parked over night. Have a good torque wrench too, as the threads in the head are fragile in these cars for some reason.

Other guys on the forum here are extremely kind and helpful. They may suggest that they could help more if you can pull the computer codes.

Welcome to MINI!

 

Can't give you to much advice on r53 because im a 56'r. They are great cars and you will have a lot of fun in it. Just keep checking back. Someone will be happy to help you out. Congrats!

Welcome to MINI!

 

As AlexQS suggested, try driving with the DSC off (switch on center panel) to see if that is causing the start off hesitation.

I would check your coil connections/contacts at the spark plug wires. It is common for the coil contact to corrode causing a hesitation. You can clean the contacts.

The power steering is electric and not powered by a belt so the belt noise should not be associated with turning. You might just be hearing the power steering pump, it is a little loud.

 

Congratulations! The '05-'06 MCS are vintage years....better gear ratios. Concur on the air filter and new spark plugs....NGK BPR6EQUP. (Check RockAuto.com) To be safe, I'd suggest a new serp. belt and even a new belt tensioner. If it hasn't been replaced, it needs one. Before you do the belt thing, I'd get a leakdown and compression test after changing the plugs and filter...just as a baseline and to determine the health of the engine. Then decide if you want to get a 15% pulley. (It'll really help getting off the line!). If you do, it will take a slightly smaller belt.
Oh, the oil leak may not be from the pan gasket. Dealers always want to replace pan gaskets (more $$$). The leak is probably the crank position sensor o-ring, a $1.00 part that just takes a little time and effort to get to.
While not an M5, the MCS will certainly deliver plenty of smiles/mile!

 

+1 on the crank position sensor leaking rather than the oil pan. I even had a dealer misdiagnose the leak.

 

I've noticed similar characteristics when doing a slow take off in first gear. My 06 MCS has what I consider to be an excessive amount of delay in the drive-by-wire throttle when applying a small amount of pedal. As I've driven it more, I've learned to start pushing on the gas a half-second prior to releasing the clutch.

In addition to the other good advice given here, you might check your coil for corrosion and consider replacing your wires when you do your plugs.

 

The R53 has hardly any power down low. But I only found that it would stutter if I were at 1000 rpms or lower. Yes, these cars don't really get going until around 2700-300rpms. I'm not sure if something is off with your particular car, or if you're just used to the power of the 325i and the M5.

To put hard numbers on it, I hardly ever rev it beyond 1500 rpms while taking off. I find that once I get the car up to 5 mph (right about where the car idles in 1st), there should be no or hardly any stutter in 1st gear after that. I currently have a 16% pulley on my car, though, and I can't be certain, but I think the pulley might have decreased the hesitation a bit.

 

Hey guys, 7 years later - I am back. The original 06 MCS that I posted about served me well back then for ~1.5 years and my love for the Mini brought me back https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4568288

Thank you to everyone that replied back then. Sorry I didn't come back to post a follow up. Don't remember all the details, but the car was great and overall reliable. Hoping the R56 serves me well too.

 

To quote an old timer here in the village: "Pictures, dammit, pictures! Without pictures, it didn't happen."

 

Yes!

 

Fair enough lol. Dont really have any good pics yet, but here are a few

 

Looks like new. Brilliant. A wee secret to keep it looking that fine. Defensive parking.

 

Yes, defensive parking is definitely a thing in NY

 

Blue/white is a good combo for a Mini