On my way to work, I engaged the clutch on my '02 R53, I heard a pop from under the clutch pedal, and then the pedal stuck to the floor. I coasted into a parking lot, turned off the car, and the clutch went back into it's normal position, but it's now limp. I can't shift into any gear with the engine running.

Not sure what the problem is. I'm currenty waiting on the tow truck.

 

The tow truck was fun. Finally got to use my tow ring, hurray. The '02 R53 only has the rear tow point, so they had to use, what looked like, three or four 2x4s nailed together to make steps that made the angle of the flatbed not as steep, since the front end of the car is so low. The process of getting it onto the flatbed and ready to go took longer than I thought. The driver looked up at me at one point and said, "If this was a GM built car, we'd be there by now." I just grinned and snapped this photo.



It took about 20 minutes to get to MINI of Grand Rapids. Everyone I've talked to says that it's most likely just a cable issue, so hopefully it's not that bad off. Unfortunately, they can't get to work on it until late next week. So until then, I'm walking and bumming rides from my friends.

When I get a definitive answer as to the cause, I'll post it here. Just thought I'd share.

 

Why are you so sure that there is no front tow point? It is discretely hidden in the honeycomb lower grill, at least on my 2004 MCS.

 

Good luck. Something similar JUST happened to me in my 2003 MCS last night. Well, 2 days ago I heard a noise shifting into 4th, then all my lower gears (2nd, 4th, 6th) all felt like something was in the way when shifting. Finally today the cable gave in, and we had to try to get home in fifth, without slowing down enough. Kinda hard with red lights and all! Let us know how everything goes.

 

That's what the driver thought as well, but we couldn't find it and it's not in the manual.

Thanks, Sara! That must have been a white knuckle ride ^^ Yeah, I'll keep posting with updates. The service techs gave the impression that it wasn't all too serious, so here's hoping we both make out alright.

 

My previous 2002 MCS had the place for the tow hook, for what it is worth.

 

Here is a quote from the online MINI Owners Manual for a 2002.

"Tow fitting
The screw-in tow fitting is stored in the
onboard tool kit; be sure that it remains in
the vehicle at all times. This fitting is
designed for installation in the tow sockets
located at the front and rear of the vehicle.
It is intended for towing on paved road
surfaces only."

So it should be there.....

 

The owner's manual I have does in fact state "front and rear of the vehicle", but where the tab should be (there is an illustration), there isn't anything. I'll look again when it's out of the shop, but we never found it. :/

 

I will place a friendly wager with absolutely no consequence that you will find it when you look.

 

Sounds like a clutch line, or your clutch master/slave gave out. I've gone through 5 clutch master cylinders and 3 clutch slaves in my DSM (I don't consider myself to be shift-happy, either) ... I'm no stranger to driving home through clutchless shifting, but I've never tried that on Lynne, either ...

 

Haha, with my luck, the tab for the front tow point will be clear as day the next time I look for it.

Yeah, I'm hoping it was just the clutch line, but either way, I'll have it taken care of next week.

 

Update: I got a call from the service advisor at MINI of Grand Rapids earlier today. They are going to replace the clutch entirely. The cost of parts and labor comes to $2275, and they also said they would look at the flywheel and bearings while they are in there, at no extra cost (except for parts if needed).

Guess that's the price I pay for going used. It's much steeper than I thought I would be dealing out, but at least now I'll know that the clutch and transmission are solid.

With luck, I'll have Brisby back later this week. I can't wait!

 

Ouch...dealers are kinda $$, but having lived in MI for a short time, shops that work on imports can be in short supply...good luck, and great to see you have kept such a good attitude through this event!!

 

Plus one hundred on the ouch! You have to find a good non-dealership MINI mechanic out there.....

 

Yes, I'll definitely be researching import shops around town, after this. I still trust them to do a decent job, but they certainly are not trying to save me money.

Haha, I try to keep a level head about things like this. Repairs are to be expected with used vehicles, and I don't think that the faulty clutch is indicative of early R53s. Brisby is a decade old, and even though the clutch went out, it's still in surprisingly good shape. These cars really do hold up well when they are taken care of.

 

Whoa. When a clutch suddenly fails with the symptoms you describe, it usually means a hydraulic problem or a simple mechanical failure in the external mechanism that engages the clutch. These mechanisms have nothing to do with the "guts" or wear parts internal to the clutch. While it is possible you need a completely new clutch, there is almost no scenario where the failure you describe, in and of itself, would require a completely new clutch. It would be like replacing all the brakes on a car because a part came lose on the brake pedal.

I'd be VERY skeptical that they the dealer simply decided to turn a $500 master or slave cylinder repair with a $100 profit into a $2500 new clutch repair with a $1000 profit under the guise of "well, its an old car and probably needs the whole thing anyway." This sort of repair upsell is rampant at car dealerships.

You need to be asking very serious questions about exactly what is wrong at this point. Or finding a new mechanic.

- Mark

 

Thanks for the advice! I have a feeling that it is protocal at this dealership to replace, rather than repair components. I had a slight ticking sound in my steering column, and they wanted to replace the entire thing. Instead, I managed to shoot a little LPS1 inside it and seemed to have fixed the problem. I'll be picking their brains tomorrow, before I sign off on the authorization.

 

Good luck

I don't think this is strictly a repair vs. replace sceanario as the clutch actuation system (master cylinder, slave cylinder, linkages) is a fairly independent system external to the clutch itself - even if you had the "clutch" replaced (typically the clutch disc, pressure plate, throwout bearing, and rear main seal), you'd wouldn't necessarily have anything replaced in the actuation system.

Again, from your symptoms you had a failure in the actuation system - I suppose it could be something deep insde the clutch, but that's unlikely with the clutch pedal going totally limp. This is very easy to check - you just put the car up on a lift and note whether the slave cylinder is moving the actuation rod that goes into the clutch - if not, then the problem is upstream of the clutch. If the rod is moving, then something is broken internal to the clutch.

Now it's possible that coincidentally you may need a new clutch, but that's an independent thing and I wouldn't let they talk you into it as a related repair "while they're in there". For one, its likely the true repair can be made without "going in there" and even if they did have to disassembly the clutch, I would never throw away a clutch with significant life left. Clutch life is wildly variable depending on driver technique and aggressiveness; some cars need new clutches in a few thousand and some in a few hundred thousand miles. The clutch itself is an expensive repair and I would never do it unless I had to.

In these sorts of things, I've found dealers will pick up on the customer's relative willingness to spend money on the car. Some customers are very trusting and price insensitive; they're often busy people with high-powered, high-income jobs and don't want to be bothered with the details. They'll simply throw the keys at the dealer and say, "Fix it, whatever you think it needs." Dealers love people like this as they can go whole hog and replace stuff that probably doesn't need replacing. But if you make it clear that you're interested in spending only as little as possible to fix the basic problem, they'll often back off and work with you to find a less "wholesale replacement" solution.

- Mark

 

Ouch. I would have died. I have been planning to replace my clutch since I'm up there with miles as well (108k) But I've done every test with it and it seems just fine. When I was explaining this to my boyfriend, he said it sounded like something having to do with the master slave cylinder. Hopefully they didn't turn a one part replacement to a $2500 job. Either way, at least now you have a fresh clutch

My problem I explained to you earlier in the thread ended up just being a shift cable. It was completely snapped in half once we pulled it out! Still, for cables at the dealership, $300 is a bit high.

 

I think the Gen 1 cars have a hydraulic clutch with no cables.

- Mark

 

Not a clutch cable. The shift cables connect the shifter to the transmission.

 

Glad to hear yours wasn't so bad, Sara! Yeah, I'm heading into the dealership today to get a face-to-face with the service techs (not the service advisor). Hopefully I can get that number down, or at least a better understanding of what the problem is.

 

Deffo listen to Mark on this one, Brisby. Sounds a lot like they're taking you for a ride here. It would deffo be worth paying for another tow just to get a second dealer/repair shop opinion, at the least.

Best of luck with this.

 

ok so this happened to me just last week :( 05 mini s.. i reversed out of a gas station and the when releasing the clutch in first my clutch pedal went down after a pop... theres a chunk of transmission missing where a bolt was supposed to go!! and another bolt broken.. any idea where to get a new tranny?? :(

 

Try a Google search for "Mini Cooper repair" in your area. I managed to find a couple of good alternative shops that way.

I'm feeling better about this situation after checking in with the techs yesterday. Although, that no doubt has something to do with the fact that I'll have my ride back soon, but, while pricey, I'm glad they are doing what they are doing.

It could very well be just part of the actuation system, but after the tear down, it was clear that internal clutch problems were not too far down the road. Plus, they were able to give the transmission a once over, which came out with flying colors. So as shocking as the price was, it did buy me peace of mind. Now I can get the car ready for winter without worrying about the clutch/transmission.