So i was driving Lucy {2002 mini cooper s} home today and I think my clutch gave out. I heard no pop or anything, just went to shift into first after i stopped at a red light and it would not shift into gear.
but when the car is off I'm able to shift through the gears fine.

any ideas
also any decent shops near Seattle.



thanks for your time
nick

 

I don't want to drum up false hope, but I think it's likely that your clutch is fine. I'd suspect that the hydraulic actuation system (master, slave, pipe) is at fault. Does it seem like there is a LOT less resistance in the pedal now? Not going into gear with engine running, but doing so stopped is a sign that the clutch is not disengaging. Most likely cause of that would be in the hydraulic system. Good luck.

 

ya a lot less resistance in the pedal. master slave is this something i can repair on my own?

 

Bad slave cylinder....very common

Easy to replace

 

If you're anywhere north of Seattle I'd suggest Broadstroke Associates - they're on Highway 9 near Snohomish

 

If it's just the slave, as Thumper suggests, then it's VERY easy to replace. Bleeding, on the other hand is a bit more involved, but doable. MINI recommends using a pressure bleeder, but I have done mine with the vacuum bleeder from Harbor Freight ($25.00, but you need a compressor). I remember reading a post recently where Way said he has only ever replaced two masters ever. So if you don't find some obvious broken hose, it's presumably the Slave cylinder. A lot of shops will want to replace both cylinders, as a precaution against future failure.

The low pedal resistance confirms my thoughts on the hydraulic system. You are no longer working against the resistance of the clutch pressure plate. So the resistance is all in the pedal return spring only.