This is a question for all of you who have your mini in cold weather. As winter is approaching, and outside temps are around 30 degrees, when I start my mini (06 JCW, 6 spd manual, 46k miles), the stick is REALLY stiff. Letting it idle in neutral for a few minutes warms it up and it feels normal, but the shifting is a little notchy.

Honestly I can't remember if this is something new this winter or not.

I hear the gearbox fluid is lifetime, but wonder if it's worth changing.
And if so what gear oil to use?

TIA.

 

Yeah, I've had similar experiences. Driving is the best way to heat up the transmission oil.

I remember it being pretty bad in my old Subie too. I hit -30 F once and I could hardly get it in second, but after a couple miles it was ok. That was even after I had changed my MTF a week before that

 

Yeah, it's just the cold, happens to me sometimes when it gets...let's say cooler lol (I live in FL), once it gets into the 60's and the cars been sitting overnight or something, the shifting does get a little stiff till everything warms up

 

It's certainly very normal for a manual tranny car to have a very stiff shifter during cold weather. You can go with a lighter weight oil, but you sacrifice some protection - I'd stick to the recommended viscosity.

Another source of friction is the linkage - as time goes on the shift linkage gets stiffer with more friction, especially in the cables. You can have it refurbished but it's a tricky job and really requires a lift.

- Mark

 

If you would like to change the tranny oil, try Redline MTL. It is synthetic so it does not thicken as much in the cold weather.

 

Part of it will be the oil, the other part is the shift linkages and linkage channels. As the temp drop, that plastic cover around the shift cables contract and stiffen up.

 

+1 on the Redline MTL. I changed to it on mine and it made a world of difference. Much smoother and not stiff in cold weather.

 

Any chance a prior owner refilled it with the wrong oil???
I gets lots of cold up here in NH, and no shift issues...do know a few folks who drained snd filled theirs, then had issues.....as a note, production date DOES nake a differance as to WHICH oil is used....

 

Cold weather has affected all my other cars. This will be my first winter with my MINI, we'll see. It parks outside at the office, so Jan-Feb with our infrequent single-digit days should prove a good test.

My SR5 and Miata were comical after a 5-degree night outside: very stiff shifting, and very stiff shocks! Eventually "warmed up" after a few miles. I'd allow "a bit" of time warming up in the driveway, clutch out in neutral, which helped the shifting some.

 

+1 for Redline MTL. Change every 20,000 miles since 40k. I'm just past 100k and my car shifts better than brand new manuals. (Fiat 500, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, '12 Volkswagen Beetle)

I realize that those weren't broken-in and none were made by Getrag (I think), but the difference was quite profound. The notchy, tough shifting of the Genesis Coupe actually turned me off that car.

Oh, stiff shift cables are normal for me in cold. It can get as cold as -5 F, but they get stiff near freezing. All is better once the car is warm.