The car: 2006 Mini Cooper S (supercharged), manual transmission

So I noticed after leaving an autox today that any sort of shifting in any gear in the Mini was kind of tough/sticky, it was still that way when I got home and when I went out to dinner that evening. Yet when the car is off and go to shift it shifts easy and fine like it used to, I am perplexed as to why I would only have the issue with the car on.

It almost feels like the clutch isn't fully engaging and therefore making shifting require some extra effort.

Thoughts?

 

What you describe sounds like failing hydraulics of of the clutch. Check for leaks on the slave cylinder. If it looks tight then think about replacing the master cylinder. Bleed carefully following DIYs to the "T." Getting all the air out can be a tricky.

 

How does the pedal pressure feel? Failed hydraulics would give you a weak pedal feel.

Have you ever changed the gear lube in the trans? If not, I would start there. Regardless of what MINI says, the gear lube is not lifetime...

Nick
Detroit Tuned

 

If you were having a real blast at the AutoX, you may have overheated your clutch... not a bad thing... but when it gets to your hydraulic clutch... do you have DOT 4 Fluid in your clutch line? And have you swapped over all your rubber lines (clutch and brake) for Stainless Steel?

The added heat that racing puts on the systems can cause expanded lines and reduced viscosity from heat developed from "spirited driving".

MINI recommends replacement of hydraulic fluid every 2 years.

And yes, have you also maintained your transmission oil? MINI Specifies the use of MTF-94 oil in the Getrag 6-speed, In my opinion, the transmission oil should be changed every 15K miles or once a year. (It really is not that expensive in the long run)