Hi everyone!
(First post fyi)
So a few days ago I went to drive my 03 Mini Cooper S (R53) and noticed that my clutch pedal easily went to the floor and it was really hard to get it into gear/shift. The pedal would come back up on its own but when I went to press it, there was very little resistance.
After doing research I've come to the conclusion there is an issue either with my slave or master cylinder, or possibly the hose.
Today, I bled the slave a little to see if I could get any air bubbles out, but there were none. And there is no leak at the slave or master...
Right now I am thinking there is an issue within my master cylinder but I'm not sure
Has anyone had a similar issue or possibly know what is wrong?
I really appreciate any input! Thank you!
Also, keep in mind I am financially independent college student (no ma or pa to help pay) so I can't afford to take it to the shop to spend thousands on labor... aha
Thanks once again!
EDIT: So the issue was with my throwout bearing. After replacing the slave, master and the line, the issue was still present, so I'll be replacing the entire clutch. Thanks for all the help!!!

 

Sorry, I can't really help you out with this, but I thought I'd welcome you to the forum! Good luck fixing it.

 

It does sound like the a Slave Cylinder went bad, either that or the clutch itself.
Slave Cylinder bleeding can be very difficult, in many cases it requires a Power Bleeder and multiple tries.
See this video for how it's done:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...YRp9ngbva0xGpA

 

Perhaps either the clutch throw-out fork or pressure plate has deformed?

 

what part of the clutch would you say? I've heard that it could possibly be the fork, or another part that I can't think of atm..

 

How difficult would you say it is to fix those? and cost as well? I know its a pain to reach the clutch..

 

They're not simple fixes, but....
Honestly, except for clutch wear (that you should have noticed with some high gear slipping) the rest of those things really aren't very common and should also most likely have given you warning signs.

Personally I'm leaning toward it simply being the slave cylinder.
Was the fluid level low at all before you tried to bleed it? The connection from the reservoir to the slave cylinder is higher on the reservoir than the brake line connection, it doesn't take much of a level drop to introduce air into the clutch system.

Simply look at the clutch paddle/arm while someone presses down the clutch, it should have some pretty good travel, if not then it's the Master or Slave Cylinder, and most of the time, it's the Slave.

 

I would get a slave cylinder first since you can't really know what the problem is, unless something is obviously leaking, or broken.

It's the most likely problem and if it turns out to be a clutch issue there's a good chance of your slave would need to be replaced anyway.

You also mentioned funds are limited so the slave would be the cheapest first option. You can find them on rockauto for around $30 or just google it, they aren't expensive.

Good luck and be sure to bleed it correctly.

 

What do you mean by clutch the paddle/arm? And I dont remember the fluid being low.. when the pedal was depressed you can see the movement of the fluid in the reservoir, the fluid would go in the line but then rise back up (if that makes sense) all while still being depressed (so maybe it was low before i bled? and air got in?). I'm currently thinking about replacing both the master and slave, since both are the same age.
Thank you so much for your input!!!

 

That's what i was thinking. But I didn't want to replace it if that wasn't the issue, but I guess theres no way to be sure until it is done. And if I'm going to do the slave I figure I should do the master as well since I will bleed it and they are both really old (218,000+ miles old).
Thank you so much

 

The arm that comes out of the transmission that the slave cylinder shaft pushes. See if you're getting much movement in the shaft.

If you are, then it's most likely internal (clutch, throw out bearing, something like that)

If not, then it's Master or Slave Cylinder.

As an FYI, Slave Cylinders fail far more often than Master Cylinders in our cars, if for nothing else than their respective locations on the car.
Personally I'd save the money on the Master Cylinder up front, or at least be able to easily return it.

 

ok gotcha... thank you!