Some history. My engine failed at ~120k. At that time the clutch was acting up. Starting in 1st gear the engine would jump and shake with clutch engagement. The clutch was replaced (independent shop) when a used engine was installed. Now, after about a year, the jump/shaking are back. Motor mounts, dogbone, and lower control arm bushing replaced, no change.
Now I am going to replace the clutch myself. My current theory is that the trans input shaft seal is leaking contaminating the clutch, just a theory.

I don't want to get stuck for lack of parts, this is my commuter car. I plan on getting:
Pressure plate
clutch disk
new PP bolts
trans input seal and slide
pivot arm bushings?
rear engine seal
flywheel bolts

I am not getting a flywheel as they are expensive and I don't feel any vibration in the pedal. Thoughts on this?
Can anyone recommend a good clutch kit? I don't want the cheapest or to go high-performance. (risk)

Thanks

Rich

 

The R50/R53 MINIs came with a dual mass flywheel clutch assembly. There were a lot of issues with the dual mass fly wheel set up. One of them being a grinding noise at start up, and maybe some notchiness getting in and out of first gear. It only gets worse as the car ages.

Many have converted their clutches to a single mass fly wheel set up. The pros to this is a less trouble some (simply) set up. Few problems. and the entire clutch assembly (pressure plate, flywheel, clutch plate) costs less than half the price of the stock flywheel alone.
The downside,subjectively, the clutch does not grab quite as hard as the original stock clutch. The pedal feel is a lot lighter. But if you are not racing your car, it should work fine. I have not had issues with mine and I am thinking it is close to my next clutch replacement.

Valeo is the OEM for the stock dual flywheel clutch assembly, and they also have a pretty good single mass flywheel conversion set up. One caviat is the clutch assembly does make a bit of noise that is not really a problem, but is a bit disconcerting until you now of it. Lots of springs rattling around in the pressure plate assembly, I guess.

 

Thanks for the help. It is my understanding that the R50's had single mass flywheels....

 

I just finished up the clutch job on my 2005 R50 Sunday. Yes it is indeed a single mass flywheel. Its tough to tell what you really need until you open it up, but your list is pretty good.

My all OEM list -
Rear main seal
Flywheel
clutch disk
pressure plate
throw out bearing
center tube guide
input shaft seal
2 qts of transmission oil
PowerFlex control arm bushings

Your flywheel might be fine, or even be ok if turned. Or not. Wont know until you see it. I went back and forth with analysis paralysis between OEM, or quality aftermarket parts, resurfacing flywheel or new. In the end I just went all new as the project is large for me, takes a couple of days, and I dont want to be spending my free time doing it again anytime soon. In city traffic I like the feel of the OEM clutch, so I paid a premium for OEM and a known to me product. I am sure just about any of the products that Pelican, ECS, or the other Mini parts suppliers sell would be just as good for the application. Valero was the OEM supplier on all the major components I got if that helps.

It would have sucked big time if I have put it all back together only to have it chatter or slip due to a flywheel that has been glazed or had deep hot spots. Unless you open it and it looks perfect, I'd at least plan on getting it turned. I'm not a pro mechanic, just an amateur. But have done a lot of wrenching. Just my opinion, others experience and opinion may vary.

In addition to the service manual, Mod Mini on youtube is a really good resource for this project. My buddy and I laughed how good his videos are.... Not often are vids so detailed and actually correct. He knows his stuff.

 

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. After considering all the grief this chattering clutch has caused me I think I will emulate your approach and do just as you did. I don't want to do this job (On my garage floor) twice. Nor do I want to, in the middle of the job, try to find some machinist to dress the flywheel. Full confession, I was a BMW mechanic for over a decade 20 yrs ago but was hesitant to do the mini clutch given what is involved. But after watching Mod Minis video I realized that that it is totally doable. Amazing how much a POV video of the job helps. I am not interested in after market parts, this car is just a commuter. (My old boss used to say "Keep is stock, stay out of hock")

I will use the same OEM parts as you did, where did you source them? (I have had TERRIBLE experiences with PartsGeek.com....)

Thanks again for the help

Rich

 

I had the luxury of the Mini being one of two cars, it could sit for a significant amount of time so I could disassemble and inspect before ordering parts. Before parking it I knew the throw out bearing had let go and the clutch had gotten extremely overheated on a hill in San Francisco. The flywheel can be THE expensive part of this project, ridiculously expensive if going OEM.

Most online suppliers list the OEM flywheel for $550-580. An aftermarket Luk one goes for under $100 and available at Pelican Parts, Rock Auto Parts, and I think ECS too. I'm relatively new to Mini's, perhaps there are more online suppliers or better sources. After disassembling and inspecting, I found my flywheel had all the signs of getting very hot with significant discoloration in spots I see in motorcycles all the time. Also a ton of oil in the bell housing, the rear main had obviously been leaking. The flywheel was smooth and certainly looked like it could be resurfaced, but I ran the remote chance of hot spots even with that. A week of online analysis paralysis thinking about OEM, Luk, or resurfacing it. Thats a lot of money for me.

bmwpartswarehouse.com was having a sale of up to 20% off in December, which made going with an OEM flywheel a bit easier at $445. Its where I got the majority of the parts for this project (though without the sale there are better prices elsewhere I think.) I posed the question about Luk vs OEM flywheels here on this website and didnt really get any feedback. I know from many other projects that both Luk and Valero are OEM suppliers and decent aftermarket options. A close friend who worked in a shop and has built many BWM 2002's over the years agreed with me on both Luk and Valero.

I would have saved a bit over $400 going with a flywheel from Luk and Luk/Valero clutch components. As I had already disassembled the car, hadnt gotten any direct experience feedback on the Luk flywheel in this application here on the website, I knew how much work this project is, and I had the extra cash available, so I went OEM. Mainly because I didnt want to be doing this project again anytime soon. If I didnt have the extra cash available last month, I think Luk/Valero components would have been good as they have been in other projects for me. Caveat, I dont have extensive experience with Minis.

Nothing technically hard about the project as you probably already know, it just takes a lot of time. More than many other cars I've worked on. Good luck and reach out if you have any questions while you are in there! Its still fresh in my mind.

CJ

 

I saw the $100 Luk flywheels but the price made me nervous, perceived value?

I was a mechanic in SF, so many 2002s! Wish I had a couple of them back... Where does your friend work? Maybe I know it....

Rich

 

 

Yes, priorities change. I went through 5-6 2002s. It took a couple decades for me to want to work on cars for fun after doing it for work. I looked into restoring a 2002 but wow are they going for a premium! Instead I am restoring a 59 MGA, cause it is beautiful and fun, not because it is a decent car. ;-)
I managed to hang onto my BMW R50/2.

Rich