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That's really high for a clutch swap. A good indy shop should be about $1200 labor. Valeo single mass swap should be about $400 for parts, IIRC.
I f you've got time and ability, DIY. Pull the 06, prep, and swap should be relatively simple.
Sounds like you've had a few bumps, but once these cars have had their neglect addressed, they're pretty solid, and a lot of fun.
This hit it on the head, my last 05 R53 was a neglected pile, i recently got another 05 Hyper blue R53 and I did quite a bit of maintenance on it and since then it has been a joy to drive.
This hit it on the head, my last 05 R53 was a neglected pile, i recently got another 05 Hyper blue R53 and I did quite a bit of maintenance on it and since then it has been a joy to drive.
Yup, me as well... the more I wrench the more I find...
If you go to the top of the forum, under Tools, there's a MINI VIN Decoder, it should tell you all of the OE that it shipped with...
Thank you kindly. I was able to pull up the build sheet on the 2006 - pretty cool and pretty handy. I can't tell if it has LSD or not though, what should I be looking for?
I saw this, not sure if that is it: Final Drive Axle Ratio (:1) 5.76, 3.13 3.13 min 5.76 max
This hit it on the head, my last 05 R53 was a neglected pile, i recently got another 05 Hyper blue R53 and I did quite a bit of maintenance on it and since then it has been a joy to drive.
Originally Posted by steve05ram360
Yup, me as well... the more I wrench the more I find...
Guys... I don't want to find more and more stuff, I'd ideally just like to engage and hit maximum warp speed. Where is Scottie when you need him? Probably buried elbow deep in a warp core sorting out bloody dylithium crystals! Ugh!
So..... I do wrench on cars regularly and should look at this as a challenge, just not keen on it.
Thank you kindly. I was able to pull up the build sheet on the 2006 - pretty cool and pretty handy. I can't tell if it has LSD or not though, what should I be looking for?
I saw this, not sure if that is it: Final Drive Axle Ratio (:1) 5.76, 3.13 3.13 min 5.76 max
I compared notes with the 2004, and here is what is shows: Final Drive Axle Ratio (:1) 2.74/4.05
I’ve never seen any detailed info on for a specific car with the NAM decoder, but “bimmer.work” (no .com) or mdecoder.com has worked for me before.
Depending on the decoder, option 2TA or S2TA will be listed if it has a factory LSD.
If mdecoder.com doesn’t work, try bimmer.work. Bimmer.work try’s to trick you with ads on the main page in boxes with VIN search boxes. All of the VIN slots with the search button directly to the right of them are ads and will not show you the info you’re looking for.
Just enter the VIN in the slot without the search button next to it, I think it’s above the second ad, check the “I’m not a robot” captcha box above the next ad box, and hit the orange submit button above the next.
I’ve never seen any detailed info on for a specific car with the NAM decoder, but “bimmer.work” (no .com) or mdecoder.com has worked for me before.
Depending on the decoder, option 2TA or S2TA will be listed if it has a factory LSD.
If mdecoder.com doesn’t work, try bimmer.work. Bimmer.work try’s to trick you with ads on the main page in boxes with VIN search boxes. All of the VIN slots with the search button directly to the right of them are ads and will not show you the info you’re looking for.
Just enter the VIN in the slot without the search button next to it, I think it’s above the second ad, check the “I’m not a robot” captcha box above the next ad box, and hit the orange submit button above the next.
So........there's good news and bad news. Thanks for the links, they worked great. There has been something I've either been missing, ignored for a while, or just totally missed somehow. The Yellow car was built in December 2004, the car is actually a 2005. So, whoopee! I found out the truth of the car. Bad news is this pretty much confirms it does not have an LSD Differential.
So, now that I know it's a 2005, is it even worth taking the Superchargers, its blades, etc. And also is the transmission worth swapping as it is not a 2006?
I think an early ‘05 still has the coated rotors of the JCW SC. I don’t know if there are any part numbers or markings on the outside of the SC to tell which version you have. The original could have been replaced so you’ll probably have to remove it and see if rotors are dark grey to be sure.
I think an early ‘05 still has the coated rotors of the JCW SC. I don’t know if there are any part numbers or markings on the outside of the SC to tell which version you have, and the original could have been replaced anyway.
You’ll probably have to remove it and see if rotors are dark grey to be sure.
If it's not to involved, I'll remove it and check it out, I've been advised to service the one on the 2004 anyway, so might as well check it out since it all parts anyway. As far as the transmission, the clutch and all that, I don't see the point bothering with any of it. I assume the 2005 transmission is pretty much the same as the 2004? Would it be worth the effort of swapping it? I guess I should compare the ratios and see
Comparing gear ratios between the 2004 and the 2006 below. If anyone knows what all these numbers really mean? From what it shows, it looks like the transmissions have different ratios with the 2005 running higher numbers which might indicate shorter gears, faster acceleration? Not sure. Same thing for the final drive ratios which would mean the Rear Differentials.
The 2005 Yellow Wasp MCS:
First Gear Ratio (:1) 12.79 12.79 min 12.79 max
Second Gear Ratio (:1) 7.79 7.79 min 7.79 max
Third Gear Ratio (:1) 5.65 5.65 min 5.65 max
Fourth Gear Ratio (:1) 4.62 4.62 min 4.62 max
Fifth Gear Ratio (:1) 3.83 3.83 min 3.83 max
Sixth Gear Ratio (:1) 3.13 3.13 min 3.13 max
Reverse Ratio (:1) 3.82, 11.94 3.82 min 11.94 max
Final Drive Axle Ratio (:1) 5.76, 3.13 3.13 min 5.76 max
The Red Sonja 2004 MCS:
First Gear Ratio (:1) 4.17 4.17 min 4.17 max
Second Gear Ratio (:1) 2.62 2.62 min 2.62 max
Third Gear Ratio (:1) 1.33 1.33 min 1.33 max
Fourth Gear Ratio (:1) 1.09 1.09 min 1.09 max
Fifth Gear Ratio (:1) 1.33 1.33 min 1.33 max
Sixth Gear Ratio (:1) 1.09 1.09 min 1.09 max
Reverse Ratio (:1) 2.75 2.75 min 2.75 max
Final Drive Axle Ratio (:1) 2.74/4.05
Last edited by PhoenixMini; Oct 25, 2020 at 10:06 PM.
yeah the ratio's changed with the facelift to give better accelleration, especially in the first 1 or 2 gears, I think. From what I remember the final drive should be about the same though.
I think an early ‘05 still has the coated rotors of the JCW SC. I don’t know if there are any part numbers or markings on the outside of the SC to tell which version you have. The original could have been replaced so you’ll probably have to remove it and see if rotors are dark grey to be sure.
Originally Posted by Racingguy04
yeah the ratio's changed with the facelift to give better accelleration, especially in the first 1 or 2 gears, I think. From what I remember the final drive should be about the same though.
Cool.... from what I can see, it seems the final drive is a bit higher on the 2005 also.
I am starting to lean towards just letting the car go and if it doesn't find a new home, I'll just part if out and be done with it. I'll probably get another one down the line and in better shape as I at least now know what to look for in these cars.
I don't want to put more money into it at this point, I don't really have space to just store it till I can get to it, with a number of projects on hand as well. Also, I am concerned that the more I dig into it, the more I am going to find that needs fixing.
I think I'll offer it up and see if anyone is interested, if that doesn't work then sadly take it apart and be done with it. Cut my losses and run..... for now.
Does anyone per chance know of any tips or tricks to at least get it started? That is if it is indeed the clutch that is creating this current problem?
So.... before my morning coffee, with a foggy slow brain, I thought I would post a thread specifically about the clutch issue I am facing. Realized it was indeed redundant and silly and hope Mods will delete my sad waste of band width.
Here is what I posted.
I thought it might be a good idea to start a focused thread regarding the situation I am experiencing. I am currently waffling between keeping and fixing my 2004 MCS 6-Speed or selling it / parting it out. Parting out would be a last resort, I'd rather not "waste" this car, I am also told that Sleek Tops are somewhat rare.
A little while ago, the car started exhibiting symptoms of a bad clutch. While driving, now and then it would rev up without moving faster . All gears still engaged without issue, no need to mash the clutch or press on it any harder than normal at the early stage of this issue. By the second to third day of doing this, she would occasionally stumble in traffic and the occurrence of revving up and going no where was more present. I'd say by around the fourth day, the clutch packed it in. It was done. I was caught in the city, in city traffic with no clutch. The clutch would still engage now and then, but anytime I pressed it in, it would howl, screech, rattle and buck / stumble. I have driven stick all my life, so I was able to coax it home. I left it for a few days and then moved it. I set out at the crack of dawn to get it to my work shop. On that morning, it started up fine, even engaged gears like nothing was wrong - at least for the first five miles or so.... once it warmed up, it was back to zero clutch. I convinced myself I was like a rally driver trying to make it to the next stage or Paris Dakar and soldiered on.
I made it to my destination and turned the car off. During the drive, there were a couple of times where I shut her off while moving to up-shift and also in traffic, I started her a couple of times with zero clutch, so she essentially compression started herself - stumbling forward and firing up. The current situation is that it won't start now. When I press the clutch - which I am aware if dead - it just clicks. I've checked the battery and have a full charge.
Is there a clutch safety switch that may now be dead? Have I done non-repairable damage to the car? Is there a way to get the car started?
I work in the auto industry and wrench on cars, so this is something I might be able to take on as a challenge - replacing the clutch. I was quote $3200 by a local shop and i am not willing to put that much more money into this car. If the clutch can be replaced, can I still use the same fly wheel or could it be damaged? I know the suggestion is to go with a single mass flywheel like one from Valeo.
I have since received a response from Pelican Parts that the Non-Starting could very be the Clutch Switch as suspected and I will be checking that out. I am still waffling between fixing it or getting rid of it, I have feelers out there for the whole car to see if it can find a new home.
Hopefully, someone who has done a clutch job before will chime in. Gotta couple of questions. For example, the PP write requires the front sub frame to be removed. Do I have to suspend or support the engine?
So... I decided to challenge myself a bit and take a shot at this whole process. I figured if I end up keeping the car longer, this is probably a good time to swap out all the parts I want from the 2005 MCS - Yellow Wasp. First thing on order was to remove the sub frame, seems there is no way around this to replace a clutch on an R53. I already had a lot of the front end off anyway, so I figured I'd give it a whirl and use this car a test bed should I decide to tackle it on the 2004 - Red Sonja.
It's a pretty straight forward process if you follow instructions or DIYs available out there, it is just SO SO SSssssooooo involved! I already had things like the calipers and rotors off, and also the suspension. Getting the axle out on the passenger side was relatively easy. Impact gun took the 32mm bolt off - looks like it's been replaced before. With the axle out, I removed the hub assembly. Things didn't go too, too well on the driver's side. Surgery kinda went sideways. I could see signs that someone had attempted this before and failed miserably. I kinda took a short "cut".
I disconnected or removed all the necessary bits and pieces required when taking off the sub frame and then removed all the 13mm head bolts holding the subframe up and lowered it out with a floor jack. Ohhhh..... this must be tons of run to install... oh boy!
That's as far as I got for now. Next will be things like draining the transmission, removing, etc... .and all that other fun stuff. Stay tuned. Oh.... and genius boy here has two threads going so, I will be posting same things in two places. YAY! I must say, I was pleased with myself. Massive Thanks to all of you who are responding and offering tons of tips and encouragement. Thrilled to be part of this community.
Had a good head start on this project Pax side came out okay.... I suspect that axle is relatively new. Driver's side axle kinda took a left turn Had a little back from Mjolnir Jr. Guess I was channeling a lil Jeremy Clarkson? Sub frame on her way out! YAY! Yellow Wasp minus front subframe (Drum Roll!) And here it is, the subframe!
Thanks for all the responses, tips and encouragement. Sadly, based on the way things are at the moment, I won't be moving forward with the repairs on this car.... unfortunately. My current situation and my instincts tell me it's time to end this project. I was looking into the possibility of finding it a new home, doesn't seem that is going to pan out. I will likely be parting it out soon.
Hopefully I will find another one in the near future and be able to use my knowledge to build a nice example of an MCS. They are fun little cars, even if a bit of a PITA to work on and maintain.
Spoke with a fellow car guy over the weekend. Seems my issue with the car currently not starting is I may have killed the starter from driving with no clutch and starting her up with no clutch. Ugh!
Bitter Sweet story. The car has gone to a new and great home. I got the chance to meet with and interact with a fellow member and car guy and his brother and they have taken the car to be restored. Hopefully, we will get to see it on here. While I don't have a MINI right now, I will stay active as much as possible on the forum and hopefully find ways to give back. Most importantly, I did not part her out and she gets a new lease on life.
I truly appreciate all the feedback and posts and support. I will build another MCS one day when I have the time to do it right - just got too many things happening at the moment.
By the way, while I was pretty much a n00b when it comes to these cars, I have been working on cars for a few years. I am also a DINAN Partner and work with companies like Race Chip in case I can be of assistance to anyone at anytime.
