All the evidences there- heavy dirt equally distributed on all panels, rusty brake rotors, cobwebs under the tires- this car had been abandoned. Alone, sad, missing it's human. Calling out to me.

2005 Electric Blue Manual MCS, cracking bonnet stripes and a sunroof.

My wife thinks I'm a little crazy- it will be my third MINI is 8 months.

I left a note, and got the call- yes, the car was broken- it runs, but won't go forward or back. It had been running and driving fine until a loud bang, then only the sound of the motor. It had been parked 6 months.

I had a look, got it started- 195k (ouch) but it ran. But it does not go.

Clutch? Sure, that's obvious.

But I'd think a catastrophic clutch failure (like the hub tearing out of the disk) would make a helluva racket. Same as a stripped set of splines, or even a broken input shaft. And then 195k is a lot- is it even worth it?

At that mid-3-figure price, yes it just might. And at that price, if it's a big problem, I'll donate it and take a write-off. A low-risk investment.

I've not got the car home yet, but what could this be? The shifter "feels right" not sloppy as I'd expect from a broken shifter cable or end. Clutch pedal is good, similar to my other cars.

What will it take to raise Electric Blue Lazarus?

Speculation, anyone?

 

Subscribed...

 

Ok, it got interestinger today.

I bought the car, had it towed home, got it up on jackstands. I checked for broken axles, CV joints, axles hanging out of the transmission, etc- visually all good.

I start the car, depress the clutch, put it in gear and slowly lift the clutch- ABS starts to freak out, of course. So I shut off the DTC (whatever it is) and continue. Hey, the wheels of the mini are going roundandround! I shift through all the gears- it all works fine. The wheels change in rpm as appropriate to the different gears. Clutch will engage and disengage (slave cylinder is clearly working, and it appears the pressure plate is as well. No noises, no shrieks, no growls, no clunks, no vibrations- all smooth as silk.

THEN.
I start to apply the brakes AND add power. The car stalls. I restart, kill the DTC, and try again, this time adding more power, in second gear, and pushing pretty hard on the brakes- and I keep it up- the car STALLS again. I'm adding 4-5k rpm- not being gentle here. And it still stalls.

So- the clutch is not slipping. The transmission seems to be working under load (brakes).

I'll put it back on the ground in the morning, but can anyone offer an observation here?

 

My VW will reduce power if gas and brake are applied at the same time. Maybe the Mini is similar. Never tried it.

I would check your ABS sensor to fix ABS. You’ll need to pull codes.

 

Nothing wrong with the ABS- it was doing it's job, reading free-spinning wheels and braking to compensate.


Yes, more modern cars will de-power with application of brake with gas- it was a fairly new addition after a tragic multiple fatality involving a misplaced floor mat. Driver could not stop the runaway car with the brakes.

 

Huh.

Put the car on the ground and it runs and drives! Now I need to get it to pass smog. Cleared all codes, driving around with a scanner attached watching and hoping to get a clean readiness monitor....