R50/R53 :: Hatch Talk (2002-2006) Cooper (R50) and Cooper S (R53) hatchback discussion.

R50/53 Clutch or trans issue

Old Nov 2, 2023 | 07:06 AM
  #1  
Xplct's Avatar
Xplct
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3rd Gear
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From: Sarasota, FL
Clutch or trans issue

Ok, I have 04 mini s I just refreshed and new clutch masters kit and single mass flywheel, everything is bled, in the air, it goes through all the gears easy but when on the ground it won’t go into any gears. I was fed up so I had it towed to my local guy.
Could the clutch plate be in backwards?
any suggestion?
 
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Old Nov 2, 2023 | 07:24 AM
  #2  
megaDan's Avatar
megaDan
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From: SE WI
95% sure slave isn't completely bled.

Unmount the slave from the trans, and pull the line out of the clip on the top front of the transmission.
Compress it completely
While compressed, tilt the slave at a 45* angle so the bleeder is at the top
Crack the bleeder, tap the slave with something heavyish a dozen times to encourage air bubbles to migrate north
75% of the time this will be sufficient, but just to be safe:
With the bleeder cracked, perform the following loop 5-6 times
1 have an assistant fully depress the clutch pedal
2 Close the bleeder
3 Slowly raise the clutch pedal
4 Open the bleeder
5 See step 1
Slowly uncompress the slave cylinder.
Install on transmission
Enjoy.

Bleeding the slave is one of the most frustrating things to do on this car. I've done it dozens of times and each attempt seems to throw a new wrench. The above method is the best I've found yet.
 
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Old Nov 2, 2023 | 11:50 AM
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All good advice from megaDan. I actually built a tool out of threaded rod, nuts, and a small piece of scrap metal that keeps the slave compressed when bleeding.
The other issue I've experienced on many different BMWs is the reservoir is divided with a baffle, fluid on one side goes into the brake MC and the other side feeds the clutch MC. If the fluid gets a little too low while bleeding you starve the clutch MC and pull in air. It might look like there's more than enough fluid in the reservoir but there isn't - keep it topped up as much as possible so the clutch side stays full. This can also happen if you bleed too quickly (primarily when using a pressure or vacuum bleeder), the clutch side of the reservoir doesn't refill fast enough and you pull in air. Just crack the bleed valve and let it trickle out.
 
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