So I have a '07 MCS with a manual transmission. I've noticed when I put the car into neutral and let out the clutch there is a rotational noise/click that is pretty loud. The strange thing is if I let the clutch out and push it back in while still in neutral the sound will lessen. If I repeat the same process it will get louder again.

So can you guys/gals with the manual MCS put the car in netrual and let the clutch out? Tell me what you hear. I'm hoping the same clicking/ rotational noise that varies. I'm just trying to find out if the noise is normal, or if I should have the dealer check the transmission. I'm basically trying to save myself a trip for something that may be normal. Thanks!

 

No noise here, other than the tapping of the fuel injectors.

 

Same here...no noise. I'd have it checked out...could be something minor but much better to have it taken care of sooner than later.

 

• 6 speed getrag (german tranny), is a very noisy transmission. What you hear is more than likely normal.

 

Hmm.. two votes to get it checked, one vote normal. I'd still like to see some more feedback. Thanks so far.

 

Mine makes that kind of rotation noise/click sound when the clutch is out. I wouldn't call it loud though. I've seen where some have complained about a clicking noise from the engine, supposedly related to the fuel injection. I find myself wondering if that ticking noise they hear is the same as what is being discussed here. But if it was from the engine it wouldn't go away when the clutch is depressed. Hmmm.

 

Mine makes the same noise but sporadically. I believe it makes the noise whenever I take longer drives. I took it to the dealer and was told it might be the throw-out bearing, but since my car didn't make the noise while I was there, the dealer could not know for sure. From what I know, it shouldn't create any problems, but some people believe otherwise. If my car starts making this noise more frequently, i'll take it back to the dealer. I suggest you get it checked, it might also be the throw-out bearing, but it could be something else that could create long-term damage.

You might also wanto to read this thread for more info.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=99975

 

I go to neutral and let the clutch out when stopped at lights. I have not noticed any noise associated with this.

 

+1
I'll listen more carefully when I next go driving.

 

when my throwout bearing was bad, it made noise when I pressed the clutch pedal in. When I let the clutch pedal out, it was quiet.

 

I guess the noise isn't LOUD it's noticeable. I think I'll leave it alone for now. The car works fine. I think I am just being my usual paranoid self. 4yr/50k that's a long time to be covered so I'm pretty confident it will be fixed if it becomes a problem.

 

It's the throw out bearing. Mine has the noise, it is nothing to worry about, matter of fact if the dealer warrantys it, it's possible the noise will still be there. I know I wouldn't want my new car's tranny getting pulled out at this point.

 

My new MCS doesn't arrive until July so I cannot try to replicate the noise but the description reminds me of the behaviour of my last Ducati. It was noisy at idle, and this was normal. Considered part of the charm, actually.

 

I paid attention to when the car was in neutral today with the clutch let out. Again, no noise, but if your car rides fine, I probably wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

It could be many things - in the R53, the noise was associated with a bad dual mass assembly that was doing an inadequate job of dampening out the torsional vibrations through the driveline.

Other causes could be possible normal gear lash, the reverse idler gear (release arm bearing/guide/sleeve), etc. In other cars, especially those with light flywheels, that rattling noise can also be attributed to the actual clutch springs.

Normally a bad throw out bearing makes noise when the clutch is depressed.

Again, since past 6 speed getrag Minis have had an issue with this, I would recommend having it checked out. Despite what some people may advise, the longer you drive the car, the greater the chance you have of having some dealership tell you that the noise is due to normal wear and tear - or worse, your inability to properly drive a stick.

Last year I spoke to a Mini Tech who had just signed on with the local Subaru dealership. He told me about how they were advised under TSB to address the TOB/Dual mass flywheel issues, but were internally told to try to look at clutch wear and advise the Service Managers if the wear looked abnormal.

The purpose? To get out of some of the costs associated with this fairly widespread issue.

So have it checked out - even if the say it's normal, at least you've begun documenting a potential issue as early as possible.

A couple of questions:

1. Does it make the noise when it's cold or only when the car is warmed up?
2. Does the noise get worse if the air conditioning is turned on?
3. Try driving next to a wall - can you also hear the noise in gear? When accelerating or decelerating?

A word of caution regarding having other people listening for this noise - when I had my Evo, the clutch disk springs rattled like crazy - mainly due to the light flywheel and lack of dampening. While I was diagnosing the noise, I asked other Evo owners to chime in whether or not they heard it . Most of them told me they had no noises.

This spring, I was tracking the car with a local Evo club and had the chance to listen to 13 other Evos. All of the drivers claimed they did NOT have the tranny rattle. Once I showed them what and how to listen for it, we concluded that every car had the noise.

Later, Mitsu issued a TSB stating that the noise was related to the clutch springs. The point of this is that some people are hypersensitive to car noises. Other owners may not be able to hear what you're hearing unless they park next to a wall, etc.

 

My MCS has the same noise when warm, but not all the time. Pushing in the clutch causes the noise to stop. Almost 2000 miles, and it hasn't gotten any louder.

 

Thanks for the good post. I guess I'll have a dealer check into it. There is definitely a reproducible noise there. It seems to happen all the time. I haven't really checked when the car is warm, but I think I recall it being less when warm. I haven't checked for the noise with the A/C unit, I barely use that. In gear I can't hear the noise at all because of the extra engine noise/exhaust etc.

Taking it to the dealer is such a pain, but I will probably do it eventually.

 

Same here. Pushing in the clutch causes the noise to stop. I have about the same amount of mileage too.

 

With my MINI in neutral and clutch pedal all the way out, I can hear a distinct noise that is only there when the pedal is all the way out. If I press the pedal at least a half inch or deeper, the noise goes away. It makes no difference whether the car is warm or cold. I have 3000 plus miles on it...

Other than that, the manual transmission is functioning 100 percent. It is smooth and clicks nicely into every gear.

John

 

Are those who are reporting no clutch-out noise driving non-S Mini Coopers? It seems that those who have noticed the noise all drive MCSs.

 

What you, Artsmini and Fjork-Duf are describing is the same thing. Regardless of whether or not the tranny is shifting fine, or there are no other symptoms, I highly advise that you take your cars in to have them checked out - or at the least begin building a case history in preparation for other problems down the road.

On most cars, these noises are not considered normal, no matter how many people report them. In the R53, the initial reports from MiniUSA were that the rattling noise was acceptable for the car. Within 6 months it had been uprated to TSB status.

If the R56 had a relatively light flywheel direct from the factory, I would hazard a guess that this noise could be expected as a by product of inadequate dampening. The fact that several people have reported that they have no such noises would lead me to believe that the noise is NOT normal.

Please have your cars checked out.

 

That sounds like good advice - thanks Skip.

 

The 2007 TSBs are MIA on the web.

However, here is the TSB for the R53 6 speed Getrag issue:

M21 01 05 - Transmission Rattling Noise at Idle.

Please note that although many of these repairs were done, quite a few posters noted that the noise came back after a while. This may indicate that there never has been a satisfactory fix for the problem.

If the design on the R56 is similar, the problem may be the same. Take the time to research the TSB (via Alldata or Infotraxx) and see if the problem seems familiar.

 

Ok I'm going to call this week and make an appointment. I'll try to remember to update this thread with the result.

 

It ain't normal. I don't know what a previous poster is talking about in saying Getrag trannies are normally noisey. If you have a properly working transmission and know how to shift, all you should here is the engine revs.