I don't know a lot about minis, I had a BMW 325 so I have a hint, but I had got my daughter a 2012 mini basic and it looks like there is a problem with the clutch, I think there is about 100k on the clock and something is hanging down and she said she smells "clutch" so I don't know, Going to get it tonight and bring it home on the trailer.

Anyway, the point is. anyone done a clutch on these? I saw the write up on Pelican parts, looks straight forward but those that have done it before anything I should know? As long as I have to rip it apart to find the issue I might as well put a new on in while I am in there spending the day. Saw I should get a rear main seal, anything else? What brand of clutch? THis is not a turbo so it is not driven hard as far as I know. Any other hints or tips? I have a set of quick jacks and an electric impact and a welder should any bolt heads break off. Anything else?

 

My two cents:

I replaced my clutch when I replaced my engine
similar to this procedure:
(search ''Eric the car guy Mini Cooper Engine Removal (R56/N14)" on YouTube)

and this one:
(search "milanstracci mini engine removal" on YouTube)

At that moment, I realized that removing the engine is the way to do it if I needed to replace the clutch only. I saw a video by a DIYer describing the removal of a MINI clutch while it was overhead on a lift.
(search "Replace MINI Cooper S Clutch 2007 2013~ R56 R55 R58 R59" on YouTube)

The car was overhead, and access below the car was "easier," but the job was still gnarly, even though straightforward. Access to blind bolts was challenging. Reinstallation (at the 31:20 min mark of the 3rd video) highlights the particularly challenging step of aligning the bell housing while lying on your back if you work with jack stands. Even when I installed the bell housing onto a free standing motor removed from the car, this step was challenging. Also, accessing and retorquing the bell housing bolts appears much easier on a free-standing motor than on one installed in the car.

I estimate that removing the AC condenser, engine mounting brackets/bolts, bumpers, and fascia from the right and left sides of the engine took about 1.5 h. Like you, I have done front-end work on my BMW X5, and the MINI does not stray far from the BMW assembly theme. Therefore, working with axles and front-end suspension disassembly is "easy" on the MINI -- everything weighs less.

One significant advantage of removing the entire engine is the opportunity to replace all replaceable components (if not done already) packed tightly in the engine bay: H2O pump, friction wheel for the passive operation of the water pump, thermostat, oil seals, main crankshaft seal, rear seal. However, the non-S may have better access to some of these front end components.

 

Thanks a ton for the information. I don't have it on the lift yet, but since this is a non turbo, the engine bay actually has some room. Good point on those other components, As far as I can tell from experience, BMW water pumps don't last all that long. Forgot about that might as well do that too. I don't have an engine hoist so that may make the decision for me. The quick jacks with an extra set of blocks will get me close to 2 feet in the air and it says to take the front bumper and sub frame off, A quick look shows I may have decent access without the turbo. Some things BMW does make it easy and some others make it super hard. I should be able to fab up a crude transmission jack with my floor jack and some scrap.

 

I have a clutch change in the future, and I've decided to pull the engine. I don't have a hoist, and I want to do some other work that kedumini mentioned. I have the luxury of time, so I'm not worried about how long the job takes.

 

just put the subframe back in. Non turbo. No need to drain radiator. A mirror makes finding the top bolt on the tranny a little easier. Took a long time to reattach the steering. I would undo it from the sun frame and support it and leave it in. Would have saved me an hour.

letting the engine tilt to take out the tranny is the best. Wish I had of done that, made going in a breeze. Removing the engine I think would be more work with the AC and radiator. I’ve got no way to evacuate and store.

 

I agree that leaving the engine in the car or removing it is doable. We creative DIYers find a way!

However, taking the extra 1.5 h to remove the front end (plenty of informative videos remove the mysteries) to get the engine out enables the DIYer to view the entire engine. It eases the effort to replace all tightly fitted parts (coolant lines, friction wheel, "front and rear" seals, belt, oil filter housing seals, etc.) with new gaskets and thin layers of sealant. Imagine if these failed sequentially -- 4 hr front seal, 3 hr water pump, 3 hr thermostat and rear pipe, (on S version, 4 hr oil filter seal), 3 hr friction wheel, 8 hr rear seal in bell housing. Also, the 'S' version turbo can be evaluated/renewed, and a carbon blast of the intake valves can proceed while sitting "comfortably" in a chair.

My thoughts are if the manual tranny is going out, those other parts will go soon if they haven't been serviced previously. HF has inexpensive engine hoist selections and balancers. Between work and MINI work, it took me ~25 days to do the engine and tranny repairs. If I rented a hoist at $25/day that was significantly more than buying one. NB: the AC refrigerant doesn't necessarily need to be removed (see Eric the Car Guy Video about MINI repair).

 

Looks of information here:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-flywheel.html