Hey folks

I've got a sept 05 Mini cooper cabrio non supercharged w the stickshift.
I've got 31,000ish miles on it.
yesterday, *out of nowhere*, it starts grinding on the way from first into second. It gets in there, but not without some unpleasant noise and effort!
I tried double-clutching on the way from first to second. This makes the problem not happen. By double clutching, i mean that i am in first, then i press the clutch, and pop out of first into neutral. then i quickly get off and then back on the clutch, then slip into second. This is okay, but highly undesirable.

So i bring it into the dealer and leave it there. they call me the next day and say they cannot reproduce the problem.
So i visit the dealer in my rental. The head tech guy (who is very nice) drives first and is unable to reproduce the problem. I hop into the driver seat and then reproduce the heck out of it. he acknowledges the problem and says there's nothing they can do since they already replaced my transmission (i have the grinding when reversing problem, they replaced the xmission and still have the problem, but that's a whole different ball of wax!)

So does anyone else have this experience? Anyone have a suggestion or solution? at the moment, i'm living with it and waiting for an official mini rep to come in so i can demonstrate the problem. What should i do?

Personally, here's my theory:
The clutch is self-adjusting hydraulic, right? What if the teeth on second are a little longer than on the other gears, and my clutch is just barely not getting out of the way enough to let me slide comfortably into second? Does this even make sense? probably not.

anyway, thanks for reading!

 

Did you push in the clutch? Just kidding. It might be a clutch slave... Ours went out on the wifes 2006 MCSC, but the pedal went to the floor and I was unable to put it into gear. I have not had that problem on my 04 MCS. Our service advisor said the clutch slave is something goes out often on MINIs. Did you try a search on NAM?

 

I vote a bad synchro. It's under warranty. Take it to the dealer and make them fix it, there's no "limit" on how many times they can fix something. They have to fix the problem, until they do, replace away. Double clutching won't hurt anything, you should be fine to do that until you can get it fixed.

This doesn't sound like the clutch slave. Usually the pedal goes to the floor when that goes out.

I've never heard of the teeth on one gear being longer than another, that seems unlikely.

*Edit*
I'm having trouble understanding your post, are you saying they've replaced the transmission and this problem is still present after the new transmission was installed? That doesn't make any sense, I don't know of anything outside the transmission that could go out and make the gears grind. Maybe your clutch pressure plate is failing? Does your clutch feel normal?

 

2007 models have reported the same problem. And it only happens when the tranny is cold because the oil hasn't lubed up the syncros. The small amount of tranny oil is to blame. I don't know if there is a fix.

 

No, it doesn't.
Check out this for more detail.
Your issue is the 1-2 synchro - it helps get the tranny internals turning at the same speed.

If the SA can't reproduce the issue, could it be that you are not pushing the clutch in far enough?

 

Update on my condition:
The problem only happens when the car is ice cold. After about 20 minutes of running, it goes away mostly, then after more time, almost completely. This makes it hard to show a dealer who is 45 minutes away! What should i do?

I am DEAD certain that i am pushing the clutch in as hard as it will go - i'm standing up out of my seat to push it down.
My clutch feels normal - and all other gears work fine.
If i push down REALLY hard and wait for ~3-5 seconds, THEN go into second, it works a little better. This may be because by the time i am ready to engage, i am at 2nd gear's engine/road speed, and i am actually performing a clutchless "speed shift" even though i'm pressing the clutch. Either way, this is not a good way to get anywhere!

Once the car is warm, 2nd still feels a little funny getting into, but the noise is gone. There are more "bumps" on the way into it than there used to be. I think it is a synchro as well.

About my previous tranny replacement: It was to fix the whole "grinding to get into reverse" problem that most minis seem to have. Replacing the tranny did not fix that problem... When i asked them why the problem wasn't fixed, they said "almost all minis are like that". Then i said "why'd you replace it if you knew it wouldn't fix the problem?" they responded "we thought it would make you happy".

No, dealer, taking my perfectly "normal" transmission that i took good care of and replacing it with a refurb that was probably abused by some kid did not make me happy, and is probably why i'm having grief now.

Additional question: Is the problem i'm having now cause for concern regarding my clutch, or any other car parts?

thanks!
Eric

 

I had this a few weeks ago. Started off kinda off and on then got real bad. It turned out to be a bad syncro, and they replaced the clutch as well as the whole transmission. Tranny was covered, clutch ran about 200. Well worth it.

 

Where did this happen (what dealer/area?), what did you say to them, what did they say back, and why did you have to pay for the clutch when the tranny/repair was free?

 

I purchased the car used with 43k miles on it from Carmax. The day i got it, it started the 2nd gear grinding thing. It'd grind a bit, but then go into gear.

I went to Carmax, said "hey this thing grinds when i go into gear, clutch is all the way down what gives?" and they said ok we'll look. The guy drove it around and right away reproduced the problem. Said it was likely the result of a bad synchronizer.

Since the car was still under the 50k warranty, they shipped it over to the MINI of Towson dealership who said the transmission would be replaced (covered) and they highly recommended replacing the clutch as well, but it was not required to complete the repairs. Carmax said they would pay the fee to replace the clutch, and did so.

In the end i ended up not paying for any of it, and it seems OK. Except the grinding in reverse a bit sometimes. Hope this helped!

 

Well, grinding into reverse is definetly a known problem.
I'm not sure what i'm going to do about this, my dealer (who is normally very nice and helpful!) is not calling me back. wtf!
I'm still open to suggestions as far as how to show a "cold" car problem to a rep when the rep is far away...

 

I have an 07 with the same issue, and it is currently at MINI getting a new transmission. My dealer is 2 hours away, and I was also concerned with how to reproduce the noise, but he actually was able to feel a difference in the clutch during his test drive, and thankfully understood that I wasn't crazy. You should try taking it in and explaining the problem. If they can't reproduce it right away, see if you can arrange for a loaner or at least a ride home, and maybe you can leave it overnight and let them try to drive it in the morning. Good luck!!

 

I left the car with them last time and they couldn't find the problem. Funny that you mention that your dealer felt the problem in the clutch during driving - i can feel a difference too, but nothing i would try to point out to anyone - I'd just get a "you're crazy" look and a "that's normal" answer.
Tentatively, someone from mini will be dropping by on dec 12, and i will leave my car there on dec 11 - so the car will be ice cold and we'll be the first to touch it in the morning.
Also, i have found that at any temperature, if i go from 3rd gear, to second, then to first (if i'm under 30mph) all while holding the clutch down, if i slam back into second from first, i grind. but if i go gently, no grind. i'm fairly certain it is a synchro. now i only have to convince the "experts"

 

So a mini rep checked out my car (without me present - my stupid mistake for letting them talk me out of being there...) and said the problem is with driver abuse, not with the car.
What do you folks recommend i do? I'm going back in tomorrow to show them the problem one more time, I'll spell one symptom out here, perhaps someone can help me

If i am going, say, 15mph, and i am in 2nd gear, then i step on the clutch (yes, all the way down) and put it in 1st, then, without getting off the clutch even a little, bring it back into 2nd, the gears grind. if i do the same thing at, say 40mph between 3rd and 4th, no problem!

This dealer is very nice. This mini tech seems to be either cheap or a putz.

what do you folks recommend i do?

thanks
Eric

edit: This is the letter i'm going to bring with me tomorrow, Tell me if it is too aggressive/not aggressive enough/what you think:


Problem 1:
As the service record shows, the car had its transmission replaced in mid 2007 at approximately 25,000 miles.
The transmission replacement was not done as a direct request of the customer. Instead:
The transmission replacement was done due to a customer complaint of gear grinding when engaging reverse while completely stopped. (service rep: Tom Grillo)
The transmission was replaced with a remanufactured part.
Upon recognizing that the symptom for which the transmission was replaced WAS NOT REMEDIED, the customer was told that the grinding behavior was typical of the car. (Head Technician’s statement)
Why was the transmission replaced when it was known that a replaced transmission would not fix the problem?
The customer was told that he could speak to a mini representative who would discuss the problem. This never occurred. The problem was never resolved.

Problem 2:
At approximately 31,500 miles (approx. 6,500 miles with refurbished transmission), the transmission exhibited grinding noises when engaging second gear.
The customer has been told at separate times that the problem
1) Does not exist/is not a problem (Head Technician)
2) Is due to customer abuse. (Mini representative)
Since the second problem was not present on the original transmission after 25,000 miles, it is reasonable to assume that customer abuse is not a factor, and that the new transmission was either:
1) Improperly manufactured
2) Prone to early failure
Research shows at least some quantity of transmissions equipped in 2007 model 5 speed minis with similar problems.
The vehicle is still under manufacturers warranty. It is expected that the vehicle will be repaired adequately.

 

That letter does not sound at all aggressive. That said i really cant say that is the right course of action. Either way it sounds like the dealer is really giving you the run around.

 

what would you recommend?