The shifter on my '02 Cooper works fine, but feels sloppy. When it's in gear it seems like I can move it side to side at least an inch.

So I pulled off the trim ring and found a couple of problems. First, the gray plastic bushing that fits on top of the shifter ball is broken (see first photo). Second the white bushing that holds the horizontal rod that juts out of the shifter ball won't stay in place. Maybe it's broken too.

Do any of you know where I can buy those two bushings?

While I was rooting around there, I found two metal clips sitting loose in the housing. Can any of you ID these clips.

Thanks.

 

The clip is not a part of the shifter. It is a part that holds the mirror adjustment **** panel. I think there are 6 or so of them.

 

+1 On the clips, they hold in the mirror adjuster and seat heater panel.

It looks like whoever put the B&M shifter in that did a realy pisspoor job. The shifter cup is a pretty thin and fragle pice, they probably forced it back into place and caused a small crack. Then if you realy slam through the gears (Like we all do) you finished it off. The side lever is for reverse and it could of broke from all the shifter slop from the broken cup.

Unfortunatly the only way you can replace the broken parts is to buy a whole new shifter assembly, or so the dealership says. I would check with WAY MOTOR WORKS, and see what he says.

 

Thanks, gentlemen. I'll go check the mirror adjuster to see if it's missing a couple of clips. Unfortunately, the guy who did the "pisspoor" installation of the short shifter was me. Seems like there's enough of the gray bushing left to hold the shifter ball pretty tight. The bigger problem is the smaller white bushing on the right, which wants to slip off the horizontal rod.

 

I just installed my B&M also, and I too have a lot of play while in gear, It's also hard for my wife to get the shifter to go into reverse, nut i didn't crack the grey ball holder. My horizontal rod bushing will not stay in place, It keeps falling out. Any solutions found?

 

Replacement bushings for your shifter will make it feel like a brand new baby. I've not done out to my mini yet, but it made such a difference in my old Honda.

 

See this thread...
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...fter-play.html