The clutch on my Clubman has, in the last few days, gone a little "mushy" which is the best way I can describe it. Basically it feels like the clutch is engaging on mashed potatoes. Bite point seems slightly higher as well, but this could be due to the mushiness.

The clutch is not slipping and pulls strong. However pedal engagement feels soft and you have to apply more throttle to get going from a stop. Gentle throttle tends to almost stall the car.

I checked the fluid level and it is nicely between the min and max lines. There is no leakage of hydraulic fluid so I'm not sure what's going on.

The clutch has only about 35,000km on it and I don't thrash the car.

Has anyone got any ideas? Could it actually not be the clutch and perhaps engine or fuel supply related? It's a strange feeling - have never encountered it before.

 

Find your clutch slave and see if it's leaking. You may have to pull a rubber boot aside to find the moisture. If it's dry, start saving Euros--I see a new clutch in your future.

 

Thanks. I'll check the slave cylinder.

I'm not worried about clutch slippage, it pulls strong right through the torque curve with no problems. Only the engagement is mushy. Makes sense it could be the slave. If I can get to it I'll let you know how I get on.

 

Got a red brake light warning along with what looked like a yellow "stop start" indicator on an incline.

Checked the brake/clutch fluid reservoir and it was right at the "min" level. Can't spot any obvious leaks. Booked with the dealer and threw in some DOT4 in the meantime.

Guess the mushy clutch feel is maybe due to some air in the system after dropping below min.

Crud.

 

Most likly the master/slave has a leaking seal....and everytime it is activated, it loosing s few drops, maybe letting in some air....

 

On the R56 the boot is inside the transmission bell housing. You need to remove the slave cylinder assembly completely from the bellhousing to even inspect it. Hopefully it's as simple as a leaky slave or it's gonna get expensive fast

 

Yeah, not sure. If it is leaking it's as you say, only a few drops very infrequently. I hope it's a simple fix.

 

It's a 2009 R55 with the 1.6L diesel engine. It's got the Getrag 6 so I'm assuming its the same setup as the R56.

I'll be a really happy camper if they have to drop the subframe and go after the bell housing. That's going to be €700 just to get in the area to start looking.

 

Don't have to drop sub frame to inspect slave cylinder. Just 2 nuts and it pulls out of the bell housing

 

Thanks for the info. That's great the subframe doesn't have to come out.

Spoke with the dealership, and have got an appointment for Saturday. They think the low fluid level is due to normal brake pad wear since as the pads wear down fluid from the reservoir fills the brake lines reducing the level. They think there wasn't enough fluid to compensate and I hadn't checked the level myself for some time so it fell below the min line, hence the warning light. The yellow triangle is apparently related to the ABS/DSC/DTC which won't work properly given the low fluid level.

Nevertheless, they'll check for leaks in the hydraulic lines to be sure. The service manager didn't seem to be aware that low brake fluid levels can result in air being drawn into the clutch line, but agreed that the "mushy" feeling I'm getting could be down to that since the brake and clutch fluid arte shared.

My question now is:

Any idea on how long it would take a dealership to bleed the clutch line? Is it a complicated operation or are we talking under an hour?

 

Bleeding a cluch, while a pain, can be done, usually bottom up in just a few minutes if it cooperates (if anything like a gen1). I'm pretty sure a brake fluid resiviour will be sized to allow tge brakes to go from new to max wear, and as long as there is no leakes, should neve need fluid added....i sincerrly doubt it (sucked air in from the top) due to low levels...so be sure to let the mechanics do their job...give them the symptoms, mushy clutch, lower brake fluid level, (with/witjout a warning ), and hope they are smart enough to do their jobs well!!
*** soon as you start to suggest stuff, they can sometimes record stuff like "as per customer request" etc on the work order, and then they sometimes will just do as asked, and not really dig deeper as needed.
Good luck, but as mentioned i really wonder if a cluch is due, but if "air got in the clutch/slave", then just bleeding it might let you know it somehow be the issue cause it was temporily fixed by the bleeding, but would likly happen again cause air getting in is likly due to a leak due to a failed o-ring, etc internal to the parts....again, s good mechanic will find it and fix it based upon the basic symptom, but if just bleed, as per cust request, a lazy mechanic might not dig deeper, leading to a second trip...to get the failing part swapped out, and a second bleeding....
I just try to get folks to informed about their car repairs, without "directing " it from the sidelines....cause just having stuff done "as per customer request " can become $$ for the owner, and quitefrustrating.
Good luck, hopefully in just a few moments, your local mechanic will be able to tell you if the clutch is toast, so you can save up some $$, or it is just a $45 part with an hours labour to fix!

 

Just a thought...

My '08 Cooper suddenly developed a slightly mushy feeling clutch a couple of years ago. The pedal felt lighter somehow, and didn't spring back as it had before, the engagement point felt different too. Not a huge difference, just enough to be noticeable.

I eventually found the problem myself. The return spring attached to the clutch pedal up under the instrument panel had broken. New spring = fixed!! Cost about 5 bucks for the spring, pretty easy to fit myself.

Always check the easiest/cheapest stuff first. Good luck!

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Thanks for the detailed reply. I am 99.9% certain that the clutch is nowhere near being worn. It's a relatively new clutch (installed about 1 year ago) and driven without abuse. It also still grips strong and shows no evidence of slippage. There are no burnt clutch smells.

I like your advice of letting the mechanics check the system and tend to agree that having them write "as per customer request" is not the best policy.

Just to be sure then, is it actually possible to get air in the clutch line if the fluid level drops below min?

 

Thanks for this, now you've got me wondering if the return spring is a little worn or, as you mention, broken. I'll definitely check that.

For clarification, even though your spring was broken, the clutch was still coming up from the floor?

 

Yes.

It just felt different, the action of the pedal and the engagement point just felt "off". The pedal was kind of floppy-feeling when in the "up" position - that is, when I was not pressing on it with my foot. Not a huge difference, just enough to notice a change. I drove it like that for about 2 weeks with no apparent ill effects (my dealer had to order a new spring, he said they hadn't seen one break like that before). The new spring fixed it and it's been good ever since.

I would imagine driving with that spring broken for an extended period of time could be bad - - since there is no tension on the pedal to raise it to its fully "up" position without that little spring. Kind of like driving everywhere with your left foot resting on the clutch pedal.

You can see the clutch pedal spring just by sticking your head in the footwell and looking up under the steering wheel to the spot where the spring attaches to the clutch pedal. No panels or covers to remove.

I hope that's your problem because it's an easy and quick DIY fix.


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Thanks for the explanation.

Just to update, I had the car in at the dealership this morning. They went through everything, no leaks in either the brake or clutch lines. They bled off the clutch a tiny bit just to be sure that no air had gone into the lines after falling below the min level. The clutch spring was fine.

Brake pads need changing in about 5000km so looks like there just wasn't enough fluid put in when the brake pads were last changed at the old dealership. As the pads wear down fluid is drawn from the reservoir into the hydraulic lines. That explains the falling fluid level.

While I was waiting, I tested out a few Mini clutches in the showroom and actually my pedal feels quite firm in comparison. The mechanic who took it for a test also thought the clutch was fine. So I'm satisfied with the clutch feel. Guess the muscles in my left leg are stronger than I thought.

So, this story has a happy ending, but it pays to regularly check your fluid levels, oil, washer fluid, and clutch/brake fluid.

As an added bonus, the cost to me was €0.