Hello,

I have a 2003 R50 101k km (60k miles) with a cvt transmission and I'm trying to understand what is wrong with it for quite some time.
So far, nothing helped and the weird behaviour is still there.

Problem: when I put the car in D it shakes violently and the rpm drops by a few hundred rpm nearly stalling. When it's cold it drops from 1200 to about 600 and when warm from 800 to 500.
The weird thing about it is that when I put it in R there is no problem, sometimes not even noticeable, be the car cold or warm.

What I did:
- fluid change 3 times. First time with Esso, then I thought maybe Redline was better and then remembering that Esso felt better than Redline. I don't actually think one is different than the other or the car felt better with either one of them.
-I did level the fluid properly, following the correct procedure
- did the transmission teaching procedure multiple times, by the book and with the computer attached, so I did reset things properly
- I did check everything related to the engine - spark plugs, fuel lines & injectors, intake. All is fine. I even had a camera in the cylinders to take a look inside.
- I did monitor the clutch solenoid in Dis and it doesn't seem stuck since it is changing values

What could be the problem?
I'm thinking it could be the solenoid but I'm not sure.
Also, considering this doesn't happen in Reverse, could it be the front clutch plates are worn compared to the reverse clutch plates? Is it possible for wet clutches to wear out?

Any help or idea is greatly appreciated.
I'm just stuck now not knowing what to try next and what part to replace.

 

Forgot to add: it also shakes bad at stop lights when in D. Both when just placed in D or at stop lights when the wheels stop it feels like 3 consecutive strong vibrations at the point when the gearbox detaches itself from the engine because the wheels are still.

 

Almost 90 views and nobody has any idea?
What is most likely to be wrong with this tranny?

 

Could it be that it needs to be programmed with the BMW software? My transmission was replaced and wouldn't operate correctly until hooked up to the proper BMW program. Have read that after any kind of work on the CTV, it needs technical input from MINI-BMW data.
Best of luck to you.

 

You may find this link educational.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...rebuilt-3.html

 

I would do a software reset through the cluster. By holding down trip reset button when turning key once. Then release button and press again when cluster shows the off word. From that point keep pressing till you get to number 21 if I remember and wait a few seconds. Then it will show reset word and press button once. It will reset the cluster and hear a few tone beeps. After that it will relearn your driving habits and should make the rpms and shifting smoother. Just drive it normal for thr first few miles

 

Thanks for the ideas.

I have the BMW software and indeed you need it when you change a major component. My CVT wasn't replaced so it plays nice with the rest of the car.

I read that topic a few times. All it says is there are problems with the cvt and BMW offered some money. I'm in Canada and so it soesn't apply...

As for the reset, the ECU got reset when I changed the fluid. To get the new one in I had to remove the battery and ecu and fill the tranny through the top. Disonnecting the battery does the same thing.

 

I would also flush and refill with the MINI CVT fluid.

This is not your typical friction based driven clutch / transmission. Think of it as being a combo of hydraulics and computer controls. New fluid = reprograming and considering a new transmission is upwards of 5,500 dollars not including labor why mess around....

 

I just did the fluid relacement for the third time...

As for replacing the cvt... It's a 10 year old car worth $7K total. I don't want to spend 5500, not even 3500 for a remanufactured one. The math doesn't work.

Now I'm at the point where either I replace one of the two parts I was talking about and the cost is about $300+my labour, or I change the car. In warmer weather the cvt drives well enough for a trade-in...

 

I managed to fix it.
It was a fix by replacing... the car.
I couldn't find any other better way.

 

Sorry to hear of your experience. I can see where you can come to that conclusion. You should keep your records to see if there ends up being any settlement money for owners who took losses for selling CVTs. The class action settlement is moving forward in the US, maybe it will do the same in CA.

For those who may not have dealt with this on a CVT before, I just want to point out again that with the CVT you need to make sure that you use a CVT transmission oil. http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?product=30804

I assume you did, but you didn't make that clear.

 

The post that gives you instructions to reset the computer. Just so your clear on what he is giving you instructions on, doing the computer history log dump. And totally wiping out the entire computers memory. If you do the reset he is referring to it clears all of the previous owners driving rhythms, & styles. It will also make the car faster, and get better MPG. It made a huge difference in mine. I have a 2002 base with the CVT trans. You might want to try the one he gave you.