First off my tranny and clutch feel great (51k mileage) when I'm driving, engages smoothly, grabs strongly while accelerating! It's fast! Although I have noticed for some time that when my foot is not pushing in the clutch at idle (stop light, traffic.) there's this overlapping clunking noise.

It sounds like something spinning around perhaps on a shaft. Now I'm starting to hear a shaft that sounds like it's wearing out (maybe bad bearings), sounds like a cricket or whistle at a fast pace.

The sound definitely is coming from under the car and NOT the engine compartment which strange because that's where the tranny is located. The clutch pedal feels soft and smooth like a new clutch feels like. Does anybody have a clue what this noise could be?

Much appreciated!

Systemlord.

 

Ever figure out why the motor was thrashing around making marks on your cai? Pretty sure that was your thread....might be related.

 

The engine mounts are the cause for the engine bouncing, the bouncing happens on some major pot holes in my area, they are unrelated to this issue.

 

Not so sure....
I know that on a gen1, prolonged driving with a failed mount (like the common fluid filled ones we have on the gen1) can cause clutch and gearbox issues.... Helix has posted it a few times when folks ask if they can just ignore a failed fluid filled mount....if you mounts on a gen2 are bad....only guessing it is related.

 

Does the clicking get faster with engine RPM? Does it happen in neutral? In all gears? Does it only happen while the car is moving? Does it follow road speed, even when out of gear? Does it change when you push the clutch pedal in?

 

Update: I heard the sound for the first time when idling after starting the engine. It went away after a while, seem to come and go at times.

Now that you've mentioned it NO I've not heard the noise when clutch pedal is pushed in! I was just in my Mini in neutral and if I just barely (an inch, really!) pushed in the clutch pedal the noise goes away and then comes right back again when I let off the clutch pedal, weird! There is no clicking BTW, it's just a continuous constant low level whistle at 1200 rpms and higher engine speed.

It's not all that loud, it's subtle. Today when driving home from work I heard it only while the clutch was engaged, but then again I have heard it in neutral when the engine rpm was 1200+.

 

Says the person asking for advice on the internet

Sounds like a throwout bearing going bad. It's possible the noise has been there for a long time and you're just now noticing it. it's also possible your clutch slave needs a little grease on the nub on the end of it. Sometimes those can rub/rattle on the clutch release fork when the clutch is not pressed in.

 

There's only two screws mounting the clutch slave to the transmission, is it really easy to remove from the transmission?

 

Well it's two bolts but yeah it's super easy to get to. It's on the side of the transmission towards the front of the car. Just don't mess around with the piston too much while you have it out. You don't want to mess up any of the seals or anything. Just unbolt the two bolts and carefully pull it out then dab a little moly grease on the end. It may fix the issue or it may not help at all.

 

In my other car, I had a noise that only occurred with the clutch pedal released. It got higher pitched/faster with engine RPM, not road speed, and it happened in gear or out. When I pressed the clutch pedal, I could hear the noise slow down and stop.

In my case, it turned out to be the input shaft bearing in the trans. (Self-inflicted; I inadvertently was running it rather low on transmission fluid for a long time.) The noise only happened when the input shaft was turning.

Sounds like yours is more likely in the clutch release mechanism.

 

I actually measured the clutch pedal movement yesterday it takes to make that slightly high pitched noise to go away, half an inch. My Mini is in the body shop until next week which kind of sucks since my Borla S-Type exhaust is being delivered tomorrow, mine has never made the noise with the clutch pedal pushed in. Is there something inside the clutch release mechanism that could be spinning or vibrating inside?

At what point are you putting stress on the input shaft, with or without the clutch pedal pushed in? Would there be any reason for my input shaft to be going bad since I have never touched the trans fluid and smooth operation of the shifting? I have that I have to wait possible until next Friday to check out my clutch release mechanism. What does an input shafts bearings sound like when going bad, is it loud?

 

Mine was in my old Honda. It was a definite rattle.

 

I've got a 2013 Cooper S with a stage 1 JCW kit on it, running at 26k right now and experiencing the same noise as you're mentioning, with the same sort of scenario, mostly noticeable when the clutch isn't under pressure and the car is in neutral.

I took it to the MINI dealer, and they insisted it was my throw out bearing. They replaced it, and the car is still making the noise. I can best describe mine as a squeaking noise, sounds like a rotating noise too. Has a bit of a chatter also. When the clutch is engaged it tends to go away. When they were replacing the throw out bearing, they did say the clutch looked fine, and it does feel fine too. When I called back to reschedule an appointment they said maybe the pedal needed greased, but that didn't sound too right for the noise I was hearing. I can keep you posted on what goes on, as I'm dropping my car off at MINI of Allentown on Wednesday morning, got a nice hour hike there and a good snow storm coming today into tomorrow. So hopefully it's not bad enough I don't have to cancel.

 

I couldn't have described how it sounds better than you just did, it's a vibration for sure. Sometimes when I first start hearing it most of the time the noise goes away and gets quieter. I remember now that when I did my front brake job in August I left the bleed screw open for a time after pushing the caliper piston back in, if there was air in the slave cylinder that would cause the slave piston to bounce back and forth on the clutch fork. I will bet the farm that the noise has to do with the slave cylinder/clutch fork!

"It is a vibration" and you can quote me on that! Let us (me) know what you find out is the problem even though I know what it is. I'm convinced we have the same problem and the fact that our models six years difference that the clutch slave is the one causing the vibration on the clutch fork. It's got to be that white plastic round ball at the tip of the slave cylinder vibrating on the clutch fork!

I'm sick of all the plastic parts on these MCS, never have I had a car where plastic parts fail so often!

 

Well, four days later. Got my MINI back. They blamed it on the water pump???? Weird enough, the noise seems to be less pronounced. Just a little bit of a chatter now.

 

Does anyone know what the part number is for the slave cylinder pictured above?

Didn't you show them it only happens when you push the clutch pedal? How can that be the water pump? I swear that they guess what it might be but don't really know, there should be a law when you're paying to have something fixed it gets fixed period, if their wrong it's on their dime. That would make them get it right the first time. The sound is coming from the transmission, but hey if they want to replace my water pump I'm happy to oblige since the newer part # is all aluminum!

When you're dealing with an extended warranty like mine the dealer knows that the insurance company will not play fix it games, it gets fix period per deductible because they can't keep charging me $200 dollar deductibles over and over again. With no warranty the customer is at the good grace of the dealer or whoever is performing the repair.