Hey guys,
i have an 06 mini cooper s that recently crapped out on me. My problems are, i believe, clutch related. My mechanic told me, it is the hydraulic system for the clutch. Here are the symptomsshifting was very difficult 1-3 and somewhat difficult through the restmy clutch pedal sank to the floor shortly after it (the car) shook at a stop sign.
Could he be wrong? Or should i trust him? I am terrified of him replacing the hydraulic system and it still having the same problem as before.

 

Based on the symptoms you described, I think its a very good likelihood you have a hydraulic problem in your clutch system. I would attribute it to one of three things:


A hydraulic fluid loss
Air in the system
internal pressure loss in the clutch hydraulic system.


I'm not terribly familiar with the construction of the clutch master on a MINI so the internal leak theory is just something I have seen on other clutch masters in the past.


The difficult 1 - 3 shifting would be caused because the pressure plate is not being applied enough and the clutch is dragging which would make shifts difficult.


The clutch pedal sinking to the floor would be indicative of either an internal seal leak on the clutch master, air being introduced into the system somehow, or a fluid leak causing a loss of hydraulic fluid. It may be as simple as a fluid leak somewhere.


The car shaking at the stop sign is likely the clutch not disengaging completely and the clutch disc dragging. Low fluid, air in the system or an internal leak could cause this.


The problem here is that if its an external hydraulic fluid loss, it its the clutch slave that has failed, the clutch disc may have become saturated with hydraulic fluid. Again, not being a MINI expert, this is a very generic concern as some slave cylinders are constructed and installed in such a way that a hydraulic seal failure can introduce fluid into the bell housing causing the clutch disc to be soaked with brake fluid.


On the other hand, it could just be a leaky hydraulic line or fitting.


If its air in the system, it had to have gotten in there some how. Unless someone had recently worked on the hydraulic system, this is unlikely.


I hope this helps.

 

Well he is the mechanic so there is a good chance he's right. If you don't trust him you should probably go to a different mechanic that you do trust.

With that said the symptoms definitely seem to point to a hydraulic issue. Could be something simple like the clutch slave. The post above is mostly right. The mini slave cylinder is outside the bellhousing like many production cars so if the slave has failed your clutch isn't getting soaked in fluid.

 

More than likely your slave needs replacing. It's outside of the housing so your clutch isn't being soaked. The master is under the dash by the steering column. The slave isn't to hard to replace. The master can be done but a bit of a PITA. The tricky part is bleeding the system. Take it to a qualified BMW mechanic if your not comfortable taking this on but if you are do your homework first. Best of luck.

 

If you know that your mechanic is well-versed in working on MINI's and you've had good results with him before, then let him work on the car. Yes, it's a hydraulic problem (as others have stated). The clutch slave cylinder is easy to replace but a pain to bleed. If that was the culprit, fine. If not, then the clutch master cylinder is next qand the entire system must be bled. None of this is "rocket science". Relax, your car will get well.

 

A lot of the above suggestions make sense, but I think people are over thinking it. If you're lucky, it's your slave. You would see a leak under the driver's side of the car from a catastrophic slave failure that would cause your symptoms. Most likely, it's your clutch that delaminated. Start saving your pennies for a relatively expensive job. Our headquarters section could be a guide for what you can expect to pay.

 

+1

 

In my opinion you should prepare in case it is the clutch itself like Helix said, I had those symptoms too. I was hoping that it was just the slave or the master, after inspecting the slave I didn't see the slave cylinder leaking until I pull the rubber boot on the slave, there it was, changed it bled it later I found out that it was the clutch, actually the TO bearing disintegrated :-( I hope that in your case is just the 30 to 50 dollars part and as mentioned above it can be a small challenge to bleed right.

Good luck and let's hope for the best