Help! My wife's '07 Cooper S clutch (53k miles) suddenly won't engage. I mean nothing. There is no drive capability at all to the front wheels. I'm hoping it's a hydraulic issue (slave cylinder?), but not sure if there is a known issue with Mini's concerning this. She still has all her clutch fluid, and there's no fluid leaking at the slave, so I'm at a loss. Any ideas, help, what to look for, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Does the clutch pedal feel normal? As in, the same pressure? If no or little pressure, the clutch fork could be broken. If it feels normal, I'd say the clutch needs replacing..

 

If there were a clutch hydraulic issue the clutch would be stuck engaged not disengaged. Unless the slave cylinder is somehow stuck in the "extended" position which seems incredibly unlikely.

Can you put the car in/out of gear with the engine running without using the clutch?

Are you sure the car is actually going into gear? Watch the gear selector cables on top of the transmission to make sure they're moving. They can break.

 

Clutch feels the same- there's pressure on it when depressed.


You can put the car in gear- reverse as well- but there is no engagement. The car will not go into gear without the clutch depressed. When I try, I hear a faint whirr (barely audible- not a screeching thing), as if it's grinding because the clutch isn't depressed, but it won't go into gear.


When I put it in gear and release the clutch, you can hear a change in the engine slightly, as if it knows it's in gear, but almost nothing going to the front wheels. They moved ever so slightly when I had it up on jacks and it was in gear, but nothing that couldn't be stopped with your bare hand. The more I research, the more I'm worried I'm in for a crapload of $ to replace the clutch. I'm hoping there is something else that it might be, but it ain't looking good. Any other ideas?

 

Is looking like you need someone that knows Mini's to take a look at it. All of us are just guessing. I can tell you that clutches can be fickle. Sometimes they give you lots of warning, slipping in high gears, slipping going up hills, etc. Sometimes they just give out without warning. Not just Mini, any car with a clutch and manual trans. Good luck..

 

I'm guessing you had both front wheels in the air? That kind of rules out axle problems. Not much else to do except pull the trans to see what is going on with the clutch assembly.

EDIT: there really isn't much else to check. Slave is moving. Shift cables are moving. Not much else you can do in the way of troubleshooting. The only thing left you could check would be axle issues. Put it back in the air and spin one wheel at a time with your hand. If you're turning one wheel the other should be turning in the opposite direction. If you turn one and nothing is happening at the other wheel or someone can hold the wheel still then could have a broken axle.

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If the fluid's still all there, this sounds like a release mechanism issue. Sounds to me like the friction disk is done or, as mentioned, the clutch fork is broken.

I'm afraid the only way to resolve it is to pull the trans.

 

This is the exact same thing that happened with my wife's 2010 Clubman S. No warning whatsoever and will not move in any gear. It can be running with it in any gear and I can get out of the car and push it.


Even if it is a clutch issue, once it is in gear, shouldn't the trans hold the car in place? I guess I am used to the older American vehicles where once a trans is engaged, the wheels are engaged as well.


If it is the clutch, I am being quoted around $2500 fro replacement by the dealer. First a quote of $1300 for brakes a few months back and now $2500 for a clutch and the car only has 66k miles on it. About ready to get rid of this money pit.

 

You can put the transmission in gear, and that will mean that the wheels are connected to the clutch friction disk. (Assuming the half-shafts are intact, the transmission is OK, and the clutch disk is attached to the input shaft as it should be.) If the clutch pedal is pressed, the pressure plate will not be clamping the clutch disk to the flywheel, so there will be no connection between the engine and wheels. But the disconnect is at the clutch, not in the transmission, in this case.

Now, it is possible for something in the transmission to break, and that would also disconnect the engine from the wheels. I think it would be pretty unusual, though. (For instance, if the input shaft broke in between the part the clutch disk rides on and the gearsets.) If the car has a conventional open diff, a busted axle will have all of the power sent to it by the diff, so the engine can run and the car won't move.

BTW, the above is not specific to imports. American cars also work that way.

 

What was the outcome of the clutch not engageing?

 

What was the outcome of the clutch not engageing?