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R53 hard sometimes impossible to shift into all gears
Stock Problems/IssuesDiscussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for MINI Cooper (R50), Cabrio (R52), and Cooper S (R53) MINIs.
GUYS THE SAME HAPPENS HERE AND WHAT I NOTICED AND OF COURSE AFTER SEVERAL EFFORTS IS THE MORE CALM YOU DRIVE THIS MINI COOPER S SUPERCHARGED MODEL AND ALWAYS SHIFTING THE GEARS WITHOUT RPM ACCELERATION AT ALL AND SMOOTHLY RELEASE THE CLUTCH PEDAL, THIS BEAUTY LITTLE BUT SPLENDID BRITISH RACING MACHINE NEVER WILL BOTHER YOU BACK 😊🙏👍 THANK YOU FOR HOSTING MY OPINION..
JABowders;3989756]Tell us what Year and Miles... Possible Clutch plate, throw out bearing... have you noticed any slipping? Like going uphill and you gas it and the engine revs up but you don't go any faster?
Does it have the Dual Mass Flywheel?
Possible leak in the line... (I mention this because I had an issue with a clutch line that rubbed trough and the leak didn't make it down the line to the slave cylinder) this would be noticeable by a lack of fluid in the reservoir.
And how about the shifter bushing? If you get to the point it won't shift, have you pulled over turned the motor off and tried shifting through the gears without the spinning flywheel? If it is still hard to shift with the engine off and the car stationary it could be your shifter linkage/bushing.
To test this with the engine running can you do "quick shift" no clutch just matching the RPMs and as you throttle off pull it out of gear then with just a little rev push it into gear (without the clutch pedal being used). if you can't budge the shifter... I would guess linkage and or bushings.
OK, there is also the age of your Fluid... when is the last time you had it changed? As it gets older it can become contaiminated (mostly water from condensation) and as you use the pedal the water will compress and not give you full throw.
However... My first thought is Clutch Plate, Pressure Plate and throw out bearing.
How often do they go out? I have a R53 with 242000+ miles and I just did the clutch.
With the engine turned off there are no spinning flywheels or hydraulics to consider so any stiff shifting is caused by the linkage. Only the heat transfer from the engine will cause the linkage and bushings to seize.
How we drive and shift gears while the car is running can negatively impact the clutch and other parts but not the linkage.
Very strange issue on my mini recently. When i start the car in the morning, it shift fine, but as i go on shifting around in start stop traffic it gets harder and harder to shift into any gear, until a point when i have to push so hard, to put it in gear(arm breaking force) When I do force it in to gear, it does edging forward even when the clutch was compressed, and occasionally totally unable to get in any gear at all. The problem is getting worse, fast! Can anyone point me to what and where the problem could be?
I did visually inspected the slave cylinder under the car, as i found on the internet that they are a common item to leak inside the around the dust boot area. But when i look under the car it looks nice and dry. Clutch pedal does feels light and spongy, sometimes with no biting point at all
However i did see quite abit of oil leaks near the oil pan area next to the slave cylinder. But i do notice its always been there and i dont see any drop in brake fluids, and suggestions? Thanks
Did you get to the bottom of this? I've the same issue I think, 6K old LUK clutch kit and I can no longer select gear without brute force, unless the engine is not running, car edges forwards. I can start engine with car already in gear but the biting point is at dead bottom. Pedal feels totally normal, no changes in freeplay and less than 10mm slop, no vibrations and so on.
Did you get to the bottom of this? I've the same issue I think, 6K old LUK clutch kit and I can no longer select gear without brute force, unless the engine is not running, car edges forwards. I can start engine with car already in gear but the biting point is at dead bottom. Pedal feels totally normal, no changes in freeplay and less than 10mm slop, no vibrations and so on.
I had a similar hard shifting issue on another car, and that wound up being a bad throw out bearing assembly.
I had a similar hard shifting issue on another car, and that wound up being a bad throw out bearing assembly.
Did you have any strange noises or vibrations through the pedal? It's a strange one because I came out to the car the following morning and driven around the block a few times, no issues. Then later that afternoon, couldn't select gears again 😂 can't see any leaks at all and the pedal has about 8mm slop so in spec. Although despite this I'm starting to wonder if a little air is entering the system on the upstroke of the pedal, I'm going to bin this aluminium slave cylinder off and fit an OEM + rebleed just incase. As I couldn't imagine replacing the whole clutch just 6k later to find it's in good condition, I would cry 😂
It was as random as you describe, for me as well. Some times it would shift reasonable OK, other times I had to really work the gearshift to get it into Reverse or First. Usually once I was driving the shifting wasn't too bad, but everything was spinning at that point once you're rolling, too.
Ok I know its been a long time since anyone has posted here but its worth a try. My daughters Mini S R53 has the 6sp manual and we are unable to get it into reverse. All other gears work. I have replaced the shift cables and verified that the shifter shaft it trying to go into reverse but it won't. So my question is are you able to remove the selector shaft assembly that connects the shift cable to the transmission is able to be removed inside the car? Or do I have to pull the transmission out and check for damage then?
Last edited by Error404:filenotfound; Mar 6, 2025 at 05:08 AM.
Ok I know its been a long time since anyone has posted here but its worth a try. My daughters Mini S R53 has the 6sp manual and we are unable to get it into reverse. All other gears work. I have replaced the shift cables and verified that the shifter shaft it trying to go into reverse but it won't. So my question is are you able to remove the selector shaft assembly that connects the shift cable to the transmission is able to be removed inside the car? Or do I have to pull the transmission out and check for damage then?
May be worth pulling the transmission to take care of it, and clutch job while you're in there?
So recently rebuilt the motor in my 02 mcs and installed new clutch, fly wheel, pressure plate, throw out bearing, cleaned and lubed everything. Car ran great for first 1500miles now I have a hard time shifting when in motion on a spirited drive I have to let off the gas and give it some time in order to get it in the next gear I’ve also noticed under hard acceleration in first gear it doesn’t want to come out of gear until the load is off. Wondering if it could possibly be a differential problem or strictly limited to shift cables? When the car is stop and rpm’s are low I can smoothly shift to any gear with zero force once driving it gets hard to go into any gear. If I push the clutch in and give it a second to spool down shifts are easy.
The shift weight bushing that the bolt goes thru is bad letting it wobble around. Now to order a new shift weight. To test it I took a soft metal thin wire cut 4 strands of it stuck it in the drill to make a small stranded wire wrapped it around the base of the bushing to take up the play and took a drive around the block shifts perfect no matter how I drove it so came back cut it off and am ordering a new assembly after I’m done typing this. Cheers hopefully this helps someone else.
@PhDaveMini Any chance to get those pictures? I still have our Mini on the lift for a couple more days while I finish its brake work, and I wanted to take a look at the shifting connections. Thanks!
@PhDaveMini Any chance to get those pictures? I still have our Mini on the lift for a couple more days while I finish its brake work, and I wanted to take a look at the shifting connections. Thanks!
That one currently seems to be out of stock. I wonder if this kit (for a Mercedes Vito) would also fit? I would order it to try, but unfortunately, they are not shipping to the US at this time.
Oh - good to hear!
I had just contacted him a couple of months ago - another member was trying to order bushing kit but eBay balked. Apparently there was some issue with intl orders and eBay shut him down temporarily. Glad to know he's back up and running.
I'd purchased 2wo kits from him a little more than 2would years ago. The bushings worked great and made such an improvement.
Unfortunately - my stiff shifting issue finally was the result of a bent/broken gear carrier. @WayMotorWorks (Atlanta) came to my rescue and replaced my transmission at a fair price. That was 2wo years ago and nary a problem ever since.
