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Stock Problems/IssuesDiscussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for MINI Clubman (R55), Cooper and Cooper S(R56), and Cabrio (R57).
Anyone had the pleasure of changing the shift mechanism that goes into the transmission?
I dont see any writeups on this. Dealer diagnosed stiffness is from that unit not the cables or shifter in car.
Is it hard to change the unit on trans? Haynes is worthless on this.
Thanks
The unit is similar to the one on the R50 MINI Cooper 5 speed. I would inspect it and grease / PB blast all the pivot points and under that center pivot spring first. Most people with the 5 speed gettrag from Gen 1 MINI do the same thing,.
Looks like I have the same problem... I hoped it was the cables as they are not to expensive... but they seem fine and move very freely once I popped them off off the shift unit. Only the left right shifting is affected (trsansmission shift shaft up and down motion).
Question... is the shift unit easy to install... is it just remove and slip new one into and re-attach cables? I do not see any instructions in Bentley book or elsewhere.
Its a little work to install , drops in but has to be aligned right. Then bolts in from what i saw. I would get those cables linked above it one sticks, get them in pairs, that how i did mine and sets, like brake pads. 25117594646 & 25112753808
I bought my replacement from ECS, I had my car half apart with a Turbo replacement, but not a bad spot to work anyway.
I just centered up the shifter into neutral and swapped them out.
I did buy some special permatex anerobic, but the fit up is so tight it was probably overkill
Cables work AOK... nice, free and easy. I can disconnect the cables... and manually pull the neutral shift column upo and down and it feels just as stiff as my shifter... I am going to pull the shift unit off ther transmission and see if anything can be done to free it up (which I doubt)... and I guess I am going to phony up 300+ for a new unit.
Me too.... my car is in service position in my garage!!! My turbo was having issues - I thought it was the turbine -but that looks good and feels good and I do not see it blowing oil. I believe it is the diverter (I hope)!
Yes new design, and the old part I could not see any access to internals to make it free up. The sale price wasnt 300 but I could be wrong.
As for the turbo, my housing valve flap was not sealing, plus I am sure the oil flow to the turbo was minimal.
I replaced lines, replaced CAT with magnaflow OEM flow. , and got a turbo from JMturbocooper. Considered GPOP.
Well... I pulled out the shift unit... and it seems to work perfect except....
The neutral pivot for shift unit is very tight on the pin and bushing. Take it apart... and the shifter works smooth and flawless manually.
Soooo.... I assume the nylon bushing has slightly swollen and/or hardened over time as the pin is perfect. If I could get a new bushing - it would be good as new. For now... I am simply going to carefully ream/polish it a bit to free it up enough to not bind. It is so tight even lube does not help. Wonder why they used a cheap nylon instead of a better bushing? Silly question... 25 cents.
I will let everyone know how this works... I suspect it will work just as well as a new unit.
Reamed it out about a couple MM still had a nice fit with no slop and now moves freely. Reassembled shift unit and re-installed with a little Permatex Blue Gasket maker.
Perfect - like new... not works acceptably... like new!! Shifts freely nio slop and perfect center spring return!! I cannot believe how easy this was. Nothing I like better than a free fix.
Anyone with a stiff neutral stick and the cables seem AOK when they are popped off shift unit - my money bets this fix may work for you!! At least check it before ordering a $350 part!
Did not take any pictures.... hopefully my description is sufficient. I used a 23/64th drill bit by hand... thought that was more gentle and safer than a handdrill or drill press - perfect size to take just a bit. Identifying the the offending pin is pretty straightforward - it is external pivot pin for the neutral cable lever. It will be obvious when you remove the shift unit if cables are good - meaning they move freely and ends are not deteriorated. I had to drive the pin out with a punch it was that tight in the nylon sleeve! Explains a lot. Hope this helps someone else who does not mind a little dirt under the fingernail!
Yes, those cables will move freely , then they are fine, unless the plastic centers pop out of the bonded loop ring. Sounds like the milling was the trick and a steady hand.
@dmyer is my hero. Here's a little more detail on the fix because someone else will need this.
pulling the shift selector unit is not hard but does require some slightly special tools
Start by removing the airbox and intake tubes.
1. you need a T40 torx bit and it has to be long enough and thin enough to fit through a hole on the moving arm of the shift unit. I'd say the tool has to be at least 30 mm long (1-3/16 inch) and under 10 mm in diameter to fit. Harbor freight makes a set of 1/4 inch drive bits that works great. https://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-...ece-68015.html (see below), but something longer will also work. There's stuff available online but I needed something local so I got this.
2. The four torx t-40 screws aren't all visible at the same time. The shift selector that rotates covers one of the four in any position so you have to move it. with the shift cables popped off, it's super easy.
3. the easiest way to pop off the shift cables is to use an open end wrench that fits almost snugly around the pivot ball and just pry. they come right off.
4. to get the shift cables out of their clips, you have to lift two clips in opposite directions and pull up. The clips are white plastic and all part of the same thing that slides into the metal U shape that holds the cables. I had to pry them up off the trans because they are pretty stiff.
5. no need to disconnect water lines, just undo the 10mm screw holding the overflow and move it aside and then unclip the two water lines over the shift unit and push them out of the way as you pull it out.
6. the nylon bushing in question is the one that the side-to-side cable pivots on. There's a retaining clip holding the pivot pin (lift it slightly and slide it off the pin). My pin came out pretty easily but you may need some gentle force. I didn't measure the pin or clean it but instead just grabbed the 23/64 drill and reamed out the nylon bushing by hand. It's probably a LITTLE on the big side so if you want maximum precision and minimum slop, clean the pivot with some non-abrasive scotch-brite and measure it with some calipers and find a drill bit that's a few thousandths of an inch bigger and use that.
7. reassembly is cake, just do the reverse of how you got it out. inserting the shift unit requires a little wiggling and finesse but it's not hard and doesn't require force!
Once I did the reaming and reinstalled the shifter was as @dmeyer described. like new. super smooth and easy! My hero.
search terms: shfit unit, shifter doesn't return to center, shifter doesn't center, shifter spring, shifter cables stiff, shifter stiff
