I've asked this in a couple other forums with no answers, and searching the web does not help. I recently bought a used 2005 Mini Cooper. The other day, I noticed "SD" on the dash, and didn't know what it meant. So I looked it up in the manual, and saw that it meant that it was in sport or manual mode. The m/s + - light by the shift **** was on too. When I push it to the right, then up and down in the + or - direction, it does nothing. It just stays in SD mode all the time. It also does not display P when in park, or N when in neutral, etc., only SD when in drive. I don't know how to get it "unstuck", or even what to check to diagnose the problem. I tried disconnecting the battery, it didn't work. I was thinking it was a bad switch, but can't really see where that might be when I remove the cover around the shift ****. I've read also that it could be the transmission control module. I'm lost and don't know where to start. I don't want to take it to a dealer just yet, I'm trying to save some money. Anyone have this problem before?

 

check realoem.com for parts, switches, etc. to see if you can identify.

 

I just don't know a whole lot about the auto transmissions. Is it an S or a Justa?

 

It's a justa, with CVT

 

Does the transmission itself shift as it should when you move the lever?
Does the car drive OK?
Can you Park it OK?
Can you select Reverse OK?
Can you tell any difference between Sport & any other mode when driving?
Maybe it's just the dashboard display that is 'stuck'!

You might watch this video, although I'm not sure if it will do anything to the display.

 

It drives, parks, reverses and everything ok. I don't know if it's any different in normal drive because it has always been in sport mode. I've had it two weeks. It does seem like it "revs" too much, too high if that makes sense. I just know I should be able to change it, and can't. It also doesn't allow me to manually shift, which it should. I think I'd get better fuel economy in normal drive mode too.

 

All MINI’s should always be driven in sport mode, they love it.

Sorry, I can’t help as I don’t know anything about a CVT .

 

All CVTs 'rev' too much! Your MPG should be in the low 30's, I believe.

Can you select Normal mode & leave it there & drive it for a few days & see if you can tell any difference? Ignore what the dashboard tells you.

Try searching this forum for CVT or a web search for Mini transmission control - there's a lot out there, if you haven't already.

I think that resetting the adaptations might be worth a shot; I suspect your friendly MINI dealer will only offer a $6,000 new transmission.

 

It doesn't go into normal mode. Well, today for about a minute it was in normal "D" drive on the way home from work, and it felt different. The m/s light went off too, but then it snapped right back into SD. It drives fine, and it's really fun to drive. I'm just concerned that this might be an indication of a more serious issue. I've been searching the internet for days, every chance I get. I've found a couple threads that didn't have any answers. It does rev around the 3 a lot (3000 rpm?), and around 1 at idle.

 

3,000 is around 70mph on my 6-speed Cooper S, cruising in top gear on the highway.
1,000 idle is a tad high, but might be OK for an automatic.

It seems the mechanics in the transmission might be OK. Try leaving it alone in Normal for a day or two.
I wonder if a transmission fluid change would have any effect.
I still think resetting the adaptations is worth a shot, although it looks like a royal pain to do correctly.
A local transmission specialist might have some expertise on CVTs, they've been around long enough.
Do the cheap stuff first!

 

Ocassionally when I turn on the ignition, my car indicates SP(?, SD?) on the dash and the M/S shift indicator will be lit. However, if I drive in this mode the car isn't actually in sport because when I paddle shift the gears, it will return to automatic mode in a few seconds.

When turning on the key only the P should be indicated on the speedo and on the shifter. If the SP and M/S are lit, I need to do this "reset" before starting the car, with the key in the ignition position shift from Park to D(maybe even over to the sport mode) and back to Park, then turn off the key and retry. Since I hardly drive the car I'm not 100% sure those are the steps. If not, it's really close and I'll have to pay more attention the next time it happens.

Also, I think the M/S light will go out when returning back to Park, but if you don't turn the key back to 0, the transmission will still not shift correctly even though everything looks ok, so make sure you don't skip that part of the process.

Now, I always try check if P is on the speedo and the M/S indicator is out before starting the car. This also gives the car time to prime the fuel pump and do whatever other checks the computer might do.


Edit: This is on an '05 S, but hopefully it helps.

 

A week or two ago, I started checking through the fuse boxes, and some of the electrical connections under the hood. After that, it started going out of sport mode more often, and now it stays in regular drive mode all the time, unless I switch it over to sport mode. There were a few times it got stuck in sport again, and it happened right after going close to 90 mph. It seemed to snap back out again after going close to 90 mph again.
I also found a Creator c310+ scan tool on ebay for $35. Plugged it in and found two fault codes.
1705 - gearbox control unit LED output open circuit.
1826 - shift lock relay (cvt) input low.
It also has a data stream feature that lets you monitor various things in real time. It's interesting that in the CVI Gear section, I could see the P N R & D values change as I shifted, and could see the M change when I kicked it over to Sport or Manual mode. The values for + and - did not change as I pushed and pulled the **** in each direction. So now I need to find the gearbox control unit and the shift lock relay. The relay is in the inside fusebox I think, but I don't know what the Gearbox Control Unit is. I think I have also heard it referred to as the GIU Gearbox Interface Unit, and some have told me it is the box under the driver's side bolted above the pedal. I was under the impression that this was the ECU or something else. I'm confused about what is what.

 

Not alot of experience with Minis specifically. But have dealt with many funky automatic transmissions.

Id wager its the TCM( Transmission Control Module)

When an automatic has no mechanical reasons for shift pattern issues or funky switching between modes. 9 times out of 10 its the control module.

In most vehicles you are talking 100 dollar or so part and about 10 to 15 minutes of your time. Not sure on Minis. But typically is a stupid simple fix. Probably will even idle down as the TCM tells the ECU information on how to make the engine run. So they can work together.

Best of luck.