I've got an '03 MCS which I have owned since April of 2003. I am entering my second Winter with my car. So i have come to understand the way my car performs/acts in certain weather conditions. But this morning was something new.

Here in NOVA. we are having a really bad cold spell which is causing me some concern. This morning I got into my car for its normal warm up (turning on the car then going inside and pouring my morning coffee). I usually keep it in gear when parked, which is the way it was this morning. Upon start up the Clutch felt heavier then normal and when I took it out of gear it took two hands and a forceful pull (very abnormal for this or any car that I have owned). As I moved the stick left and right in neutral positon I decided to try to put it in gear and found it almost impossible. Even after the car was completely warmed up the clutch still felt a little heavy and shifting was like rowing a boat in mud. Eventually as I was driving to work it loosened up and shifted normally.

When I got to work I decided to keep the car out of gear and just use the emergency brake, thinking the problem was caused by being in gear on a frigid night. But when I left work this evening I had the exact same problem except my car was already in neutral and I had to force it into gear.

Has this happened to anyone else? This never happened last winter. I'm just becoming concerned. The car has 41,000 miles. I don't think it is the clutch only because. I had a VW passat that needed a clutch replaced but the clutch got loose not tight? BUt I could be wrong.

--golden_child

 

Wasn't there a TSB for frozen linkage or something somewhere?

 

I have a 03 MC,never had that problem,Although once last year at -47F it stalled after start up,from letting the clutch out to fast, the tranny oil was cold and thick.Now in the cold,I hold the clutch in for a minute or so,then let it out slow.But I have heard of folks having linkage,cables freezing up.The fix seems to be new lube,done by the dealer.
I never leave the car in gear,always use the e-brake.With the e-brake off the DTR lights come on,and the less things running at start up in the cold the better.
I too start my car,go back in the house and get my coffee and stuff,but thats never more than 2 min.Not good to let it sit and idle,and the motor will warm faster if your moving.Plus the other things like frozen suspention ,tranny,wheel bearings will not warm up unless you are moving.
Hope you figure this out

 

This happens to me with my 02 Cooper. It is really stiff trying to shift into 1st, 3rd and 5th. I spoke to my dealership last year about it and they couldn't reproduce the problem. I went to another dealership and they said something about changing the grease around the shifter. It is getting fixed in january, I will let you know if this helps.

 

Thanks for the help Kenchan. I did a search on frozen linkage and saw you Signature Sept 2003. I'll probably call my dealership in the morning. What sucks is that i just had my car in last week for the emissions recall and new brakes. Too bad it wasn't cold last week. Oh well, at least i'm under warranty and have the extended coverage. I hope one of those cover my problem.

 

Check my thread above on the clutch slave cylinder. Just a possibility that there is a leak. Check your brake fluid level.

 

Interesting, the exact same thing happend to me Monday (12/20) evening as I was leaving work. It was wet in the morning then turned very cold. So I'm assuming there was plenty of opportunity for things to freeze up under there. Been using just the e-brake since. This never happend last year though and we had some rough days.

 

my linkage parts get warmed up pretty fast by heat from the catalytic converter; the tranny would take quite a bit longer. this might help you locate the problem.

 

This is a real common problem on the earlier MINI's 02-03. There is a service bulletin on it. MINI says it is because the the grease and seals on the shift cable ends. They say water gets into the cables and freezes not alowing the cable to move. When it warms up the ice in the cables melt and car shifts fine, that is why your dealer has "no problem found". The correct fix is to replace both shift cables with an updated version. Hope this helps. I will look in my toolbox to find the bulletin if anyone is interested in the bulletin #.

Warning to others this can also happen to the cables on the door latches which will keep you from opening the door from the inside or outside.

 

golden child,

I have an '04 MCS, had same exact problem last janurary. Dealer replaced shifter cable-assembly. I was told condesation was forming in the cables due to their location,directly above the exhaust system. The exhaust heats them up, cools after shutting car off, condesation then freezes. The new cable assembly is better insulated to prevent this. Mine has been fine since repair.

Happy Motoring, Jeff

 

Yes
I had mine fixed last winter

 

MINIGURU--

If you can find that bulletin # I would really appreciate it. I have already called my MINI SA who has always been very helpful. According to him there have been alot of problems like mine, but there is no fix.

According to everyone who has responded to thread, there is a possible fix. It's definitly better walking into a situation knowing as much as you can.

To all that are reading this thread HAPPY HOLIDAYS and be safe.

thanks
--golden_child

 

I don't know the bulletin number either, but definitely know that there's a fix for this...and I had it done last year (2002 MCS). My dealer was very knowledgable about the prevalence of the problem and knew just what parts to replace.

I'm thinking that your SA hasn't been "advising" for very long? Or maybe it's time to find another dealer...

 

Move to Florida.


Sorry.