1st Gen R53 Cooper S Flywheel & replacement clutch issues

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by DJBishopNYC, Aug 30, 2014.

  1. DJBishopNYC

    DJBishopNYC Member

    Oct 23, 2013
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    I'm in the middle of replacing the clutch on my r53 & for some reason the new OEM pressure plate doesn't fit my flywheel. I've tried 2 different brands & they both was off. Now I'm thinking it's the flywheel that's questionable. Does anyone know what kind of flywheel this could be? [​IMG]
     
  2. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Not sure but I'll give you a bump
     
  3. ColinGreene

    ColinGreene Well-Known Member
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    Dude, I dont even know what that is, it could be a spec.
     
  4. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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  5. Canusrufis

    Canusrufis RMW Powered R53
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    Nov 27, 2013
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    Probably markings on the backside identifying the brand. Guessing an exedy steel single mass. What does the clutch and pressure plate look like?

    Valeo kit works well:Thumbsup:
     
  6. Canusrufis

    Canusrufis RMW Powered R53
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    Nov 27, 2013
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    Btw, not sure mileage but replacing rear main seal is good idea. It's a lot of work to this point.
     
  7. DJBishopNYC

    DJBishopNYC Member

    Oct 23, 2013
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    Yeah I've some digging & it's a Exedy solid flywheel. Just wish they used the same bolt pattern as the OEM but they don't. So I decided to buy a used OEM dual mass with 64K miles on it instead. I figure I'll probably only have this MCS another 40k-50k so the flywheel shouldn't be a prob no time soon. Besides I can't even tell what is the correct Exedy clutch kit & buying things online like that could be a long drawn out search which still doesn't guarantee anything. @ Canusrufis, I did replace the main seal as part of me rebuilding the engine. Thanks for the heads up though. Most of the time we know these things but once in a while just dropping information like that could help out someone who either forgot or didn't know & to me always trying to help is the Mini Cooper way.
     
  8. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    I would not go back with the dual mass set up. Just my 2 cent
     
  9. DJBishopNYC

    DJBishopNYC Member

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    What's the issue with the dual mass?
     
  10. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    It's noisy and about 2lb heavier than the Valeo kit. Most everyone likes it better.
     
  11. beken

    beken Well-Known Member
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    I had my dual mass flywheel reconditioned and I reused it. It was noisy and masked or caused a major failure within the next year. Service rep from MINI said they had never seen anything like that happen before, but they warranted it. I would suggest you avoid the problems I had, and go directly to a single mass flywheel set up or get a brand new dual mass flywheel (at 2 to 3 times the cost of the Valeo single mass kit. There are other single mass flywheel clutch kits available, but it's been reported that Valeo is the OEM manufacturer for MINI so the most popular one.
     
  12. Detroit Tuned

    Detroit Tuned Well-Known Member
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    May 5, 2009
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    It's this Flywheel: South Bend Stage 3 Clutch - Detroit Tuned Was the pressure plate red that came off of it or was it purple? That flywheel is not a duel mass flywheel and needs to be resurfaced before you bolt a new clutch and pressure plate up to it.
     
  13. nkfry

    nkfry New Member
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    Sell the DMF you just picked up, and go with a Valeo kit, or you can buy just the Valeo friction material and pressure plate to mate with the SMF you already have. Many manufacturers use the same flywheel or a rip off of the Valeo design, so the dowel pins, bolt pattern, and engagement travel will be the same.

    Professionally I would say resurface the SMF, do the above, and not have to worry about the clutch for the life of the car. Otherwise you'll be in there to fix yet another failed DMF at some point during your ownership.
     

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