Hi all. My name is Zach. I recently bought a 2003 R50 for my wife mostly, though I'll drive it quite a bit. It had 85,000 miles on it, the hatch was held on with a tie-down strap due to a hinge being busted, the rear bumper was damaged and the front drivers side a-panel was dented. It had a myriad of lights lit on the dash. The previous owner said that they'd had to replace the radiator and various other parts associated with it after they hit a large raccoon. I have the $1700+ invoice for that. I fixed the hinges after tearing my fingers up on the little plastic....finger rippers.....for lack of a better term under the headliner. I've taken care of everything that lit a light. The dash is happy. The owner stated that they were getting rid of it because the damage would be too much for them to want to claim on their insurance. After driving it for a few hundred miles I think I've found the REAL reason they wanted to sell it. It's making a whine from the transmission on acceleration and deceleration that I overlooked initially. It had some aggressive snow tires in the from that are LOUD and I think I associated that noise with the whine. So, here I am. I've got a really nice little car that's a ball to drive. Until it can't move. Is there a mechanic in the central ohio region that can rebuild the Midland five speed for a decent price? I can get a rebuild kit for $720 shipped from England, but I'm a phone man, not a trans man. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Zach
I have not repaired a Midlands as of yet, but I'm told if you catch it early enough, you're just replacing pinion bearings and not buying expensive gears. Before you spring for the rebuild kit from the UK, have the trans drained to see if there are too many metal bits in it. My guess is that if it's not clattering like a sonofabi***, you're still good. If you're closer to the Toledo side of OH, you could also consider taking it to Detroit Tuned. They've been know to wrench on a MINI or two.
I thought there was a good euro import shop down your way. Best can be good, cheap they are not. In the past I have had good luck with independent transmission shops, ones that are not chains. Ask questions you know the answers to and if you can supply the parts to make the determination.
I drained the fluid last night. I was surprised how thin it was. It felt more watery than I expected, even after it cooled. I replaced it with Royal Purple Max Gear 75w-90 Synthetic. THAT was fun to squeeze through a thin piece of tubing.... The magnets both had sludge on them, but I don't know if it's ever been changed, so that may have been cumulative for 85,000 miles. It shifts as well as it did before, and the noise didn't change much. Looks like I'll start working the OT and save up for a gearset kit. Hopefully it'll last a little while. If anyone would like to conduct a "Midland rebuild How-to clinic" I'll be happy to supply the car and parts! At least it has that Jetson's sound. That makes it less depressing.