1st Gen R53 Cooper S Hard/sloppy shifting

Check your slave cylinder for leaking.

 

If the slave is leaking, that would make it hard to shift. Basically, the clutch system is losing pressure and it would be like trying to shift with your foot only half way down on the clutch.

I check the slave (well... the whole clutch hydraulic system, but the slave tends to be the weak point) by stopping on a level surface (where the car won't roll on it's own if left in neutral and no brake was on). Start the car, put it into first gear and stay there, with the clutch to the floor, for a minute or two (no brakes). If the car starts creeping forward, it's probably leaking from the slave.

A how-to for the slave replacement is here: http://www.motoringalliance.com/library/1st-generation-mini-cooper-how-to-3/how-to-replace-a-clutch-slave-cylinder-and-bleed-the-clutch-56/#axzz1mfn83CDC

If you wanna get dirty and actually see it leak before you replace it, the slave is just under the front bumper. You have to remove the plastic under tray (4-5 bolts) to see it, though.



You can see the accordian dust boot in this pic. To the right of the accordian is a smooth section of the rubber boot that seals the accordian to the slave. If you pull that back a bit and your slave is leaking, fluid will probably come out. If you just squeeze the accordian and your slave is leaking, you will probably hear/feel the fluid squish around in there.

Sometimes it develops a leak at the junction of the slave and the input pipe (the black pipe coming down on the right side of the pic). If so, you may also need to replace that section of pipe (~1 hour to move all the stuff to let you do the work and a $20 part + time to replace the slave + time to bleed the clutch hydraulics). The new slave should cost you $60 and fluid about $20.

I think our local Dallas dealers charge in the $300 range for a slave replacement, including parts, labor and fluids.

 

OK... now that I got my slave cyl. knowledge dumped, it's possible that you have a broken lower motor mount or transmission mount. Either of these might, when at an extreme, cause difficult shifting too.

On the '06 MCS, that hydraulic mount is always popping (I made it about 15k miles on each one that I installed, finally going for the TSW solid mount as you did). I'm also on slave #4, I think... Other than that, my car has been pretty reliable for the past 6 years and 76k miles.

 

My first mount lasted about 30,000. The second one is going strong at 73,000. I'll go with another oem if this one goes all limp. I'm not a fan of things that add NVH.

 

There's some shift linkage on the transmission that can become worn with age. If you remove the airbox, it's right there. You can wiggle it around and see if that's what's causing the play. Some play is normal, but it shouldn't be sloppy.

 

I can guarantee it is the shifting linkage under the airbox. Remove the airbox and lubricate the linkage parts with white lithium for colder temps and wheel bearing grease in warmer temps. Your shifting will improve.

 

If memory serves, maybe 1/2"? (at 110,000 miles)

 

Agree with BThayer, about 1/2" back and forth total. This is due to the lubrication that dries out in the right side ball cup under the shifter boot. If you pull up the shift boot cover and add new white lithium grease in the shifter cups (center and side) this sideways slop will reduce a little.

Again, to cure the stiff and reluctant shifting into reverse and other gears, lube that shifter mechanism under the airbox.

 

Since the history of this car is unknown, I suggest more than one procedure. First change the transmission fluid. I recommend OEM MTF-94, but that can be a hassle for some to collect from the dealership, in its place Red Line MTL is a good substitute. Drain the old fluid into a clean container, and drag a magnet through it. The transmission has a magnet inside, but large bits can bypass without being attracted. If there is more than a few flakes on the magnet there may be an internal problem, a cracked shift fork wouldn't show till it broke completely however.

Remove the heat shield from the center canal. Although it can be done without removing the exhaust, it is much easier to do without the exhaust in the way. Remove the dust cover from below the shift box. It is possible a previous owner installed an extension on the shifter end which may be rubbing on the side of the box, or has loosened; hence increased play and shift difficulty. In any case disconnect the cable ends. Look at the connect to the side of the shift shaft. Remove the shift shaft boot from above, unclip the collet over the shift ball, inspect the retaining collet for cracks or broken tabs, clean and re-grease the ball. Disconnect the cable ends from atop the transmission, push and pull the ends. If there is resistance, the Bowden cable(s) should be replaced. It is not so much a problem with your model year because there are dust boots on the housing ends and the design changed from the early models, but it is still possible for a cable to kink, bog from lack of lube, or wear restrictive grooves within the housing.

If the condition progresses in spite of maintenance attempts, the clutch release bearing may have collapsed, or debris may be preventing the clutch pressure ring from disengaging completely, or the flywheel may be on the fritz.