2nd Gen JCW Most liked posts in thread: TRANSMISSION!!

So, it's not a TRANSMISSION! problem, but rather a CLUTCH! problem :biggrin5:

Some people have had to replace their clutches in the R56 early, most figure it's due to something the driver does as most seem to last the normal amount of mileage, around 100K.

The clutch in the R56 is so much lighter than the R53 that it's very easy to slip it and not realize it....not saying that you did anything, just that it's been the general experience.

If Valeo makes a clutch kit for the R56 I'd put one in, I've done a number of them in R53's and they work a treat!

 

Are you the original owner?

 

Your higher gears are where you will first notice a slipping clutch, from my experience.

Why it is slipping at 32K is the mystery. Like Qik said, are your the first owner?

CD

 

Dual mass fw failure

Once apart you will find the dual mass flywheels inner plate, where the clutch disc mates to, will have something above .100 in-and-out movement, making the disc engaging surface a "wobbling, inconsistent surface".
This is very typical of the DM flywheel in R56 models. The DM FW in R53 models would screech on cold take offs somethimes but they never failed as spectacularly as the second gen flywheels.
SO you are experiencing a FLYWHEEL FAILURE that is killing your clutch. JM Turbo Coopers has an excellent lightened STEEL one piece FW that works great with a stock clutch or one of their upgraded clutches.

 

Never heard of a slipping clutch huh?
Well...time to read up!!
Sounds like you need one.
Yup....lots of folks have burned them up in similar miles. Congratulations!!
As the prior poster said, it may be a flywheel failure....but still...car is old enough, it gonna be your $$.
Sorry not to be giving you sympthy, but with clutches on a higher performance car, you kind of expect them to be short lived....sure some of us go 100,000 milesor more....but guessing from the age and miles if the car, it is a weekend runabout car...so driven harder than a daily driver....so that equals shorter life.

 

Driving habits/behavior.

 

Usually, but there have been some instances where it wasn't, just like MM wrote.

On the JM site they show a Valeo clutch, but no flywheel - the R53 you can get a whole clutch/flywheel kit from Valeo, it's only about $400 too!