Hi all great read so far, many thanks Mike for the info you have written. I have a cooper non S 2003 CVT I bought with a blown CVT. (It was cheap and worth a punt). I sourced a complete CVT transmission via ebay that had $3k spent to get it fixed, but then developed bearing noise from the driveshaft inputs. I have taken the trans to a specialist rebuilder for a re-bearing and appraisal. In the meantime I have got on with removing the trans, Im at a bit of a standstill and just looking for a bit of guidance. I have removed the starter motor and fan etc, removed the front bumper and reinforcement completely. I am just about to remove the driveshafts, this will render the car immobile.

So, do I have to drop the crossmember (if so one side or entirely?). Next does the engine remain in the car or do engine and CVT come out in one?

Lastly, is there a conventional torque converter between the engine and CVT? It appears that the two are connected and something has jammed the flywheel/ringgear as I can only turn the engine a few degrees each way (timing chain looks perfect and no swarf in the engine oil).

All help greatly appreciated. Cheers JR

 

Hi John, I hope I'll be able to help you.
In my case I droped the crossmember completely. I read somewhere that a guy succeded without removing it completely but I have doubts. It sure is'nt easy with this method. The engine remains in the car. I don't remember a torque converter between the engine and tranny. Maybe it is your tranny that blocks the engine? Check around the starter motor. There is a little steel cover held by 2 bolts. Maybe it's in the ring gear way. It happened to me but slightly. It did'nt block the engine but mad much noise at start up. I panicked a bit and found it fast

 

Also when the cross member will be down you will be able to check and probably change the 2 huge bushings. While you're ther do it. It worth it believe me.

 

I'M currently rebuilding my CVT. I have it pulled mostly apart, but I still need to remove the two large retaining nuts for the pump/gears assemblies. Can someone tell me what size socket I need for these?

 

I don't have the answer, but are you able to get a micrometer in there and measure it?

Another trick I've used in the past is to take a candle or some clay and push it in there against the nut/bolt head, then use that "casting" to determine the size. Of course this might not always be practical.

How is this job going so far? I'm the caretaker for a 140k CVT Mini and I see this repair on the horizon. I wish you were in Central IL, I'd ask what you charge for over-the-shoulder consulting!

 

First, thanks to MikeGordon for a great write up!

Second, I found out these two nuts are 41 mm and 46 mm, very helpful information.

Third, to answer your question about difficulty, let me firs say that I am a pretty accomplished amateur mechanic. I've fully restored a couple of muscle cars and I've also done extensive work on a variety of BMW's including a 318, Z3 and Z4. I say all of this just to put this in perspective as what may be a reasonable amount of work for me, may not be for others.

As for the CVT rebuild. It really isn't a bad job to undertake. Once you have it out (which is much easier if you drop the subframe if you aren't pulling the engine), it is a pretty straightforward job. There are some steps that really should be done in a specific order to ensure you don't break pieces. It only took me about an hour to completely break down in my first attempt. I'm now checking all of the parts out, replacing the belt and a variety of deals and then putting it back together.

There are a couple of videos put out by a Atlanta based company called European Transmissions that walks you through disassembly and reassembly step by step. I found the videos to make the process very simple. They are a bit pricey on their website, but I may be willing to sell mine when I complete the job.

If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to answer them.

 

My grandaughter's 2004 Mini Cooper cvt acts like it is in neutral when reverse and in forward gear, it won't move either, but this time it is like the brakes are locked (they are not, though). I can push the car when in neutral if the engine is not running, but not with it running. Now for what I have found so far. I removed the transmission and opened it to see that the snap ring that holds the reverse clutch in the case was loose and hitting the forward clutch. The tabs in the bell housing part of the case that hold the snap ring in the case were all broken off. I found all the broken aluminum tabs in the pan. I have replaced the bell housing from another transmission and have it all together. What I am trying to figure out why these fingers broke off. The most likely I can figure is excessive pressure in the reverse clutch. Another possibility may be the casting was defective originally. If it is excessive pressure, that may be caused by a problem in the valve body or something. I am hoping someone out there may have another suggestion. I am concerned that if I just put it back in service, the same thing will happen again unless I find the reason. Is this something that has never happened to anyone before, or has any one ever seen this before.
Rich