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Haha, sorry! My ears perk up whenever someone mentions the possibility of an LSD for the 5 speed Getrag because I’ve never found one. I guess I didn’t read closely initially and thought you were referring to an aftermarket option. Annoyingly, there is an aftermarket one available for the Midlands.
Ahah, obviously, I was looking for a DIYer feedback
So far I'm assuming that a tiny bit of coolant gets into the oil through the head gasket. Water gets evaporated by the high temperature, but sodium stays. That's my theory about both "a bit of coolant goes missing" and "there's high levels of sodium in the oil" facts. I could be wrong though.
Thanks for the feedback! My Mini is at 220k km, but its history is mostly unknown. Money is not a big object if it's to buy reliability for the next 100k km or more.
Got it!
It's hard to start when there is high humidity, sometime resulting in crank / no start on the first try (then starting on the second try), with some idle dips and delayed throttle response sometime shortly after starting. Plus it's noisy at idle. I've pulled my hairs trying to diagnose it (there's a lenghty thread about it) but so far have come up empty (though I've not had a good diagnostics session during a high humidity period). So it's not like there is "no issue", though it does run for now.
As for the compression results, here's what the Bentley manual says:
I suspect the Cooper and Cooper S lines are inverted, as my hardback manual says it's the other way around, so 131 to 196 psi. 2 of my cylinders are slightly above spec, which is slightly surprising, but could very likely be attributed to the significant carbon buildup at the top of the pistons. What's more concerning to me is the difference between cylinders, which is way out of spec. And I've only listed the hot compression test, but it's even worse when cold, with cylinder one being at 130psi, so right at the bottom end of the spec, and likely worse than that when accounting for the carbon buildup.
I do wonder now if my cheap tool could be giving higher readings than reality.
Oh, by the way, I was wondering: what did you use to clean the pistons head and cylinder walls? I assume you did not remove the bottom-end, and I was under the impression those could not be cleaned without doing that.
I see. Hard to start should mean either spark, fuel or air. Try to pull the plugs after a crank no start and see if they are wet or not. Could also measure fuel pressure although I'm not sure if the Mini has a connection for a pressure gauge on the fuel rail.
If there is coolant coming into the cylinders you should be able to tell by looking at the pistons and valves, should be much cleaner.
The tip I got for cleaning the pistons: set them to TDC, put a little of bit of oil on them to prevent carbon chunks from entering the gab between piston and block and then use carburettor cleaner to clean them. It took a long time brushing them off by hand using mostly a Scotch pad and towels but they are looking good. Don't use a Scotch pad on the head though as its aluminium.
Originally Posted by Eddie07S
Boy, did I open up a can of worms…
Nah, it's just Mini people talking about Mini stuff. I learned something from this discussion so it was useful.
The Mini owners forum here in The Netherlands is completely dead so I'm very glad this one is still alive!
I see. Hard to start should mean either spark, fuel or air. Try to pull the plugs after a crank no start and see if they are wet or not. Could also measure fuel pressure although I'm not sure if the Mini has a connection for a pressure gauge on the fuel rail.
I can't believe I never thought about pulling the plugs after a crank no start! I'll do that next time it happens and I have time. Thanks a lot for that suggestion.
The Mini do have a schraeder valve at the fuel rail, I used it to verify proper fuel pressure during normal operation (but as I said didn't happen during a problematic event)
Originally Posted by LukasH
If there is coolant coming into the cylinders you should be able to tell by looking at the pistons and valves, should be much cleaner.
Yeah I did check the pistons top (I cannot check the valves with my tool), they are all dirty. Though they all have a spot near a specific spot of the rings where they are unusually clean, but I guess that's a bit of oil getting past (which is why I initially thought my rings were bad)
Originally Posted by LukasH
The tip I got for cleaning the pistons: set them to TDC, put a little of bit of oil on them to prevent carbon chunks from entering the gab between piston and block and then use carburettor cleaner to clean them. It took a long time brushing them off by hand using mostly a Scotch pad and towels but they are looking good. Don't use a Scotch pad on the head though as its aluminium.
Ahah, obviously, I was looking for a DIYer feedback
So far I'm assuming that a tiny bit of coolant gets into the oil through the head gasket. Water gets evaporated by the high temperature, but sodium stays. That's my theory about both "a bit of coolant goes missing" and "there's high levels of sodium in the oil" facts. I could be wrong though.
Thanks for the feedback! My Mini is at 220k km, but its history is mostly unknown. Money is not a big object if it's to buy reliability for the next 100k km or more.
Got it!
It's hard to start when there is high humidity, sometime resulting in crank / no start on the first try (then starting on the second try), with some idle dips and delayed throttle response sometime shortly after starting. Plus it's noisy at idle. I've pulled my hairs trying to diagnose it (there's a lenghty thread about it) but so far have come up empty (though I've not had a good diagnostics session during a high humidity period). So it's not like there is "no issue", though it does run for now.
As for the compression results, here's what the Bentley manual says:
I suspect the Cooper and Cooper S lines are inverted, as my hardback manual says it's the other way around, so 131 to 196 psi. 2 of my cylinders are slightly above spec, which is slightly surprising, but could very likely be attributed to the significant carbon buildup at the top of the pistons. What's more concerning to me is the difference between cylinders, which is way out of spec. And I've only listed the hot compression test, but it's even worse when cold, with cylinder one being at 130psi, so right at the bottom end of the spec, and likely worse than that when accounting for the carbon buildup.
I do wonder now if my cheap tool could be giving higher readings than reality.
Oh, by the way, I was wondering: what did you use to clean the pistons head and cylinder walls? I assume you did not remove the bottom-end, and I was under the impression those could not be cleaned without doing that.
Here, I may be wrong again, but I thought the S had a lower compression ratio than the R50. If that is the case then its cranking pressure will be lower and the table you posted is correct.
Here, I may be wrong again, but I thought the S had a lower compression ratio than the R50. If that is the case then its cranking pressure will be lower and the table you posted is correct.
I asked a BMW/Mini mechanic friend, he had a look in alldata (and also recently did a compression test on a W11), and you're right, the Bentley is right, and the S indeed has a lower compression ratio.
Bottom line: a W10 should have between 167psi and 247psi, higher than the 150psi @LukasHexpected. And my engine does fall into it apart from cylinder 1, is not above spec, though the imbalance is still cause for concern.
Like I said, I know the feeling you got. I have felt it myself and thought..... wait a minute.......
Originally Posted by deepgrey
Haha, sorry! My ears perk up whenever someone mentions the possibility of an LSD for the 5 speed Getrag because I’ve never found one. I guess I didn’t read closely initially and thought you were referring to an aftermarket option. Annoyingly, there is an aftermarket one available for the Midlands.
WOW! Cool. Nice to see that there is an option. I'd be hesitant to install one as the Midlands is fragile enough without putting more stress on an already over stressed unit.
Since the OP has a Se7en, should have a Getrag5. Hey! Swap in the Getrag6 speed and add an LSD!
I asked a BMW/Mini mechanic friend, he had a look in alldata (and also recently did a compression test on a W11), and you're right, the Bentley is right, and the S indeed has a lower compression ratio.
Bottom line: a W10 should have between 167psi and 247psi, higher than the 150psi @LukasHexpected. And my engine does fall into it apart from cylinder 1, is not above spec, though the imbalance is still cause for concern.
Curious as I am I looked for the compression values in my Haynes manual, which is the "UK version" Bentley from what I am reading.
It states: 11.5 bar (167psi) for the One and Cooper and 9 bar (131psi) for the Cooper S
Originally Posted by Thinker2112
Like I said, I know the feeling you got. I have felt it myself and thought..... wait a minute.......
WOW! Cool. Nice to see that there is an option. I'd be hesitant to install one as the Midlands is fragile enough without putting more stress on an already over stressed unit.
Since the OP has a Se7en, should have a Getrag5. Hey! Swap in the Getrag6 speed and add an LSD!
Correct its the Getrag 5 speed as you will see in my next update 😉
Last time you saw me pull the gearbox, this evening I wanted to open it up but it was beyond dirty. Opening it would result in a lot of dirty and grime falling into the internals and I really didn't want that to happen.
This was another 2h cleaning job. Not my favorite thing but in the end it was satisfying.
I did run into a problem though, scroll down for my issue and question.
Before After
Before After
I used brake cleaner, a lot of blue paper and a dishwasher brush. Don't tell the wife I used a towel from our dog.
The issue I had was that the gear stick while driving was not going back to center when you went for neutral. (left and right would not center, up and down had no problem) I thought it would be the shifter cabels as they looked bad. But today I found out its the gear shifter and cleaning it made it worse. Obviously I need to grease something but what and how? Its not like there is an old school grease nipple.
Neutral as it should be. The right ball is where the left right shifter cable goes. Left (or right) motion and it just stays there and doesn't spring back. There is a spring/tension on there because a slight poke and its jumbs back to neutral
Let me answer my own question, I found this topic on the UK Mini forum describing my "not going into neutral" issue. Turns out there is a £9 fix for it, I'll definitely do that in the near future. Bolt has been ordered.
As for this evening, I've opened up the gearbox and found some interesting stuff: Gearbox split, wasn't as hard as I expected The magnet looks woolly Jep full with iron filings It felt like the thermal paste I used back in the days which you would put between a cpu and the heatsink in a computer And thats what it should look like The differential and a good bearing The other side looked completely shot. These rollers have just been eaten away. This a SKF bearing, I thought that was a respectable brand. The race on the other hand seems fine Most bearings looked ok Another fine bearing The gearbox code for a R50 One, a BFA.
So what's next? I need to get myself a workshop press to press both shafts out to make sure the other ends of the shafts are not pitted. Bearings can be replaced so if the shafts are ok I will purchase a gearbox bearing kit and essentially replace all bearings and the seals
That seems like a lot of iron filings for a transmission.
It seems like at some point an oil change was done on the transmission. Possibly the wrong oil was put in?
So, I take it that BMW/MINI’s idea to make the transmission oil “life time” is to stick a magnet in the bottom of the thing. I suppose there was also the hope no one would keep the car past about 100k miles…
I sometimes joke that it’s the lifetime of the warranty.
I’m actually using the “wrong” oil in mine. So far, so good.
If you don’t mind me asking what is the “wrong” oil that you are using? I know people who use Red Line oil in theirs, but it is not recommended on the Red Line application list (at least not when I lasted look a while back). I’ve had Red Line in my R56 after the LSD went in. The issue I found with it was cold (NE winter) would cause hard shifting until it warmed up.
In my experience it's not the oil but Getrag, or rather SKF, cheaping out with inferior steel. It's always the 5 speed Gettag BFA and BHA boxes that develop this issue. So it could be a "just a batch" of low quality bearings.
If it was the oil all other bearings or even synchro's should be shot as well. I drove this car home for about 250KM and the gears and synchro's themselve are fine.
About the amount of iron filings, yea its a lot but looking at the rollers someone drove too long with this issue. Luckily for me no teeth have been broken and the magnet did it's job!
If you don’t mind me asking what is the “wrong” oil that you are using? I know people who use Red Line oil in theirs, but it is not recommended on the Red Line application list (at least not when I lasted look a while back). I’ve had Red Line in my R56 after the LSD went in. The issue I found with it was cold (NE winter) would cause hard shifting until it warmed up.
I’m running Red Line MTL, actually. IIRC it’s what Red Line recommends for the six speed, but Mini actually specs an ATF for the five speed box. As far as I can tell, it’s a fuel mileage thing. I might try the D4 ATF (if memory serves, that’s the suggested product) at the next change.
As kid and growing up as a car enthusiast, the Lamborghini Miura was my fantasy car. A transverse Italian V12 sitting right behind ones head had to intoxicating. As I read more about it, I learned of a fatal flaw in the first version of the car… The engine and transmission shared oil. The iron filings from the transmission were destroying the engine. While I under stand that, your magnet picture surely drives home why that was a fatal choice. It also points out that a magnet being inside the transmission is a good idea.
As kid and growing up as a car enthusiast, the Lamborghini Miura was my fantasy car. A transverse Italian V12 sitting right behind ones head had to intoxicating. As I read more about it, I learned of a fatal flaw in the first version of the car… The engine and transmission shared oil. The iron filings from the transmission were destroying the engine. While I under stand that, your magnet picture surely drives home why that was a fatal choice. It also points out that a magnet being inside the transmission is a good idea.
That's an interesting story. These Getrag gearboxes aren't that bad, they have some tolerance so filings aren't making them go bad instantly.
This evening I got some more work done. I forgot to check the reverse idler gear, these can go bad because they have a brass bushing. Well, mine did not as the pictures will show. There is some play when I put it on its shaft but not excessive. Remember, this gear is not a press fit as it needs to spin freely on the shaft.
After that I removed the clutch, flywheel and replaced the rear main seal.
Picture time: The reverse idler gear on its shaft It sits in the corner between the forks And is held in by an external bolt. Interesting design Also removed the gear selector to inspect The clutch on the block Clutch out of the car, did look rather good and didn't need replacing but I'll do so "while I'm in there" The flywheel And out of the car. Not sure why but the R50 has a solid mass flywheel where the R53 has a dual mass flywheel. I prefer the first and have actually converted my R53 with the Valeo kit. Rear main seal Wheeps a little bit in the bottom right area I use an unconventional method to remove the rear main seal. First I drill a 2mm hole Then stick a rather fat (4mm) screw in there Then lever it out using a block of wood and a crowbar Old and new New one on but not flush Sitting nicely, flush
During your investigation, when pulling the gear selector/shift weight - Did you happen to figure out what mechanism may have been (momentarily) "stuck" causing the shifter not to spring back into the neutral position?
Do you think it was internal to the transmission?
During your investigation, when pulling the gear selector/shift weight - Did you happen to figure out what mechanism may have been (momentarily) "stuck" causing the shifter not to spring back into the neutral position?
Do you think it was internal to the transmission?
Yes, I actually figured it out some days ago but I now actually know how it works. The tension is actually caused by the shifter forks which sort of behave as a spring somehow. When you unbolt the gear selector it actually pops out of its hole by that tension.
The bit that makes the gear stick not center is the hollow bushing on the external gear selector. I have ordered an aftermarket solution which basically is replacing the bushing by a bolt. The bushing is either corroded or the lube has gone hard. Seeing someone sprayed the hell of it with copper grease, I guess the latter happened.
In the near future I will show how I grid off the bushing and replace it with the aftermarket bolt solution.
Thanks for answering. Somehow I glossed over that link (UK forum) in your earlier post.
Although I never had trouble with my gear selector springing back/reverting back to neutral position in my 6spd Getrag. I did re-bush my shift weight which seemed to resolve (to some extent) an issue with stiff shifting.
Ultimately, the demise of my transmission, was caused by a bent or broken shifter fork. Interesting how you described these 2wo components were directly linked/connected to each other. Helps me to better understand what happened in my case.
I've got some work done this evening, although not a lot. Refitted flywheel and a new clutch. Tried to remoce the right tie rod but to no avail. Rusted solid. Not sure yet if I'm going to replace it or not as it's not that bad but it could be better. If I'm going to it means not just the tie rod end but the entire thing including bellows and then you want to do both sides and you're going to need tracking. Expenses then get pretty steep.
Picture time. Old vs new The crank This is my trick to hold the flywheel so I could torque it up Flywheel torqued up an bolts have locktite on them Clutch is on, it was very easy to align
I'm either gonna do bushings or the exhaust next. I need something satisfying after those tie rods as I felt this was a waste of the evening.
Living in the salt belt of the States, I “never seize” everything. When my MINIs were new, I put a very light weight oil in the slot of the tie rod and then I worked in some never seize. Helped a lot for when alignments were done. That’s for your new one; sorry no good suggestions for your rusted one besides what you are likely already doing.
07-16-2024, 03:42 PM
My ears perk up whenever someone mentions the possibility of an LSD for the 5 speed Getrag because I’ve never found one. I guess I didn’t read closely initially and thought you were referring to an aftermarket option. Annoyingly, there is an aftermarket one available for the Midlands. 
