Hi All

Our 04 Mini Cooper 1.6 is starting to get noisy in 3rd, 4th and 5th gear? Changes gear fine and doesn't jump out of them or anything just noisy when accelerating but does shut up on the overrun. 1st and 2nd gear seem quiet or i'm just not noticing the noise until higher speeds?

Thoughts?

Many thanks.

 

What build date? Midlands (before 7/2004) or Getrag transmission(after7/2004)?

 

Midland 5 speed.

 

Mine started doing that last summer. Rapid Thu-Thu-Thu-Thu... sound varying with
road speed, progressively louder in higher gears, almost absent in Rev, 1st, 2nd at
first, worse with throttle, went away with light-throttle/coasting or in neutral or with
clutch out, could also hear it under engine braking conditions.


Turned out to be the differential bearings. I swapped a 6-speed Getrag in rather
than put another Midlands in or just replace the diff bearings and wait for the rest
of the transmission to fail.


Hope it's something simpler with yours. Has the gear oil ever been changed, is the
level ok?

 

Sounds like it is the box then. Yes it did have the oil changed a few thousand miles back when the clutch was changed. Oil was debris free too.

 

Slight update on this. I took it for a drive tonight as my wife and daughter say its getting louder, which it must be for them to notice? They were correct it is louder. I also noticed the noise is there in all gears but more pronounced in the higher gears. Alos, it is there when accelerating and decelerating but disappears dompletely when you press the clutch down.

My wife also cliams the steering shakes a bit now, which it does seem to at low speeds, but i;m not sure its connected to this problem?

 

Sounds similar to my friends differential bearing gone bad. If mine I'd change the fluid one more time and hope that helps.
Greg

 

Rang our local Mini specialist who normally works on it. He said to bring it over and let him have a drive/listen. He does think it snew box time and if it is he'll supply and fit a fully reconditioned midland box for £675 ($1k) or has a good second hand one which he'll supply and fit for £375 ($577). As we're about to sell it and get a later one we'll go for the cheapest option.

 

Put In Royal Purple 85/140 see if that quiets it down, I have a lightweight flywheel, so i get "chatter" from the gearbox, put that oil in, It made a difference.. Although if your diff is on it's way out, I'd get it fixed now, before you have to pay $300 to trailer it to the menders... It's gonna be expensive enough without that little stinger..