MINI Cooper R50 Clutch Replacement

One of the most common repair procedures for the MINI is the replacement of the clutch assembly (See Figure 1).

Unfortunately, it is a rather big process involving the removal of the transmission. The good news is that it's really not a super-difficult job if you have some information, and a few hints and tips. The first step is to remove the front bumper assembly and the front subframe. See our articles on both front subframe removal and front bumper removal for more info. Disconnect the battery before you begin as we will be working around the starter.

The first step is to remove the axles from the car. On the end of each wheel is a large 32mm nut that secures the axle shaft to the wheel housing. You'll see that one side of the nut has a locking tab that fits into a slot on the axle. Use a standard screwdriver to pry the locking tab up. Don't worry about damaging the nut as you will want to replace this nut when you re-install the axles (See Figure 2 and Figure 3).

You'll probably have to use an impact gun to remove the axle nut. These nuts are usually torqued down to well over 200 ft/lbs (See Figure 4 and Figure 5). The impact gun makes short work of this job. Otherwise, you'll have to loosen these nuts with the car on the ground, with the tires fitted and a very long breaker bar. If you can borrow an impact for just this step, it will be worth it. Once the nuts are off, use a puller to press the axle shaft out of the wheel bearing/housing. You may also want to consider leaving the axles installed in the wheel housings and simply remove them from the end of the front struts.

Now drain the transmission (See our article on changing transmission fluid for more info) and use a standard screwdriver top carefully pry the dust seal out of each side of the transmission. As you do, it will free up the drive axle. (See Figure 6 and Figure 7). Give each a good tug and remove the axles from the car. On the passenger side of the car, you will also have to remove the four bolts holding the axle carrier to the engine block.

Now remove the clutch slave cylinder from the transmission. If you are replacing the slave, go ahead and remove the hydraulic connection. Otherwise, just set it aside still connected as it is somewhat difficult to bleed the air out (See Figure 8). If you are not going to replace slave cylinder install the special bleeding tool to ensure piston rod of slave does not come out while replacing clutch. If the piston rod does come out than you will have to replace slave cylinder. See our article on slave cylinder removal for more info.

Move up to the top of the transmission and pry the gearshift cable ends off the transmission (See Figure 9). Also squeeze the metal clips securing the cables in the retainer and remove them as well (See our article on replacing gearshift cables for more info).

In order to remove the transmission, most of the intake assembly must be removed. Refer to our articles on Water pump removal and cold air installation for more info. With the lower plastic air duct and throttle body removed you will have access to the bracket underneath. This bracket holds the throttle body in place and also holds the electrical harness box at the front. Remove the 10mm nut as well as the two 14mm bolts holding the bracket to the transmission (See Figure 10 and Figure 11). At the very right of the harness you will see a 16mm bolt underneath. This bolt holds the harness at the rear. This bolt is also one of the mounting bolts holding the transmission to the engine (See Figure 12).

Now move up to behind the engine and remove the two 13mm bolts securing the exhaust manifold heat shield to the cylinder head. Pull back the heat shield covering the exhaust manifold and remove it. It may take a little maneuvering to get it out of the way (See Figure 13 and Figure 14). Now look down between the manifold runners. You'll see a small 10mm bolt holding the heat shield for the starter in place. Carefully remove this bolt. This will allow you to position the shield out of the way to access the mounting bolts and the electrical connections for the starter (See Figure 15). Now move down under the car and remove the electrical connection going to the reverse light switch (See Figure 16).

The next step is to remove the starter. Remove the two 10mm bolts holding the cover shield just below the starter and remove the cover (See Figure 17). Also remove the 16mm bolt to the right of the lower cover bolt. This bolt secures the transmission to the engine on this side of the transmission. The other bolt is the one right above securing the starter to the transmission. Now remove the upper mounting bolt for the starter. This bolt isn't visible form underneath and will take a little maneuvering to reach. Use a long extension and ratchet to remove it (See Figure 18). Now remove the lower mounting bolt holding the starter (See Figure 19).

With the lower starter bolt removed, you will be able to move the starter heat shield by sliding the locating grommet off the pin and access the electrical connections to the starter (See Figure 20). Make sure that you have disconnected the battery before doing this. Also remove the electrical connection to the solenoid above. This is a bit difficult to see and you may have to go by feel on this one (See Figure 21). Now remove the starter and the heat shield (See Figure 22).

Now it's time to remove the 16mm mounting bolts holding the transmission to the engine. There are 7 bolts in total, two of which you should already have removed. Work your way around the engine (See Figures 23, 24 and 25) and remove all the bolts. Now place a floor jack under the transmission and jack stands under the engine with a block of wood to support them. Now remove the large 16mm bolt holding the two parts of the transmission mount together (See Figure 26). Now remove the upper and lower portions of the transmission mount. Refer to our article on replacing engine mounts for more information (See Figure 27). Keep in mind that the weight of the transmission will now be partly supported by the floor jack.

Perform a last minute check around the transmission to check for any items that may still be hooked up and with the engine secured on the jack, slowly separate the transmission from the engine. It may help to carefully pry the transmission from the engine using a standard screwdriver. Take your time and pull the engine straight back until the input shaft of the transmission has pulled out of the clutch disc. Use extreme caution here as the jack will be the only thing supporting the transmission. It's recommended that you have a friend help you guide the transmission off the engine and down out of the car (See Figures 28 through 31).

Now it's time to start disassembling the clutch mechanism. Locate the six E8 Torx bolts that hold the pressure plate to the flywheel (See Figures 32, 33 and 34). Usually, you have to lock the flywheel to prevent it form turning as you remove these bolts, however, they are torqued down to only 17ft/lbs. so they are easy to break loose while you hold the pressure plate with your hand. Use a criss-cross pattern when loosening the bolts. It's a good idea to invest in a good set of Torx sockets, both male and female. Don't try to use a regular hex socket on these bolts. They are very easy to round off. On this particular car, I found that one of the pressure plate bolts had been rounded off when I tried to remove it.  If this happens, use a Dremel tool and cut them off in about 1 minute.  Don't waste your time trying vice-grips or other foolish methods - you can cut them off, and you don't need to worry about damaging the pressure plate because you're going to be replacing it anyways. The trick is to cut the bolt head off flush with the pressure plate, then simply pull the pressure plate off and unscrew the remainder of the bolt.

Once the bolts have been unscrewed, remove the pressure plate. Underneath the pressure plate is the clutch disc. This is the part of the clutch that makes physical contact with the flywheel until you press the pedal. It's also a good idea to have a tarp underneath as you'll probably dump a fair amount of clutch dust onto the ground (See Figure 35). Typically, if the clutch disc is badly worn, you'll see that the friction material will be worn down past the rivets holding the disc together. Also, if your flywheel shows any signs of heat glazing or scratches, it's best to take it to a machine shop to have the face of the flywheel re-surfaced. This is also called 'turning' the flywheel. The idea is to give the new clutch disc a good surface to bite into. If the surface is heat glazed and not turned, it can begin to slip. Remove the eight bolts holding the flywheel on in a criss-cross pattern to relieve the torque evenly (See Figure 36).

You'll want to lock the flywheel to remove the bolts holding the flywheel to the engine. These bolts are typically torqued down very tight and you'll find that the flywheel will just turn as you try to loosen them with a breaker bar. In our case, I simply used a BMW water pump removal tool with one of the transmission bolts and also one of the pressure plate bolts. However, any flat piece of steel with two holes will work. The factory tool bolts onto the other side of the engine at the harmonic balancer, which requires and extra set of hands to hold as you loosen the bolts. In our case, we used an electric impact gun to make quick work of the flywheel bolts. Again, loosen them in a criss-cross pattern to relieve the torque evenly and support the flywheel as you loosen the last bolt as it is quite heavy (See Figure 37 and Figure 38).

The next step is to replace the rear main seal. This seal is an important one as it seals the gap between the crankshaft at the engine block. If this seal were to fail, it would start leaking oil all over the ground and likely onto the clutch plate as well, rending your clutch basically useless. This is one of those 'while you're in there' items that really should be replaced. Carefully use a screwdriver to grab one edge of the seal and pry it out a little at a time. The inside edge of the seal is metal, so it will likely take some time to get this seal all the way out. (See Figures 39, 40 and 41).

Now, fit the new seal into the gap between the end of the crankshaft and the engine block. BMW specifies to use of a special tool to drive the seal in, but you can do one of two things here instead. You can either find a section of ABS pipe roughly the same diameter as the seal and carefully drive the seal in or, you can cautiously tap the seal in one section at a time in small increments. The idea here is to install the seal with out cocking it inside the gap. Take your time and make sure it seats flush with the cylinder block. Getting the seal started around the crankshaft can be a bit tricky. Make sure that the lip is oriented correctly and don't touch the lip with bare fingers (See Figure 42).

At this point, you'll want to turn your attention to the transmission, and refurbish the throw-out bearing and arm. Remove the bearing from the plastic hub. This is the portion of the throwout bearing that has direct contact with the pressure plate. Now rotate the throwout arm to allow the plastic retaining hub to be removed (See Figures 43, 44 and 45). Remove the bolt securing the bearing fork to the throwout arm. Rotate the arm enough for the fork to clear the input shaft and pull it down enough to allow you to access the bolts securing the input shaft seal to the transmission (See Figure 46 and Figure 47). Now remove the three 10mm bolts holding the input shaft seal cover/guide tube to the transmission. Carefully pry the input shaft seal cover/guide tube up off the flange and you will see the input shaft seal directly underneath (See Figure 49 and Figure 50).

Now you will need to remove the fork on the throwout arm. The fork is a tight fit on the throwout arm. I found that if I used a pair of channel locks, I was able to press the fork off the throwout arm. You need to pull the throwout arm off in order to replace the two plastic bushings that sit at the top and bottom of the arm. Now remove the plastic bushing at the top where the throwout arm fits. The lower bushing should also come out When you remove the throwout arm from the transmission. This also allows you a little extra room to remove the input shaft seal (See Figure 51 and Figure 52).

Use a small pick or other means to carefully pry the input shaft seal out. This seal prevents transmission oil from leaking out past the input shaft and potentially onto the clutch disc. if this happens, it could cause the clutch to slip. Take care as you remove the old seal as the input shaft bearing retainer is directly below the seal and can be damaged easily. Clean the input shaft and slide the new input shaft seal down over the shaft in to place. Carefully press the new shaft seal into position using either the factory tool or a section of pipe roughly the same size as the seal until it sits flush (See Figure 53, 54 and 55).

Now fit the new upper throwout bearing into the slot in the transmission casing. Take note of the tab molded into the bushing and the notch in the casing. Also press the lower bushing into position from outside the transmission (See Figure 56 and Figure 57). Re-fit the input shaft seal cover/guide tube over the new shaft seal. Use the new shaft cover bolts and tighten down the shaft seal cover to 6Nm (4.5ft/lbs.) (See Figures 58 and 59).

Lubricate the lower portion of the throwout arm with lithium moly grease before inserting it into the new lower shift bushing. As you push the throwout arm up through the lower shift bushing, fit the bearing fork over the arm and slide it down so that the hole in the fork lines up with the threaded hole in the throwout arm. After you press the fork into place, lubricate the top part of the arm with lithium moly grease before placing it up into the new upper bushing (See Figure 60, 61 and 62). Now fit the new bolt into the fork, securing it to the throwout arm (See Figure 63).

Rotate the throwout arm fork out to slide the new throwout bearing over the guide tube so that the arms of the fork fit into the slots on the underside of the bearing. Lubricate the shaft splines prior to installing the transmission back into the car with some lithium moly grease (See Figures 64, 65 and 66).

Just a quick note here, but it is important the keep the throwout arm and bearing rotated back towards the transmission when installing the transmission. Inadvertently, I had moved the arm forward while I was trying to get the input shaft of the transmission to line up with the clutch. I wasn't able to do, requiring me to lower the transmission out of the car and inspect to see what the problem was. If you move the lever forward enough, it will cock the bearing on the input shaft as seen in Figure 67. It's a good idea to zip tie the throwout arm lever to the stand off for the clutch slave cylinder to keep it in place prior to installation.

Now back to the engine. With the new rear main seal fitted, it's time to remount the flywheel to the engine. Take note of the small mark on the end of the crankshaft. The Flywheel will have a mark on the mounting face to corresponds with this mark. It's important to make sure that these marks line up as you mount the flywheel. With the flywheel mounted, thread in all the bolts snug and set up the flywheel lock so you can torque the bolts without the engine turning. Now torque the mounting bolts using a criss-cross pattern to 90Nm (66 ft/lbs.) each (See Figures 68 through 71).

Now place the clutch disc onto the flywheel. It's important to note the direction in which the disc is facing. There will be writing on the disc surface indicating the direction. On some clutch kits, the disc with say "gearbox side" In our case, the clutch reads "Getriebeseite" which is German for "gearbox side". Make sure the side with the writing is facing the direction of the transmission (See Figure 73).

Now take the new pressure plate and orient it so that the three open holes on the outside diameter fit onto the three dowel pins on the flywheel. You'll also want to use the clutch alignment tool pressed through the clutch disc in order to position to clutch disc in the center (See Figure 74).

Most clutch kits come with a plastic clutch alignment tool to center the clutch disc when you tighten down the pressure plate. In the case of the MINI, the kit does not include this tool. At the time of this writing, the factory alignment tool was well over $100. However I found a cheaper solution. Kingsbourne makes a plastic alignment tool (p.n. GM6) that fits General Motors 2.8L V6 engines as well as the Saab 900SE and 9-3. This tool is around $10 through Pelican Parts. The catch here is that you have to apply force on the tool to keep the disc centered as you torque the pressure plate bolts to the flywheel to 23Nm (17 ft/lbs.) (M8) (See Figure 74) - (for M9 bolts, torque to 28 Nm (21 ft-lbs.).

Now place the transmission back on your floor jack and lift it up into position to be remounted. In my opinion, this is the most difficult part of the job. I recommend having a few friends help you to position the transmission. The idea is to get the input shaft on the transmission to slide into the clutch disc on the engine. It's helpful to thread some rope through one of the holes of the transmission to help rotate it forward. The casing of the transmission makes it a little difficult to get centered exactly on the bottom of the floor jack. The idea is to rotate the transmission enough to locate a few of the mounting bolts. Once the mounting holes line up, thread in the mounting bolts. This will allow just enough space for you to fit a standard screwdriver inside the transmission to turn the flywheel slightly with the starter teeth. Sometimes, the splines on the clutch disc and also the input shaft of the transmission will not mesh perfectly. Turning the flywheel slightly while a helper pushes on the transmission will usually allow the transmission to slide into place. Once seated flush against the engine, re fit all the mounting bolts and torque them to spec (See Figures 75 through 78). After that, all that's left is to reassemble the various components of the transmission, suspension, drive axles and front subframe.

I wish I could say this was an easy job, but it's not. It's not impossible, but there's a lot of stuff to remove and a lot of tricky spots. One of the things that you want to do is purchase a complete kit that contains everything that you need for the job: all of the nuts, bolts and bushings, as this will be a huge timesaver. The only place that currently sells such a kit is PelicanParts.com.