6 replies to this topic

[LukeH]

Model:Rover Cooper 1.3 MPI
Year:1997

Hi,

I have put down a deposit on a 1997 Cooper MPI and I am due to pick it up on Tuesday or Wednesday (private sale).

The car has a problem with either the Gearbox or Clutch specifically it makes a quite a loud noise that sounds like a bearing on tickover? When the clutch is pressed down the noise goes away and the engine sounds fine. As soon as the clutch is released, the noise comes back and it is present when driving the car in all gears. It also gets louder as you drive the car.

Any ideas? I appreciate it is a vague description but I would like suggestions on what the problem might be so that I can start troubleshooting in the right direction.

I will be taking the car to a mechanic to be looked at properly soon and worse case I will replace the gearbox or engine if I need to.

Thanks

Luke.

[Asphalt]

Do NOT drive it any more mile!! This sounds suspiciously like an idler gear failure, unfortunately...

Once the idler gear has started to chew the gearbox & clutch case it polutes the oil with swarf.
Which in turn ruins the gearbox & engine if you ignore it and continue to drive.

Expensive engine out job, if you can't do it by yourself.

[LukeH]

Do NOT drive it any more mile!! This sounds suspiciously like an idler gear failure, unfortunately...

Once the idler gear has started to chew the gearbox & clutch case it polutes the oil with swarf.
Which in turn ruins the gearbox & engine if you ignore it and continue to drive.

Expensive engine out job, if you can't do it by yourself.

Thanks for your reply. I haven’t actually driven it anywhere as I have not picked it up yet! The only slight problem is that I need to drive the car home when I collect it which is about 30 miles.

What kind of job am I looking at to replace/repair the idler bearing? I have an engine crane to do the work myself or a mechanic who I trust and will take on the job. Ball-park repair bill?

Thanks again for your help.

Luke.

[Asphalt]

That realy depends on how worse the damage is... If you'r lucky, it's only the bearings & idler gear which need to be replaced. Worst case scenario (swarf everywhere) is a full gearbox & engine rebuild, including new gearbox & transfere case & gears... That's the big big disadvantage of a commom sumpf for engine & gearbox Usually means £££ (maybe that's the seller's reason for selling it...?)

Given that - you may find someone with much Mini experience who's able to actually listen to the engine. And give a second opinion. Which isn't based on text description.

Make an oilchange and look how much debris & swarf floats in the oil... If you find 'flip-flop' oil - be prepared for the worst. Any mile more makes the damage worse; bear that in mind.

Good luck! Thumbs pressed it's only minor damage!

Jan

[LukeH]

That realy depends on how worse the damage is... If you'r lucky, it's only the bearings & idler gear which need to be replaced. Worst case scenario (swarf everywhere) is a full gearbox & engine rebuild, including new gearbox & transfere case & gears... That's the big big disadvantage of a commom sumpf for engine & gearbox Usually means £££ (maybe that's the seller's reason for selling it...?)

Given that - you may find someone with much Mini experience who's able to actually listen to the engine. And give a second opinion. Which isn't based on text description.

Make an oilchange and look how much debris & swarf floats in the oil... If you find 'flip-flop' oil - be prepared for the worst. Any mile more makes the damage worse; bear that in mind.

Good luck! Thumbs pressed it's only minor damage!

Jan

Ok, I think I will take your advice and arrange for the car to be picked up rather than risk driving it.

I know for a fact that the seller has reduced the price to reflect the problem but with that in mind I still feel that the price is so good that it’s worth buying and paying for the possible engine rebuild/replacement.

Thanks once again for your comments, it has certainly given me a driection to head in.

Luke.

[Cooperman]

If the shell and subframes are all good, then that's the main things that are OK on a Mini.
The needle roller bearing which sits in the gearbox is quite strong and it's the one in the transfer gear case which is more likely to have gone. This could, of course, have taken the one in the gearbox with it. If the big steel thrust washers spin against the aluminium casings, that's where the damage comes from. New transfer gear casings are relatively easy and cheap to find.
The only way to find out is to lift the engine and box out, pull the flywheel off and remove the transfer gear case. Then you will be able to see.
As 'Asphalt' say, an oil drain out might give a good indication, although aluminium bits won't have stuck to the magnetic sump plug, just gone around the engine with possible damage to oil pump and bearings (worst case scenario).
Anyway, if the engine is out, it's a good time to take it off the box and fit new main and big-end bearings, oil pump and crankshaft thrust bearings. That way you'll know it's all OK. Do it yourself. It is better spending the money on special tools than paying a garage, unless you know a specialist who will do it for, say, £20 per hour. If you do that, get a Metro Turbo oil pump. They are expensive, but so much better than the £15 cheapie pumps you can buy.

[LukeH]

If the shell and subframes are all good, then that's the main things that are OK on a Mini.
The needle roller bearing which sits in the gearbox is quite strong and it's the one in the transfer gear case which is more likely to have gone. This could, of course, have taken the one in the gearbox with it. If the big steel thrust washers spin against the aluminium casings, that's where the damage comes from. New transfer gear casings are relatively easy and cheap to find.
The only way to find out is to lift the engine and box out, pull the flywheel off and remove the transfer gear case. Then you will be able to see.
As 'Asphalt' say, an oil drain out might give a good indication, although aluminium bits won't have stuck to the magnetic sump plug, just gone around the engine with possible damage to oil pump and bearings (worst case scenario).
Anyway, if the engine is out, it's a good time to take it off the box and fit new main and big-end bearings, oil pump and crankshaft thrust bearings. That way you'll know it's all OK. Do it yourself. It is better spending the money on special tools than paying a garage, unless you know a specialist who will do it for, say, £20 per hour. If you do that, get a Metro Turbo oil pump. They are expensive, but so much better than the £15 cheapie pumps you can buy.

Hi

Thanks for the advice. I plan to get the car home and then tackle the engine over the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure whether I will do the work myself as I already have my 79 mini stripped to a bare shell in the garage!

Without going into details of the price, this car is one of the best condition mini's I have ever come across! I spent around an hour in the seller barn/garage with a friend who also owns minis checking every inch to try and find a fault, all that turned up was a couple blown bulbs! Body is solid, interior great, subframes fine, brakes fine, etc.....it had passed MOT with no failures and no advisories!!!! so in a nutshell I think it's worth the effort.

Oh and I'll bare your advice in mind on the oil pump.

Cheers

Luke.