22 replies to this topic

[spursman66]

Hi all. I have just got back home after being recovered by the AA. 1275 Mayfair 1991 auto, poodling along doing about 25/30 MPH in drive and suddenly lost all drive. Engine still running fine but whatever gear I select on the auto box, it seems to engage momentarily and then drops back out. No warning lights, no warning just stopped working. I cant think of any other information really other than AA man say there doesn't seem to any oil leaks or any nasty business underneath. It sounds like it's going to be expensive but is there anything I can try as an amateur at home just in case. Cheers all, fingers crossed.

[ukcooper]

new oil and fillter

[DomCr250]

what was the oil used to do the last service, autos are very sensitive to oil, so agree 100% with a good quality oil and filter change.

[spursman66]

Thanks all. Could it be as simple as that. When you say oil and filter, is that engine oil and filter. Is there a specific oil and filter for an auto gearbox. Sorry if that's a daft question. I have no idea what oil was used last time. Can you recommend oil and filter that I should get.

[Will47]

I have used 10w40 MA2 spec motorcycle oil in my 1991 Mayfair Auto, this is discussed in a lot of detail over on the automatic mini register.

 

The reason for using this particular oil is that it is designed for wet clutches in motorcycles and so is ideal for the mini as the auto box shares oil with the engine (and engine oil is not good for auto boxes!). Mine used to slip a lot between 3rd and 4th and using this oil has completely got rid of the problem. 

 

This is the oil I used:

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...nsAAOSwo4pYUp-n

 

You will need 5 litres if changing the oil and filter so have a shop around, just use the standard automatic mini filter from minispares. 

 

I would try this first as it is cheap and easy to do, then get yourself a haynes manual and read up on adjusting the selector cables

 

Hope this helps

[sledgehammer]

I don't think this is the problem - but worth a look -

 

do either of the drive shafts / pot joints spin ? with wheels not moving

 

if not , I would go along with the above first

 

also check change cable hasn't snapped , but that would give a stuck in gear , rather than loss of drive , but worth a look

 

hope it is something cheap / quick to fix

[spursman66]

Thanks all for the help, going to try and get it done over the next few days and I'll let you know

[sledgehammer]

best of luck

[mk1leg]

you could try this...........what you need to do is pop along to a car parts supplier (oils, de-greasers ect) and get some engine flushing oil 2 x 75mls bottles, pour one into engine jack up front and pop axle stands under sub so wheels are free, start engind and run it for 20mins moving shift in all gears..(this will free up the planet gears that are clogged with **** from non regular services) then switch off and drain old oil (careful very HOT) refull with cheep oil and then put 2nd bottle in and repeat then drain oil again and this time change oil canister filter and refill with 20/50....

[New game mini]

My auto played up for ages before anything major gave up so if everything was fine before hopefully it's something fairly simple (and cheap!) 10/40 ma2 motorbike oil as mentioned makes such a difference to a mini auto box. Personally I wouldn't put engine flush oil in an auto engine. Good luck!

[Will47]

My auto played up for ages before anything major gave up so if everything was fine before hopefully it's something fairly simple (and cheap!) 10/40 ma2 motorbike oil as mentioned makes such a difference to a mini auto box. Personally I wouldn't put engine flush oil in an auto engine. Good luck!

 

As above I would definitely not put engine flush in the auto box, far too many seals for it to ruin! Obviously with an auto you can never change all the oil at once, if you want to flush all the oil you will need to buy around 10-15 litres and change the oil once, go for a drive, change it again and so on until you are happy with the colour of it, this should flush out any contaminants.

 

This does however sound like the shifter cable, get on to the automatic mini register forum and have a look, there are some very detailed and easy to follow instructions on adjusting the cable. 

[Leonrjohnson]

Are you sure you have oil pressure? We had an Auto that stopped driving due to oil pump failure.

Worth a look, have you got an oil pressure gauge in the car?

[spursman66]

I don't have the oil pressure gauge but no sign of the oil pressure light coming on. I am going to try the oil change over the next couple of nights.

[Ethel]

following on from Sledgehammer's reply, the speedo needle should still move if the issue is the final drive, diff or driveshafts. 

[Wim Fournier]

DON"T USE engine flushing oil

It ruin's your friction devices.

Try motorcycle engine oil for wet clutches.

Maybe the oil pump in your engine is not sound anymore.

Have a look at the 'automini.proboards' website for acurat informance on this subject.

Edited by Wim Fournier, 21 December 2016 - 05:41 PM.