31 replies to this topic

[MRA]

All the soft parts are readily available, there are lots of spares ...... because people keep on removing them to exchange with a manual

[alicetheauto]

Really? Where from? I had a nightmare getting a simple front casing gasket! Motor factors (that I knew on first-name, trade discount terms!!) couldnt help me, nothing was listed!I have been told by a mini supplier that it is most definately not worth trying to refurb an auto gearbox on a car unless it is a concourse car, unlike the normal £1500-2000 city or mayfair it usually is in!!

[MRA]

Well a soft parts kit is about £130 plus VAT from us, the complete kit has everything from seals gaskets to steel reaction plates, bands, and friction plates etc etc

Torque convertors are about £236 plus VAT exchange

[alicetheauto]

So, about £500 in parts if you include the VAT, then maybe 15 hours labour if you have a full workshop with the correct BL tools and pressure guages? I see why they said not to bother with my car!

[MRA]

You dont need to change the convertor if nothing is wrong with it.......... although they do wear, they don't wear like a clutch.... I know people who have had a convertor since new over 20 years ago in one case

The pressure gauges are simple enough gauges probably available off the bay for a £5 plus an adapter.... ok if it only needs to work once or twice. People get all scared of the auto transmission and what they fear is that they often don't know enough about... so they sell you something they do know.......... which tends to be manual trans.

[Joloke08]

Just thought id ad my tuppence worth here.
Boris is an auto and unfortunately due to holding an Automatic Licence due to dissability i dont have a great deal of Choice

This is the Second Mini Automatic ive had and had no problems with the other one its mainly down to maintainance
If the car hasnt had regular Oil changes then it may of suffered simply because of that

I think the gearbox is vastly underated,Granted i wouldnt want to take an auto on a track day but for normal road use when all the internals are in good order and with regular Maintainance and Oil changes you shouldnt really have any problems

As far as Garages saying its not worth the bother it depends where you take it?
I took Boris to a local Ex Rover garage run by all the original Rover trained mechanics (most of them near retirement age) and they said Boris wasnt worth the bother

They based it in their mind that old minis are only worth scrap,needless to say i just left i wont recomend them to anybody with their atitude

However take it to an automatic gearbox specialists and im sure they see it in a very different light?
Cost?
Well looking around another fully rebuilt box can be yours for under £500 and depending on where you go labour £300-£500 so its Around £800-£1000 all in,Granted it your auto is a budget banger maybe its not worth it?

But if like boris its treasured £1000 then regular Oil changes and they are bulletproof its the previous owners that have caused the Slipping on Boris,s gears by not changing the oil Enough and Using the Wrong Oil too!!!!!

I know im going to be shot down here but never ever put anything in an automatic other than a good quality 20w50 mineral oil regardless to what the stupid handbook says!!!!

I seem to remember a post some time ago somebody said they switched from 10w40 to 20w50 and it made things worse,i really dont believe this was the fault of the Oil but that the transmission was soo Stuffed it was too late!

weve caught Boris in the Nick of time though we plan on a refurb exchange box anyway in the future as boris is for keeps

I too would like to see the rebuild piccys anybody got the guts to do it themselves is brave but id love to see somebody have a go

Parts for the gearboxes as others have said JPAT theres nothing they dont do and if there is they can probably machine/manufacture it for you from scratch

The only part ive found to be pretty much unobtainable is the Oil Pump though im sure somebody could refurb one?

Long Live the Auto if we keep converting them there will be non left
Autos are just as important a piece of Mini History that should be reserved!

Interestingly enough people moan about the price of an Autobox Refurb but ive seen manual units that cost anything from £800-£2000 and thats not fitted

Huggz
Jodie

[Dan]

I couldn't agree more. People always tell you to get rid of the auto box or that it's not worth fixing but that's usually because they are trying to sell you something they actually have or because they don't understand it. Or worst of all simply because they personally don't like automatic transmissions. It's actually a fairly simple device mechanically speaking and very robust as auto boxes go. As with all Mini transmissions its downfall is that it has to run on multigrade lubricant oil that is constantly being beaten up by an engine, with an added lack of maintenance usually thrown in for good measure. If fewer people were scared of fixing them the price of parts would come down. The Rover manual goes into very great detail about the auto and how to test it, strip it and repair it. If you go to an auto specialist rather than a Mini specialist most of the parts are available.

[Joloke08]

I couldn't agree more. People always tell you to get rid of the auto box or that it's not worth fixing but that's usually because they are trying to sell you something they actually have or because they don't understand it. Or worst of all simply because they personally don't like automatic transmissions. It's actually a fairly simple device mechanically speaking and very robust as auto boxes go. As with all Mini transmissions its downfall is that it has to run on multigrade lubricant oil that is constantly being beaten up by an engine, with an added lack of maintenance usually thrown in for good measure. If fewer people were scared of fixing them the price of parts would come down. The Rover manual goes into very great detail about the auto and how to test it, strip it and repair it. If you go to an auto specialist rather than a Mini specialist most of the parts are available.

Well said Dan

I often drive my partner mad because i go into deep thought mode about redesigning things a bit
i keep thinking if there was a way to seal off the gearbox from the engine and have oil in the engine and automatic fluid in the gearbox things may run a bit smoother and last a bit longer

If only BL had Encouraged Sir Alex on his Gearless projects think how much better the Auto could be

I must admit we were thinking of doing a transplant for another manufacturers Engine/Box but the difference by just changing from 10w40 to 20w50
So we are going to stick with the tried and tested A series/AP II combo but get a refurbed box

Huggz
Jodie

[MRA]

Bloody H*** the price of parts Dan ?, its cheaper for a full rebuild kit for an auto than it is for a Manual...... I am working on some upgrades that mean that more power can be put through the auto..... as Joloke08 has said some people have a real need for an auto, and some of those same people might like a bit more acceleration

Too many garages advice is to change to manual as they simply don't know how to service, repair and or set the things up....

[Dan]

Does that soft parts pack you mentioned include bearings as well then? If it does that's a great price. All those little torrington bearings would really add up if you bought them individually. Primarily I was referring to hard parts though. Think about the ready availability of gear sets for manual boxes, although admittedly they are generally aftermarket and straight cut so not original equipment. I've never rebuilt one personally but I would imagine things like the toggles in the clutches need to be replaced and so are probably in the rebuild kit but what about major parts like the clutch pistons and drums? Having said that they probably don't wear out so don't need replacing. Don't get me wrong though I'm definitely saying that people should be more willing to overhaul an auto, if the parts involved really are sensibly priced then there's even less reason to be scared of a rebuild.

[MRA]

Unfortunately, bearings are the one thing that gives a headache if they need to be replaced, however on the bright side it not often that the bearings in the auto need to be replaced thats something that we are looking in to at the moment is the possibility to either get them manufactured or find an alternative or .... modify the case etc to take metric off the shelf bearings.....

The price for the master kit includes all gaskets, seals, friction plates etc..... its still not a bad price, and don't forget that some of the manual bearings are no longer available either

[Joloke08]

Bloody H*** the price of parts Dan ?, its cheaper for a full rebuild kit for an auto than it is for a Manual...... I am working on some upgrades that mean that more power can be put through the auto..... as Joloke08 has said some people have a real need for an auto, and some of those same people might like a bit more acceleration

Too many garages advice is to change to manual as they simply don't know how to service, repair and or set the things up....

Hmm i might need an auto but that doesnt mean i drive like a Granny

I like the sound of that,more power?
Ive gotten to tahat age where my insurance isnt excessive so can get away with mods without being hammered,i wonder just wonder if an autobox could cope with a supercharger?



Huggz
Jodie

[bgrant570]

Thanks all for the help and encouragement. First off, a couple of things:

-I won't be rebuilding the tranny myself! I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible for the shop that does.

-I'm in the U.S. That's why I'm trying to help out whoever I take the beast to. There is a shop near me that deals with British cars which actually has reasonable rates (AMAZING!). They have some experience with mini's and the autobox, but they havn't overhauled one before. They do work on other auto trannys though, and have british contacts, so I'll probably go to them. MRA Minis, I'll be sure to give them your contact info.

-Dan, how can I get a hold of the Rover Manual you are talking about? I've been searching on the web for a while, but you can imagine that putting "rover, mini, manual, transmission, etc" into a search engine brings back a variety of sites, but none of them have the Rover service manual.

-MRA, I have 2 holes in the dipstick. I'm assuming one is for the lower level and one is for the upper. I usually check after the engine has set for a while after a run. I'm using 20W50.

-I won't swap for a manual trans. Minis aren't as common over here, so there aren't that many spares here. Plus, I want to keep the SPI, which limits my options even further. I think I'll be money ahead by just fixing the auto. I really don't mind the autobox anyway.

Thank again for all the help. I'll keep you informed.

-Brian

[Dan]

I would think one of the bigger US dealers like Mini Mania or 7 Enterprises (are these now the same company?) would carry the Rover manual. You can get it from Mini Spares over here. If not British Motor Heritage publish a disc with all the tachnical data from each era of production that you should be able to get hold of from one of the specialists. The data in the Rover manual is very much limited to a strip down and rebuild service and testing data for a general Rover mechanic to use. Anything that falls outside tollerance usually says something along the lines of 'return for an exchange unit' or simply replace the entire transmission rather than telling you any very specific machining dimensions for repairs. Also I'd guessed you were in the US and that parts may be harder to come by and more things would have to be re-conditioned by your mechanic. This is why I suggested JPAT might have more details but the manual will be quite handy as a general guide to tearing the box down. The latest copy I have is part number AKM6353 and as I said the specialists should have it. For the data discs you might find information at the BMH-Ltd website.

Edited by Dan, 20 April 2009 - 04:26 PM.

[bgrant570]

I would think one of the bigger US dealers like Mini Mania or 7 Enterprises (are these now the same company?) would carry the Rover manual. You can get it from Mini Spares over here. If not British Motor Heritage publish a disc with all the tachnical data from each era of production that you should be able to get hold of from one of the specialists. The data in the Rover manual is very much limited to a strip down and rebuild service and testing data for a general Rover mechanic to use. Anything that falls outside tollerance usually says something along the lines of 'return for an exchange unit' or simply replace the entire transmission rather than telling you any very specific machining dimensions for repairs. Also I'd guessed you were in the US and that parts may be harder to come by and more things would have to be re-conditioned by your mechanic. This is why I suggested JPAT might have more details but the manual will be quite handy as a general guide to tearing the box down. The latest copy I have is part number AKM6353 and as I said the specialists should have it. For the data discs you might find information at the BMH-Ltd website.

Mini Mainia and Seven Enterprises are seperate, and niether has the Rover Manual. I will try Mini Spares or BMH. I believe the shop knows about JPAT, but I'll suggest them as well as MRA Minis.

Thanks for the info!!!

-Brian