12 replies to this topic

[timreeves]

Howdy!

Got my mini back the other day from my mechanic after a thorough servicing.
But after getting back in my car, i noticed that the gearbox felt a little different, oh well no worries, pop her into the garage as it was late at night.

Took her out the next day and just went for a pootle round the drive, all seemed fine until it came to reversing the car, it jsut won't go into reverse at all, and i also noticed that the clutch moves a lot further now and hits the floor (not sure if it did this before, but soemthigns definately different!) it goes into all 4 of her gears just fine, gearbox feels a little like soup, but whos gearbox doesn't

So has anyone got any ideas on
1) why she won't go into revers
2) Anything i can do to make the gear change feel a little more certain, i've done enough soup stirring

I believe it's a fairly standard cooper gearbox, but not 100% on that, and it does have a kad quickshift fitted

Thanking you muchly!

Tim

[Amanda2820]

My gear box is like stirring porridge!

Have you tried lifting the gear stick as you try to go into reverse? Probably best to get it back to the garage that serviced it and see what they say (Probably tell you that you need a new clutch?)
As it has only started happening since the service, they should be happy to look at it for you

[Big_Adam]

What exactly did you have done on your service?

He he replaced the gear selector shaft seal then that can screw reverse, well if you just pound in a new one.

[timreeves]

What exactly did you have done on your service?

He he replaced the gear selector shaft seal then that can screw reverse, well if you just pound in a new one.

he didn't do anything to the engine or gearbox according to his report, which is what worries me!
and yeh, i always lift my gearstick to go in reverse, it feels like it goes into reverse, but it's in 4th

[Amanda2820]

Did they do an Oil Change? - perhaps this has effected the gears???

I'd get back to the mechanic ASAP and point at the gearbox!

[timreeves]

Did they do an Oil Change? - perhaps this has effected the gears???

I'd get back to the mechanic ASAP and point at the gearbox!

He's on holiday at the moment
and yeh they did an oil change, don't see how this could effect changing gears :confused:
having said that the oil light did come on yesterday when i took her out

[Jammy]

I'd be very worried if the oil light came on. At that point the oil pressure is already so low that it will be causing damage to the engine (if the light coming on has been caused by low oil pressure).

The only other thing I can think of that might make getting into reverse hard is if the gear selector steady rod has been moved/undone/broken, etc.

Where abouts are you?

Moved to Technical.

[timreeves]

I'd be very worried if the oil light came on. At that point the oil pressure is already so low that it will be causing damage to the engine (if the light coming on has been caused by low oil pressure).

The only other thing I can think of that might make getting into reverse hard is if the gear selector steady rod has been moved/undone/broken, etc.

Where abouts are you?

Moved to Technical.

I'm just off J8 of the M25.
errm, i think the lights going on as my oil pressure is too high, as the oil pressure guage is always all the way to the right... what can i do to lower it though
how the funk did it jsut pass it's MOT :shake:

[Bass Man]

Check the oil level, make sure there isn't too much in there!

[timreeves]

Check the oil level, make sure there isn't too much in there!

nope, right amopunt of oil in there

[taffy1967]

I had a similar problem after I took my Mini back to a so called "insurance recommended repairer", because the new panels they had fitted after an accident (which wasn't even my fault), had started to rust after a mere few months.

After picking the car up I couldn't select reverse very easily (hmmm never had a problem before), but just drove home anyway.

Soon after I started having problems changing from second to third and it was like stirring porridge when in neutral too.

The body shop denied all knowledge of causing any harm, but I still made a formal complaint even though it was simply my word against theirs.

After much heartache we finally had the gearbox rebuilt and they fitted a new primary gear and baulk rings. I had thought that the gear selector folks were to blame, but that wasn't the case.

So god knows what those fools did to cause the problem, but I know there were road repairs happening right outside the premises and the man hole covers were raised. So whether they struck one of them, or drove it off the kerb and the force hitting the gearbox did it or they just used force to find reverse (not realising you had to lift the gear-stick).

I believe the latter is the case, because the gear-stick knob was twisted around.

[andyc142]

I had a problem a few month ago that i couldn't get mine into reverse and i didn't do anything about it, it was when i started struggling to change into other gears it got me worried, basicly the problem with mine was that the brake fluid in the hydraulic system was low. if you pump your cluth and then try to put it into reverse does that work? if so check your fluid levels.

[taffy1967]

Yes it could simply be the clutch slave cylinder that's to blame and a new set of seals is required.