Gearbox oil leak

[dpms2]

I had my gearbox replaced after a complete failure back in February. Today I took a look under the car to see if I could tell if they'd put in a Getrag or a Midlands gearbox (can you tell by looking???) and I noticed a few drops of oil leaking out where the gearbox joins the engine block. Damn!! Another trip to the dealer tomorrow I guess.

[LizL]

Sorry to hear about your gear box, I may be in the same boat, what were the symptoms for you? My '04 Cooper w/ 15,500 miles lost gears yesterday. When i got off the highway I had difficulty shifting, but eventually had all the low gears for getting around in the city I was in. Back on the highway at night, It popped out of 5th a few times. This is unacceptable and I have found at least one other thread on here with the gear box issue.

I asked the dealer to look for a leak in January when there was a tacky liquid on my driveway, but they said they couldn't find a leak. Please fill me in on more of your situation. If there's enough of these out there worldwide perhaps we can put pressure on MINI.

[dmholmes]

I noticed a couple of drops of oil on mine on the right side of the motor when changing back to the summer tires. Took it in to the dealer and it turned out to be a leaking crankshaft seal. I was figuring transmission too, since the car has already had two replaced.

Don't know if you can tell by looking if it is a Getrag or not. When mine was replaced a couple of months ago it got another Midlands unit. You should be able to tell by the feel of the unit. The Getrag's have a "notchier" feel to the box. Not to mention they are geared differently. The Getrag until will have a lower speed at redline than the Midlands box. Can't remember the difference but I believe it is listed in the FAQ.

[dpms2]

Well I took the car into my dealer, and they say it's not the transmission leaking, but the dipstick surround - they say that the K&N airfilter i have fitted is causing 'increased crank pressure' and that's causing the dipstick holder to leak. And the cost of that pearl of wisdom? 70 pounds labour!