[dee]

hello all

i have a october 2004 mini cooper convertible and i note that the gearbox more often than not crunches when put in reverse

i thought this woudl dissapear with the new gatreg gearbox ???

Is there something wrong with my car ????

 

[Rich C]

I think they all do this - at least the other owners of MY05 cars I've spoken too have said the same.

Just for the silence I put the car into 1st first and then into reverse - thinkit must line up the sprockets or something.....

 

[MINIchola]

I get that to, but as im a girl i just assumed it was my crap driving ha ha ha ha

 

[mfearnuk]

Mine does it all the time

I took mine to Snows (Portsmouth) to get the gear crunch sorted + roof auto destruct and the alarm sensors. They did nothing after having the car for a week.

So I guess its a characteristiic !!!

I need to call them and moan again. Been waiting for BMW to call me about the roof

 

[Kinster]

that reverse gear really f***s me off as well

 

[abs0lutely]

My MCSC has never done it, but then the MCS is 6-speed so a slightly different gearbox.

The 2005 MINI ONE I had as a courtesy car last week crunched something terrible!

Perhaps that's the real bonus of the S, a gearbox that doesn't crunch

 

[Geoff & Gill]

There is a knack to it!
Ours crunched - but the dealer showed me how to do it silently. Having got the knack it just does it!
There was a thread elsewhere showing how to do it.
G

 

[Kinster]

My MCSC has never done it, but then the MCS is 6-speed so a slightly different gearbox.

The 2005 MINI ONE I had as a courtesy car last week crunched something terrible!

Perhaps that's the real bonus of the S, a gearbox that doesn't crunch

well mines an S and it crunches... I'll do it gently and see if it works better.

 

[MiNiGuY]

Hi,
I've been present at the birth of, and driven more newborn mini's than I care to remember.
5 thousand or more would be a realistic guestimate and one thing I've noticed in that time is that some crunched into reverse, some didn't, some were stiff getting into gear, others less stiff and it wasn't uncommon to get the odd :bad::bad::bad::bad::bad:.
All this being when the vehicle had nothing in the way of a gearbox or related interface problem.
My point is that, even when very brand new, 2 gearboxes of exactly the same design, or to put a finer point on it - 2 mini's with exactly the same design gearbox, be it 5 or 6 speed can have their own 'personality' so to speak.

The above post about getting the 'knack' of how to engage reverse without problems is a valid point, and that is what the individual should give a little time and practice to in order that they don't crunch into reverse on their own mini.
Obviously, taking into account what I have said about each individual mini, getting the 'knack' is obviously going to be a personal matter between you and your own mini and 'other owner' advice is more likely to be 'other owner knack'!!



For inexpierienced or new drivers or people who just don't have any idea on the mechanical workings of a motor car some good advice on not crunching a car into reverse is:-
Make sure the clutch is fully depressed (it's easy to get lazy and reverse is the least forgiving of the gears due to it's mechanical nature!!) . From a cold start, when engaging reverse, make sure you've run the engine for at least 30 seconds to a minute or you're killing it anyway by driving off too soon, and, as was also mentioned above, try engaging reverse a little slower (known as leading it in) rather than just 'jamming' the stick into reverse.
Lastly and most importantly, if engaging into reverse after slowing to a stop, hold the clutch down and count a bit before 'leading in' reverse in order that you give the gearbox time to spin down. How much you find you have to count to is dependant on your gearbox type, the oil in it, its own 'personality' and your patience!! Try 3 to start with. It usually works for me!!


I enjoyed writing that. Oh the nostalgia!!!....

 

[HarryHBMCC]

MiNiGuY, welcome back! As always, your experience is welcomed. Have you had a chance to try any of the new Getrag 5-speeds?

Harry

 

[LMB]

MiNiGuY, welcome back! As always, your experience is welcomed. Have you had a chance to try any of the new Getrag 5-speeds?

Harry

Nice ti see you around MiniGuy. I hope all is well.

 

[Mini Lou]

I get that to, but as im a girl i just assumed it was my crap driving ha ha ha ha

Me too, for ages!!! Was kinda chuffed when I found out it was the car!

 

[taz2822]

hello all

i have a october 2004 mini cooper convertible and i note that the gearbox more often than not crunches when put in reverse

Is there something wrong with my car ????

got the same problem, thought it was my crap driving too tiil wife said her cabby does the same thing. went to dealer and service manager said its a ' known ' problem with the gearbox. Solution is to simply let the revs drop , put it into 1st ( optional )then into reverse as the spinning gearbox will have stopped & aligned. Also if you start up from cold keep foot off accelarator it helps. Problem solved , still bit of a cheek tho me thinks

 

[lmassauk]

It crunches cos theres no syncromesh on the reverse gearing. So you have to wait for the gears to aline properly.

The lead in does help though!

Loads of cars do it. Its a common occurance.

No need to worry, or blame yourself! Does sound a bit crap in a car park though!!

 

[kapps]

It crunches cos theres no syncromesh on the reverse gearing. So you have to wait for the gears to aline properly.

The lead in does help though!

Loads of cars do it. Its a common occurance.

No need to worry, or blame yourself! Does sound a bit crap in a car park though!!

Yea, nearly all cars are unsyncro'd in reverse so you can't throw it in there when moving foreward. The Cooper S actually has a syncro on reverse. I guess that's why they made it high effort to get the shifter all the way to the left.