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Midland Gearbox repair help

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24K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  Terry247  
J
#1 · (Edited)
Hi everyone, back again with problems :(. So after replacing the gearbox, repairing power steering pump, we're back again with a suspected gearbox fault. Place I bought the gearbox from won't honour warranty after 5 months because I don't have a receipt from BMW for MTF-94 Transmission fluid, despite MTF-94 specification oil being used. Initially the new noise which developed sounded like it could be a clutch release bearing, whizzing/rotating/rattle that seemed to occur whenever the clutch was engaged with the engine, when depressed the noise went away... As when we originally replaced the gearbox, it was hopefully a quick fix and the clutch had not long been done, we did not change the clutch/release bearing and after finishing installing the gearbox replacement all noise went away. However 5 months down the line a noise developed... the noise that we thought could be a clutch release bearing. So we shelled out on getting the clutch kit being replaced, however unfortunately the noise persisted. Which points me back to the gearbox having developed a fault.

After reading a post by MrFixIt:

"Hi. I have just finished rebuilding and fitting a midland gearbox to my sons 04 plate mini 1. The rebuild is straightforward and the £170 worth of bearings and seals were definitely cheap compared to the £2300 quoted by the BMW main dealer for fitting an exchange unit. Surprisingly, the old bearings etc. were in good nick. The problem was that the input shaft had excessive end float due to the outboard bearing spinning in it's bore and wearing the retaing clip. With hindsight, it would have been an easy and cheap repair just to replace the clip. This could be done without even removing the gearbox, as the clip and fifth gearset is accessible simply by removing the end cover of the gearbox with the plastic wheelarch removed.(Definitely worth a try as a first step!) I suspect that many of the faulty Midland boxes could be effectively be repaired like this provided that they are tackled as soon as the symptoms start, but I bet that BMW won't admit to that. I used a Rover R65 gearbox manual for the rebuild as the box on the mini is virtually the same as that used on Rover 200/400 models with a few minor differences. This manual is readily available on eBay on the Rover workshop CDs. I bought the parts from a local motor factors who got them directly from Rover. If you can't find the parts you need locally I can give you their address.
Good luck with your rebuild!"
Click to expand...
Sounds like it could be the same problem so I was wondering if anyone knew out of which diagrams here are the offending articles, and what would you class as the retainer clip in question. Which of the shafts would be the input shaft?

RealOEM.com Diagram Selection

If someone knows my bf and his dad will try and see what they can do and get my mini back on the road as i've been without it for 3 months now as I won't drive it like this :(.
 
J
#3 ·
The clutch has been done but the gearbox is now at fault as the clutch didn't do it. Its some component of the gearbox that could have failed. From what I read here "Hi. I have just finished rebuilding and fitting a midland gearbox to my sons 04 plate mini 1. The rebuild is straightforward and the £170 worth of bearings and seals were definitely cheap compared to the £2300 quoted by the BMW main dealer for fitting an exchange unit. Surprisingly, the old bearings etc. were in good nick. The problem was that the input shaft had excessive end float due to the outboard bearing spinning in it's bore and wearing the retaing clip. With hindsight, it would have been an easy and cheap repair just to replace the clip. This could be done without even removing the gearbox, as the clip and fifth gearset is accessible simply by removing the end cover of the gearbox with the plastic wheelarch removed.(Definitely worth a try as a first step!) I suspect that many of the faulty Midland boxes could be effectively be repaired like this provided that they are tackled as soon as the symptoms start, but I bet that BMW won't admit to that. I used a Rover R65 gearbox manual for the rebuild as the box on the mini is virtually the same as that used on Rover 200/400 models with a few minor differences. This manual is readily available on eBay on the Rover workshop CDs. I bought the parts from a local motor factors who got them directly from Rover. If you can't find the parts you need locally I can give you their address.
Good luck with your rebuild!"

Any ideas?
 
F
#6 · (Edited)
I've repaired a few midland gearboxes, in fact the first MINI clutch I was asked to do had this fault. I'd done a few rovers and peugeot input shaft bearings, before the MINI came out using a variant of this box. The repair you quote is not the normal problem. Normally it's the bearing immeadiately behind the clutch release bearing (but inside the casing of course!) that wears. Your symptoms are typical of this fault. You're not the first to misdiagnose it as a release bearing either. You need to remove the gearbox and take out the input shaft (or lay shaft) to change this bearing. The bearing can be bought for about £15 from bearing suppliers and a new seal and nose from euro car parts for £5. (if they cant find it tell them it's for a peugeot 106 - it's the same part!) Just for the record I think the excuse the gearbox suppliers have used is pathetic, most vehicles using this box are happily running round with bog-standard gear oil in with no problems in years. Hope that helps.
 
J
#7 ·
Thanks for the post flying clutchman... going to rip the box off tomorrow or start :). Can you locate the bearing in question at all on the realoem.com site? I don't suppose you'd know eurocarpart numbers for those parts also? Here is the noise in question if your speakers can pick it up. Thats stationary anyway, but its present when moving a little worse :).

 
J
#11 ·
Finally getting round to this flying clutchman, box is almost off and i'm disgusted in how the car was left by the last "german car specialist" who replaced the clutch, bolts missing everywhere, some in the airbox... drive shaft nut in the worst state i've ever seen one, ripped to shreds... hadn't even been punched back in on the edge. Needless to say I kept being pestered for feedback, now I await to see if the clutch was even replaced at all. :).
 
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