Shifter not engaging?

Tiny
BHAMDOC1973
  • MEMBER
  • 2012 MINI COOPER
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 96,000 MILES
I bought this as a no runner. Very strange, starts fine, no gear engages. You put it in all gears and it goes in smooth and as it should. I had many minis, so the shifter is not loose. When you look under the hood the shifting cables move as they should, but every position you put it in acts as neutral including reverse. This has a 6-speed manual transmission.
Saturday, February 24th, 2024 AT 7:15 AM

14 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,476 POSTS
Okay, if you try to shift it without using the clutch does it grind in each gear? That would at least tell you if the internals were moving as you shift. Next would be if it broke a CV joint or axle it would act this way. The other things would be if something in the transaxle final drive failed. Anything registered on the speedometer during these tests? Not much in a manual to fail this way.
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Saturday, February 24th, 2024 AT 4:34 PM
Tiny
BHAMDOC1973
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Have not tried to shift it without the clutch, will try. I thought about the axle being broken but they are both there and no grease or signs of any broken ones but that is without me living it up, will do once it's inside my garage. Yes, I thought it would be a broken cable but since the forks on the top of transmissions move it means they are fine. Will check more.
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Saturday, February 24th, 2024 AT 4:39 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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The idea of shifting it without the clutch is to see if the internal shaft and forks are moving. It would be rare for them all to fail. It could be that something like the input shaft sheared off, but I would expect some noises.
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Sunday, February 25th, 2024 AT 12:03 AM
Tiny
BHAMDOC1973
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What about the issue with the master cylinder being stuck?
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Sunday, February 25th, 2024 AT 4:57 AM
Tiny
BHAMDOC1973
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No grinding noise, no nothing while shifting without repressing the clutch. Both pressure by foot on clutch pedal and the movement of gears by hand are where they should be, no weakness or looseness. I had a mini before that didn't go into reverse and it was the cable stretched. I wasn't able to say that the cable was bad even after I removed it but that was the issue. Is it possible the cable has stretched enough to not let the components touch but not enough for me not to be able to see the fork move on top of the gear? Am just trying to picture what it is that could have failed and cause this on inside if it was.
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Sunday, February 25th, 2024 AT 5:15 AM
Tiny
BHAMDOC1973
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I'll lift it up to see the cables and axles more, if all okay and I remove the slave cylinder from transmission and try the gears by hand from top of the transmission will that eliminate any possibilities of the axles?
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Sunday, February 25th, 2024 AT 5:28 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
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With it shifting the same way with or without the clutch and the engine running about the only thing I can think of would be if the clutch was locked over center, so it stays disengaged. Even with that I would think that the pilot bearing drag might spin it enough to generate gear clash. In this case it's acting like there is no connection at all. You might be able to get some feedback if you pulled the starter and looked into the flywheel area with a camera and to see what is going on with the clutch. Might help to look in there and have someone rotate a tire with it in gear and see if the clutch disc moves.
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Sunday, February 25th, 2024 AT 7:07 AM
Tiny
BHAMDOC1973
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How am I going to look in there is the starter is out, you mean while car is off and out it in gear and rotate tire and see is clutch moves? Does it matter if both wheels are off ground or which wheel to rotate?
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Wednesday, February 28th, 2024 AT 10:28 AM
Tiny
BHAMDOC1973
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I got it inside the garage and jacked up both wheels. Nothing looks bad or loose down there. Axles in great shape with no play, no leaks, cables look tight. I can still put it in all gears without depressing the clutch. But when I did put it in 1st gear and revved it hard the wheel was starting to move, just barely, in reverse a hard rev and the wheel was moving fast. Not sure what this means or if it gives u any ideas. The next thing would be to remove the starter.
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Wednesday, February 28th, 2024 AT 10:35 AM
Tiny
BHAMDOC1973
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Had these codes. But the battery is super weak so not sure if they are right.
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Wednesday, February 28th, 2024 AT 10:36 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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Okay, if putting it in gear and high revs did move the tires some, I would pull the starter and look at the clutch. It's not a normal failure but someone could have pumped the pedal a few times and the throw out bearing either stuck or the clutch might have locked up so that it doesn't clamp on the disc. You mentioned the master being stuck and that could factor into that as well. Something you might try, Loosen the bleeder screw on the slave cylinder and see if you get pressurized fluid out of it instead of the normal "leak" If the master was stuck in a way that doesn't let the slave release it might be the reason you have no movement. It could act as a one-way valve and is just holding the clutch disengaged. I think that the car uses plastic parts for all of it and maybe someone put the wrong fluid in and swelled the seals?
If releasing the pressure gives you back the gearing then I would err on the side of caution and replace the master, line and slave cylinders unless you have a way to test the fluid and verify what it actually is (Should be DOT 4). Wouldn't be the first time someone added the wrong fluid to a reservoir without knowing what they were doing? Had a car a couple years ago that the owner "topped up" the low brake fluid with engine oil. Ended up replacing the entire brake system because of the contamination.
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Wednesday, February 28th, 2024 AT 2:33 PM
Tiny
BHAMDOC1973
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The slave is not stuck. I went ahead and opened the bleeder before starting it to see what I got and what I got is a few drips. I did not pump the clutch pedal before doing so just wanted to see if anything would come out. Also, these are hydraulic, I don't see a fork unless it's on the inside. I want to see if pushing the pedal pushes the area with the boot, if not then it is not functioning, I assume. But what puzzles me is that the gears all go smooth, like you said it may be that the throw out bearing is stuck in and hence why wheels don't move and am not getting any gears engaged.
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Wednesday, February 28th, 2024 AT 2:41 PM
Tiny
BHAMDOC1973
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Oh, wait, these don't even have a boot. It's on the inside. So, I removed the slave and pushed the pin and it moves fine bit what I noticed a bunch of stuff that looks like hair, not sure if this indicates a burned clutch.
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Wednesday, February 28th, 2024 AT 2:46 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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Fork is inside the bellhousing, which is what the slave is pressing on. That is clutch material. Looks like it ate the clutch with all of that material on the inside of the bellhousing. Probably was slipping and they overheated it and the binding agents got fried and the lining shredded. I've seen that on race cars and on cars driven by people who have no business driving a stick. Think that one is about a 12 hour job to change. The automatic is about 10. They don't even show removal in the info I have, should be like the automatic but not sure if it has room to move the trans far enough to get the input shaft out or if you have to drop the entire thing out. I try to stay away from anything Euro if possible.
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Wednesday, February 28th, 2024 AT 8:19 PM

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