Squeaks, Grumbles and Grungling

[rachyh89]

Hi all,
I'm new on here but am in need of help/advise. I am lucky enough to have a 1996 Rover Mini Mayfair, diamond white in colour, with walnut dash and velour seats. When I got her she'd only done 18000 miles and has now only done 20600.
Her body is in fantastic condition bar a few minor rust bubbles here and there (getting sorted), scuffed alloys, and slightly dented front grill and boot. The car was my disabled Grandma's (she had disabled controls on it) and she'd had a few minor bumps towards the end of her driving it. She bought it for around £5000 over 5 years ago and it has been kept in a garage and driven once a week down the road, until I took it on in Jan 2010.
*Just thought I'd give you some history on her (I call her Diana)*

However, in Feb when it was particularly wet weather and I was driving round Farnham (I spend half my time in Farnham and half my time in Lincoln) it started making increasingly frequent squealing noises when it appeared to be changing gear, and horribly loud, uncomfortable grunts, grumbles, and grunge’s when at junctions and going up steep inclines. I've been to various 'specialists' and have generally been told my auto gearbox is basically dying and I need a new one. Furthermore, the general consensus of opinion seems to be I'd be better off getting her converted to a manual if I had to pay to get the gearbox changed anyway.

My most recent diagnostic has been that the problem lies in the clutches for first gear and maybe second, as there's no noise/problem when she's rolling, only when moving from stationery. It was speculated this might have happened because she's been stood still for so long and now has all this sudden use.

I really don't know what to do now. I've always considered selling her and did try back in Dec 09 before she had any real problems. I now don't know whether I'd be better to cut my losses and try and sell her as is (if so how much is she worth), get the auto gearbox replaced and maintain her as an auto (sentimentally this is what I would like to do) and try and find the right market for her , or invest in converting her to manual in the hope I would get my money back..

ANY SUGGESTIONS!! What would you do?

[(minisniper)]

Hiya
When did you do your last oil change? You could try that and also it might be worth contacting Martin at MRA minis as he knows his stuff. Also I have noticed with my auto box that it doesn't always change gear smoothly it sounds like it is clunking into gear but this is normal. Sorry I haven't been much help but someone will be along shortly to help you more

Hope to see you around the forum, perhaps you could introduce yourself with a pic of your mini in the introduce yourself or show us yours section of the forum

[dan]

u cant sell u'r grans car!! i'v got my sisters old car and she'd murder me if i even attempted to sell it!

does the car kinda sound like a dial up connection??! mines a bit like that but only sitting still

dont think u should go manual as the auto mini will have its day soon enough where it'l be worth more than the manual

[mra-minis]

I am glad I am not the only one with sentimental tendencies

[dan]

sentimental or just mental!!! ;D

cant sell my mini as its my first and my sister will kill me, cant sell my red city as its my first proper project and cant sell my cooper as its my first cooper!!! i'd go with mental!!

[(minisniper)]

Can we get back on topic as the member was asking about her auto box problem.

Thank you

[jockduck]

Hi, an auto box can have some noises and still be OK its just knowing whats acceptable and what is a sign of impending doom!
despite the noises does the car drive OK? If the car has been dormant for a while then some frequent oil changes to clean out the valve box is worthwhile. I don't know for sure if the "modern" boxes varied much from the early ones but the one way clutch on 1st can fail, I used to find I could start off in 2nd and then select D. With the mileage on the car I think it unlikely that there is serious wear on clutches and bands, do a couple of oil changes and report back.
Please do not convert to manual there are enough of them allready, the autos are great when sorted out.

[asahartz]

The noises you describe are, in my experience, the warnings given out by a dying forward clutch. Somebody said to contact MRA Minis; I think that's good advice as Martin can sort your car out before it does die, then it will be good for many thousands of miles to come!

[tony105]

Hi Rachyh,

The problems you describe seem to be a familiar theme with automatic Minis. Although I'm no mechanical expert I can share with you my experience of having some mechanical problems with my Mini when I first purchased it and what I've learned having owned four automatic Minis and two Metro automatics in the past.

My Mini is the same year and model as yours, a 1996 Mayfair; when I purchased my Mini it had had one owner from new and had covered just 15,000 miles; I assumed therefore that it should drive like a new car and have no gearbox issues!!

What I found was somewhat similar to the problems you describe; my car had what the Rover Dealer I took it to, described as 'flare up' on engagement of fourth gear - the revs would rise considerably as the gearbox felt like it was slipping as it tried to engage fourth gear, this was particularly noticeable when accelerating hard, going up an incline or when the car was cold.

To cut a long story short, I ended up having the gearbox rebuilt, which in fact actually amounted to replacing perishable parts - clutch and brake bands. What I learned was that the automatic Mini does not take kindly to having a once a year service/oil change. I know this point has been made quite rightly on this forum and it a mantra - the oil needs to be changed very often - even if the car is not used all that much.

It may not be all that bad with your car; firstly I would advise that you take the car to an automatic specialist - I too have experienced some that are 'less than keen' on the auto Mini; however if you find a good one near you make it clear that you want a diagnosis and once you know the facts you may then decide what you want to do next.

Mini World Magazine ran an article in the April 1997 edition, covering the automatic Mini; I have always found this to be a very informative article and it will furnish you with a basic understanding of the key features of the auto; for example a simple adjustment or replacement of the 'gear linkage cable' may in many cases be the reason a gearbox changes incorrectly.

Remember that your car has covered very low mileage, and these automatic transmissions are actually capable of years of use providing they are looked after. If you do decide to have it looked at and repaired if necessary I would then advise that you find a good local garage that will undertake correct oil changes and adjustments for you, also have the Mini Tuned on a regular basis.

Hope that helps.

[rachyh89]

Hi all,
Firstly, thank you so much for your responses! I love AMR, so nice to read/hear from people who love their Auto Minis. Apologies for not getting back to you all sooner, I have been getting dirty and loosing my voice at Glastonbury all week!
I have read carefully all of your kind suggestions and have been in touch with Martin at MRA who is almost sure what the problem is. You'll have to excuse my naivety on Mini terminology as it is all a bit of a foreign language to me. However, it seems my problem has come from it being hardly used for over 5 years when my Nanny owned her and probably never having an oil change in all that time. It now seems this has caused the plates/pads to perish and not engage properly when changing gear. (In very basic terms) Martin suggests reconditioning the gearbox and also doing an oil change. SO that is what I'm going to do. Diana is very much worth it and I want her to be in fine fettle. I will keep you all posted about what I have done (with proper terminology next time) and how she is doing. Thank you for all your help and advice

[asahartz]

Jun 29, 2010 17:59:56 GMT rachyh89 said:

Hi all,
Firstly, thank you so much for your responses! I love AMR, so nice to read/hear from people who love their Auto Minis. Apologies for not getting back to you all sooner, I have been getting dirty and loosing my voice at Glastonbury all week!

Oh! So jealous... saw the coverage of Muse on TV and they were awesome. Though there wasn't much to my taste on the rest of the bill...