Another Mini Automatic Problem

[mac]

Mini Automatic.
I have a 1994 35th Anniversary Automatic Mini. There seems to be a problem with the gearbox. When it takes off it makes a shudder and when it changes gear it makes a slight screeching sound. If I start it in first gear and go very gently and change up to second third and then into drive gear I can get it up to speed without any noise, but I have to be very careful not to accellerate quickly or it will shudder. If I am on a hill start it will definately shudder on take off. When I get up to speed I can travel perfectly at any speed for as many miles as I like up to 120kph on the motorway no problem. It is only on the low speeds and changing that the problem exists. The car has been lying up for a couple of years and I thought that if drove it hard for a couple of weeks that it might solve the problem. It did not get any worse doing this but I think that the improvement is probably due to me knowing how to drive it without it making the noise.
I got a mate who knows about mini's to take a look at it and he told me that it was an engine mounting. (Oh by the way it goes perfectly in reverse.) So I brought it to my own mechanic and he put it up on the lift and I sat in it and held the brake as i accellerated and he assured me that the noise was coming from the gearbox. I was later at a vintage rally and I met a guy in a pub and told him about it and he said that he would have a look at it. He looked at it and told me that it was probably an engine mounting and to bring it to his workshop on friday. I did that and then he told me that it was definately in the gearbox and that there was no way that he would tackle the job. My own mechanic would not touch it with a 40 foot pole. I looked up all the topic in the mini forums and it seems that automatic gearboxes are tricky and expensive to fix. So basically what I'm wondering is, if there is anybody out there who can give me any advice on what I should do. The body of the car is in perfect condition with no rust anywhere and I had an offer of €3,000 for it, but I would not take advantage of the nice girl if it was going to cost a fortune to get it fixed. I read in some of the forums that if you change the oil and filter that it can have a miraculous effect but I think that it would probably be a waste of money. As you can see I'm in the horns of a dillema and I have very little money to spend

[The Marcos Graveyard]

Does the oil light come on when the shudder occurs?

When was the last time the oil was changed?

Do you get a shudder when the car is started in D rather than "going through the gears"?

[Starrywalsh]

Hi MAC,

What you are describing is exactly what happened to my 1980 Austin HL auto, I did everything to get her sorted with no joy, oil changes didnt make any difference, a leak I got sorted made no difference... - I'm sorry to say it but Your gearbox seems to be on the way out - parts for auto gearboxes are hard to come by and if by some chance you did find the parts it would probably be hard to get someone to do the work. I think when you drove her hard you probably started the process of finishing her off, I think you have 2 options really -

1. If you want to keep her Automatic have someone source you a 2nd hand gearbox - the only problem is that you could run into the same trouble down the line.
2. Convert to a manual gear box (this is what I've done)

If you mini has such a good body you should be reluctant to get rid of it - and you would be suprised how long your current auto box may last if you drive her smoothly with little accereration - it would give you time to save up for a reconditioned Manual if thats the way you want to go!!

Now I have a friend who I can put you into contact with who can talk you through all your options - and give you prices etc. he is very good- if you want his details just let me know, it costs nothing to talk to an expert about your problem

Personally..If I were you I'd go for the manual option - It was a hard decision when I had to make it because the little Auto's have lots of charm - and even though they are slow they are still fun and a bit different to what everyone else has.

Just remember you current gearbox will last a bit even in its current state - as long as you take it handy.

Mark.

[Billy]

Mac,

I wouldn't panic yet. I have a '67 Automatic and have owned it for the last 20 years. The key to keeping it running right is regular oil changes. The Mini autobox made by AP is fairly unique in that instead of auto transmission fluid like most autoboxes, it uses the same oil as the engine, just like the manual boxes. As a result the oil for the gearbox gets dirtier quicker than if it had its own transmission fluid. So the first thing to do is do an oil and filter change using 20w50 oil.

Idle speed is also critical with an autobox as if it's too high, the car will jerk forward initially.

A properly set-up automatic can be great fun as Kerryminigringo will tell you having brought his over and back to Holland earlier this year. I had mine set up years ago by Aidan O'Leary (it's OK Starry to mention him, no secret handshake required) and it's still going away fine.

Finally, if you've had an offer of 3000 for it as it stands, take it. There have been 2 Mini 35s listed here recently for under 2.5k.

As a matter of interest, whereabouts are you based?

Hope it helps,

Billy

[kerryminigringo]

I have an auto estate as Billy said and it was jerky when pulling off so I changed all the mounts and it,s far better.I know that if I rev mine and put it in gear then it will make a screeching noise but with the right revs it is perfect.There is a very fine line in setting up an auto mini but they are great crack to drive and for tipping along it,s the nicest mini I have to drive.If your around the east your best bet would be Paul Kelly in Dublin 087 2597085.The key to keeping autos going is regular oil changes,every 1500 and they will last as long as manuals but auto gearboxes do not like being laid up for long periods of time but talk to Paul and I,m sure he will be able to shed some light.

[The Marcos Graveyard]

You're nowhere near having to change the engine yet, automatics are not the devils work as some would have you believe and there is no need to worry about spare part availability, you just need to know where to go to get the parts, your average mickey-andy garage man will just tell you how unreliable they are and how you would be far better off sticking in a 1300 manual in the car instead. These boys just don't know what they are talking about and are out to fleece you in the long run.

We still haven't isolated your problem, but at least we know it isn't terminal yet.

[mac]

Thank's a lot for your prompt replies folks. I will try to answer in order.

Mini Marcos:
No the engine light does not come on. I have no idea when the oil was last changed as I only bought the car last month. The engine starts and runs very smoothly but it is very hard on petrol about 20 mpg. Is this not very hard even for a 1.3 automatic, as my wife has a 95 auto micra and it does 40mpg also a 1.3. It shudders in every gear but in D more so.

Mark
I kind of like the idea of converting to a manual gearbox but I feel that the cost would be a bit steep for me unless I could pick up an engine and gearbox for buttons. It certainly has not dissimproved with the hard driving. It is no worse than it was before. I would definitely be interested in getting advice from your friend. I will try to get the oil changed this weekend. Will I be able to get the oil filter locally? I live in Mountmellick Co. Laois. I have seen them advertised in the U K for about a fiver and I could buy it online.Thank you.

Hi Billy
As I said I will change the oil asap
I actually thought that I only had to do the engine mountings to take the noise out of it and I certainly would not take €3,000 from the nice girl at work for it if it was going to develop a serious ailment.

Thank's for the advice Kerry
I will do the oil and see what happens and will give Paul a ring if there is no improvement.

Thank's again Marcos
I will get back to you after the oil change

[Billy]

Mac,

The oil filters are easily got at your local motor factor and a fiver is about the go for one. The filter on the automatic isn't the same as the manual (at least not on mine). They're usually longer cos there's more oil in the autobox.

Billy

[DaveC]

And use a good quality oil of the correct grade

[mac]

Thank's Billy
As I have said before I know nothing about automatic's but is there some kind of a clutch on it that could be slipping when I am taking off. I was talking to a guy in work tonight and he thought that there were plates that could be slipping, he said it was somithing like the principle on a chainsaw.
Mac

[The Marcos Graveyard]

OK, now we are getting somewhere, Oil changes are ultra important in A-Series automatics as they rely on oil pressure through a valve block to divert the flow of oil and thus change the gears, so old, dirty, heavy oil will affect the running of the car. A good filter is needed to keep all the crud out of the valve block and torque converter. Now just one or two more things to check, to narrow down the problem.

Do you get the shudder in reverse ?

Does the kick-down work ?

[mac]

Hi Marcos
No shudder at all in reverse and kick down works well
Mac

[The Marcos Graveyard]

Do the revs rise at the shudder, can you tell if the drive belt is slipping ?

[mac]

If I take off very slowly there is no shudder unless it is a hill start where i have to increase the revs. It sounds like there is something slipping but I do not know what the drive belt is. I thought that there were some kind of plates that act as a kind of clutch.
Sorry for being so ignorant about such things.
I will carry out none of this work myself (fairly obvious). My own mechanic will do the oil and filter change on Saturday. He will take out the filter and I will try to locate a similar one myself.
Mac

[The Marcos Graveyard]

The engine has in fact 2 clutches, but the slipping/shudder you discribe sounds more like the power bands slipping, there are 3 of them, these are controlled by the valve block which is located behind the panel on the lower left side of the gearbox. Changing the oil will hopefully allow better movement of the valves in the block and thus better tension of the power bands and thereby no slippage.

[mac]

Well Mini Marcos,
Thank's again for all your help. I will try to get the oil and filter changed at the weekend, and I will report the findings asap.
Thank you also to all the people who took the trouble to reply to my querie.
Mac

[mac]

Hi,
I got the oil and filter changed and the engine flushed out. The shudder is gone when I take off and no squeal when the gears are changing, but on a hill start I still get a bit of a screech when taking off. There is definately a marked improvement in overall performance. I will use it all the time for the next few days and see what happens
Mac

[kerryminigringo]

Great to hear your condition has improved.

[Starrywalsh]

Hey Mac,

How has you car been over the last week?

[mac]

It was great for a while but now it is worse than ever. The shuddering is replaced with a squealing sound and it gets it hard to pull up a hill and it is really drinking petrol ( about 15 mpg) so I'm thinking of trying to replace the engine with a manual transmission if i can find one that I can afford

[Billy]

Mac,

it may be that the oil change both get rid of a lot of the accumulated sludge but also dislodged more of the stuff to wander around.

The other option is that there is currently an engine with automatic gearbox for sale here on this forum if you check in the For Sale section.

Billy

[mac]

Thanks Billy