Most front wheel drive cars nowadays use a series of cables to actuate
the transmission gear changes. Because the transmission in front wheel
drive cars is mounted transversely rather than longitudinally, it is
difficult to come up with an actual mechanical linkage from the
gearshift lever to the transmission. Having a cable operated system
allows much more flexibility. NOTE: this arraignment is also used in
some mid-engine cars, such as the Porsche Boxster.
This
system typically works very well, although there is a weak spot in the
design. On the MINI, the spherical end joints at the transmission end
are held by a rubber mount that can wear out and eventually tear away
from the cable. In our case, the rubber surrounding the spherical end on
the cable had worn away almost to this point. If it had separated, it
could render the gearshift useless. Replacing the cables is well within
the reach of the do-it-yourselfer, however you do need to gain access to
the underside of the car.
Begin by removing the air filter
assembly (See our article on installing a performance intake system for
more info). Underneath the lower airbox are the attachment points for
the shift cables on the transmission (See
Figure 2).
Pry off the ball ends of the transmission with a screwdriver. If your
cable ends are still good, I would recommend using a forked tool to
apply equal pressure to each side of the rubber joint (See
Figure 3).
Once the ends are disconnected, squeeze the metal clips holding the
cable ends into the black plastic holder and pry each cable end out (See
Figure 4).
Now jack the car up and place it on jack stands. Refer to our article
on jacking up your car for more info. Under the car, you will see the
exhaust running down the center of the car. Above the exhaust are a set
of heat shields that line the inside of the tunnel. We will need to
access the shifter housing which sits right above the center tunnel heat
shield. You will need to remove the 10mm body nuts that secure the heat
shield to the tunnel (See Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8). There are a total of 8
nuts as well as a small 8mm bolt that secures the center tunnel heat
shield at the front of the car (See
Figure 9).
Now remove the oxygen sensor wiring from the two clips holding it to
the heat shield. You don't need to actually remove the oxygen sensor,
just the loom going to it (See
Figure 10).
The center exhaust pipe is supported near the rear of the center tunnel
by two rubber mounts bolted to a bracket. You will need to remove this
bracket. There are 6 10mm bolts that secure the bracket to the car and 2
10mm bolts that secure the mounts to the bracket. Remove all of these
bolts and rotate the bracket downward to free the exhaust mounts (See
Figures 11, 12 and 13).
Next, remove the two 15mm nuts
securing the rear exhaust to the catalytic converter. Exhaust bolts tend
to rust and/or corrode, so you may need to soak them in penetrant oil
prior to removing (See
Figure 14).
Now separate the exhaust joint. There is a flexible exhaust section
just in front of the catalytic converter that allows enough movement to
work the joint free. It's also a good idea to support the rear section
of the exhaust with a jack or jack stands (See
Figure 15).
Now, remove the heat shield above the exhaust and slide it out over
the exhaust as shown by the green arrow. It will take a bit of work to
free the shield up. Don't be afraid to bend the shield as needed to
remove it (See
Figure 16).
You will now be able to see the two tabs holding the shift cable to the
body directly above the catalytic converter. Pry the two rubber
grommets holding the cables out of the tabs (See
Figure 17).
Follow the cables back to the shifter housing. Now pry the plastic
cover off the bottom exposing the cables inside. Pop the cable ends off
the ball joints. For the cable on the side, you can use a 14mm open end
wrench in between the cable end and the ball joint to pry it off to the
side (See
Figure 18).
The other cable end is a bit harder to remove because of the rotation
of the shift lever and also as it's difficult to find a fulcrum point to
pry it off. You can grab the cable end with some channel locks and give
it a good tug downward to yank it off. Once both cable ends are free,
use the channel locks to pull the two cable retaining clips down and off
and pull the cables out of the shift housing and free of the car (See
Figure 19 and
Figure 20 ). Be sure to remove the small o-rings on the end of the old cables, and slide them onto the new cables.
Now feed the new shift cables through the holes in the shifter housing,
(taking care that the small o-rings around the cable retainers seat
properly) Refit the cable retainer clips and pop the cable ends onto the
new shift lever ball joints and re-fit the shift housing cover. work
the other end of the cables up under the subframe to the plastic
retainer on the transmission. Clearance will be tight in this area. Now,
mount the plastic cable ends into the slots on the side of the retainer
until they lock into position (See
Figure 21).
Now route the rubber grommets on the new cables into the tabs on the
body above the catalytic converter. At this point, refit the heat shield
and bolt the exhaust back together using a new gasket.
From
the top of the car, inside the engine compartment, pop the new cable
ends onto the ball joints on the transmission. Now get in the car and
work the gearshift, checking that each throw operates smoothly.
Figure 1Shown
here are a set of new shift cables for the MINI Cooper S. Over time,
the rubber that surrounds the spherical ends of the cable can wear or
even tear loose, rendering the shifter inoperable.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 2Remove the air filter assembly to access the upper shift cable connection to the transmission.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 3Use
two screwdrivers to pry the spherical ball joints off the connection
points at the linkage. BMW specifies the use of a two armed tool to
apply equal pressure to either side of the ball joint. With care, the
screwdriver method will work. You can also use a an open end wrench to
pry the ball joint off.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 4Once
the cable ends are removed, squeeze the metal clips that hold each
cable into the plastic retainer and pry them out (green arrows).
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 5Jack
the car up, place it on jack stands and remove the 10mm body nuts that
secure the heat shield to the center tunnel. Remove the nuts shown here
on the driver's front side (green arrows).
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 6Shown here are the body nuts to be removed on the passenger front side. (green arrows).
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 7Moving down the center of the car, remove the body nuts in the middle (green arrows).
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 8Keep moving towards the rear of the car and remove the body nuts towards the rear of the shield.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 9Don't forget to remove the small 8mm screw securing the front of the heat shield right above the catalytic converter.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 10Remove the oxygen sensor wiring from the two clips holding it to the heat shield (green arrow).
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 11Remove
the six 10mm bolts holding the exhaust mount bracket to the body (green
arrows) as well as the two 10mm bolts securing the exhaust mounts to
the bracket (yellow arrows).
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 12Once you rotate the bracket down, you can see how the exhaust mounts hook inside at one end. (green arrows).
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 13Rotate the bracket down further and move the exhaust mounts to release them from them.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 14Next,
remove the two 15mm nuts securing the rear exhaust to the catalytic
converter. Exhaust bolts tend to rust and/or corrode, so you may need to
soak them in penetrant oil prior to removing.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 15Now
separate the exhaust joint. There is a flexible exhaust section just in
front of the catalytic converter that allows enough movement to work
the joint free. It's also a good idea to support the rear section of the
exhaust with a jack or jack stands.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 16Now,
remove the heat shield above the exhaust and slide it out over the
exhaust as shown by the green arrow. It will take a bit of work to free
the shield up. Don't be afraid to bend the shield as needed to remove
it.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 17Up
above the heat shield are the two tabs that hold the shift cables in
place (green arrows). Pry out the cables to free them from the center
tunnel.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 18Now,
pop the cable ends off the ball joints. For the cable on the side, you
can use a 14mm open end wrench in between the cable end and the ball
joint to pry it off to the side (yellow arrow). The other cable end is a
bit harder to remove because of the rotation of the shift lever and
also as it's difficult to find a fulcrum point to pry it off. I grabbed
the cable end with some channel locks and gave it a good tug downward
(green arrow). Once both cable ends are free, use the channel locks to
pull the two cable retaining clips down and off (fuchsia arrows).
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 19Once loose, pull the shift cable retaining clips down and off.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 20Slide
the shift cables back and out of the shift housing. Don't forget to
remove the small seals on the end of each cable and fit them to the new
cables.
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Extra-Large ImageFigure 21Feed
the new cable ends up through the engine compartment into the black
plastic retainer and pop them both into place (green arrows).
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