When you locate unusual noises on your Mini Countryman you have a tendency to get worried. Specifically when you experience a noise coming from the release bearing of your Mini Countryman. It is immediately assimilated to an engine trouble and can therefore be serious. As we know that you do not take these trouble lightly, we have decided to make this article content to support you locate the triggers and free yourself from this concern as quickly as possible. To do this, we will first concentrate on the role and operation of the release bearing of your clutch, and in a second step we will look in detail at the different release bearing noises on Mini Countryman and their origins.release-bearing-noise-mini-countryman

What is the function and operation of the release bearing on Mini Countryman?

Function of the release bearing on Mini Countryman

The release bearing of your Mini Countryman has a major role in the operation of your entire gearbox system. In fact, its task is to liberate the gearbox from the rotation of the engine block via its action. This will allow you to shift gears. It is controlled by the clutch pedal and then by the release fork, which, when it is activated, will press on the clutch and release the gearbox from engine rotation for you allow you to shift gears on your Mini Countryman.

Function of release bearing Mini Countryman

Let’s now look at the technical side, the release bearing is composed of two units, a first fixed part that slides only when the stop is pulled, or pushed (depending on its type) and finally a rotating part that is composed of a bearing that will allow it to stay in contact with the mechanism and follow its rotation.
There are two distinct variants of release bearing Mini Countryman :

  • Pulled release bearing
  • It is the most unconventional of the two variants of release bearing . This one, in contrast to the hydraulic type, is operated by a mechanical pulling system that will release the clutch disc. In this situation, the release bearing must be mechanically fixed to the mechanism.

  • Hydraulic release bearing
  • The hydraulic release bearing, although more technical, is the type most used in contemporary vehicles. It is however more complicated than the pulled release bearing. In fact, it will be composed of a hydraulic tube that will receive the pressure right from the clutch pedal.
    More conventional clutch stop

Release bearing noises Mini Countryman and their origins

I experience a release bearing noise on Mini Countryman in cases where I drive and it stops when I release my clutch pedal

If you experience a noise from your gearbox, release bearing or clutch itself when your engine is running, but it ceases when you press your clutch pedal, this noise often sounds like a bell noise, it is highly possible that your release bearing is the cause. Make sure that this noise stops when you disengage, in which case it is time to swap the release bearing of your Mini Countryman.

I experience a release bearing noise when my pedal is up and I experience jolts in my foot

If you experience too much or too little resistance when you press your clutch pedal, and it is connected with jolts that you can experience in your clutch pedal, then the stop/fork release/blades grouping is damaged. In fact, this noise often comes from the broken fork that no longer allows the device to work normally.

I experience a grinding noise coming from the release bearing of my Mini Countryman when I try to shift gears and they do not shift

This concern shows up most often on models equipped with hydraulic release bearing. It is often associated with a clutch pedal that has little or no resistance. If you are in this situation and you feel a grinding or cracking noise coming from the release bearing of your Mini Countryman, then you probably have a leak coming from your release bearing. It must therefore be replaced fairly quickly or risk damaging your gearbox in addition to the clutch. If you have a noise coming from the gearbox of your Mini Countryman and it’s not from your release bearing, check this article to have more informations.