The front wheels on a MINI Cooper are turned by the driveshafts—sometimes referred to as half shafts—which are turned by the transmission. These driveshafts have CV joints on either end of them, which are designed to allow articulation of the suspension as well as rotation of the driveshaft itself. These CV joints need maintenance, and to fix them you have to remove the driveshaft from the car. This should take about an hour to do.
Lift the front of the MINI Cooper using the jack and put jack stands underneath the jack support points on the sides of the chassis behind the wheels. Take off the wheels using the tire iron.
- The front wheels on a MINI Cooper are turned by the driveshafts—sometimes referred to as half shafts—which are turned by the transmission.
- Lift the front of the MINI Cooper using the jack and put jack stands underneath the jack support points on the sides of the chassis behind the wheels.
Remove the front wheel hub nut in the middle of the rotor using the 3/8-inch ratchet and socket. Place the drain pan underneath the transmission in the centre of the vehicle. Remove the drain bolt using the ratchet and allow the transmission to empty.
Unbolt the brake caliper from the steering knuckle with a ratchet and support the caliper by a bungee cord. Unbolt the ABS sensor from the steering knuckle using the ratchet. Unbolt the tie rod end from the steering knuckle with the ratchet, then do the same for the nut on the lower ball joint from the steering knuckle.
Remove the snap ring from the driveshaft at the transmission using the snap ring pliers. Unbolt the strut from the steering knuckle with the ratchet. Pull the steering knuckle with the driveshaft away from the car to pull it out of the transaxle.