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MG MGF Technical - Steptronic

I've recently purchased a low mileage 2k1 Steptronic and whilst it probably doesnt appeal to most people, my other half liked it so we went with it.

The car seems fine and i dont suspect any issues. However, now after managing to get it out of town, if you give the car a little stick over 5000rpm I've noticed the car change engine pitch quite a bit.

Is this normal... or have i just made a big mistake?
Is this something to do with the CVT design etc???
The car has got an after market exhaust if its important.

Cheers for your advice
M V Rodman

What do you mean by changes pitch? If it is reved out to 5,500 in Dsport mode then maybe it is just the sound produced by the drive belt. This is made from steel links of differing size, designed to reduce the resonance. But it is natural that the sound of the gearbox will change while going from 2,000 to 4,500 (in D mode) or 5,500. My TF120 does tend to whine a little, but it is not too obvious.

Perhaps you should check when the transmission oil was last changed. This should be done EVERY two years, and the oil MUST be that recommended by MGR. Do not use normal auto transmission gearbox oil. This will do the CVT box no good at all, as the oil at very high pressure is what is used to control the pullies and drive belt, and provide the cooling.

We like our TF120. :-)
N Courtney

If i put the car in neutral an rev'd the engine would that be sufficient to disengage the transmission and identify whether it is the engine or transmission which is the cause of the noise?
M V Rodman

Thats worth a try - make sure the engine is up to normal running temperature before flooring the pedal. My 2001 Steptronic just sounds better the faster it goes but it does have a standard exhaust. Let us know how you get on. Robert
ps - nothing wrong with Steptronic version of MGF - when you get to know the car just enjoy making those really fast gear changes - great fun.
Robert Matthews 1

I tried it this lunch, car was nice and warm.
Let it run all the way around in neutral and it sounded normal, like any other K series manual. Albeit the exhaust was a tad load. The output from the exhaust pipes was nice and clean, with just the normal steam from the cold weather etc.

So this high pitch engine note would only seem to occur when the car is in gear (Dsport) and your over 5K etc.

Thoughts???

I really hope its not the CVT box.... i bet that would be expensive :-(
M V Rodman

This sounds like normal operation to me. I think the CVT box is very robust. I think the Mini guys give it a lot of stick. Go the a Mini forum to see what they think or ask questions. I think there are a lot more CVT Mini's out there. Maybe not, I don't really know...
N Courtney

As mentioned above I would change the oil in the box which is easy to do. To refill it I used a piece of pipe with a funnel as the oil is filled through the dipstick hole. The oile should be changed every 24,000 miles anyway I believe so it's probably due.

The correct oil is Esso EZL799 I believe and is available from Rover Dealers (If you can find one) or BMW dealers as its the same as the oil in the BMW mini gearbox.

Again as stated above ordinary automatic gearbox fluid is no good for the application at all.

A D Smith

At much debate we've now actually sold the car, I just was not happy with the box on driving style etc.

I'm going to go looking for a 135 TF or 160 TF.

Has anyone got any recommendations on where to buy now the dealer chain has gone. Given I'm living on an island with extremely limited stock, I will need to travel regardless.
M V Rodman

This thread was discussed between 05/02/2007 and 26/02/2007

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