Fellas, wondering if any of you ever had this problem, or whether you might know what it is. Car has 80K on original clutch, it's not slipping but for the past couple of days it's been acting up: the clutch pedal pulsates as I am pushing it to the floor, also in first gear the car shakes as I'm starting to roll, almost as if I wasn't giving it enough gas. It doesn't happen every time I start rolling in first, but frequently enough, in second is a bit less shaky and then it goes away as I row thru the gears. Something that might or might not be relevant, is the fact that a little while back I noticed that my valve cover gasket is leaking, it's due for replacement in a couple of weeks, is it possible that oil is seeping thru the clutch linings, causing this? I have RE tranny mounts, which I replaced about 3 years ago, is it possible that they took a dump and I need new mounts? I need to put the car on jack stands this weekend, since I won't get a chance to look at it tomorrow, but If I have a basic idea of what to look for, that'll make the process easier. What you guys think?
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do you have to give it more gas and come of the clutch slower to make it smooth in first? my friend had a similar issue where the car would buck in first and second as if the engine was shaking. turns out the springs on the clutch hub were broken so when the clutch engaged it jerked around and acted like a unsprung clutch with room to free travel.
on our cars we have a dual mass flywheel though and they are a wear item due to the rubber which allows the 2 parts to move. Also the pulsating clutch pedal is an indication that the flywheel has been overheated and warped. if this is the case it could also have helped "melt"/ deteriorate the rubber of the dual mass flywheel.
oil leak = unrelated -
My money is on the master cylinder, possibly the slave. Check both for signs of leakage.
I say master first because at this age, a lot of people have worn clutch pedal bushings or a worn pedal which cause lateral pressure on the seals in the master, leading to premature failure.
:Goodluck:Comment
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Pulsation of the pedal DURING application only? Not when it is fully up? Are there any other driveline vibrations that are new?
This kinda sounds like the clutch is out of balance, since that is the only thing the pedal is hydraulically linked to. If the flywheel is out of balance you won't feel it through the clutch pedal when pressed (clutch is not touching the flywheel at that point), and master/slave cylinders can not cause a pulsation by themselves.
I am wondering if either the release bearing is on the way out and wobbling (likely as it is in direct contact with the clutch hydraulic system) or part of the clutch disc has separated (or the aforementioned spring) and cause the out of balance issue (less likely since it is not slipping). Either way, sounds like it is time for to drop the tranny. Sorry man.Comment
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My thoughts exactly on the release bearing. I had the same symptoms on my old e34 540, where the clutch pedal would "judder" as I accelerated from a stop. It turned out that the release bearing imploded, either from a faulty install or a defective part itself.Originally posted by white-hotComment
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Thanks for the input guys! I do need to put a bit more gas in order for the shaking to go away. I was also thinking that it might be a clutch component that might have kicked the bucket, the thing is....it doesn't happen every single time, if there was a failure somewhere, I figured that this would be consistent. If indeed I need to drop the tranny, I won't be able to do it till next weekend, let me ask you this.....if it's any of the stuff that you guys mentioned above, would you still drive the car? Or is there a possibility that I'd be stuck on the side of the road? If I get stranded it'd be ok, but at times I have to drive my other car, so I would hate for my wife to be stranded if she needs to drive it.Comment
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I drove mine with those symptoms for about 5 months, so you should be good until next weekend.Originally posted by falciottComment
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The more you describe the problem, the more it sounds like what I experienced with failing M/C. Just sayin'.
And mine lasted for a month or two like that before it stranded me.Comment
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This. These are important details.Originally posted by white-hot
I am wondering if either the release bearing is on the way out and wobbling (likely as it is in direct contact with the clutch hydraulic system) or part of the clutch disc has separated (or the aforementioned spring) and cause the out of balance issue (less likely since it is not slipping). Either way, sounds like it is time for to drop the tranny. Sorry man.I'm thirding looking into the throwout bearing. I personally have a pulsing in my clutch pedal when pressing it in, that while not too annoying, is noticeable (worse at higher revs, such as upshifting). I have traced it to the POS throwout bearing included with Gripforce's clutch kit with all other aspects of the clutch mechanics and hydraulics being good. Always go with OEM for things like a throwout bearingOriginally posted by FNS_M3
Of course, investigating the TO bearing isn't for the faint of heart and you almost might as well go into a clutch project if you have any doubt about it and you're already pulling the transmission.Comment
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Alright gents! Here is an update....I had forgotten that one of my buddies was a former BMW tech, so I figured heck....I'll take him out to an italian restaurant, and have him check out the problem. Well.. it seems that some of you were right, as soon as he started driving, he could hear a faint whistle sound when pressing the clutch, so he right away told me that the throw out bearing was on its way out. So I was hungry, and I told him ok...let's just go eat, and then we'll park the car back at home. As soon as we got to the restaurant, the throw out bearing gave its last breath, so we rolled the car into a spot sideways, and went in to order dinner. The fun part was on the way back, the car had to be power shifted all the way home. Now I'm about to start ordering all the clutch components, but I got a question, can the flywheel on our cars be resurfaced? I'm afraid that by now it has taken a beating.Comment
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From what I could tell our flywheels are good for two clutches. The rubber parts deteriorate with age, so even if the surface is good the flywheel may not be. Now is a good time to decide whether you want to go with a lightweight flywheel...BMW is very proud of the OEM flywheel, and they charge for it!Originally posted by falciottComment
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^What Craig said on flywheels being good for two clutches.
I'm guessing that the throwout bearing wouldn't cause any surface damage to the flywheel, but may have stressed the rubber somewhat. The advice I've received on the flywheels says, just clean well with brake cleaner and take a DA sander to the surface to provide a better surface for break-in of new friction plate.Comment
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You have very low miles (sig says 73k?) on that flywheel, it will be good. Clean and dress the surface and call it a day.Comment
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I need to update the sig, it's up to 80K now. I just put in an order for a bunch of parts, so hopefully the car will be up and running by next weekend, thanks for the advise on the flywheel.Comment
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