clutch question

miatawnt2b · 05-28-2006, 05:55 PM

I am thinking I am going to need a new clutch soon, but I wanted to get a real pro opinion and ask about freeplay adjustment as well.

I have a new to me 328 convertible. The clutch pedal seems to catch fairly far out in it's travel, and seriously is the touchiest thing I have ever driven (assuming the clutch delay valve which I want ot remove)

My problem is when I bring up the revs and dump the clutch, the car won't hook-up. It starts out slipping all by it's lonesome with a nice smooth, but fairly quick start. The clutch does not slip in 5th gear under load. Am I looking at a bad clutch here, or CDV funkiness?

Is the freeplay adjustable on the e36?

How do I know if my starter has threaded holes for the tranny bolts, and if it doesn't, is it absolutely necessary to take the intake off of the car? Could I maybe cut up/bend a wrench to fit from under the car?

Thanks for your help.

-J

Rick V · 05-29-2006, 05:27 AM

You can remove the starter from the car with the intake intact, it all depends on the amount of pain and forearm damage you are willing to absorb. The intake can be removed easily, it is a DIY type of job. If it is over your head you shouldn't be replacing a starter either.
If you arn't slipping in 5th, and you arn't smelling the lovely aroma of a burning clutch I would suspect your concern is stemming from the CDV. My question is why would you want to smoke the tires, run the risk of damage to the drive train and its associated componants? With a 328 ic I would suspect you have an open diff, so all you are going to acomplish is looking like a ricer by leaving (slowly) in a cloud of smoke. BMW's arn't drag cars. Some kid with a half hopped up Honda will ahnd you your a$$ off the line just get used to it. You will clobber him in any run longer than 1/8th of a mile.
Find someone local to you with a simular car and compaire the 2. Many things you find wrong about your car might just be normal.
Enjoy the IC, it is your time of the year!

miatawnt2b · 05-29-2006, 06:20 AM

no no no no... It's not that I want to go around smoking tires and racing ricers, but I just can't get the feel of this clutch (been driving manuals for years) and it's very strange to dump the clutch and have the car lul into action.

-J

supertack · supertack's Garage

I've always kinda thought that stupid CDV gives my less clutch sensitivity too. I have a 328 as well, only it's a '97 is coupe. So far I've been reluctant to pull the CDV, worried that I may cause other problems. Most folks say removing it is very easy, but I havn't seen a good article with proceedures, or pros & cons on doing it. If you find out more, post it here.

miatawnt2b · 05-30-2006, 04:23 AM

I'm going to do mine this evening. From what I've read, it's pretty simple, For teh e36, you can simply unscrew the CDV, throw it away, and screw the rubber clutch line into the slave cylinder.

http://www.zeckhausen.com/CDV.htm

This article shows you where it is and what it looks like, but as I said, you don't have to replace it, you can just toss it in the trash as the e36 has a rubber clutch line... not a bent steel piece as in the pictures.

-J

Jeron · Jeron's Garage

Here's another article.

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/html_techtip/techtips/check_valve.htm

It is very easy although I had to remove the slave to bleed the clutch afterward, that was the hardest part.

miatawnt2b · 05-30-2006, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jeron

It is very easy although I had to remove the slave to bleed the clutch afterward, that was the hardest part. [/B]

I've heard this too... why exactly do you need to pull the slave to bleed it? I'm going to be using the 2 man pump method.

-J

Jeron · Jeron's Garage

The bleed nipple points down and is at the bottom of the slave so air stays trapped in the top of the slave. You have to pull it and turn the nipple up so that the air can escape.

miatawnt2b · 05-30-2006, 06:24 AM

ugh... that's what I thought. dumb dumb dumb...

Oh well. How hard is it to tell if the slave is engaged with the clutch fork? I've heard horror stories about the slave exploding it's enternals into the bell housing.

-J

Jeron · Jeron's Garage

Yeah that happened to someone here. When you put the slave back on the piston rod will hit the fork and you will have to push the slave and compress the piston as you try to thread one of the nuts with your other had. It will be mildly difficult.

If the slave just slips on and you don't have to hold it in a compressed state while threading the nuts then you have missed the fork with slave piston rod.

supertack · supertack's Garage

If you clamp off the flexible fluid line, so no brake fluid can escape, do you really need to bleed the line?

I feel pretty comfortable pulling the CDV; however, the line bleeding is what I'd like to avoid.

miatawnt2b · 05-31-2006, 04:52 AM

No way to keep from having to bleed the thing after removal. I was hoping to get to this last night, but the house A/C had different plans. Hopefully tonight.

-J

Jeron · Jeron's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by miatawnt2b
No way to keep from having to bleed the thing after removal.

+1

miatawnt2b · 05-31-2006, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by miatawnt2b
No way to keep from having to bleed the thing after removal. I was hoping to get to this last night, but the house A/C had different plans. Hopefully tonight.

-J

Come to think of it, you could do it, but would have everything completely submerged in DOT4 while you took it apart and put it together.

OK... so maybe it isn't possible.

-J

Jeron · Jeron's Garage

SCUBA

the U is for Under-hydraulic-fluid

miatawnt2b · 05-31-2006, 03:23 PM

Just completed teh CDV delete. Still can't get the car to hook-up. Looks like I'm going to need a new clutch. I really am not looking forward to this. Getting too old to be pulling out trannies laying on my back.

-J

Jeron · Jeron's Garage

Thats too bad.

I was getting clutch slip while racing. Removing the CDV helped tremendously. I still would get some slip but only if I abused it. When I changed it there was nothing visibly wrong with the clutch plate but the fly did have some heat spotting. It also had 100k on it.

miatawnt2b · 06-01-2006, 06:25 AM

The one thing I didn't do was turn off the ASC. Do you think the ASC would keep the clutch slipping even if I wasn't on the brakes?

-J

Jeron · Jeron's Garage

The ASC will keep the tires from slipping but closing a butterfly on the intake. You can temp disable it by just pulling the connector on the butterfly which is just past the MAF tube.

The ASC effect is that the engine power will drop and RPM's will drop but it wont be anything like a slipping clutch which is the engine RPM's will climb with no increase in speed.

miatawnt2b · 06-01-2006, 06:47 AM

Yea, that's what I've got... Thanks for your help. Looks like I'm ordering a clutch kit. Hopefully it won't be too bad. I doubt I am going as far as replacing the flywheel. I'll probably just scuff it up with a scotch pad on the die grinder. The good news is that I don't think i'll have any trouble with siezed bolts and such as the car is super clean underneath. I've really never seen a car so clean with 70k miles. I don't think it ever saw a winter. I might not even get dirty

I'll look just like those guys on TV working on cars and still have clean hands after an engine R&R. Now if I could only complete the job in 30 minutes

-J