E39 540i 6-speed clutch problems
 

I've got a problem with my 1998 540i 6-speed that I hope to solve without a visit to the dealer. My brother-in-law, who's an accomplished mechanic but not a BMW guy, just replaced the clutch, flywheel, pilot bearing, throwout bearing, rear main seal, and such on my car (clutch out at 60,000 miles). While we had things apart, we installed a UUC motorworks short shifter kit I had lying around, and removed the infamous clutch delay valve.

The problem: no amount of bleeding, by any technique, provides any feel to the clutch pedal. Pushing the pedal to the floor gives partial disengagement (car will sit still on level ground, but you can't really shift into any gear with the engine running). However, releasing the pedal doesn't give full engagement either. The clutch will slip badly if you accelerate uphill.

My bro-in-law has installed a lot of clutches, but this is his first BMW clutch. He believes we got the right parts, and that he assembled them properly. He has given up at this point. Is there some simple procedure we're missing, or should I just take to the dealer?

Thanks!

did you replace the slave cylinder?

Nope. Though it certainly seemed to be working, e.g., when my b-in-l pushed on the piston it pushed hydraulic fluid back up.

I'd start suspecting the slave cylinder first, then check to make sure that you got the right parts int here...