Clutch Slip

Sounds like a dying clutch. It'll get worse and worse. I'd replace it before you get stranded somewhere.

E36s have a plastic part inside the clutch mechanism. I think it's near the fork that pushes the release bearing. Anyway, this plastic 50p part broke on our E36 and we had to drop the tranny to change it. Moral of the story is that I'd find that bit and replace it at the same time.

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 10:29:58 +0100, "C.Read" waffled on about something:

You're either driving an automatic or your clutch plate it is giving up.

The problem will be worse the heavier the load you put it under, so accelerating gently in 1st or 2nd will be okay, but put it in top gear and stick your boot down and the clutch will slip.

I've never heard of a fly wheel breaking, but you can end up scoring it. The clutch plate is made of several layers, and they're all held together with rivets. When the friction material wears down the rivets end up making contact with the fly wheel and carve great big grooves in it.

Make sure you replace the release bearing, pressure plate and clutch plate while you're doing it. And the plastic bit John mentioned, whatever it is... * shrug* I've got an auto!

Dodgy.

You have already diagnosed the problem in the subject line. What is happening is your clutch is slipping.

That is because either the clutch disk friction material is worn too thin or the pressure plate springs are tired, or some combination of the two.

Either way, both the disk and the pressure plate are always replaced along with the throw-out bearing when doing a clutch job. The pilot bearing is often also replaced and (depending on how long you let it go before you fix it) you may end up having to resurface or replace the flywheel.

My advice is not to let it go as the job will only get more expensive and possibly strand you and require towing.

Don't forget to replace the guibo at the same time!

FloydR

You didn't say if you have an automatic or manual transmission, but either way you are having problems with either the transmission (automatic) or clutch (manual). My guess is that with a '96 car, you probably have the factory original clutch, and it's time for a new one.

These are the classic symptoms of clutch slipping. It is hard to see how a manual clutch could break the flywheel, but, if you don't fix it soon, you will get stranded somewhere (probably a long way from home). Jim

His reference to the clutch being engaged sure made *me* think it was a manual transmission... ;-)

It won't "break" the flywheel, but if the surface of it gets scored badly, such as what happens when the lining is worn to the rivets, it may be unrepairable. Even if it is repairable, you'd have to remove it and take it somewhere to be resurfaced.

I thunk the same thing, but there are people out there that don't know the difference. Automatics use clutches, sorta.

It is a manual transmission... Ok well judging from this advice I'd say I need a new clutch and ASAP really... I might have to leave it a month.. but I do very few miles at the moment and can manage without the car at all for now.. and I'm never more than 2 from home at the worst.. (work locally)..

I've checked up prices for a new clutch.. make sure they change the guibo, pilot clip, and this part that John is talking about... which I think is this..

Clutch - Release Bearing With Plastic Sliding Sleeve

A service bulletin, not sure it's applicable to my car as the page is for the 325 and not the 328.. but.. I think I will have them check it anyway..

Any idea how much I should be paying for all this? I can get a clutch OEM for the car from GSF for £130, delivered... how much labour will I be looking at? How long does it take? And can I do it on my driveway?

Thanks for the help..

Craig

"C.Read" wrote

Clutch, clutch plate, throw-out bearing, guibo, and possibly the transmission input shaft support bearing. Those are the parts you need to replace. You need to remove the transmission and bell housing - it's about a

2-3 hour job to remove, another hour to replace the clutch assembly, another 2-3 to replace. You start by removing the exhaust pipes, then the driveshaft (propshaft), then the transmission, then the bell housing. You need jack stands, and probably need a helper and/or transmission jack. You also need blocks or a jack to support the rear of the engine after the transmission mount is removed. It can be done in a driveway. Getting the transmission back in is the hardest and trickiest part, as the input shaft has to align properly with the clutch plate's spines AND the support bearing - an alignment tool must be used first when assembling the clutch components (they're a cheapo plastic thingy that looks like the transmission input shaft.)

Good luck; FloydR

I haven't worked on anything newer than an E36, but when I did this job on my wife's E36 Compact in my driveway in July I encountered about 9 or 11 torx bolt heads keeping the engine and transmission together, two sizes that I don't recall as I write this after work in my office. These lovely devices of engineering torture were unreachable until the driveshaft was disconnected from the transmission and the transmission allowed to drop somewhat after unbolting the rear cross member supporting the transmission (and dismantling the gear shift). Then all the torx heads could be reached from behind the transmission using two or three socket wrench extensions hooked together.

FloydR is right about the hardest part, I must have tried about 20 times to get the transmission aligned so the input shaft would slip into the support bearing in the flywheel.

I had been quoted (Australian dollars) $1600 by a BMW dealer, and $1400 by an independent BMW garage for the clutch replacement. I bought the OEM clutch kit for $400, the set of torx sockets for $40 and spent about four days on my back under the car. After once working out all the work-arounds to not having the professional mechanic's jacks, hoists, lifts, etc; I believe I could do the job in one long day the second time. It certainly wasn't as easy as the previous clutch job I did 35 years ago on the 1964 VW type 3 in the parking lot of the frat house at Washington State Univ.

Bill K. in Sydney

1989 E34 525i 1996 E36 316i Compact

Well I thought I'd let you guys know how I got on... I did some research and I'm also a member of the

site.. and a guy did the job in

7 hours on his drive... The expectation is that with all the correct tools this time should be shortened.. I decided that from what you guys were saying I think I'll leave this to a professional outfit...

Well after my first quote I was a bit scared!! Quoted me £600.. saying the clutch itself was £175!.. WELL I have found a BMW E36 clutch for £110 OEM.. brand new from GSF car parts myself! So they are way off and blatantly lying. I then called a specialist in the next town, who had clutch replacement as part of their specialist skills, the guy said he's done a lot of these, and he'll charge £300 including the clutch (I hadn't told him any of my previous quotes btw). So, I will give him a call and ask him to replace these other parts as well to save time in the future.. BUT.. for now.. I'm going to wait till after my holiday to do it.. It's really only minor at the moment and every garage said I could leave it a month or two with no difficulty, based on my mileage (I don't do a lot at all >500 a month)..

So Thanks for your help folks

Craig

wrote

When were you at WSU? I just got back from Pullman... Graduated in '73/'74.

FloydR (Seattle)