Clutch? What's your take?

[ultralinear]

Hello

I have had my 1997 BMW 318 Ti since it was new. Never a problem. I have always had it serviced at either my local BMW dealer or an independent BMW shop.

It was in for its 5,000 mile oil change last week and out of the blue the mechanic (who I have NOT seen before) tells me (through the receptionist) that I'm gonna need a new clutch soon. Surprise, the owner, who I know and TRUST, was on vacation last week.

The car has 101,000 miles and it feels to me like the clutch engages like it always has. No noise, no loss of power, no engine reving and the car not going any faster.

So, was this guy just BSing me? I have heard that the standard "try and let the clutch out in 5th gear test" is REALLY bad for a clutch. Why do that to a clutch with 101,000 miles on it?

Any thoughts about signs or symptoms that I may, in fact, need a new clutch?

Thanks to all and i hope you're having a great weekend.

[pnosker]

What is the 5th gear test?

[ultralinear]

It's an old one: Get into an open area of a parking lot. You put the car in 5th, rev the sucker, and try to move the car forward from a standing start, in 5th gear.

A strong clutch will stall a car immediately. A weak one will stall after a bit of delay. And, a toasted clutch will actually allow the car to sit still, with the clutch all the way out, in 5th gear.

I have done this test on lesser cars but won't do it to my Ti.

[fastworker]

For what it's worth, at about 50K my '98 ti was diagnosed as having a 'weak clutch.' It now has about 108K on the same clutch..........I realize I'll have to buy one probably next year sometime (Fidanza flywheel, M3 clutch sounds attractive) but right now everything's fine. Honest mechanics are pretty much as rare as good ones.

[marleymon]

- ultra-
when you let off the clutch in 1st...do you have launch?
I think mine is near toast-- I barely launch, I have to bring the rpm's up a bit to move, and it seems to engage high. (first manual I've driven/owned)

when I first got this car, I had way better launch and a very low (pedal) engage.

note- the new cars I drove at my old job (accords/passats/acuras)-- you could just let off the clutch w/o giving barely any gas...and the car would just take right off.
(not sure if this helps-or even makes sense)

[DustenT]

In my opinon the driver should decide when to replace the clutch, not a mechanic. Don't fix it if it's not broken. Running the clutch down to nothing isn't going to hurt anything, so let it go until YOU think it's toast.

[marleymon]

In my opinon the driver should decide when to replace the clutch, not a mechanic. Don't fix it if it's not broken. Running the clutch down to nothing isn't going to hurt anything, so let it go until YOU think it's toast.

how or can the flywheel be damaged?

[DustenT]

how or can the flywheel be damaged?

I guess the flywheel could be warped from the additional heat, but that's easy to fix (have the flywheel turned down and balanced).

[tastade]

If you get to the point where you have trouble driving up hills, accelerating at all, it is time to replace your clutch. When it went in my 300zx I went about 10k miles after I noticed the first slipping. When it got bad enough that it would regularly slip in 2nd and 3rd gear I had it changed (it usually starts slipping in high gears first, 5th, then 4th, 3rd, etc) If you are slipping in first gear go change your clutch.

The one in my 300zx when I finally changed it had no friction material left and the rivets were just starting to get the flywheel (but it didn't need resurfacing yet). The 5th gear test is only bad for your clutch if it slips, but if it slips your clutch is already toast. Every manual I test drive I do the 5th gear test. The 5th gear test in my 300zx when the clutch was failing showed it immediately. It was hard to make it slip in other gears except under full boost. Step on it and 5th and the revs would start rising, but the speed would stay the same.

For the record, in the 300zx I asked to have the clutch replaced.

[ultralinear]

Thanks...

No slipping on launch or high speeds and mileage is great (28 combined Los Angeles driving). However, the clutch does engage fairly high (but in truth no higher than my girlfriend's RSX Type S does and it only has 14K miles on it). I just wanted some thoughts and I thank all of you again.

[Rhys H]

my friend just had to replace the clutch and flywheel in his 180sx because one of the torsional clutch springs popped out and got jammed beetween the clutch disc and flyhweel. The spring was melted..... not a pretty scene.

[tastade]

Remember the clutch is supposed to engage completely only about 0.5" from the top of the pedal travel. That is the amount of free-play.

[ultralinear]

Guys, I think my damn clutch is fine. At least that's what I'm gonna go with until it starts to do something funny. Thanks so much for your input. I put the same post at Bimmer Forums and got on response. This site is a great resource and a real community for all of us Ti lovers.

[JPerfect]

When i had my car checked out, when I bought it in the fall of 2004, the mechanic told me it needed a new clutch.

Still got the same one, and it feels the same as it did 30,000 miles later.

Needless to say I don't go to that mechanic anymore.

[ultralinear]

JPerfect:

How many miles on your '95?