# clutch pedal crunchiness



## RChoudry (Jan 13, 2002)

Not sure if its the heat (94+) yesterday here in philadelphia or if the car is still new (531 miles so far), but over the last week I've started to feel a strange feeling when depressing the clutch pedal. It's kinda a notch about halfway into the pedal. There's a thunking kinda sound underneath the trim where the clutch pedal disappears into. I figured it probably was a lack of lubrication on the spring. I remember our Z3 had a similar problem, but it was throughout the whole clutch pedal travel and was much more pronounced. Lubrication by the dealer did the trick.

Anybody have a similar problem?


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## Ben Chou (Dec 24, 2001)

Search for my post on the throw out bearing. I had something very similar and BMW has a TSB on it that specifies the replacement of the whole clutch assembly. Weird though, since your car was just produced and the TSB affects cars produced up until 5/01.


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## RChoudry (Jan 13, 2002)

I just spooled up your previous threads, Ben. There's no vibration through the clutch pedal, only the "click" or "notch" in the clutch pedal. It seems to go away if you drive the car for a while.

I want the dealer to look at it tomorrow. I definitely don't want anything replaced at this point. The last replacement BMW did for me (i.e. steering rack) led to a significant financial loss in replacing the car for a new one! 

I hope (and think) its just a lubrication issue, especially given the car's mileage and that it's only 18 days old!


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## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

I have a similiar feeling on my Eclipse and it is only once in a while I feel it. It's a feeling I can detect only when depressing the clutch and it's at the last 1/3 of pedal travel. The weird thing is, I didn't notice it until the other day I was lubing a part on the pedal itself and I pushed the clutch in and out about 20 times then on one of my pushes in, I felt this extra resistance. It was kind of weird . . . 

But then again, I get a squeaking noise under the hood when I depress the cltuch so something definitely needs wd-40 in there !!

Can you let me know what the dealer does to it ? 

If they lube it, please let me know what they lubed . . . .

thanks


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## RChoudry (Jan 13, 2002)

of course Alan.

My old GSR integra had a similar problem and the Clutch Slave Cylinder was actually replaced to fix it.

Have you ever had this in your BMW?


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## Ben Chou (Dec 24, 2001)

It could also be a bad bushing or need some lube. The replaced a bushing on my last 323i when I was having a clicking sensation in the clutch pedal. That fixed it. It probably is just a adjustment or lubrication issue. Good luck.


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## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

RChoudry said:


> *of course Alan.
> 
> My old GSR integra had a similar problem and the Clutch Slave Cylinder was actually replaced to fix it.
> 
> Have you ever had this in your BMW? *


My Bimmer's a Step !!


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## Ben Chou (Dec 24, 2001)

Alan F said:


> *
> 
> My Bimmer's a Step !! *


Oh Alan!:tsk: :tsk:


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## Scotes (Jan 12, 2002)

Not certain if it was the same thing but the clutch on my '01 325Ci did something similar for the fist few hundred miles I had it. I think about 500-600 miles in it smoothed out. Now, outside of the occasional delay in engagement which must have something to do with its "self-adjusting" feature, it is extremely smooth. So it just may be a break-in issue.


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## LarryN (Dec 24, 2001)

I have an ' 330i, with only miles on it, so I assume our cars were built around the same time. I just got mine back from the dealer day before yesterday because of the clutch.

Here's my original symptom. When depressing the clutch, it almost fealt like there was a rubber ball under it for the last few inches from the floor, and I had to use extra effort to fully engage the clutch.

This happenned for a week or so, and then the slave cylinder failed, making the clutch inoperable, and covering my garage floor with hydrolic fluid.

So, if you are having a similar feeling to what I described, I think you should get an appointment asap, so you aren't stranded anywhere with a bad clutch. Good Luck!


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## RChoudry (Jan 13, 2002)

thanks Larry

how's the clutch now? is it perfect?


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## LarryN (Dec 24, 2001)

RChoudry said:


> *thanks Larry
> 
> how's the clutch now? is it perfect? *


Don't ask. I think they may have somehow (??) got something on the clutch plate, or my throw out bearing needs replacing. Now that the clutch pedal feels nice, I get a shudder when releasing the clutch to engage a lower gear. I think the clutch housing assembly is totally enclosed, so I can't see how they'd permeate the clutch plate with Hydrolyc fluid. So, I'm betting it's the throw out bearing.:banghead:

Funny thing is that I'm so far from overly picky, but I also 
don't want to be stuck with something less than it should be.


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## FireFly (May 2, 2002)

I also have a manual and a build date of 5/17- I'll make some runs tonight to see if I have any of these issues.


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## joes325xi (Jan 9, 2002)

Scotes said:


> *Now, outside of the occasional delay in engagement which must have something to do with its "self-adjusting" feature, it is extremely smooth. So it just may be a break-in issue. *


I was wondering what that feeling was! - it seems like the engine has not responded to your letting the clutch out until a few seconds later, then it gets the idea and you sort of surge ahead as the gear is engaged (right?). Do you know if there are any underlying problems that cause this or problems this may cause down the line? Or is this just one of those little nuances i have to get used to (it happens every few days).

RChoudry: BOARDS are tomorrow :banghead: :banghead: 
Cruise in the caribbean the day after


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## RChoudry (Jan 13, 2002)

don't sweat the boards! you'll do fine.

The feeling is literally like the clutch pedal is catching something on its way to the clutch stop. The gears move through just fine.


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## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

my 325i clutch does that too. with the car off, i can always feel it. With the car on, I only feel it sometimes. I think its normal-- i've 
read similar description of this problem or this and bimmer.org and the consensus is that its normal.


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## RChoudry (Jan 13, 2002)

I don't know Rob, it sure feels like it shouldn't be there.

It virtually disappears when rowing through 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, and back. It's just when ready to go into 1st that it is most apparent and when just simply depressing the clutch with the car not moving or even off.


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## FireFly (May 2, 2002)

I do not notice anything unusual when shifting through the gears or from N to 1 or N to R

No noise, no resistence, nothing unusual. You ought to go to dealer and test drive a couple, just to make sure yours is different than the others.

good luck.


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## LarryN (Dec 24, 2001)

Having come from a 5sp 323i SP (E46), the feeling I was getting with the resistance a couple of inches form the floor is definitely not normal. Now that they've replaced the slave cylinder, I have a smooth actuating clutch pedal. I do get the grabbies sometime going from stop to 1st. (It's not user error either). It just shouldn't studder like it does some times.


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## bsm325xi (Mar 24, 2002)

I have a similar problem with my 325xi manual. There was a "clicking" sound and feeling, sort of like a one of those toy discs being pop/clicked about 1/3 of the way up or down. The clutch also felt "sticky" when you stepped on some gum. This started at about 2700 miles.

Brought the car to the dealer and one of the technicians took it for a test drive. He was riding the clutch to hold the car on a hill (cringe), afterwards the head service guy test drove the car. When I got the car back the clicking went away. Unfortuately, it came back about 2 days later, then mysteriously disappeared. Now at about 3,000 miles the clutch actually feels pretty good. 

Test drove a friends car similar to mine who has about 1500 miles on it and I can also feel the clicking.

I will probably still have a service rep take a look at it in a few weeks to make sure that it is not a throwout bearing problem, but for now, the clutch operation is very smooth.


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