# CDV is gone!



## Moderato (Nov 24, 2003)

The difference is night and day. When I drove the car off after a few shifts, I said to myself "this is the way it's supposed to be." That whole vague disconnected feel the clutch used to have is gone. Now when I'm reversing or getting started from a stop I can actually feel the exact engagement point and modulate it so much more precisely. All of the up & downshifts are so much smoother now too, the clutch moves exactly along with the pedal and the engagement is so much better. Before when the CDV was installed it was almost like you didn't directly control the clutch, more like you generally controlled it. You would move the pedal and the clutch would move generally where you told it to, but it would also move on it's own somehow resulting in abrupt engagements, or not engaging when you expected it too. If you aren't satisfied with the feel of the clutch definitely remove the CDV and it will dramatically improve the feel. :thumbup:


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## shizat63 (Feb 14, 2002)

Woohoo another happy CDVectomy customer :thumbup:


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## PABS (Apr 3, 2003)

Moderato said:


> The difference is night and day. When I drove the car off after a few shifts, I said to myself "this is the way it's supposed to be." That whole vague disconnected feel the clutch used to have is gone. Now when I'm reversing or getting started from a stop I can actually feel the exact engagement point and modulate it so much more precisely. All of the up & downshifts are so much smoother now too, the clutch moves exactly along with the pedal and the engagement is so much better. Before when the CDV was installed it was almost like you didn't directly control the clutch, more like you generally controlled it. You would move the pedal and the clutch would move generally where you told it to, but it would also move on it's own somehow resulting in abrupt engagements, or not engaging when you expected it too. If you aren't satisfied with the feel of the clutch definitely remove the CDV and it will dramatically improve the feel. :thumbup:


Here we go again with the CDV thing...so now suddenly MY2004 have CDV's


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## cantona7 (Apr 8, 2004)

PABS said:


> Here we go again with the CDV thing...so now suddenly MY2004 have CDV's


 Not all MY2004 cars have it. My Ci doesn't, although I've read of other 04 Cis that do, and the shop that does my work has also done the CDVectomy on other 04 coupes as well. That said, I still think that the clutch feel could/should be more precise even without the CDV in there.


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## Elwood (Dec 20, 2002)

Still have to say after a few weeks:
Night and day.....well, yes.
Radical change, no. 

My shifts are barely different then when it was installed. 

Curious....what do the beetchers and moaners do when they find out they don't have a CDV? :eeps:


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## cantona7 (Apr 8, 2004)

Elwood said:


> Curious....what do the beetchers and moaners do when they find out they don't have a CDV? :eeps:


I'll keep you posted in the next few weeks if you want. :angel:


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## Moderato (Nov 24, 2003)

Elwood said:


> Still have to say after a few weeks:
> Night and day.....well, yes.
> Radical change, no.
> 
> ...


I notice the most difference in 1st and Reverse. My shifting technique hasn't changed much, but the smoothness of the engagement has.


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## Moderato (Nov 24, 2003)

PABS said:


> Here we go again with the CDV thing...so now suddenly MY2004 have CDV's


Uh...Yes.


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## Elwood (Dec 20, 2002)

rumratt said:


> :rofl: They go take a placebo anti-depressant pill.
> 
> For many driving situations, removing the CDV doesn't change much (or anything at all). But there were two situations where it makes a big difference:
> 
> ...


 But we know you can't drive.

:eeps:  :hi:


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## Moderato (Nov 24, 2003)

On a side note: Is there another way to bleed the clutch line besides using the bleeder valve under the car by the tranny? When they were done removing the valve, they just lowered the car, did something under the hood, then it looked like he was pumping the clutch pedal a few times and never lifted the car again. :dunno: When I first drove off the pedal was fairly light, but after a few shifts it firmed up. For some reason they didn't clamp the hose while removing the CDV. Some fluid spilled on the the floor while they were swapping it. They told me they bled the line, but I never saw them using the bleeder screw. I guess I should have asked at the time, but I didn't. I'm thinking maybe there is another procedure for doing this I don't know about?


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## cantona7 (Apr 8, 2004)

rumratt said:


> 1) Starting on a hill. You let off the brake and quickly let out the clutch. With the CDV, there is a delay before the clutch actually grabs. You either need to anticipate with the clutch, or roll back a bit while the clutch slips


Ah...I wish I'd known about that, it would have saved me the time to go looking to see if I had the CDV. I've never had a problem with hills in my car and usually start with no rollback at all.


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## adc (Apr 1, 2003)

rumratt1 said:


> Starting on a hill. You let off the brake and quickly let out the clutch. With the CDV, there is a delay before the clutch actually grabs. You either need to anticipate with the clutch, or roll back a bit while the clutch slips
> 
> 2) Fast shifts where you want to get back on the power asap. With the CDV, I could feel the clutch still slipping while the petal was all the way out. :thumbdwn:


3) Rev-matching, especially when downshifting into 2nd.

It was almost never smooth - now it still isn't, but I only have myself to blame now :rofl:.

adc
ZHP BMW


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## PABS (Apr 3, 2003)

What most of you are attributing to the phantom CDV has nothing to do with that at all. It has been discussed ad naseaum that it is the self-adjusting clutch that BMW uses on non M cars.

That is that feeling of the clutch not engaging. The probelm is that the clutch is constantly trying to adjust itself.


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## Elwood (Dec 20, 2002)

Moderato said:


> On a side note: Is there another way to bleed the clutch line besides using the bleeder valve under the car by the tranny? When they were done removing the valve, they just lowered the car, did something under the hood, then it looked like he was pumping the clutch pedal a few times and never lifted the car again. :dunno: When I first drove off the pedal was fairly light, but after a few shifts it firmed up. For some reason they didn't clamp the hose while removing the CDV. Some fluid spilled on the the floor while they were swapping it. They told me they bled the line, but I never saw them using the bleeder screw. I guess I should have asked at the time, but I didn't. I'm thinking maybe there is another procedure for doing this I don't know about?


 Need to use the bleed screw. Soft pedal is air in the system.


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## woohoo (May 29, 2003)

:clap: :clap: :clap:


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## AndDown (Jun 17, 2003)

Taking mine in tomorrow to an independant BMW mechanic to do the CDVectomy. Will see if there's any difference/improvement, although I've gotten pretty decent at smooth shifting into first by blipping the throttle briefly, a couple of times, before engaging the clutch. Seems to also make the shifting into second much smoother.


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## Moderato (Nov 24, 2003)

PABS said:


> What most of you are attributing to the phantom CDV has nothing to do with that at all. It has been discussed ad naseaum that it is the self-adjusting clutch that BMW uses on non M cars.
> 
> That is that feeling of the clutch not engaging. The probelm is that the clutch is constantly trying to adjust itself.


Nothing personal, but you couldn't be more wrong about the CDV. Taking the CDV out has made my car feel like a sports car. The clutch is so easy to control now, and driving the car is now a real pleasure. With the CDV I really had to concentrate on how fast I was moving the clutch pedal and when the clutch was engaging always seemed like my best guess. Now I move the pedal the clutch goes where I tell it and I can drive the car so much better then before. In order to get smooth shifts with the CDV it basically forces you to always move the clutch pedal slow no matter what, inside the CDV there is an opening the size of a pinhole. The CDV is like when your rinsing your mouth out, but instead of just spitting the water out into the sink you have push the water out of your mouth through a straw, it's really that big of a difference.


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## PABS (Apr 3, 2003)

Ok....your car had a CDV...then how do you explain all the rest of us with out CDV's that experience the same problems. BTW, I know exaclty how a CDV works.

I still contend that what you are attributing the the CDV is not so at all.


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## Moderato (Nov 24, 2003)

Elwood said:


> Need to use the bleed screw. Soft pedal is air in the system.


The pedal feels good, so they must've done it right. I could swear I didn't see him use the bleeder screw, but maybe I just didn't notice. If there is air in the lines will it work itself out?


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## truespeed (Dec 1, 2004)

Newbie here. I just wanted to know if my 2001 330ci has a clutch valve? :dunno:


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