pressure plate won't budge! plz help!

[bimmernub]

In the progress of changing my clutch, and as an amateur technician, I knew it would take me two days, so I started two days ago, prepping as much as I can and removing the exhaust the first day, and doing the tranny work the 2nd day (yesterday). Everything was going good until a small metal cylinder holding in one of the torx bolts to the bell housing was stuck, and took an hour just to remove the bell housing even with the bolts removed. Then my awesome brother decided to lose one of the bellhousing bolts to make matters better.

Finally to the internals, the pressure plate -WILL NOT- budge. The first allen wrench bolt came right out with out any problems at all, the other 5 are damn near welded in. Impact wrench won't even move them, even changing from loosen to tighten. I have sprayed multiple applications of liquid wrench on them with significant time between to let it absorb to no avail. I had serious doubts it would help anyway, as the bolts are clean and not corroded anyway. One of them is now stripped completey (the allen head), and I am at a complete loss. I guess I could cut them off, but it would take 8 hours with a dremel and I dont have a cutting torch.

Do I just get it towed to a shop, if I can even find one that will complete a half finished job? Or do I go through 19 dremel blades and 8 hours of grinding? If I do, how do I then remove the studs from the $970 flywheel that I -cannot- replace due to lack of funds? I am at a complete loss, and have that feminine helpless feeling ROFL. This NEEDS to get done ASAP, car runs fuggin great, but won't go anywhere like this :(

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

[h2oyo]

I havent had the pressure plate bolts stuck like yours, I think I would use a propane torch to heat them and give them small hits with the impact. make sure the torks are in the bolts all the way. Unless there is something different about your car from my 540 that is what I would do. Good luck.

[bimmernub]

I havent had the pressure plate bolts stuck like yours, I think I would use a propane torch to heat them and give them small hits with the impact. make sure the torks are in the bolts all the way. Unless there is something different about your car from my 540 that is what I would do. Good luck.


Yeah, haven't gone the torch route yet, guess I will give that a shot now, but my pressure plate uses allen head (hex head) not torx, the torx were on the bellhousing.

Didnt think heating them would be necessary as they shouldnt endure all that much heat I wouldnt think, but still worth a try, thank you!!

[snake109]

Best way is get an air hammer with a flat chizel, hammer directly on the bolt putting an indention in the SIDE of the bolt, then hammer in that indention at an angle to spin the bolt loose, works everytime. This is pretty common on all bmw pressure plate bolts.

[bimmernub]

Best way is get an air hammer with a flat chizel, hammer directly on the bolt putting an indention in the SIDE of the bolt, then hammer in that indention at an angle to spin the bolt loose, works everytime. This is pretty common on all bmw pressure plate bolts.


Just tried heating the plate up with a propane torch, hitting the bolt with a piece of ice, and using the impact wrench to no avail. Pressure plates just sitting there laughing at me.

Snake, I dont quite follow you. I dont have an air hammer, but I do have chizels and a hammer and can try this, but I don't totally understand what I'm trying to do here. The bolt takes an allen head, so I chizel on the ring of the bolt like a radius, then take the chizel at an angle in that same indention i just made to try to spin the bolt? or you're saying make the first indention on the side of the bolt, like the outside of the bolt, where my dent is following the natural line of the bolt?

thanks again, i appreciate everyones input

[snake109]

an air hammer would be MUCH easier (PITA without one), but you can try with what you have. your luckly im bored today:stickoutt on top the red line indicates the mark you want to make with your flat chizel going straight on as seen second down, on the bottom is the direction you want to hammer once youve make your indention, using the indention as a "face" to keep your chizel planted. It may take a while to get the first one out, but once you get the idea the rest will come out with eaze.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j267/snake1098/allen.png

[bimmernub]

<3 snake

tysm, going to see if i cant get a hold of an air hammer, have a compressor already, i doubt i would be able to do chizel work in this confined an area with a hammer =(

[Binjammin]

Any idea what line pressure you're running your air tools at? Also how large is the tank on your compressor? Air tools on a carpenter's compressor at 30psi aren't going to knock bolts out, but a decent 30gal at like 90psi ought to rip those things right out. Also, I'd wager that if you could cut the bolt heads off you could slot what's left and remove it with a screwdriver once the bolts aren't torqued tight anymore.


If it were me, I'd lock the flywheel in place and put a long pipe on the ratchet you're using to remove these things.

You're not trying to use right angle allen wrenches are you? :confused

A much longer torque arm will solve your issues.

[5mall5nail5]

if you cant get them free, get an angle grinder and grind the heads flush to the PP then wedge a big pry bar between the pp and flywheel and it should pop right off. Then grab the remaining crap with vice grips.

[ross1]

Must be one wimpy impact.
Sometimes forcing a slightly oversize hex bit, 1/4" for 6mm for example, or torx bit will save you.
For future reference always be sure the holes of any internal drive fastener are clean so the bit can be fully seated. A good whack and /or some heat first never hurt and valve grinding paste on the bits help them bite.
Good luck, I feel your pain

[uk525td]

heat, angle grind,chisel just beat the **** out of them, if the heads come of so be it, i hafve in previous times (struggling with suspension components) been frced to weld a big nut on top of a crappy head to free it off, heat of the welder normally helps a little too
presure plate is toast anyway so dot worry about that,
if it gets bad and you havent got any of the above drill the heads off but hten you have an awkward stud to pull but not impossible, i assume yourtaking hte flywheel off to do the rear seal while your in there (common practice?) so doens t really matter what gets stuck i nthe flywheel, youll be able to tackle it on the bench afterwards

[attack eagle]

an air chisel will set up vibrations in the metal that will literally free the fasteners in under a second.

I've had to do the air chisel on a rounded out allen for the rear output shaft before... saved my bacon.

[bimmernub]

well already tried heating the things up with a torch, and the impact wrench is my fathers and is electrical. . . yep.. . .electrical. . .

regardless it wasnt cutting it, did snakes tactic but by hand (hammer and chisel) and it work. thanks for everyones input. I planned on doing the rear main seal, bought it and everything, but honestly kinda scared about taking the flywheel out as it is a $970 part for bmw dual mass one and i'd rather spend $12/year more on oil than spend another grand cause i fucked it up trying to change a $20 seal. any input on that? I want to change it, but i dont want to take out a loan because i fucked something up

p.s. will be a lot easier to take the exhaust and all this shiz off next time due to newer parts, less corrosion, ect.

i can pretty much gaurentee that the exhaust manifold gaskets had never been changed before i did it a few months ago, and the amount of corrosion on those studs/bolts was comparable to the corrosion on the other exhaust studs/bolts. almost makes me want to think this is the first time the damn clutch has ever been changed. idk though, 162k miles, is it even possible for a clutch to go that long? i mean, i put mostly highway miles on it, don't know about the previous owners, and got absolutely no maintenence records with the car when i bought it. guy i got it from said he had the vanos replaced a year or so ago, and said he changed a headlight (lol), other than that and oil changes, i know he didnt do jack else to the car, as the cabin air filter was black as night when i changed it, and i had to shop vac out the housing of loads of other debris n shiz. looked for a batch # on the old clutch but only thing on it is gearbox side marking and part # which is obviously the same as the new clutch.

comments plz, this is the most work i've done to a car

<3 my e34, your all's input has been so helpful!

[Binjammin]

If the rear main is leaking, change it. If it's not, leave it be.

[bimmernub]

well there wasnt any standing oil in the bellhousing, and i've had it on stilts since sunday (5 days now! man i'm a terrible mechanic lol, but have been extrememly busy too) and there isn't one drop on the pavement.

as per my name, i am not aware if the rear main is always in contact with oil or only when the car is running? I'm guessing the oil pan houses all of the oil while sitting so i it wouldnt leak even if it was bad if it's just been sitting for 5 days? why cant i find the rear main seal in the bentley?

there is some nastiness caked behind the flywheel that looks like it may have absorbed some oil? idk. all i can say for sure is that i change my oil every 3k miles and i'm about 2500 in, checked it last week and did not need to add any oil. i also park in the same spot frequently and have not noticed any oil leaks, but a little coolant =(

[uk525td]

hmm.. ok i thought it was one of those things worth changing...
HOWEVERR, i have replaced a cam seal on an audi once (trying to trace a leak) and subsequently replaced the dam thing twice more to stop it from leaking, even though it wasnt leaking initially :S
so i guess if your scared about changing it and its not leaking, then dont... otherwise do it...Problem is youll want to run the engine up to be reassured its not leaking afterwards... and i really dont know if that is advisable or not

[bimmernub]

Problem is youll want to run the engine up to be reassured its not leaking afterwards... and i really dont know if that is advisable or not


you mean start the car before or after the seals been changed to see if it's leaking while the transmission is still apart? idk if thats safe or bad for the car either. i honestly dont see why it would be a problem but not being an expert, i'm definitely not trying to f anything up

[uk525td]

no exactly... but yer to be reassured its not leaking beofre you put it all back together

[ross1]

well there wasnt any standing oil in the bellhousing, and i've had it on stilts since sunday (5 days now! man i'm a terrible mechanic lol, but have been extrememly busy too) and there isn't one drop on the pavement.

as per my name, i am not aware if the rear main is always in contact with oil or only when the car is running? I'm guessing the oil pan houses all of the oil while sitting so i it wouldnt leak even if it was bad if it's just been sitting for 5 days? why cant i find the rear main seal in the bentley?

there is some nastiness caked behind the flywheel that looks like it may have absorbed some oil? idk. all i can say for sure is that i change my oil every 3k miles and i'm about 2500 in, checked it last week and did not need to add any oil. i also park in the same spot frequently and have not noticed any oil leaks, but a little coolant =(

Leave it alone

[Binjammin]

hmm.. ok i thought it was one of those things worth changing...
HOWEVERR, i have replaced a cam seal on an audi once (trying to trace a leak) and subsequently replaced the dam thing twice more to stop it from leaking, even though it wasnt leaking initially :S
so i guess if your scared about changing it and its not leaking, then dont... otherwise do it...Problem is youll want to run the engine up to be reassured its not leaking afterwards... and i really dont know if that is advisable or not


If it were me, I'd change it, because I have lots of experience. OP doesn't, and if the seal rips he's SOL and will need another. Tearing a seal isn't hard to do, so if it's not leaking I'd just leave it.

[ClarkWGriswold]

Impact driver with a allen socket will get them out.

[bimmernub]

clutch finally changed! and went ahead and changed the rear main seal with some $17 one from NAPA. didn't seem as sturdy as the OEM one i took out, but w/e, it's replaced. also didnt seem to be leaking either but hopefully now i wont have to worry about it at all.

thank you all for everything, couldn't have done it without you!

[5mall5nail5]

Man, you are going to regret replacing the rear main with a non original part...