My 325i is having problems...

[Manocoulin]

I need help trying to figure out this problem. Any help would be greatly apprecaited.

So it started back in October. I went to the grocery store and got some things and then I was on my way to a physio appointment. I'm driving and while im accelerating, my car just starts to rev up. I let go of the gas, then try to accelarate again. If I slowly put my foot down, the car will gradually speed up. If I decide to put it down faster, the care will just rev and not speed up. It would jerk when it was slowing down and while trying to switch gears. It was difficult to put it into any gear.

Checked it out today to see if I could bring her out with no problems (false hope), and now I can't even put her into gears. I know it has something to do with the transmission but I don't know how serious it is. I don't want to take her in to get fixed but I'm thinking that's what I may have to do. I just want to get some more information on what might be the problem before I take it somewhere and they try to jerk me around.

If I was unclear on some things or need to elaborate on anything, let me know. I will try my best.

I don't want to give my baby up. Thinking about it is sad :(

Thanks for your time.

[nevolution]

Manual or automatic... I bet it's the clutch or bands/clutches. If it's a manual, you would need to resurface the flywheel and replace the clutch and pressure plate. If it's an auto, you would need a new transmission or rebuild.

[Manocoulin]

Wow, I'm dumb for not even mentioning that. Sorry. It is a manual transmission. Have you ever experienced something like this or know someone who has? Like, if it is what you think it is, I can see (in either circumstance) that it's going to be pricey. Thanks though for giving me an idea of what might need to be done.

[nevolution]

I'd bet money that the clutch is gone; it is a wear item, a lot like brake pads. In fact, it's made of pretty much the same stuff as brake pads. The transmission needs to be removed to get to the clutch assembly; that's the bulk of the expense. Once the transmission is out, it just takes a few minutes to R&R the clutch. You probably *could* get away with just changing the clutch disk, which isn't very expensive, but the pressure plate should be changed at the same time. And to assure that everything works correctly, the flywheel should either be resurfaced or replaced. Since the labor of pulling the transmission and reinstalling it is quite expensive, you're better off to replace/remachine everything while it's apart so you don't have to do the job twice.

As for the gear changing issues, it also sounds like your clutch line may need to be bled. That's a pretty simple proceedure and could be done before or after changing the clutch. Also, should probably find a clutch kit with a throw-out bearing (TOB); a worn TOB can also contribute to hard gear changes as pre-mature wear on clutches.

Good luck.

[Bianca98]

I agree with a slipping clutch. Too much force causes the plates to slip. order a clutch kit at about $120 and either install by yourself in a weekend or give your mechanic another 300-400 to have them install. Check out other threads on this project to know what else you could/should replace. In my case it was a good time to do a UUC SSK, a guibo, shift bushings, fluids, filters, and so on. The job as stated is mostly just labor intensive. If you have a mechanic do the job, have them tackle anything else they can while they have it all apart. Also, non converible related questions should go to the main section. The clutch in your convertible is the same as any other clutch.

[Manocoulin]

Thanks a lot for the input guys. This helps a lot and now I have a better idea of what to do. I'm gonna have to wait until next week to get anything started. I will keep ya posted on what's going on. Bianca98, sorry. I was already on this forum and I didn't really think about posting this thread in the main section lol.

Thanks again!

[Manocoulin]

So I took it in and it's EXACTLY what nevolution said. All in all, with an oil change that he's going to throw in for me at no cost (lol) is going to be around $1100 CAD. Not to bad I guess. First major expense into a vehicle and it won't be the last I know that. Just love this car to much