Engine Misfires after Clutch/Flywheel Replacement

[droveto]

So, I recently had the clutch and dual mass flywheel replaced in my 87 325e.

I purchased the parts myself to save a couple of bucks, but the engine is misfiring horribly. The mechanic says that the ignition markers on the Dual Mass are not in line with the original one and that's causing this.

He says he's going to take the transmission out and see what he can do. If he hasn't taken the transmission out is there really anyway for him to know that the ignition markers are actually in a different spot than the original?

Has anyone had any similar issues?
Thanks.

[droveto]

Bump.

[guategordon]

Yes he can probably see the marks through the inspection pannel on the bottom of the Transmission bell housing.

[mischief3003]

pull the speed and reference sensors back out and see if any of them are damaged. My car had this same problem after my clutch job wand it was the sensors.

[Eric Giles]

First of all-the replacement flywheel that you purchased-was it a LuK OEM replacement? If so, what was the model number of the flywheel?

The reason I ask is because I just went thru HELL on a similar job on my '87 325 with dual mass flywheel. LuK lists a specific dual mass flywheel for the E30 eta engine, which I think is DMF-007, but it is wrong. I purchased the flywheel that they specify, but after installation the car would start, missfire horribly, and was undriveable. After a lot of diagnosis, I finally contacted LuK tech support and they verified that the flywheel they listed as being correct does not have the crank trigger on the flywheel! So the crank reference sensor on the bellhousing has nothing to read. How mine still cranked we have no idea, but it definitely wasn't driveable.

The kicker is-they do have a correct part number for the eta motor application (DMF-003 I believe), however that part is discontinued and they have no more in stock. I wound up reusing my original dual mass flywheel and everything is now fine, as it obviously has the metal crank trigger on the outside of the flywheel.

LuK took the flywheel back and gave me a total refund, including my shipping charges back to them. But the fact I had to pull my transmission 3 times within a couple of weeks didn't make me a happy camper. But the fact is, LuK no longer has a replacement dual mass flywheel for eta motors. Find out what model number flywheel you used so we can see if that is your actual issue.

[droveto]

First of all-the replacement flywheel that you purchased-was it a LuK OEM replacement? If so, what was the model number of the flywheel?

The reason I ask is because I just went thru HELL on a similar job on my '87 325 with dual mass flywheel. LuK lists a specific dual mass flywheel for the E30 eta engine, which I think is DMF-007, but it is wrong. I purchased the flywheel that they specify, but after installation the car would start, missfire horribly, and was undriveable. After a lot of diagnosis, I finally contacted LuK tech support and they verified that the flywheel they listed as being correct does not have the crank trigger on the flywheel! So the crank reference sensor on the bellhousing has nothing to read. How mine still cranked we have no idea, but it definitely wasn't driveable.

The kicker is-they do have a correct part number for the eta motor application (DMF-003 I believe), however that part is discontinued and they have no more in stock. I wound up reusing my original dual mass flywheel and everything is now fine, as it obviously has the metal crank trigger on the outside of the flywheel.

LuK took the flywheel back and gave me a total refund, including my shipping charges back to them. But the fact I had to pull my transmission 3 times within a couple of weeks didn't make me a happy camper. But the fact is, LuK no longer has a replacement dual mass flywheel for eta motors. Find out what model number flywheel you used so we can see if that is your actual issue.

Holy crap. I'd say we have the same problem.
I purchased the DMF 007 model:

I tried to post the link to it, but was denied the right to do so.
I got it at Carolina Clutch.
I have a mechanic doing this work, and bought the flywheel myself and had it shipped to him since he wanted $950 for the part, and this was much cheaper. I guess I know why now...

This sucks.

[droveto]

It's odd. There's a lot of different information on these clutches when scouring. Everything from the DMF003 paired with the i, and the DMF007 part goes in an e, to the parts being used interchangeably at some places...
I emailed luk and hopefully I'll have some news tomorrow.

[Eric Giles]

Yep, you have the same problem that I did. Luk really needs to update their application guides immediately so that this doesn't continue to happen. Here is what you need to do to get the matter handled as quickly as possible-call the Luk technical hotline at 1-800-274-5001 and ask to speak to Dan. Tell him what is going on, and tell him that I let you know abou this-he should remember my name and the situation from just a couple of months ago. They will take care of the matter in the end.

But as far as a new flywheel, I am not sure what your options are. BMW probably does still have the correct flywheel, but the pricing is double what you can get the Luk for (even though the original is a Luk also). Is your old dual mass flywheel completely done for? After all my problems, luckily I did not throw my original flywheel away-I just took some sandpaper to it and put it back on-and it is working fine.

[droveto]

The old flywheel is definitely done for.
Is your 325 an i or an e? It seems the DMF007 is for the 2.7 engine e engine, which doesn't need the sensor, which is the engine I have, so it seems like it should be okay.
The symptoms are eerily similar though.
The mechanic is changing a couple things today (crank sensor) and he's hoping for a miracle I bet.

[MR E30]

The ETA engine (M20B27) is the engine that needs the two sensors. The M20B25 does not use the sensors.

[Eric Giles]

The ETA engine (M20B27) is the engine that needs the two sensors. The M20B25 does not use the sensors.

Correct-mine has the 2.7L eta engine which has the two sensors on the bellhousing that get their signals from the flywheel. What your car needs is the DMF-003 flywheel, which LuK told me was discontinued and they had none in stock.

What your mechanic needs to do is remove the crank sensor (the bottom of the two sensors) and look inside that hole at the edge of the flywheel while someone else manually rotates the motor via the crank bolt. You will be able to see the piece of metal that is the crank trigger, but if it's a DMF-007 it won't have one.

Might as well go ahead and tell your mechanic to pull the transmission again because the flywheel you have isn't for your car-no matter what the Luk application guide says.

[droveto]

Yeah, that was what was fouling it all up. I think the mechanic was sick of it so it he put a used DMF in that he said had very low mileage on it and my new clutch and said to come and get it, so I did. I'm not psyched with the used DMF, but he didn't charge me for it, and I only brought it in for the clutch anyway and would have left a used and working flywheel in, so I guess it's not so bad.

If I had to do it over again I would have gotten a lightweight flywheel/clutch combo for the car.

[droveto]

Eric, thanks for your input on this. The mechanic may have been pulling things apart for weeks before he went back in there to check the flywheel.
Seems to me that a guy who specialized in European cars should have picked up on that different in flywheels. I guess it was too subtle a thing to look for.