1995 540i 6 Speed Clutch / Flywheel Options

[Bimmerick]

What'd you decide?

I am about 1-2 weeks away from ordering a bunch of parts including a flywheel/clutch kit. Unless something changes my mind, I plan to go ahead with the M62 TTV Racing flywheel pictured above and a LUK 03042 E39 M5 clutch kit ($200.79 from Rockauto)

I will make another post on this thread when I actually make the buy, and then document the installation here.

[govee]

Getting excited for you to kick this off!

[Bimmerick]

Getting excited for you to kick this off!

Sure... so you can learn from all my mistakes!

[govee]

You, mistakes...Why would you think such a thing!

[Parkypine]

I got my singlemass (265mm) from SPEC for a tad north of $600. Great product, excellent customer service and it arrived to my door in 3 days. I recommend them if you want to take a look and widen your horizon

[AHenry014]

I am about 1-2 weeks away from ordering a bunch of parts including a flywheel/clutch kit. Unless something changes my mind, I plan to go ahead with the M62 TTV Racing flywheel pictured above and a LUK 03042 E39 M5 clutch kit ($200.79 from Rockauto)

I will make another post on this thread when I actually make the buy, and then document the installation here.

i ran an e39 JBR on my car, with a LUK 540i clutch kit. Got the clutch kit for 200 shipped on ebay. The clutch was fantastic. Just know it will be a self adjusting pressure plate, which from my research is really only a problem after they are well used. You need a special tool to reset the pressure plate if you plan to ever R/R it. It will also be a solid center disk, which i didn't mind at all for daily driving.

[UnrulyGrace]

I got my singlemass (265mm) from SPEC for a tad north of $600. Great product, excellent customer service and it arrived to my door in 3 days. I recommend them if you want to take a look and widen your horizon

When my motor is ready, I too will be going with a SPEC flywheel and their Stage 3+ clutch.

[googone20]

I am in the same boat with having to replace the clutch/flywheel in a 540i/6 I just bought. Seems like most choose a LTW flywheel and usually a Sach's or Luk.

[Bimmerick]

Received my clutch kit today. I went with a LUK E39 M5 kit (03042). FWIW it came with the friction disc, pressure plate, throw out bearing, pilot bearing, alignment tool, and spline lube. Got it from Rockauto, with a 5% coupon it was $200.77 delivered. Pics below are along side of the stock Sachs E34 disc and plate. TTV Racing M62 lite flywheel should be here Monday...

[googone20]

Is this a 240mm or a 265mm? How heavy is you flywheel from TTV?

[Bimmerick]

So I am leaning towards the TTV M62 B44 Lite. Yummy one piece CNC'd from forged chrome moly, weighing in at 15.2 pounds. I emailed TTV and got a prompt response from Ben, who quoted $470 delivered with a ~3 day turnaround. Anybody else running a TTV flywheel?

Is this a 240mm or a 265mm? How heavy is you flywheel from TTV?

It's E39 so 240mm, and the flywheel is 15.2lbs.

[googone20]

What's the advantage of the 240mm over the stock 265mm?? I have heard the 265mm is stronger and more reliable. Sorry for asking lots of questions, but I also have to make this same decision, and I want to understand what went into your decision.

[762Armo]

I'm under the impression that the price is the biggest deal to go with the 240mm. That is the reason I just went with the stock 265mm clutch. Although I am redoing the clutch soon, would have gone 240, but rock auto is warranting my clutch, so I will get the 265 at no cost. Looking to go lightweight flywheel this time tho.

[Bimmerick]

What's the advantage of the 240mm over the stock 265mm?? I have heard the 265mm is stronger and more reliable. Sorry for asking lots of questions, but I also have to make this same decision, and I want to understand what went into your decision.

I'm under the impression that the price is the biggest deal to go with the 240mm. That is the reason I just went with the stock 265mm clutch. Although I am redoing the clutch soon, would have gone 240, but rock auto is warranting my clutch, so I will get the 265 at no cost. Looking to go lightweight flywheel this time tho.

PRICE:
Price was a variable. Doing a 540i/6 speed swap into a needy Touring, I have a lot of parts to buy, and across the board, E34/M60 (265mm) clutch/flywheel options were more expensive than similar E39/M62 (240mm) options.

STRENGTH/DURABILITY:
It makes logical sense that a bigger clutch/flywheel (265 vs. 240) should (would/could) be stronger and more reliable , but evidence of that being the case seems more tribal or anecdotal than empirical.

OPTIONS:
There appear to be more options for the M62 than for the M60. With an M62 flywheel, I can use the E39 M5 clutch kit (used thru 2003 in ~400hp M5). I have read that this M5 OE clutch is "better, stronger, faster" than the E34 and E39 540 OE clutches (although some of that evidence may be tribal also).

WEIGHT:
While not a big variable, the TTV Racing M60 flywheel is ~3lbs heavier at 18.1lbs. I can't speak for others brands, but it makes sense that a bigger diameter flywheel would weigh more. I assume a bigger diameter pressure plate (also rotating mass) would be heavier too?


CONCLUSION:
In the end I was looking for a performance upgrade over stock without breaking the budget, and at under $700 total price delivered ($484 for the 15lb TTV SMF, and $200 for the LUK M5 clutch kit, this setup appears to be an awesome value. Hopefully before the end of the year, I will be able to give an actual road test review...

[atl530i]

I look forward to a review. The more options the better. I am most likely going to end up building a 540i6 touring soon since I have a full 540i6 parts car now.

[Martinator]

Completed the ttv 15lb flywheel & s62 clutch install to my 540i yesterday. This flywheel & clutch combo is 24lbs lighter than stock parts. The clutch pedal is now very light. The clutch take-up is near the bottom of pedal travel, as expected of a fresh clutch. The 540 shifts smoothly with quicker rev drops; it is great, very sporty. There is not much noticeable gearbox chatter, even with the busted rubber shifter seal.
The plastic locating plate on the s62 pressure plate is removed once the pressure plate is bolted to the flywheel and the alignment is checked. There are alignment marks on the 3 arms of the self-adjusting mechanism. The new part that I received was lined up from the factory. Once the pressure plate is bolted up; check that the clutch alignment tool fits easily in several different clocked positions. That 6 speed is heavy.
The 540 seems quicker through 3rd gear. It is definitely more fun to drive with this clutch and flywheel.

[googone20]

So you installed this in one day on the garage floor, or did you have access to a lift to do this? I have personally never done a clutch/flywheel swap, so I am curious how involved this is? Was this your first swap?

[Martinator]

So you installed this in one day on the garage floor, or did you have access to a lift to do this? I have personally never done a clutch/flywheel swap, so I am curious how involved this is? Was this your first swap?

I've done a few flywheel and clutch swaps on the cold garage concrete. I did this swap over 2-4 hour sessions. The 6 speed is fairly heavy when lifting it into place. The 5 speed gearboxes behind the m30 are much more manageable. Some friends wish I had a lift in the garage.
Find a local friend who's done the job before. Pay attention to how the clutch release bearing rests on the arm; there are 2 pedestals that should line up vertically to ride on the arm. Pay attention to lining up the clutch plate when torqueing down the pressure plate. The gearbox won't fit unless the alignment is perfect. Pay attention to lining up the new pilot bearing; it should seat fully in the crank. Pay attention to not start bellhousing bolts to snug up the last half-inch if the alignment is off; that'll break stuff.

[Bimmerick]

Completed the ttv 15lb flywheel & s62 clutch install to my 540i yesterday. This flywheel & clutch combo is 24lbs lighter than stock parts. The clutch pedal is now very light. The clutch take-up is near the bottom of pedal travel, as expected of a fresh clutch. The 540 shifts smoothly with quicker rev drops; it is great, very sporty. There is not much noticeable gearbox chatter, even with the busted rubber shifter seal.
The plastic locating plate on the s62 pressure plate is removed once the pressure plate is bolted to the flywheel and the alignment is checked. There are alignment marks on the 3 arms of the self-adjusting mechanism. The new part that I received was lined up from the factory. Once the pressure plate is bolted up; check that the clutch alignment tool fits easily in several different clocked positions. That 6 speed is heavy.
The 540 seems quicker through 3rd gear. It is definitely more fun to drive with this clutch and flywheel.

I've done a few flywheel and clutch swaps on the cold garage concrete. I did this swap over 2-4 hour sessions. The 6 speed is fairly heavy when lifting it into place. The 5 speed gearboxes behind the m30 are much more manageable. Some friends wish I had a lift in the garage.
Find a local friend who's done the job before. Pay attention to how the clutch release bearing rests on the arm; there are 2 pedestals that should line up vertically to ride on the arm. Pay attention to lining up the clutch plate when torqueing down the pressure plate. The gearbox won't fit unless the alignment is perfect. Pay attention to lining up the new pilot bearing; it should seat fully in the crank. Pay attention to not start bellhousing bolts to snug up the last half-inch if the alignment is off; that'll break stuff.

Can't believe you just installed the exact same clutch/flywheel combination. Thanks for posting your initial impressions and your installation tips.

[AHenry014]

Completed the ttv 15lb flywheel & s62 clutch install to my 540i yesterday. This flywheel & clutch combo is 24lbs lighter than stock parts. The clutch pedal is now very light. The clutch take-up is near the bottom of pedal travel, as expected of a fresh clutch. The 540 shifts smoothly with quicker rev drops; it is great, very sporty. There is not much noticeable gearbox chatter, even with the busted rubber shifter seal.
The plastic locating plate on the s62 pressure plate is removed once the pressure plate is bolted to the flywheel and the alignment is checked. There are alignment marks on the 3 arms of the self-adjusting mechanism. The new part that I received was lined up from the factory. Once the pressure plate is bolted up; check that the clutch alignment tool fits easily in several different clocked positions. That 6 speed is heavy.
The 540 seems quicker through 3rd gear. It is definitely more fun to drive with this clutch and flywheel.

It feels really light because you are still using the e34 b40/6spd clutch slave. The e39 240mm clutch calls for a smaller bore slave, same one used on the e34 525i/530i. The e34 540i/6spd slave is specific to just that 265mm clutch.

So you installed this in one day on the garage floor, or did you have access to a lift to do this? I have personally never done a clutch/flywheel swap, so I am curious how involved this is? Was this your first swap?

Ive done the clutch twice when my touring was a 540/6, and have helped with numerous i6 trans and clutch swaps. By the second time I did my own touring, I could go from a parked car to the trans on the floor of my garage in 1.5hrs or so. This is assuming all things cooperate, like exhaust bolts. If the car has never been apart, i would bank on having to cut the bolts/studs at the exhaust manifolds. If the studs are still there, knock them out and replace with bolts/nuts. To get the driveshaft out, go get yourself a ratcheting 17mm box end wrench to get the nuts off the diff. If by yourself doing this, leave in neutral with the ebrake off, grab two screwdrivers and jam them in the vents in the rotors through the caliper to hold the driveshaft while loosening the nuts. Keep in mind, if replacing the original DMF, you must have the special Torx flywheel bolt tool. Its a long, narrow shanked t55 or 60, don't remember which. I borrowed it from a member here on the boards, just had to pay shipping. Grab a friend and get-r-done. Oh, and the topmost bellhousing bolts are easiest to get from through the top.

[Bimmerick]

Completed the ttv 15lb flywheel & s62 clutch install to my 540i yesterday. This flywheel & clutch combo is 24lbs lighter than stock parts. The clutch pedal is now very light. The clutch take-up is near the bottom of pedal travel, as expected of a fresh clutch. The 540 shifts smoothly with quicker rev drops; it is great, very sporty. There is not much noticeable gearbox chatter, even with the busted rubber shifter seal.
The plastic locating plate on the s62 pressure plate is removed once the pressure plate is bolted to the flywheel and the alignment is checked. There are alignment marks on the 3 arms of the self-adjusting mechanism. The new part that I received was lined up from the factory. Once the pressure plate is bolted up; check that the clutch alignment tool fits easily in several different clocked positions. That 6 speed is heavy.
The 540 seems quicker through 3rd gear. It is definitely more fun to drive with this clutch and flywheel.

Seeing as you just completed this job...

1) Above you reference a "plastic locating plate", is this the plate with the hex shaped hole in it (sure looks metal to me)? Or are you referring to the plastic alignment tool?
2) "...alignment marks on the 3 arms of the self-adjusting mechanism" that were "lined up from the factory...? What's the deal with that? I checked my assembly and it looks the same as yours (where the green springs and "arms" are?)
3) Flywheel bolts: I would love to save $36 but I assume the bolts are single use and must be replaced? Can you confirm the part number of the bolts you used? Are these the right bolts: 11227805885?
4) Another thread here (for a 5 speed) references a shim that goes between the flywheel and the bolts; is there such a shim for the 6 speed application?

I swear I am not as confused as I sound...

[Martinator]

Seeing as you just completed this job...

1) Above you reference a "plastic locating plate", is this the plate with the hex shaped hole in it (sure looks metal to me)? Or are you referring to the plastic alignment tool? Yes, same thing. What I called the plastic locating plate, keeps the self-adjuster in position. It gets twisted out once the pressure plate is lightly bolted up.
2) "...alignment marks on the 3 arms of the self-adjusting mechanism" that were "lined up from the factory...? What's the deal with that? I checked my assembly and it looks the same as yours (where the green springs and "arms" are?) Look on the arms, there are white lines. New pressure plate should be clocked correctly.
3) Flywheel bolts: I would love to save $36 but I assume the bolts are single use and must be replaced? Can you confirm the part number of the bolts you used? Are these the right bolts: 11227805885? The t60 torx bolts are captured in the dual-mass flywheel. BMA sourced flywheel bolts 11 22 1 717 840, which ended up with the same threads & depth past the flywheel. These are hex head.
4) Another thread here (for a 5 speed) references a shim that goes between the flywheel and the bolts; is there such a shim for the 6 speed application? I found no galling plate for the flywheel. Not sure if there is one, or if washers should be used. The new bolts had yellow locktite.

[Bimmerick]

Thank you for the feedback.

1) Understand the locating plate.
2) Below is a pic of my pressure plate, looks good to me?
3) I crossed the two bolt part numbers and they are the same: 12X28mm hex heads.
4) So no plate and no washers.

[Martinator]

Bimmerick, think you're there. I am not sure whether washers should be used on flywheel bolts. Hope it doesn't harm function, either way.I installed a smaller-bore slave cylinder; it fixed the light clutch pedal. Had to rebuild the cheap centric branded slave as the captured seal wasn't captured on the piston end, as it were. The round retaining clip was very shallow; used another from larger bore slave.Very happy with the ttv steel flywheel and s62 clutch. There is no additional noise or chatter, and the clutch behavior is very positive. Un-sprung clutch and solid 15lb steel flywheel seem great.

[762Armo]

I didn't get a response on my thread, so thought I'd ask here.

I did my clutch about 4-5 month, 5k miles ago, but something went wrong and clutch started slipping a about a month ago. Thinking it might be the fact that I didn't change the flywheel, or that my rear main seal is leaking (though I didn't notice any oil when I was there).
Getting a new clutch kit, new flywheel, and rear main seal. What else needs to be changed while I'm down there. I would prefer to not do the job a 3rd time.