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Thread: 99 e36 m3 new clutch won't disengage completely

  1. #26
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
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    Orange
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    1
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    1996 Bmw M3
    I’m having the exact problem as described, ever figure out the problem? I imagine so nearly 4 years later... please

  2. #27
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    Jan 2005
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    11/88 E32 750iL+98 E36M3
    Moved to E36 M3 forum
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Jun 2021
    Location
    Beltsville md
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    1990 bmw 325i

    Clutch not disengaging

    I have similar issues new clutch kit with pilot bearing and tob, new slave, new clutch master, new pivot, new fork, bled it so many times clutch won’t disengage still and pedal isn’t stiff like it use to be. Clutch isn’t on backwards I put it on like my old set up was and it worked fine before just tob gave out and decided to replace everything. Can anyone tell me what could be the issue? Please and thank you

  4. #29
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
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    Omaha, NE
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    475
    My Cars
    1995 E36 M3 Coupe
    Same issue as documented here; https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...t-a-stop-light

    Genuine BMW parts (fork, spring, metal pivot pin, TOB, pilot bearing, etc) with a sachs pressure plate and Fx/F1 racing stage 2 clutch and chromoly flywheel.

    Mine is certainly driveable and I have put several thousand miles on it. If I press on the clutch and wait a bit, it usually clears up and I can get into gear which leads me to believe it may be a pilot bearing issue for me. Did you check your pilot bearing?

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Nov 2022
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    california
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    2010 sti 1996 e36 328i
    i have a 98 328i and i also just did the fx clutch same thing put in backwards first took out trans fixed it and i have the exact same issue clutch won’t disengage i can go into gear when it’s off but when i try to start the car it lunges foward, and when i have the car in the air the wheels spin and when i depress the clutch nothing, so i pulled the slave and had my coworker look at it while i pressed the clutch and he says it’s only coming out about half way blown master ??? also i replaced everything and trans seals

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Austin, TX
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    S54 E36 M3, E32 740il
    Quote Originally Posted by jones499 View Post
    i have a 98 328i and i also just did the fx clutch same thing put in backwards first took out trans fixed it and i have the exact same issue clutch won’t disengage i can go into gear when it’s off but when i try to start the car it lunges foward, and when i have the car in the air the wheels spin and when i depress the clutch nothing, so i pulled the slave and had my coworker look at it while i pressed the clutch and he says it’s only coming out about half way blown master ??? also i replaced everything and trans seals
    I've just started chasing this same issue as everyone else.

    My car has gotten progressively worse over the last 6 months, from just a simple clutch stop adjustment to completely having to sidestep the stop to get it into gear (which, the distance component here seems to rule out a pilot issue or other "sticking disc" issue). Having said that, it has always (since the 6 speed swap) had a fairly low engagement point.

    It would be helpful if anyone who's chased this would fill us in.

    I had similar symptoms a few years ago with a brass pivot pin that flattened, but this time a borescope showed the factory plastic pin holding up great (better than the stainless pin I had in between the brass one and the plastic one). I lengthened the slave rod with some JB Weld steel stick to see if it was a travel issue, and that made no difference. Which means it's a pressure issue for sure.

    Both the master and slave are both new - roughly 3 years old, less than 10k on the pair.

    I've ordered new master and slave and I guess we'll see which one does the trick. I want it to be the slave since it's easier to replace, but my assumption is master since there are no external leaks. But the slave rod was oddly loose when I pulled it to look at it...

    Anyway, I'll report back.

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
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    Omaha, NE
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    1995 E36 M3 Coupe
    Quote Originally Posted by blckstrm View Post
    I've just started chasing this same issue as everyone else.

    My car has gotten progressively worse over the last 6 months, from just a simple clutch stop adjustment to completely having to sidestep the stop to get it into gear (which, the distance component here seems to rule out a pilot issue or other "sticking disc" issue). Having said that, it has always (since the 6 speed swap) had a fairly low engagement point.

    It would be helpful if anyone who's chased this would fill us in.

    I had similar symptoms a few years ago with a brass pivot pin that flattened, but this time a borescope showed the factory plastic pin holding up great (better than the stainless pin I had in between the brass one and the plastic one). I lengthened the slave rod with some JB Weld steel stick to see if it was a travel issue, and that made no difference. Which means it's a pressure issue for sure.

    Both the master and slave are both new - roughly 3 years old, less than 10k on the pair.

    I've ordered new master and slave and I guess we'll see which one does the trick. I want it to be the slave since it's easier to replace, but my assumption is master since there are no external leaks. But the slave rod was oddly loose when I pulled it to look at it...

    Anyway, I'll report back.
    I replaced my slave and bled the crap out of it over the summer. No changes. Well, maybe slightly better but the issue is still prominent. Haven't ever done anything with my slave but I did notice my clutch pedal was making some clicking noises when I moved the car a couple of weeks ago. It's probably just one of the plastic clutch pedal bushings mixed with the cold weather, but we'll see. I really wish we could figure something out without having to go in blindly removing the transmission potentially for no reason but I might just have to. I am curious if it's just the clutch/flywheel setup in general that is causing my issues. Might just have to go with a new setup but again, I would hate to end up out a ton of money with no change.

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Austin, TX
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    S54 E36 M3, E32 740il
    Mine seems to clearly be a travel issue of done kind since it gets better when I change the clutch stop position. I've been thinking about it more and I wonder if the master bore is worn - since reaching deeper into the master seems to give me some function back, at least for a few weeks.

    I may actually start there now that I've thought about it.

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by blckstrm View Post
    Mine seems to clearly be a travel issue of done kind since it gets better when I change the clutch stop position. I've been thinking about it more and I wonder if the master bore is worn - since reaching deeper into the master seems to give me some function back, at least for a few weeks.

    I may actually start there now that I've thought about it.
    Well, I tried to just do a simple pump bleed and my "help" blew out my slave, so I replaced it since it arrived early (my master is not here yet). Absolutely NO change. I'm leaving town the day my new master arrives, so it'll be some time next week before I get the new master installed.

    Does anyone know if certain slaves have more travel than others (or maybe start deeper)? Since I have an E46 330 6 speed, I wonder if I should be using an E46 slave instead of the E36 slave. I've searched but I can't find the travel for the various slave cylinders. But all E46 use a different slave than the one in the E36 (and E34, E31, E39, etc).

    Thoughts?

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
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    San Antonio, TX
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    1995 BMW M3 Coupe

    99 e36 m3 new clutch won't disengage completely

    I would think that the slave cylinder should be the same one used with the 330i 6MT, and not the one used with the E36 M3 5MT. Checking RealOEM, the E36 M3 uses a 21526775924

    https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...er-21526775924

    while a E46 330i (2005) uses a 21526785966

    https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...-21526785966oe
    Last edited by RBNetEngr; 01-18-2023 at 02:29 AM.

  11. #36
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    S54 E36 M3, E32 740il
    Quote Originally Posted by RBNetEngr View Post
    I would think that the slave cylinder should be the same one used with the 330i 6MT, and not the one used with the E36 M3 5MT. Checking RealOEM, the E36 M3 uses a 21526775924

    https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...er-21526775924

    while a E46 330i (2005) uses a 21526785966

    https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...-21526785966oe
    That's true, but it's not just later 6 speed-equipped 330s - EVERY e46 uses that slave, including the ones with the same ZF 5 Speed the M3 comes with. So the case for requiring it seems less clear-cut. Having said that, I already have an FCP return to make with the master, so I should probably order it so I at least have it on hand.

    Lol - I'm usually happy I GET to drive this thing every day, but sometimes HAVING to drive the car every day makes for some stress.

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
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    New England
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    F90 M5; E36 M3 Turbo
    I remember the days when I had only 1 car and it was modded. I was happier once I had a spare car. And much happier when the spare car was changed for a spare car that was fun.

  13. #38
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by pbonsalb View Post
    I remember the days when I had only 1 car and it was modded. I was happier once I had a spare car. And much happier when the spare car was changed for a spare car that was fun.
    Haha - it's not that I don't have multiple cars, I just have more drivers than cars.

    I've also found you always get used to your baseline. We only had 2 for a long time (even with 3 drivers), and that was fine, but now that we're used to 3 we could never go back.

    I'll admit the recent addition of the front splitter has decreased the ease of use for this being a daily. There are lots of parking lot entrances / driveways and even speed bumps I need to plan around now. But that is usually only a real problem when I need to take the truck and let my daughter drive the M3.

  14. #39
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
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    Charlotte, NC
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    '02 540i-6, '97 540i-6
    I've had a similar problem happen three times.

    Once was on a Land Rover Discovery. In that case it wasn't hard to verify that hydraulic part was OK. I thought the clutch was worn and would need replacement soon, but I expected it to slip as it wore out, not lock up. I had a shop replace the clutch. The friction plate had started to come apart so it connected the flywheel and pressure plate no matter what the release bearing did. In that case the engine would not run with the car in gear, the clutch pedal in and the brake on.

    Once I fixed a neighbor's e36. No clutch disengagement at all. It seemed that the slave was working OK, but there was no motion sound from anything inside. When I removed the slave and reached in with something I could tell the fork was loose. When I got the tranny off I could see that the pivot pin was basically gone.

    And last summer, my brother's e34 had a similar problem. I bled the clutch repeatedly. I could hear the clutch working. Partial disengagement. If I started the car in gear, the engine would run with the car stopped and the brake on. So I knew the hydraulic part was working -- the pressure plate must have been somewhat released. But once the engine was running the car just wouldn't go in gear. Like one of you, I used a scope to check the pivot pin and it looked fine. I finally pulled the tranny and found that the pilot bearing had completely disintegrated. I think that let the transmission shaft wobble so the friction plate kept rubbing both the pressure plate and the flywheel, enough to spin the tranny even with the pressure plate disengaged. (The wear on the flywheel looked blurred on the outer edges, not clearly defined, which supported the idea of an oscillating friction plate.)

    Hope some of that helps. Good luck!
    Last edited by R Shaffner; 01-18-2023 at 06:19 PM.

  15. #40
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    S54 E36 M3, E32 740il
    Changed the master and things are better. I've read much about just pumping the clutch repeatedly to bleed, but I've done that before and still found a little air trapped in the slave. Power bleeding seems to ensure you get it all out, so I'll do that in the next couple days when I get a second. The engagement point is still lower than I'd prefer, but I'm hoping that improves after bleeding it.

    If not, I'll replace the slave with the e46 slave arriving tomorrow and see if that makes a difference. If the bore is a little smaller it should yield a little more travel.

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