323i Clutch Question

[KRD43]

Hi All,

I tried to post this earlier. Recently, I inherited a 1999 323i Convertible from my late mother-in-law. It had 102,000 miles on it and had been sitting for 6 months.

I know that she purchased it about 4 or 5 years ago from a used car dealer and that shortly after the purchase, the clutch needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the clutch at about 80,000 miles or so. My mother-in-law was tough on a clutch and rode it a bit when starting off.

The car has 108,000 miles on it now. A few thousand miles ago, I started the car up with the clutch depressed and it slowly sunk to the floor. I reached down and pulled it back up and it seemed fine after that. Slowly the clutch began to slip in 5th gear, then 4th, 3rd, and now 2nd and even 1st.

There has never been a smell of asbestos or burning clutch, the fluid in the master cylinder has remained constant, and I have never seen any oil on the garage floor under the car.

Some have stated that it sounds like the Slave Cylinder.

Does anyone here have any advice?

Many thanks in advance for any help on this before I go and drop the transmission.

[floydr]

You've got two problems:
1) The peddle going to the floor was the slave cylinder beginning to fail, or needing bleeding.
2) The slipping and smell is the clutch plate failing, or the flywheel or pressure plate needing replacement. My guess is they didn't replace the entire clutch assembly at 80K miles, only replacing the clutch plate. The riding the clutch and already worn other parts have conspired to cause an early failure.

Replace the entire clutch assembly: slave cylinder, transmission pilot bearing, pressure plate, flywheel, clutch plate, and throw-out bearing.

[KRD43]

Thank you floydr!

I am fearing the same.. Once in there, I will certainly replace everything.

[MarcoZandrini]

Don't forget to replace the pivot pin (ball pin in BMWeze). The dual mass flywheel may be bad. If it is replace it with a single mass flywheel conversion kit made by Sachs.