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Thread: Clutch Grinding Noise

  1. #1
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    Clutch Grinding Noise

    This all started about 2 months ago, I was driving my car on an off-ramp and downshifted when my clutch pedal went to the floor. I was able to limp the car into town a few miles where I had to kill it because of a red light. Upon starting the car and trying to shift into 1st, I would get this nasty grinding noise at the very bottom of my pedal. Almost like the flywheel was spinning and something was trying to hit it.

    Well I've replaced the Master Cylinder & Slave Cylinder and have bled the system free of any air bubbles, but the clutch is still spongy and does not return 100%. Sometimes it will come back halfway and other times it'll come back halfway, sit there, and then return. When I push the clutch pedal (with the car off) I can hear an air leak coming from around the Fluid Reservoir. This issue largely disappears when I place my Motive Bleeder cap on the Reservoir, but the pedal still has some sponginess to it. When I turn the car on and try the pedal, some pressure returns but what really kills me is that the grinding noise is back.

    It's worth noting that my clutch slips on cold days in spring, but did not slip once all summer. Until my pedal went to the floor, I had no reason to think anything was amiss.

    After doing some reading, it sounds like either the clutch fork is hitting the pressure plate, or the pivot pin has broken. Could either of those be the case, and also contribute to my clutch pedal going to the floor?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
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    Any time I think grinding noise from the clutch, I think of the throw out bearing. Given all you have mentioned, I don't see any other option at this point than to drop the transmission to atleast confirm and maybe replace your clutch while you are in there.
    1997 Arctic Silver/Black M3
    CES Stage IV (651rwhp/615rwtq @ 24 psi)

    1999 Techno Violet/Dove M3
    Auto/Convertible and staying stock!

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWManiac View Post
    Any time I think grinding noise from the clutch, I think of the throw out bearing. Given all you have mentioned, I don't see any other option at this point than to drop the transmission to atleast confirm and maybe replace your clutch while you are in there.
    Thanks for the input; I've got a spare clutch so I had a plan to drop the trans anyway. While that's out I'll just replace everything as I'm a member of the 5th Gear Lean club as well. At this point I'm more interested in if this is affecting my soft hydraulic pressure.

  4. #4
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    I wouldnt think so....you're hydraulic pressure is related to the master/slave. Do you notice any brake fluid loss anywhere? Are your brakes spongy as well?
    Last edited by BMWManiac; 10-31-2018 at 10:02 AM.
    1997 Arctic Silver/Black M3
    CES Stage IV (651rwhp/615rwtq @ 24 psi)

    1999 Techno Violet/Dove M3
    Auto/Convertible and staying stock!

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWManiac View Post
    I wouldnt think so....you're hydraulic pressure is related to the master/slave. Do you notice any brake fluid loss anywhere? Are your brakes spongy as well?
    No, my brakes are solid as a rock. No loss in hydraulic fluid. I've started taking things apart to drop the transmission; I'll keep you posted on my findings

  6. #6
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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ef-G6jNXPQ

    This is exactly what noise my car is making. Sounds like you were right on the throwout bearing!

    I got as far as dropping the exhaust last night, and the plan is to replace everything inside of the transmission and hopefully drive the car one last time before it snows

  7. #7
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    IMG_7937.jpegIMG_7936.jpgIMG_7932.jpg

    Well I think I found the root cause of my problems. By the looks of it, my clutch is still original (still says BMW on it, but the pressure plate says LuK) at 178k and the pressure plate teeth are bent. There's lots of clutch material between the pressure plate and flywheel, so the clutch is probably toast. Could this explain why my clutch pedal went to the floor?

  8. #8
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    Let us know if it looks like this. Then you may have found the problem.

    ClutchPlate.jpg
    See ya later,

    tony
    '98 M3, '92 Dinan3, '05 R1100S BCR, '07 R1200S, Aprilia T

  9. #9
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    Id say you definitely got your monies worth out of that clutch.

    Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWManiac View Post
    I wouldnt think so....you're hydraulic pressure is related to the master/slave. Do you notice any brake fluid loss anywhere? Are your brakes spongy as well?
    Clutch fluid loss does not affect brakes. It deliberately takes fluid from higher in the reservoir.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by schm1an View Post
    IMG_7937.jpegIMG_7936.jpgIMG_7932.jpg

    Well I think I found the root cause of my problems. By the looks of it, my clutch is still original (still says BMW on it, but the pressure plate says LuK) at 178k and the pressure plate teeth are bent. There's lots of clutch material between the pressure plate and flywheel, so the clutch is probably toast. Could this explain why my clutch pedal went to the floor?
    Original plates often have both the BMW and LUK markings and numbers.
    No warranty of any kind implied or given and no liability for any loss, damage or injury, no matter how incurred accepted.

  11. #11
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    IMG_1108.jpg

    IMG_1110.jpg

    Well, I think we found our issue, and it may explain the soft clutch pedal.

    The clutch was stuck to the pressure plate. When I pulled the pressure plate off, half of the clutch came with it. As soon as I snapped that picture and tried removing the clutch disk itself, all of the friction material (fiberglass? asbestos? that stuff is itchy!) fell right off.

  12. #12
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    THAT's the way to get maximum performance from our parts!

    Luk makes the flywheels for a number of manufacturers including BMW. Look around and you can find a package with the DMF and all the clutch parts of your choosing for good prices.
    I've gotten excellent pricing and parts from gripforce.com and from RockAuto for Luk and Sachs replacement clutch/flywheel kits.
    See ya later,

    tony
    '98 M3, '92 Dinan3, '05 R1100S BCR, '07 R1200S, Aprilia T

  13. #13
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    I'd still check the clutch master cylinder, might be the cause of the pedal sponginess.

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

    Gave away my BMWs, driving a VW and an Audi now.

  14. #14
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    Well, I have to admit I haven't done my E36 vert clutch but based on your budget and resources it's always a good idea to take stock of what where you are in the car and what you want to do. I want a daily driver that's reliable so I maintain SYSTEMS and overhaul to that standard. Some upgrade to other above OEM standards and that's great too! On an older car with significant mileage with indicated clutch wear I personally just R&R the wear components to the standard you want. If the clutch is shot do you really want to drop the tranny to replace the release bearing or similar components the next year or two?

    So some thought based on budget/time/effort is required to determine what to do.

    Bit of a rant but I hope this helps.

    Don B

  15. #15
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    Agreed. I will be replacing as much as I can ahead of time as preventative maintenance. I've got all winter and spring to work on my list of parts that need to be installed. This car will be a mix of daily driving in summer, sprinkled with a few HPDE events when the wife lets me.

  16. #16
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    Following up: got the transmission back in, and the clutch pedal feels great. Seems that the clutch was likely the culprit of the spongy pedal

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