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Thread: Sticking Clutch Pedal! Help needed

  1. #1
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    Question Sticking Clutch Pedal! Help needed

    Guys - my track E36 (93' 325i M50B25TU) has recently started to develop an issue that's quite annoying.

    Out on the track, when i'm punching through gears the clutch pedal OCCASIONALLY sticks to the floor. If I continue to mash it, it doesn't spring back, but if I stick my foot under it and pull it towards myself, it springs back and continues to work as normal.

    Gears engage as normal, so no issues there, and whilst the pedal is stuck to the floor, the clutch is engaged and the car continues to drive as normal. This issue only started happening since I through in a used ZF320 5 speed (to replace my blown Getrag), as well as the Stage 4 springless clutch plate and flywheel etc that came with the trans (low KM's on that gear). I used the existing slave cylinder from my Getrag that was only replaced and bled about two or three track days earlier.

    The thoughts I have are:
    - maybe the slave cylinder rod isn't aligned properly and is slipping away from the contact point.
    - Haven't had a look yet, but could there be an issue with the pedal and springs etc? If this was the case, wouldn't the clutch stay disengaged whilst the pedal is stuck to the floor?

    Because it's so hard to replicate, I might be looking for ages, so asking here if anyone has experience similar issues that can guide me. I have a new slave sitting in a box that I can throw in, just not wanting to pull out a perfectly good slave and have to bleed the clutch if not required.

    Thanks all!

    20180903_181717.jpg20180902_134631.jpg

  2. #2
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    There is a clutch delay valve that can be problematic on many e36’s. Remove if you haven’t already.

    "It's not the people who vote that count, it's the people who count the votes."
    -DNC

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by badmonkey View Post
    There is a clutch delay valve that can be problematic on many e36’s. Remove if you haven’t already.
    Nothing like that on my model from the looks of it. Did a bit of a search and can't find the delay valve on the 93 325i. https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=21_0289

  4. #4
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    MINIz guy is offline #buttstuff2k14 BMW CCA Member
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    I have a '97 with the ZF and have the pedal sticking down, fixed by pulling up manually, sporadically also. It is not the pedal/pedal spring. The spring assists you in pressing the pedal down, so removing it may reduce the amount of times it sticks down. I had a shop look into and they thought it could be the clutch line, as the rubber *may* have deteriorated and a "flap" inside the line was blocking flow. It wasn't that as I still had the issue, albeit much less often. I just recently replaced the clutch master, and just today after my track day, the pedal stuck halfway down and was slow to return. So it isn't the clutch master.

    I guess the last part to replace is the slave, which should be the problem. An additional thing I've noticed is that the pedal feels "gritty" at the bottom of it's travel (maybe last 1" off the floor). It may be the slave misbehaving too, as everything else is new in the hydraulic system. I'll report back when I figure it out, or if the pedal still feels "gritty".

  5. #5
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    I had this same issue driving home from a track day. At first I thought I blew my slave, but as you described, I pulled back up on the petal and things returned to normal.

    Later that day I was able to replicate it in my garage. My clutch petal bushings were worn, causing the petal to lean to the left.

    When the clutch was pressed to the floor, it would bypass the small stock clutch stop and get caught on lip of it.

    There is a "helper" spring on our clutch petal and seems to almost pass a fulcrum point and press the petal to the floor.

    I ended up replacing the bushings, deleting the spring, and adding a proper clutch stop.

    Hope that helps!

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by MINIz guy View Post
    I have a '97 with the ZF and have the pedal sticking down, fixed by pulling up manually, sporadically also. It is not the pedal/pedal spring. The spring assists you in pressing the pedal down, so removing it may reduce the amount of times it sticks down. I had a shop look into and they thought it could be the clutch line, as the rubber *may* have deteriorated and a "flap" inside the line was blocking flow. It wasn't that as I still had the issue, albeit much less often. I just recently replaced the clutch master, and just today after my track day, the pedal stuck halfway down and was slow to return. So it isn't the clutch master.

    I guess the last part to replace is the slave, which should be the problem. An additional thing I've noticed is that the pedal feels "gritty" at the bottom of it's travel (maybe last 1" off the floor). It may be the slave misbehaving too, as everything else is new in the hydraulic system. I'll report back when I figure it out, or if the pedal still feels "gritty".
    Thanks for the info, look forward to hearing what sorts your issue out. I'm not in a huge rush as i'm still a month or so off completing my turbo build, but definitely want to fix it before I get back out on the track.

    Quote Originally Posted by V0Nzipper View Post
    I had this same issue driving home from a track day. At first I thought I blew my slave, but as you described, I pulled back up on the petal and things returned to normal.

    Later that day I was able to replicate it in my garage. My clutch petal bushings were worn, causing the petal to lean to the left.

    When the clutch was pressed to the floor, it would bypass the small stock clutch stop and get caught on lip of it.

    There is a "helper" spring on our clutch petal and seems to almost pass a fulcrum point and press the petal to the floor.

    I ended up replacing the bushings, deleting the spring, and adding a proper clutch stop.

    Hope that helps!
    Yeah awesome, I'll certainly look into that too. Have you got a link or part numbers for the bushings and clutch stop etc? If not, no stress as i'm sure I can find the detail.

    I also found a youtube video where a dude was having a similar problem and said it was because the clutch wasn't properly bled, so I might re-bleed the clutch first and see how that goes. After the local shop bled it for me, the clutch never worked quite the same, so that could very well be the issue too!

  7. #7
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    MINIz guy is offline #buttstuff2k14 BMW CCA Member
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    To add to my problem, I will say it isn't the clutch pedal bushings or the clutch stop. I have delrin clutch pedal bushings and a fat elevator bolt as a clutch stop (but adjusted low, so it is only 1/4" higher than a stock one).

    It'll be a few weeks before I dig into the slave on mine, unfortunately.

  8. #8
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    I went with an aftermarket bushing set from condor. I'd recommend going with the solid aftermarket option. There are quite a few shops that make them.

    https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5...SABEgLS7_D_BwE

  9. #9
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    Cheers guys, appreciate the input. Looks like there are a few things I can try over the coming months!

  10. #10
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    Wow this happened to me recently as well but on the E46. Lots of good advice above. Thanks

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