clutch pedal position

powerlord · Post by **powerlord** » Thu 13 Oct, 2005 10:07

Guys, my clutch pedal is too high and too far to right.. I can hardly fit my foot behind it to clutch rest.

It seems to be made out of fibreglass, so bending it isn't an option.

Does anyone know if its mounting point is adjustable at all ?

stu

Boysie · Post by **Boysie** » Mon 24 Oct, 2005 17:00

Hi Stu

When i first got My Zm i was somewhat surprised with the extra down travel and position of the clutch, so i complained to the dealer who fiited a new pedal which was slightly over, but i was still very high and i was still unable able to rest my foot, as i did in my previous Z3, The dealer and mechanic said in this type car you don't rest your foot, and you need more push down thrust due to the size of the clutch.

In bad traffic stopping and starting i get the odd cramp in my calf not nice

i have heard that this is the case with certain powerful cars which are also not nice to drive in trfffic jams.

Ray

Paul.Stuhlfelder · Post by **Paul.Stuhlfelder** » Tue 25 Oct, 2005 09:12

The clutch is quite high on my car too, I can change gear by moving the pedal as little as an inch!

I don't find the car too bad in traffic jams, the only thing that chatches me out in traffic jams is when you move really slowly, I can just rest my foot on the throttle and it moves a slight bit, but if I need to move a bit quicker, there's a little stiff spot on the pedal which makes it VERY hard to slowly push the pedal past it, I usually end up leaping forwards, then you try and compensate by dropping the clutch, and then I get that horrible rattle from the propshaft

OliZ · Post by **OliZ** » Tue 25 Oct, 2005 21:15

Paul.Stuhlfelder wrote:you try and compensate by dropping the clutch, and then I get that horrible rattle from the propshaft

Oh, so I'm not the only one hearing that... do you have the impression it got worse with the mileage of the car?

Paul.Stuhlfelder · Post by **Paul.Stuhlfelder** » Wed 26 Oct, 2005 07:24

OliZ wrote:Oh, so I'm not the only one hearing that... do you have the impression it got worse with the mileage of the car?

Not that I've noticed, I usually get the really horrible rattle if you let go of the propshaft while its under load. Sounds really nasty inside, and I'm sure it sounds equally horrid outside!

'MC' MarkC · Post by **'MC' MarkC** » Wed 26 Oct, 2005 10:15

Paul.Stuhlfelder wrote:...there's a little stiff spot on the pedal which makes it VERY hard to slowly push the pedal past it, I usually end up leaping forwards, then you try and compensate by dropping the clutch, and then I get that horrible rattle from the propshaft

The rattle means your clutch release bearing is on the way out. It's 5 - 6hrs labour so replace the clutch at the same time, unless it's quite new.

On the 'little stiff spot', are you talking about the throttle pedal? If so, replace the cable. They're not expensive from BMW and take about 30mins to do yourself.

OliZ · Post by **OliZ** » Wed 26 Oct, 2005 10:29

Paul.Stuhlfelder wrote:Not that I've noticed, I usually get the really horrible rattle if you let go of the propshaft while its under load.

Yup.

Made me learn to shift gears very smoothly

OliZ · Post by **OliZ** » Wed 26 Oct, 2005 10:38

'MC' MarkC wrote:The rattle means your clutch release bearing is on the way out.

You sure? I had the rattle much worse on the 2.8 (which I had before the M roadster) and brought it in for an inspection by a BMW ombudsman, because the dealer said "they don't hear a problem", and after close inspection he told me that it's normal and nothing is either broken or in bad condition. They had quite a few complaints about this but it is the accumulated play of the drive train and "as designed".

However, on the M I got the impression that it got slightly worse over time, and started to suspect (actually wild uneducated guess) that the additional play is actually a stemming from the differential mount weakening over time. (we all know about that problem, don't we

)

'MC' MarkC wrote:It's 5 - 6hrs labour so replace the clutch at the same time, unless it's quite new..

Robin · Post by **Robin** » Wed 26 Oct, 2005 11:00

I also hear that transmision clonk when de clutching at low speed.
I got Scotthall to check it wasn't due to diff mount fracturing.
They checked for that & said diff mount was OK & that the clonk was due to normal increase in transmision play due to wear.

'MC' MarkC · Post by **'MC' MarkC** » Wed 26 Oct, 2005 12:26

OliZ wrote:
'MC' MarkC wrote:The rattle means your clutch release bearing is on the way out.
...You sure?

If you get a rattling noise whenever the clutch pedal is depressed, which is constant but stops the instant you release said pedal (also works in neutral), then the bearing has had it.
Anything else/different symptoms are not the release bearing. Sorry, I should have been clearer

.

Clutches on the ZMs are notoriously difficult to change, only the E39 M5s are worse. On the plus side, E46 M3 clutches wear out at around 30k, almost regardless of how carefully they are used, I think ours last a little longer than that:!:

Paul.Stuhlfelder · Post by **Paul.Stuhlfelder** » Wed 26 Oct, 2005 12:51

No, the noise only happens if you dump the clutch under load, its definately the shaft as you can hear it rattle down the length of the car.

Had a rather embarrasing moment outside the pub dinnertime, started the car up and she revved to the tits, me mat had slid up the pedal. oops, back in place now with the catches securely in place!

OliZ · Post by **OliZ** » Wed 26 Oct, 2005 16:35

'MC' MarkC wrote:If you get a rattling noise whenever the clutch pedal is depressed, which is constant but stops the instant you release said pedal (also works in neutral), then the bearing has had it.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. No that's not it, it's exactly as Robin describes it. And according to his proposed diagnosis it seems that I've been putting a bit too much "wear" on the drive train lately (... less drives bit more "spirited" this year...

) -- I'm sure it didn't do this as much last year.