73 cs hearing a noise when I push in my clutch pedal,sounds like a pop

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Jendon2

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On my 73 cs hearing a noise when I push in the clutch pedal,sounds like a pop
I can feel it in my foot? is it a pedal spring, does it need to be greased where the pedal attaches ?

Thanks
 
Jendon2 said:
On my 73 cs hearing a noise when I push in the clutch pedal,sounds like a pop
I can feel it in my foot? is it a pedal spring, does it need to be greased where the pedal attaches ?

Thanks
Click to expand...

as far as i remember there is not a spring inthe clutch pedal ! ?
any other synthom, effect,...?
i recomend that you first take a look down there while actuating the clutch pedal with your hand, ...any trapped cables ?, ... ?
grease always good in the pivot points, but, is that really the cause ?
regards
 
If it still has the external slave then yes, that popping is most likely the slave to fork contact point. When that gets sticky, the clutch pedal feels weird and non-linear, and will have hang-up points and feel like it's binding.

I've found that you have to grease the contact point of the slave and the clutch fork, but I haven't found the best way to do this for a long-term solution. In other words, I just climb under there and grease it every now and then.

Also, I've tried different lubricants, including anti-seize, and nothing seems to last very long. Almost like they should have placed a nylon bush between the two points... On that note, is there supposed to be a bushing between the slave and the fork?
 
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Most expedient thing to do is to examine the pedal assembly. There is a pivot point and a spring - all of which could contribute to or cause noise. That obviously does not eliminate clutch parts (which can also benefit from a dab of molybdenum grease) but the former is easier to examine than the latter. :wink:

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Jendon2 said:
How do I access this,, is it from inside the car
or underneath?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Clutch pedal assembly is under the dash - in the cabin. Easiest to open driver door and get on knee and have a look. Should be able to operate pedal with hand or have someone else operate pedal - and observe operation. If its the clutch slave pivot and/or throwout bearing arm, you'll need to access them from outside and under the vehicle. Generally requires a lift or safely raising vehicle.

hth
 
I don’t know if it’s a problem that happens on our coupes but thru the years I’ve fixed numerous cracked firewalls on cars & trucks with hydraulic clutches. Till the hydraulic master breaks completely out of the firewall it makes a hellacious noise just like you described. It’s very easy to check for, just open the hood and observe your clutch master cylinder for movement while someone else steps off & on the clutch. ~ John Buchtenkirch

P.S. I got what ended up being one of my favorite cars for $1000 because the clutch master broke out of the firewall, a V.W. Quantum Syncro wagon. Took me 3 days to fix the firewall and I drove it for 12 years. The A6 Quattro wagon I finally replaced it with is very comfortable and handles great but has probably one of the worst automatics, the car is a absolute pig.
 
Strange popping noise--

CookeD is right on with his diagnosis of the problem as I have experienced the same several times in my 40+ years of Coupe ownership. Generous application of a hi-pressure lube at point of metal to metal contact between clutch fork and slave will usually solve the problem. Climate one lives in and frequency of use will generally provide you a guideline between "fixes".

In earlier model year(s) no bushing was ever used--not sure how many years efore a change occured that overcame this problem--Don would likely know.
 
Hey Murray,

What do you use to lube that connection? I've literally tried everything I can think of, and I'm under the car at least twice a driving season re-lubricating that connection because it slowly degrades.

I only drive in fair weather, and maybe put 2500 miles on the car a season, so this seems to degrade quicker than an oil change interval, which seems odd to me.

Thanks!
 
I've used the sticky moly-type grease for this and have had no problems - are you sure the mating surfaces are not gouged in some way? what about the clamping point of the fork to the throw out bearing as well as the pivot point on the tranny? they need lube also.
 
Not sure if it's torn up where the slave meets the fork, but after it's lubed it works great, so I don't think that's the case.

I do drive the car in town a lot, so it's possible that it just needs to be lubed every now and then, and that's the way it is. However, if I'm not using the correct grease, that could mean I'm messing with it more than I need to.

I'm going to check the Blue Books and see if there's a suggested lubricant, and report back.
 
Lubing the sticky clutch fork---

Steve Hose says
"I've used the sticky moly-type grease for this and have had no problems - are you sure the mating surfaces are not gouged in some way? what about the clamping point of the fork to the throw out bearing as well as the pivot point on the tranny? they need lube also".
Today 03:35 PM

I must admit that I long ago delegated those things to my mechanic--he's only a mile from my home--and my crawling days--at 83 years with a bum left leg--are now past. i called him and he uses "copper slick" as it has the qualities needed hi-temp, very hi-pressure resistant and doesn't go away. It's worked well on BLUMAX as I don't remember the last time re-lubing was needed.
 
Jendon2 said:
On my 73 cs hearing a noise when I push in the clutch pedal,sounds like a pop
I can feel it in my foot? is it a pedal spring, does it need to be greased where the pedal attaches ?

Thanks
Click to expand...

taking a detailed look to your question, I have realised that you said "when i PUSH in...", so the "pop" is produced then !

addtional to the details that you can see in the preceeding posts, you can check this for more details on the system that probably can help identifying the parts:

http://www.e9coupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10559&page=2

I did not mentioned it there, but In the reasembly I used:

- a new spring from the support plate to the pedal
- new plastic bushings, embeded in LithiumMolibd.Castrol grease

the final result was exceptional

cheking the area the noise as "a pop" is difficult to imagine in that area, but "what is a pop" ?, ok lets go step by step:

1-provided the spring is there, it will work well or be broken, for sure it will be rusty, but there is no need of lubricating, the only possibility of a repeated "pop" whith a spring is that perhaps in its way touches something, a plastic sleeve, a cable,..., that will be my first step, to check that area

if you are worried about the spring, it is available at bmw dealer, you can remove it easily to check it if it is very rusty

2-the second step is to check the attachment point of the master cilynder, there is a chance of the plastic bushings to be broken, that is a possible cause for a repeated "pop" when you push, the broken part of the plastic causing the "pop"

the plastic bushings are available, and the assembly is simple, remove the nut, take out the bolt, put some grease, new bushings, and bolt and nut again

3- the third possible source for that "pop" is the rubber flexible cover of the rear end of the master cyl, mine was broken, and I do not remember any noise, but considering that if the years had made the rubber rigid I assume that you can produce a "pop" everytime you push the rod into the cyl

that rubber cover is available in the repair kit from walloth&nesch, see: (top right area are the contents of the kit)
280720073243.jpg


4- the last point is some internal problem inside the cyl, but I am not really considering it as you have not mentioned any issue in the clutch performance

regards
 
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DQ,
I swear my spring makes a springy noise that has annoyed me for a year. It is also a bit hard. Is it possible my spring came from a different model when I got the pedal assembly
for the 5speed conversion and it is shorter than I need?
Is most of the pedal resistance due to the hydraulic load or to the spring?
 
Arde said:
DQ,
I swear my spring makes a springy noise that has annoyed me for a year. It is also a bit hard. Is it possible my spring came from a different model when I got the pedal assembly
for the 5speed conversion and it is shorter than I need?
Is most of the pedal resistance due to the hydraulic load or to the spring?
Click to expand...

my spring does not make any noise at all ! it is strange to hear noise from a spring that is not being excited harmonically (cycles), so the only reason can be a too short spring or the contrary (a too long one, the one that is not in tension when the pedal is at rest), then the noise is not comming from the flexible part but from the fixing points when they are forced to change the "at rest" clamping point, (they jump to another position and that excitation acts as the bow of the violin when it hits the cord)

to the other question, in my humble opinion it is the hydraulic load and i have a sort of reason for saying that:

I had a leak in my old master cyl, the pedal was soft and woolly (is this word right?). Then I repaired the cyl (new gaskets and so on, but maintaining the old spring), and the pedal is now harder and more accurate reaction feeling on the foot

but then I have to say that the former is true to a certain extent, because if you install a "monster spring"...then what ?

regards
 
My vote- DQ's

# 2. The bushing(s) are gone. The bolt and the shoulder is likely also grooved. Rotate the bolt until the new part comes in. Should be self evident upon close inspection/ slow motion of the pedal. Common ailment of early Porsches with clutch cables and shifter rods.

Pivot pins squeal has been my experience.( Damn crickets!) A pop is something else. IMHO


Arde- backwards. The spring has a long side and short for attachment if it's the right part. Long attaches to pedal so the spring doesn't rub on the side of the pedal.( Seems those engineers did do something about that squeak.)


Loctite C-5a on the grease. Don't use it on dissimilar metals; especially aluminum. Unfortunately, some old grease contained LEAD as a component; not any more. GM got smart with the truck pivots and makes one that has a zerk fitting for the experimenting type.
 
OK, I will try to see if it is backwards. If the squeal does not go away I may try to remove the spring altogether. That will tell if it is hard due to hydraulic load. My left foot is by now stronger than Maradona's at his prime.
 
I checked it further today it seems to onlty pop when its almost been pushed to floor..
its def in the pedal i can evn feel the pop through my foot..
how do i remove the black cover that seems to cover the clutch and under the steering wheel.. hard to see any spring other than pedal attached to some sort of bar..
any ideas

Thanks
 
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