e9 clutch issues

Ohmess said:
Well, first of all, we know these cars better than does Rock Auto. I always look up parts numbers elsewhere as a double check on what they show.

Second, you should learn to use RealOEM. You need to look up your car by production date - not by VIN. Its a long story, but the short version is when auto manufacturers changed to 17 digit VINs, they failed to ensure that previously issued VINs were not duplicated. Thus, by way of example, if I put my VIN into RealOEM - or if I give my VIN to a BMW dealer, which only has 17 digit VIN information in their database - it will point to a 1983 Euro 323i.

So, obtain the production date for your car, go to RealOEM under classic cars, select 2.5CS - 3.0 CSL, select 3.0 CS, then Euro, and then enter your production month, and then select manual for the transmission. If you car was manufactured in April, 1972, you would then find this for the clutch slave.


Note that the slave that matches the Rock Auto part does not show a part number. That is because this slave was not installed in your car.
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Thanks. I don't see the production date on the stickers under the hood. Where would I find it?
 
It's held into the transmission/clutch housing by a circlip. Photos were hard to get, but here's one showing the bump in the housing that contains the cylinder. I used a mirror to view the circlip.
 

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start the penetrating oil now on the circlip and where the body of the cylinder goes through the loop in the bellhousing
 
Here it is, soaking in penetrating oil. The circlip is visible on the right side of the loop in the bellhousing. I don't have a circlip tool, but I do have 2 needle-nose pliers, a pair of fishing pliers and various screwdrivers.
1722205062413.jpeg
 
As SFDon is suggesting, you may want to take a hammer and a chisel to knock the clip around a bit to get it to separate from the slave cylinder and enable it to stretch open.

If you plan to rebuild for re-use you can clean it up quite a bit by soaking in vinegar or evaporust. It wont hurt the inner cylinder which you will hone anyway, but you should remove the piston if you can.
 
I just bought one of these. I wasn't in a hurry and it's now in and working fine.

www.ebay.com

ATE Clutch Slave Cylinder For BMW E3 E9 21521102060 | eBay

BMW 2000-3.2 Coupe (E9) 3.0 CS 05/1971 -. BMW 2000-3.2 Coupe (E9) 3.0 CSi 07/1971 -. BMW 2500-3.3 (E3) 2500 10/1968 -. BMW 2500-3.3 (E3) 2800 10/1968 -. ATE 040013. BMW 2500-3.3 (E3) 3.0 S 05/1971 -. BMW 2500-3.3 (E3) 3.0 Si 07/1971 -.
www.ebay.com
 
dang said:
I just bought one of these. I wasn't in a hurry and it's now in and working fine.

www.ebay.com

ATE Clutch Slave Cylinder For BMW E3 E9 21521102060 | eBay

BMW 2000-3.2 Coupe (E9) 3.0 CS 05/1971 -. BMW 2000-3.2 Coupe (E9) 3.0 CSi 07/1971 -. BMW 2500-3.3 (E3) 2500 10/1968 -. BMW 2500-3.3 (E3) 2800 10/1968 -. ATE 040013. BMW 2500-3.3 (E3) 3.0 S 05/1971 -. BMW 2500-3.3 (E3) 3.0 Si 07/1971 -.
www.ebay.com
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Thanks. I saw that but the seller's list of compatible models doesn't include the '72 3.0 CS (though it does include the '72 CSi). Is that an error by the seller?
 
Bill, Good idea to replace the line. I searched on eBay and found this, which the seller claims fits the '72 3.0 CS, but it appears to have a male end and a female end: https://www.ebay.com/itm/283995769979?fits=Year:1972|Model:3.0CS|Make:BMW&itmmeta=01J3ZGDYAPNY8S5MGM00Z1Y9AJ&hash=item421f778c7b:g:nzgAAOSw3-BgeKLF&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAA8L3CD7+yupFhBxRjZtQQRUSWagRltaQGshKlh5CYvG94uKs8le97bpl1fLumASEvwXPEpUW3YPOUBYxrz4cjWc0+FogL0C/U/udulsusZfa6XBtnMEL0UuHZJIfxaGtkIebMfuQETjYmT/QhtZ1T0/gEjYpIoXZZFZLIt9/VsbELzk8mCzsKgEnxUQIBuFELLhRCxRCUVxgXyRuzTeqiJC/cs7YYmm2ZV28H94IthPaf3DFvnlB4O2ZjPrNbHpJXlZqZ5qo9DLwihaqqtF7gmLJ+L/dY5fZM2B2Gcgn3LxTWhpx1gFho6Z6wzxG3WJJH1Q==|tkp:BFBMvOW38J9k

Meanwhile, W&N has one with, as you said, two male ends: https://www.ebay.com/itm/283995769979?fits=Year:1972|Model:3.0CS|Make:BMW&itmmeta=01J3ZGDYAPNY8S5MGM00Z1Y9AJ&hash=item421f778c7b:g:nzgAAOSw3-BgeKLF&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAA8L3CD7+yupFhBxRjZtQQRUSWagRltaQGshKlh5CYvG94uKs8le97bpl1fLumASEvwXPEpUW3YPOUBYxrz4cjWc0+FogL0C/U/udulsusZfa6XBtnMEL0UuHZJIfxaGtkIebMfuQETjYmT/QhtZ1T0/gEjYpIoXZZFZLIt9/VsbELzk8mCzsKgEnxUQIBuFELLhRCxRCUVxgXyRuzTeqiJC/cs7YYmm2ZV28H94IthPaf3DFvnlB4O2ZjPrNbHpJXlZqZ5qo9DLwihaqqtF7gmLJ+L/dY5fZM2B2Gcgn3LxTWhpx1gFho6Z6wzxG3WJJH1Q==|tkp:BFBMvOW38J9k
 
Now that you have soaked the circlip in penetrating oil, take a pick and go around both the exterior of the clip where it is installed to the transmission and the interior of the clip where it rests against the slave cylinder and remove as much rust as you can. Then spray with pentrating oil again.
 
Ohmess said:
Now that you have soaked the circlip in penetrating oil, take a pick and go around both the exterior of the clip where it is installed to the transmission and the interior of the clip where it rests against the slave cylinder and remove as much rust as you can. Then spray with pentrating oil again.
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Good idea. I just lightly pounded one end of the clip with a screw driver and rubber hammer. That end moved, but the other didn't, raising the possibility that the clip might break.

Is there any possibility that the problem could be blockage in the hydraulic line?
 
Yes, that is possible. And you might try to simply replace the hydraulic line. But Don is recommending you go further, and he knows these cars as well as anyone on the planet.
As to your clip, hit the clip in both directions. In other words, the objective is simply to get it to move, so you should also try to hit it in the direction that would drive it tighter into the groove in which it sits, in addition to attempting to drive it outward. If it moves inward, the movement will be very small. But movement in any direction is progress.
 
It's a 10 cent clip...... I wouldn't worry about it. Ace hardware carries it.
 
I probably should have done this earlier, but using a mirror and depressing the clutch pedal with my right arm, I saw that the slave cylinder's piston moves several inches. The pedal seems to have a normal amount of resistance. Unless something has changed since I parked the car, it appears the hydraulics are working.

The clutch was renewed in 1990 and the slave cylinder was renewed shortly thereafter.

1722355726423.jpeg
 
The pedal has a spring to return it to the top of the stroke. When you say the pedal kept getting lower and lower was it not returning back to the top or was the engagement getting lower and lower but the pedal still had full travel? Did it feel like the master or slave could be sticking and not coming back to it's starting point?

You said the slave moves a couple inches now when you tested it. Does it continue to do that as you keep pushing it over and over or does it move less and less? Meaning, try to recreate the problem in your garage.
 
dang said:
The pedal has a spring to return it to the top of the stroke. When you say the pedal kept getting lower and lower was it not returning back to the top or was the engagement getting lower and lower but the pedal still had full travel? Did it feel like the master or slave could be sticking and not coming back to it's starting point?

You said the slave moves a couple inches now when you tested it. Does it continue to do that as you keep pushing it over and over or does it move less and less? Meaning, try to recreate the problem in your garage.
Click to expand...

Good questions. The point of engagement got lower and lower, until finally there was no engagement. But the pedal had full travel and kept returning to the top. The whole process took maybe 10-15 minutes from normal clutch operation to no clutch engagement. (Stopping the car's forward motion in the last few feet required turning off the ignition because the clutch would not disengage.)

I just now tried to recreate the situation by repeatedly pushing the pedal, with the engine off, and thought I noticed some declining pressure in the pedal, accompanied by a clicking sound. But when I watched at the cylinder while depressing the pedal, the cylinder's piston appeared to be pushing the clutch lever a couple of inches. The gearshift moved normally between gears.

Maybe I should try the experiment with the engine running (?)
 
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