Stiff clutch pedal

inovermyhead

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Is there a way to produce clutch pressure pedal that would use less effort when changing gear, to allow for a faster gear change?
I have a five speed overdrive box with all new ( less than 5 km ) clutch, throw out bearing, slave cylinder and a lightly lightened flywheel, But a sqeaking pedal on every gear change, this may be down to a master cylinder that needs replacing or overhauling ??

So what I'm asking is, by replacing either one or both of the cylinders with large diameter bored units, supposing one is available and will fit, can I get a pedal with less push?

Having owned both a UR Quattro and a 993 911 amongst other manual cars the effort required to provide a snappier gear change is much sturdier on the coupe.

Cheers. John
 

jmackro

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by replacing either one or both of the cylinders with large diameter bored units, supposing one is available and will fit, can I get a pedal with less push?

A larger diameter slave cylinder will reduce the pedal force required to release the clutch. Or you could use a smaller diameter clutch master. Either solution will result in longer pedal travel.

I'm not sure where you would get these components. Perhaps someone like White Post could sleeve a master cylinder and supply smaller rubber bits.
 

Stevehose

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squeaky pedal could mean worn pedal bushings, still available from bmw for a couple bucks, grease them and put them in - easy.
 

inovermyhead

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Thanks Steve, I will try that, certainly cheaper than replacing the master cylinder, but my question remains, some body must have looked at this issue before, I can't believe that these cars were raced with such a slow heavy clutch action.
The gear box action is fine, I have a short shift kit on that, but while I don't want to race my car, the city driving constant 1st to 2nd is really wearing and is one of the least enjoyable aspects of the car, my wife recently said ' I wish your car was an automatic' and teaching my kids to drive a manual is hard because they struggle with the weight of the pedal.
I know I'm leaving myself open to comments re the wife/ kids but I want the whole family to be able to drive and enjoy my car.

Cheers. John
 

Bmachine

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I'd be interested to hear if anyone has found a achieve to do this as well. Being able to share the car with family is important.
 

lloyd

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I'd be interested to hear if anyone has found a achieve to do this as well. Being able to share the car with family is important.

Increased pedal effort could naturally be related to worn or poorly functioning clutch hydraulics. However, there are some other things worth considering that could increase pedal effort.

One thing that comes to mind is if the clutch pressure plate is constructed with heavier-than-normal spring tension. This can happen when installing aftermarket parts or if some part of the spring mechanism is binding and thus impairing release. The more likely possibility is friction due to worn parts or lack of lubrication for the clutch linkage, this includes the throw out bearing carrier arm and all pivot points as well as the collar upon which the throw out bearing rides (See where thumb is in image below). Remove or contaminate the lubrication that ordinarily keeps these things sliding and wear results, in turn leading to increased pedal effort or rough clutch operation. With the engine off, engaging and disengaging the clutch may even reveal some aberrant sounds to go with the additional effort.

https://e9coupe.com/forum/threads/dropping-gearbox-how-hard-a-job.30511/#post-246427

autobooks_manual_063.jpg


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input_cover.jpg


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aearch

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it may have to do with your pressure plate
they are different tensions
i used an m5 plate and its super soft.
 

Gransin

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My coupe clutch feels just like any other hydraulic clutch, it's not heavier than in any of the modern manual cars I drive. My fiancee is quite small and she has driven the coupe several times and no complaints about the clutch.
Could it be the worn bushings?
 

sfdon

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Bmachine

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My coupe clutch feels just like any other hydraulic clutch, it's not heavier than in any of the modern manual cars I drive. My fiancee is quite small and she has driven the coupe several times and no complaints about the clutch.
Could it be the worn bushings?
Which clutch did you put in Robert?
 

Bmachine

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It my case, this is with a new Sachs clutch. So no worn part issues.
Maybe it's because I have not driven an old bmw in manual for many years but this clutch seems much harder then the more recent manual cars I drove last ('91 e36 and 2004 VW Passat)
 

oldcoupe

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A long time ago now, I found a 3 series slave that was 22mm diameter instead of the 20mm I had, so 20% greater area and correspondingly less force on the pedal.
 

Gransin

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A long shot, but one possible cause could be if you have an old internally collapsed clutch line.
 

Bmachine

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A long shot, but one possible cause could be if you have an old internally collapsed clutch line.
All new parts...

I also notice that it feels fairly "abrupt". When I release the pedal to get off the line, noting seems to happen for the first half of the travel. Then it seems to grab real quick after that.
 

Cornishman

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Sounds like it is sticking, mechanically or hydraulically. If there is noise I guess mechanical so start there, but before you drop the gearbox I would check the hydraulics.
Good luck in finding the issue, when you do it will most likely be simple.
I had a brand new car like this, the dealer dropped the gearbox off, did something and it was fine. I expect he changed the clutch assembly and greased whatever was possibly whilst in there.
 

Gransin

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All new parts...

I also notice that it feels fairly "abrupt". When I release the pedal to get off the line, noting seems to happen for the first half of the travel. Then it seems to grab real quick after that.

That's strange, do you happen to know exactly which Sachs clutch you have?
If memory serves me right, my Sachs was just a regular OEM replacement, and it's really smooth I have to say.

Once I had a clutch get worn out, with mediocre slipping every now and again before I got around to replace it, after I replaced it I went out for a small drive and the new clutch was horrible, difficult to start because it was grabbing aggressively. Tore out the gearbox again to check what possibly could be wrong, but it all seemed fine except some randomly placed darker spots on the flywheel.
I didn't know at the time, that the flywheel can get high-spots from regular use, and even more so if there was any slipping involved, so I got recommended to have the flywheel re-surfaced. After that the clutch was working like a new clutch should, no grabbing at all.

That could possibly be a cause for the grabbing problem, but it still doesn't explain the why it's heavy, almost sounds like you got a performance pressure plate :p
 

bluecoupe30!

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One of the few times when I feel it is safe to admit my Coupe is an automatic. ;) Anyone can drive it, but actually, no one else does! These symptoms sound familiar however, when I was experiencing the "squeaking pedal sound" when I applied the clutch in my Austin Healey 3000. Once I changed out the master cylinder, all was fine. I do like the suggestion of new pedal bushings as well, I mean, how old are they anyway? But in concert with new master clutch cylinder, I also replaced all flexible hoses. Not that many parts involved, really. Plus, you get to bleed system and eliminate any air. Then, when all has been renewed, it is amazing how fast you do not think about the clutch pedal effort any more. Good luck! Mike
 
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