" The Clutch is grabbing high"

[Jehu]

This is what my mechanic just told me when i asked if they found anything else i should know about.Is it possible to guage how long before i will likely end up needing it replaced? I gather this can be at his shop up over $1,500.oo at least so i'll need to begin budgeting if it can potentially last a few months or once they exhibit this high grab are they on a steep and icy slope?

[Fetch]

Mine .... 'grabs high' .... as well, and from what I was able to gather on my thread on the subject, you can't really gauge it.

[Jehu]

Is saying it grabs high the same as saying it slips? just looking at it from a different perspective?How long has yours been a high grabbing and do you think you'll drive it till you can't or will you be able to at least know before you can't drive it to the shop in time to get it in? If life were this predictable i guess i'd never wake up in the mroning..

[Bill R.]

Yes, you can gauge it. Bmw has a special tool to do just that.
It measures the clutch disc thickness based on how far out the throwout bearing arm is. The dealer has the tool and a number of independents do too.

AS the clutch disc wears thinner the clutch pedal engages higher and higher until it reaches the point that you notice slippage in the higher gears under load or full throttle. So a high clutch pedal just means that its worn. You could nurse it along for another couple of years depending on what kind of driver you are. When you notice slippage in 4th,5th,6th then its time to replace it. Or take it to somebody with the clutch wear tool and measure how worn it actually is.





Is saying it grabs high the same as saying it slips? just looking at it from a different perspective?How long has yours been a high grabbing and do you think you'll drive it till you can't or will you be able to at least know before you can't drive it to the shop in time to get it in? If life were this predictable i guess i'd never wake up in the mroning..

[Fetch]

Is saying it grabs high the same as saying it slips? just looking at it from a different perspective?How long has yours been a high grabbing and do you think you'll drive it till you can't or will you be able to at least know before you can't drive it to the shop in time to get it in? If life were this predictable i guess i'd never wake up in the mroning..

Pretty sure grabbing high and slipping are very different.
Mine has grabbed high since I've had the car (4 months or so)
I hope mine lasts up until I am in the perfect position to repair it.

[Jehu]

Alrighty then. I appreciate the feedback and r esponses. I am heading out to pick her up...

[bbig119]

Here's my clutch story for what its worth.

I bought the car in May, several people commented that it took up high, but it drove fine and gave no indication that it was near the end of its life.

All was well, until the end of September. I remember vividly the first time I noticed it slip. I was in 3rd getting on an expressway and the rpms shot up without the distinct kick in the seat that I was used to. From then on out I could make it slip in gears 3-6 by laying on throttle, but continued to drive it carefully, but the slipping progressively got worse.

I took it to the shop for replacement and the mechanic told me that I toasted the fly wheel and if I had brought it in as soon as I noticed slipping it may have been salvaged. The flywheel cost me $725 alone, so it nearly doubled the cost of replacing the clutch.

The take home message: Keep a close eye on it. You may want to start budgeting for and pricing out a clutch job. If you're more fortunate than I, you won't need a new flywheel and you should be able to have it done for $900-$1300.

Good luck and I hope your clutch lasts you a long time.

[Jehu]

Here's my clutch story for what its worth.

I bought the car in May, several people commented that it took up high, but it drove fine and gave no indication that it was near the end of its life.

All was well, until the end of September. I remember vividly the first time I noticed it slip. I was in 3rd getting on an expressway and the rpms shot up without the distinct kick in the seat that I was used to. From then on out I could make it slip in gears 3-6 by laying on throttle, but continued to drive it carefully, but the slipping progressively got worse.

I took it to the shop for replacement and the mechanic told me that I toasted the fly wheel and if I had brought it in as soon as I noticed slipping it may have been salvaged. The flywheel cost me $725 alone, so it nearly doubled the cost of replacing the clutch.

The take home message: Keep a close eye on it. You may want to start budgeting for and pricing out a clutch job. If you're more fortunate than I, you won't need a new flywheel and you should be able to have it done for $900-$1300.

Good luck and I hope your clutch lasts you a long time.

Excellent response.A+! Thanks for the good wishes and i will certainly keep my eye on the situation. Glad to have my chariot back in my hands. The only code they got when they read it was about the Water/heater valves which i've known were bad since i got the car in May.Impatient people who hear these stories, foolishly run away and miss the superb pleasure of owning one when they are in fine fettle.

[bbig119]

Excellent response.A+! Thanks for the good wishes and i will certainly keep my eye on the situation. Glad to have my chariot back in my hands. The only code they got when they read it was about the Water/heater valves which i've known were bad since i got the car in May.Impatient people who hear these stories, foolishly run away and miss the superb pleasure of owning one when they are in fine fettle.

If only I had known that clutch would go as soon as it did-- I could have pushed the seller down a little more on the price. Ahh well, I still get a **** eating grin on my face when I'm able to open it up. And for all the cost, time and effort that goes into maintaining this beast, I do enjoy learning how to fix this stuff myself. The clutch was just more than I could easily handle at the time though.

[Jehu]

I keep the idea that all these repairs are keeping the resale value high but then i realize there only place to go after this is true 'supercar' territory after this and that's still in dreamland.I guess an e39 M5 might be in the ballpark in a few years though.

[Qube]

This is what my mechanic just told me when i asked if they found anything else i should know about.Is it possible to guage how long before i will likely end up needing it replaced? I gather this can be at his shop up over $1,500.oo at least so i'll need to begin budgeting if it can potentially last a few months or once they exhibit this high grab are they on a steep and icy slope?

Can we quantify "grabbing high" for those that are without a more vivid imagination? :)

[Jehu]

Till i acquired this vehicle six months ago i hadn't regularly driven a manual transmission equipped automobile before.The mechanic didn't measure it but said after years of driving all different kinds of sticks you just know how one feels when its beginning to slip as he later put it.i suppose i could lose it all on the way to work tomorrow morning but i think what I'll do is make an appointment to have it looked at,measured then shop for the parts or have him do it all if his quote is decent.As for myself i guess i can say i do notice a little reticence to launch when floored but I'll have to watch the revs closer tomorrow and see weather that's what's going on there or if my O2 sensors, spark plugs may be fouled.I read silicone gasket sealer on the oil pan is a great way to foul your O2 sensors and when i had my pan down to check the pump bolts the shop informed me there was silicone in there when they took it off .I tend to trust the mechanic's feel but it would be good to have a better idea where i stand .Saving money is good so either spending it too soon or too late will be what i aim at avoiding.

[KenB]

Mine's been grabbing high for 3 years, over 70k miles. (182k miles and still original) No slippage yet.

3 years ago I drove someone's e39 and I thought something was wrong with the clutch because it engaged so low. It was then I realized mine was indeed catching high.

Depending on your driving style it could last a long time. Keep an eye out for slipping, I have been budgeting for a new clutch for awhile and am ready to do it as soon as slippage rears it's ugly head, hoping to avoid the flywheel issue.

[bbig119]

Qube,

I don't know how to describe the high engagement point. What I can tell you is that the clutch pedal has a good deal of travel and the engagement zone was probably 2/3-3/4 of the way up. With the new clutch its about 1/3-1/2 of the way up. I've also been under the impression that some of this is adjustable, but honestly I really don't know. I do know that Jehu's symptoms are much like mine were and we've both got 540's which should wear down clutch's faster than 525s.

[Qube]

Qube,

I don't know how to describe the high engagement point. What I can tell you is that the clutch pedal has a good deal of travel and the engagement zone was probably 2/3-3/4 of the way up. With the new clutch its about 1/3-1/2 of the way up. I've also been under the impression that some of this is adjustable, but honestly I really don't know. I do know that Jehu's symptoms are much like mine were and we've both got 540's which should wear down clutch's faster than 525s.


That's perfect. It's what I thought, but you never know :) Thanks!