Clutch Question - after Using Search Feature.. - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

IRISH M5 · 4th November 2007, 15:09

Pretty sure that I have a clutch slippage issue that only appears to happen under one condition in 3rd gear.

I hard accelerate in 2nd to red line and shift into 3rd making sure that the clutch is fully engaged before hitting the gas, yet it sometimes slips (RPMs raise but the car is not pulling).

Tested putting the car in 3rd at low RPM's, hitting the gas, and it pulls real hard all the way to about 6500rpm (had to slow down due to traffic).

Tried several other "up and down shifts" into 3rd with medium RPM's and all worked fine.

I would have thought that if 3rd gear was shot that it would slip at all RPM's while hard on the gas..

Is this a normal symptom where only one gear slips and only at high RMP's?

Next question is if the clutch is shot, what clutch to buy. I have been reading up on the UUC threads and hear mixed opinions. What other "true and tested" options are there besides OEM and UUC?

Thanks... Richard...

ecalcagnino · 4th November 2007, 18:19

Sounds like mine. I am going to get mine looked at under CPO this week so it may be time for a replacement. It would be OEM due to the warranty.

Eric

Beamer_usa · 4th November 2007, 18:46

I stuck with the OE clutch. The OE clutch for me was the best option. I do not track the car and it's not heavily modded. It's my daily driver so the OE clutch was more than sufficient for my needs. There are some boardmembers here that have 100k+ miles on their OE clutches with no problems.

jclyman · 4th November 2007, 18:58

When a clutch begins its "way out of a busy life," it slips first at higher RPMs in the highest gear first. Then, as it gets worse, it slips at lower RPMs and in sucessively lower gears.

IRISH M5 · 5th November 2007, 00:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by jclyman

When a clutch begins its "way out of a busy life," it slips first at higher RPMs in the highest gear first. Then, as it gets worse, it slips at lower RPMs and in sucessively lower gears.

jclyman, that makes sense with my symptoms as 3rd is the highest gear I can go to full RPM with on public roads (yeah 104mph is legal in my township in Ohio).

What is the technical reason behind this? I would have thought that the lower gears would put the most strain on the clutch and therefore slip first.

Thanks... Richard...

Ted · 5th November 2007, 02:02

The first 6 months I had my car the clutch slipped in 1st, 2nd, & 3rd gear and then all of a sudden it stopped slipping and hasn't slipped in the last 4 months!?! but I have heard good things about the clutchmasters stage 1 & 2 and also the rogue engineering clutch is supposed to be a good product as well

jclyman · 5th November 2007, 02:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by IRISH M5

jclyman, that makes sense with my symptoms as 3rd is the highest gear I can go to full RPM with on public roads (yeah 104mph is legal in my township in Ohio).

What is the technical reason behind this? I would have thought that the lower gears would put the most strain on the clutch and therefore slip first.

Thanks... Richard...

I am NOT an engineer, although I had 2 years of engineering in college. That being said, I think it is because the torque available in a car can be converted fairly easily into accleration in the lowest gear ... you step on the gas, and the car moves very easily and quickly. In top gear, moving a heavy car is NOT as easy, hence clutch slip in trying to convert torque into acceleration. In top gear, you stop on the gas, and the resistance to overcoming inertia is much greater ... something has to give ... and, that is the clutch.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it ...

richie_rvf · 5th November 2007, 12:53

Sounds the same as when my clutch started to go bad!

It would only do it every now and then and at times it was impossible to replicate the slippage (when trying to show a mechanic friend).

It did eventually get worse.

Make sure if you do replace the clutch to have a good look at the flywheel.

I replaced my clutch with OEM, much better launches now

mohan · 6th November 2007, 13:44

it will get worse, soory but your clutch is on the way out..... i stuck with oem clutch and flywheel.....