What clutch are you running?

#1

2nd gear is weak and 3rd is shot, figured I’d do a clutch kit while I’m down there. What seems to be the clutch kit of choice amongst all of you?

PS-looking for a tranny as well

'89 325is

#2

In looking for a tranny, Bavarian Auto Recycler has transmissions for $400, does anyone have experience with parts from them? Are they rebuilt in any way or just pulled from the cars and sold “as is”?

Thanks

#3

Call 'em and ask. My guess is that they simply pull the transmission and clean it up. At that price the upper limit of rebuilding would probably be new seals.

#4

Next question, found a tranny out of a '91 IS. The specs on an 87-89 clutch is:

Disc Outer Diameter 228mm(9in)
Spline Teeth / Major Diameter 10T / 1-9/16in

On the '91 the specs are:

Disc Outer Diameter 228mm(9in)
Spline Teeth / Major Diameter 10T / 1-1/8in

With the Major Diameter difference do I need to run the '91 clutch specs, will the '91 tranny be a direct fit to the '89 M20?

Are most guys running the OEM Sachs Clutch or beefing it up with Stage 2 or 3 systems?

#5

Those clutch specs don’t sound right to. The transmission input shaft on a 91 transmission is exactly the same as it predecessors.

I don’t know what most people run. I’m partial to an uprated clutch for less travel of the pedal for clutch engagement. I’ve used a Clutchmaster’s Stage 1 and have a Spec clutch in the car now.

#6

Stock - Sachs. Have heard more failures with non-OEM than stock. Maybe some of those who had those failures can chime in.
Ed

#7

I replaced mine with an OEM Sachs. Seems to be working fine and with not running much more HP then came from the factory I don’t see the need for an uprated clutch.

#8

I’ve never had a clutch problem, but I’m planning on getting the OEM kit from Chuck and factory3performance. I’ve heard (and seen) the non-OEM clutches turn to powder. I’m sure some folks have had luck with non-spec, but from talk in the paddock, I’d go OEM

#9

Thanks guys! I’d prefer the Sachs kit based on the $$ difference and with this input know it not a waste of future dollars. Never knew we’d have so much fun building this thing, and we are only into week 2.

#10

I took a gamble and purchased a 3 month used Sachs clutch with the flywheel.

In preparation to install it this summer, I noticed how the friction surface on the flywheel had a couple of rings on it. After closer inspection of the friction disc, I saw where the fingers of the friction disc rivets were pulling and a couple were missing. Guess what was making the rings on the flywheel surface? Yup, the missing rivet fingers were embedded in the disc material. They dug out easily enough, but what I learned about the construction of a Sachs clutch gave me concern.

Obviously this clutch was hammered on a lot. Rob Keehner was over and pointed out how the straps on the Pressure Plate were also twisted a bit. Though the friction disc surface looked fine, I had my reservations about how robust the fastening method to the marcels were. I decided I wanted to persue a more rubust construction - no need to be changing clutches after 2-3 driving weekends.

I consulted with Jack Money at Elephant Motorsports. He referred me to a vendor that resurfaced and restrapped the PP for a very reasonable fee. The new straps were beefed up some too. I got the stage 2 Clutch Net fiber/carbon solid disc from Elephant to replace the stock disc.

Crappy clutch & spare flywheel: $100
Resurfaced/improved strapping PP: $75
Disc from Jack@Elephant: $165

So I got $340 into a custom Stage 2 clutch plus an extra flywheel. The stock Sachs is what, $200? It seems most upgraded clutch kits start at @ $400-$450, so I guess I did ok. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to tell you what I think of the clutch until spring. :frowning:

#11

Couple additional questions, is there a DIY on tranny removal?

Bought a Sachs kit which includes disc, pressure plate, TOB, rear engine seal, tranny seals, exhaust gaskets & pivot pin, anything else I should get while I’m doing the job? How difficult is this for a garage job? Seen a lot of threads online with various reviews.

Thanks again.

#12

I just bought a complete sachs kit as well and am in the process of installing it in my garage. I’ve turned it into a much longer job than it needs, but that doesn’t mean it’s too tough.

It’s not a hard job, it’s just time consuming and frustrating doing it on jack stands. The main thing is to have the car pretty high up on jack stands (6 ton ones would be best since they have a higher range)and make sure you have a tranny jack or something that acts like one. I bought a Harbor Freight special and it was worth every penny! It’s also good to have someone to help you out, but not 100% required.

As far as parts go, you could do a lot of the transmission seals while you’re in there, but the only thing real important (other than what’s on your list) is the guibo/flex disc. Also check your driveshaft center support bearing to make sure it’s ok. I would also say get your flywheel resurfaced unless you’re replacing it. It’s a minimal expense and is well worth it.

I haven’t seen a lot of DIYs on the web that go into full detail, but the Bentley manual does a job of laying everything out. The “101 Projects…” book also has a good section on clutch removal.

Good luck!

#13

I don’t remember seeing any real good DIYs on it. The hardest part is definitely removing all the transmission bolts and the 2 starter bolts. My advice is a universal joint and lots of long extentions. I replaced my clutch and tranny a couple months back by myself in my driveway on jackstands so let me know if you have any questions.

#14

shifter11 wrote:

Got that right! I got the one that scissor jacks straignt up. HF is the only place you can get one from that I know of. You can drop the transmission and roll it out from under a Miata on 6 ton jack stands up as high as a decent jack will get it. Hopefully, I’ll never have to do a BMW. :wink:

#15

Im running the sachs oem clutch kit from turnermotorsports.com and just ordered a short shifter kit from bimmerworld.com i think with the smooth oem clutch and short shifter it’ll make for a fast great reliable combination.