Burnt out clutch

[DrJason]

Did a search and couldn't find any other posts. Last night noticed a funny smell after some spirited driving, didn't think too much about it. Then noticed the same thing this morning when driving to work and some hesitation on staring from a stop. Took it to the dealership on the way home, tech said it's the clutch going! Only 16,000 miles and I'm the only driver, now I will admit I don't drive like a granny but still it's a frickin' BMW. Anyone else have any clutch issues or hear of anything like this?

[jpd]

Clutch problems are almost all related to the driver. It really has nothing to do with "granny." Riding the clutch is the most probable cause. If the dealership determines its you then you are in for a shock $$$$$. Of course you can always escalate the claim.

[HerrK]

Originally Posted by DrJason

Did a search and couldn't find any other posts. Last night noticed a funny smell after some spirited driving, didn't think too much about it. Then noticed the same thing this morning when driving to work and some hesitation on staring from a stop. Took it to the dealership on the way home, tech said it's the clutch going! Only 16,000 miles and I'm the only driver, now I will admit I don't drive like a granny but still it's a frickin' BMW. Anyone else have any clutch issues or hear of anything like this?

When you get it back after the clutch job. Make sure you do a CDV-ectomy or have some local Indy shop remove it for you.

[teagueAMX]

Originally Posted by DrJason

Did a search and couldn't find any other posts. Last night noticed a funny smell after some spirited driving, didn't think too much about it. Then noticed the same thing this morning when driving to work and some hesitation on staring from a stop. Took it to the dealership on the way home, tech said it's the clutch going! Only 16,000 miles and I'm the only driver, now I will admit I don't drive like a granny but still it's a frickin' BMW. Anyone else have any clutch issues or hear of anything like this?

One cannot completely rule out a defective clutch and/or pressure plate but it's rare when compared to failures caused by operator error. I'm curious how many times you've full power launched? As mentioned, when shifting up or down, or taking off from a dead stop do you have a quick, crisp clutch disengagement/engagement, or do you tend to let it slip a little bit to smooth out the shift? Either one of these are absolutely deadly for a clutch.

Keep in mind the z4 is not a light car, and your 30i's 6l is fairly powerful. Just because it's a BMW doesn't mean it's built like a tank. If you look under a bimmer's skin, part quality is no different than a ford or chevy. That's not to say BMW doesn't have some cool tek, but the steel, aluminum and plastic used to fabricate a BMW is no thicker or tougher than similar materials used to make a ford or chevy.

[skier219]

One thing about clutch material is that it will let you know if you're doing something wrong by aroma. If this were to be attributed to user error in only 16K miles, I think DrJason would have been getting whiffs of clutch cologne long before this major failure.

Clutches can wear gently over a long extended period under normal wear and tear, in which case you'd never smell anything until the very end, when the pressure plates and disc material started allowing slip all the time. Or, they can wear out fast in a short period due to heavy use or abuse caused by poor technique, but this will raise a stink along the way (or at least once and a while).

Think about it this way: stink = wear = (amount of use or abuse) / time

For a clutch to go in 16K miles for non-mechanical reasons, there would have been a lot of use or abuse in a short amount of time, and this would have stunk pretty badly along the way. DrJason didn't mention that obvious clue, and his reaction suggests that this was the first time he smelled this hard-to-ignore stench. So I am inclined to think this is at least partly a mechanical issue (if not completely a mechanical issue). You just don't kill a clutch in 16K miles from user error without getting frequent stink along the way.

Compared to other cars I have owned, I find that the Z4 clutch is a bit odd in that it catches low but engages high. There is a long travel in between with a lot of potential for slippage. On top of that, the pedal sits a bit low. This can be a pain in the butt in a lot of situations, and I can see how it would cause issues for some people. In my case, the main problem was positioning my size 11.5 shoe on the pedal for proper articulation when starting off in first gear. If I don't pay attention, the pedal ends up mid-sole, and it's hard to let the clutch out smoothly (ends up being too abrupt). I initially thought the CDV was an issue, but since adjusting my foot position I find I can get perfect engagement every time.

After 7 months, my opinion of this clutch and short 1st gear is that, in normal driving, you should be fully engaged within 1-3mph of starting from a dead stop. It's almost like the clutch is out and engaged before you even begin to pick up much speed. So if anything, there is far less room for slip than other cars I have owned, and the car wants to tend to abrupt engagement more than slippage. I almost think someone would have to try really hard to slip this clutch on a regular basis.

From what I can detect by ear with some neutral engagements, the CDV time constant is still much shorter than my motions in normal driving, thus it really isn't a factor for me. I can see how the CDV would be an issue for 1-2, 2-3, etc. shifts for someone who speed shifts though. That's were a CDV is most noticeable.

[6MT4me]

If you go back and read posts on E90 3 series, there are various threads regarding clutch wear and the CDV. I also believe that BMW is aware of this issue and will cover the 1st clutch under warranty because of the CDV issue. There are replacement valves that are available that solve this issue and are found at various aftermarket dealers. Use the search engine to find them. I would complain loudly to my dealer that this was a function of the CDV and that should help the situation...Good luck
6MT4me

[HerrK]

Originally Posted by skier219

From what I can detect by ear with some neutral engagements, the CDV time constant is still much shorter than my motions in normal driving, thus it really isn't a factor for me. I can see how the CDV would be an issue for 1-2, 2-3, etc. shifts for someone who speed shifts though. That's were a CDV is most noticeable.

Under relaxed normal driving conditions I really can't tell any difference with or without the CDV. As you stated in more sporty (not speed shifts) 1-2 & 2-3 upshifts you will most definitly notice a quicker clutch lockup. OK and I did try one dump the clutch hole shot at about 3 grand (with DSC off) - a vast lockup improvement. I'm still trying to get another year or 8-10K miles out of the rear tires, so this activity is not SOP. Hoping that the 3rd Gen RFT's are readily available then and vastly improved.

Anyway the CDV-ectomy is a relative easy DIY. I bought a new CDV and removed the orifice assembly myself. The CDV assembly is plastic and you merely have to use a drift pin to remove/punch out) the orifice plate, ball bearing and plug. Pinch off the line from the clutch master cylinder and R&R the CDV. My son pumped the clutch while I bleed the system. Total time about 1 hr as you have to remove two plastic belly pans (under the engine & trans).

[Augenbrauezug]

Originally Posted by 6MT4me

If you go back and read posts on E90 3 series, there are various threads regarding clutch wear and the CDV. I also believe that BMW is aware of this issue and will cover the 1st clutch under warranty because of the CDV issue. There are replacement valves that are available that solve this issue and are found at various aftermarket dealers. Use the search engine to find them. I would complain loudly to my dealer that this was a function of the CDV and that should help the situation...Good luck
6MT4me

Not sure how I stumbled upon this thread, but I had some bad clutch problems with my 135. Bought the car with 31k miles, clutch started going out around 33,000 miles. There were no problems when I bought it, no smells or such, so it obviously wasn't anything I had done.

Anyway, when it started BMW wanted almost $4000 to fix it, after it was all said and done I had gotten them down to about $1500. Keep at it, you'll get a free replacement or at least a discount.

[DrJason]

Now after reading some of the reply's I'm questioning my driving technique. I first learned on a stick, almost 20 years ago and up until 2 years ago my wife drove a stick that I would also drive from time to time, not sure if those cars manual transmissions vary that much from the BMW.

More info on the current situation. There was no noticeable smell or signs that something was wrong until a few days ago, which at that time became very distinct.

I still have a hard time believing no matter how bad someone was driving a stick that they could kill a clutch in only 16k miles (but I am no expert).

[DrJason]

Just got a call from my service rep. Tech took it out for a drive (haven't taken it apart yet) but they said it's a warranty issue and they have parts ordered should have it back to me later this week.

[DrJason]

Got a call that some part is back ordered and will take 7-10 days for them to get.....so I guess I'll have to wait a bit longer to get the Z back.....very curious to hear what they find when they get it apart.

[jpd]

If the tech says it's covered consider yourself fortunate. You may want to take a driver lesson with a professional. I did and learned a lot. I always buy six speed manuals and have not had any clutch problems for the past fifteen years and 300k miles. Good luck