Engine ran, now it's stuck, please help

[KU Roo]

OK, no gas in the cylinders, I pulled the plugs and looked. No noises, it just stops. No parts clanking against one another or anything like that. Car is in neutral and all four wheels are off the ground - its on stands. I took off the valve cover and looked at the timing chain, no issues there that I can see.

Setup is: ZF trans from a '98 328i, clutch is Sachs M3 kit, **no springs in the disc, dual mass E36 M3 flywheel, bought it used so I cannot verify the year and did not write down the part number prior to install.

7pilot - when you say the disc installs 180 degrees out, do you mean the little nub in the center of the clutch disc (where the input shaft goes through) is installed toward the engine or toward the trans? Is my clutch disc flipped?

I installed mine with the nub toward the trans. Why you ask? Because that is what the stupid directions with the clutch kit said to do! Crap, if this is my problem I will be more then pissed off. What is the point of the damn directions with the clutch kit if they are wrong? Unless the disc with no springs are only intended for no-stock installs or something like that.

7pilot, I saw your advisory post on this issue, how did you get your welded trans off your engine? Lots of pry bars and swearing? What did you need to replace once it was apart?

Thanks
Andrew

[7pilot]

PM'd you.

The longer nub of the clutch disc should face the engine side. If you saw the "this side facing engine" on the disc then the gearbox locked to the clutch disc may not be your problem.

If the drive train is stuck together don't bother with prybars.

use two fully threaded bolts and a couple of shims as described in the PM.
victims will hopefully only be the guide tube and the clutch disc. ymmv.

keep looking for a alternative cause and Look for bent exhaust valves before you pull the drive train.

m

[7pilot]

Hopefully the max amount of damage you do to the tranny. the T/O bearing guide tube holes stretched then ripped..
m

[KU Roo]

Here is the progress so far: As 7pilot suggested, I have bolts going in from the block side towards the trans and shims at the end of the bolt to apply pressure on the trans and push it away from the block.

I can fit three fingers in the gap (insert joke here) between the block and the trans. The problem is the gap at the bottom is about 2" but at the top it's only 1/4" or less. Since the engine is in the car still, I cannot pull away at the top of the bell housing. I may need to pull the engine/trans to be able to get at the whole thing at once. Damn.

[KU Roo]

Update - it runs!

Just a quick update to close this thread - my clucth looked exactly like 7pilots did, the T/O bearing tube was "spin welded" to the clutch disc beacuse I put it in backwards. In my defense, the new Sachs Clutch kit that I had to buy to replace the one I botched up, had "GEARBOX SIDE" clearly printed in gold letters on the clutch disc. The original one DID NOT! Both are Sachs clutches, I cannot understand why they would do this.

Anyway, the car runs and I took it for a brief test drive with open headers around the hood. I have a few items to take care of like; bleed the clutch again and wire up the ABS and oil level sensor. Tomorrow its off to the muffler guy for my exhaust work. BTW, if anyone is in the St. Louis area and needs an exhaust, call Matt at HTP in Arnold MO. He does great stainless exhaust work. All custom and mandrel bent. He also does custom turbo work. Great guy and a artist with the welder.

Finally, thank you to all those guys who replied to my problem and the entire R3V Limited forum for an invaluable source of info to get this swap done. Thanks.

Andrew
e30 S52 OBD1, TRM Chip, ZF Trans, 3.25 lsd, etc.