Help! Video inside ---->

[Y30]

Ok. I'll bring you up to speed. I was driving the dub (1987 325is) when the clutch pedal started to get increasingly harder to push down. At first I thought it was my imagination because the change was so subtle but soon it started getting worse. Next thing I know I'm at a stoplight ready to go and I press the clutch and this happens




I pushed it to the side of the rode and checked the fluid level. It was low but not that low. Did some research around here and some similar situations suggested to change the slave cylinder. I swapped it last night on the side of the road at 2:30. No dice.

I can't see fluid leaking anywhere if I pump the pedal by hand. And even with the bleeder valve open no fluid would come out of the slave.

Give it to me straight. Is my clutch fork broken? Is the release bearing done? How screwed am I on a scale of 1 to f-my-life? :sad:

[jlevie]

Have the car towed home. Then dismount the slave and use a screwdriver to see if there is back pressure on the clutch fork. If there isn't, drop the transmission and proceed from there. If you can't depress the clutch fork, change the master cylinder, remount the slave and see if the clutch works.

You may find that after changing the master cylinder the pedal is still too hard and the clutch isn't working right. In which case you drop the transmission and proceed from there. I have a feeling that something has gone wrong inside of the bell housing because the pedal got hard to press. That increased force caused the seals in the aged master cylinder to fail. So I suspect that a new clutch (and master cylinder) is in your immediate future

[Y30]

Wow that's what I was afraid of. Now when saying that a "new clutch" is needed, what exactly does that consist of? Would I need a whole kit? Like pressure plate, release/pilot bearing, clutch disc? What exactly does it sound like went bad in the bell housing?

[jlevie]

A new clutch would include a pressure plate, clutch disk, throwout & pilot bearing, clutch and fork pivot pin at the minimum. The flywheel should be resurfaced and new pressure plate and flywheel bolts used. I doubt there is anything wrong with the clutch fork arm, but if there is it will be obvious once the transmission is out. As mentioned above, you also need a new clutch master cylinder and may need to replace seals in the transmission. While the transmission is out a new guibo and bushings for the shifter are recommended.

[reelizmpro]

Check the rod on your master cylinder to see if it snapped. Same thing happened to me.

[Y30]

Check the rod on your master cylinder to see if it snapped. Same thing happened to me.

Ok. I'll start with this. That seems less daunting. I am fully prepared to pull the tranny but ya some more pokin around in the engine bay is probably a wise thing to do first.

Thanks to both you guys for the input. Any other ideas send them my way. I've been at work all day and am waiting for the 6oclock bell so I can get to it.

[reelizmpro]

look at where the shaft attaches to the pedal assembly under the steering column.

[Y30]

Will do. Would I have seen some fluid leaking into that area under the dash though?

[Smelser]

could be a worn clutch master cylinder?? not the slave that pushes the rod on the tranny but the part that the pedal is attached to?

[Y30]

Update:

Okay gents. I looked further and found quite a few things. First off, the clutch master cylinder had snapped at the eye-joint where it attaches to the clutch pedal (as reelizmpro said) So I purchased and installed a new one.

All excited, I start pumping the clutch pedal by hand and it still goes to the floor as shown in the first vid.

So I go underneath and take off the slave cylinder to poke around in the transmission (as jlevie suggested). I have to stick my finger in about 3 inches before I can feel the fork. And even then, the fork has no push-back. You can almost pull in back toward the rear of the car with your finger and it will stay where ever it sits.

I'm probably explaining it terrible but the bottom line is I don't feel any life coming from the fork.

Where to know? I'll be dropping the tranny. Should it be obvious what I'm looking for?

[jlevie]

The problem with the clutch should be obvious once you get the transmission out.

[Y30]

I took a moment to stop and think before taking on the task of dropping the tranny, and I think I may have posted my last post too soon.

I bled the clutch more and realized that it needed it really badly. After doing that I turned on the car and was able to put the car in gear with the clutch pedal depressed, showing that the slave cylinder was, in fact, doing it's job and pushing the fork away.

Everything is gravy now. BUT!

I still don't know why the clutch got more difficult to press in the first place. What caused the clutch pedal to be so hard to press that I literally snapped the clutch master cylinder? All I replaced was the master and slave clutch cylinders. The master was butchered pretty badly. Could this have been the source of the increased pressure?

As of right now I am back on the road and it is driving better than ever. But I am still very leery.

Anyway, here are some photos of the broken parts.