First some backstory. I converted my 7/86 325e from a dual mass flywheel and clutch to a single mass flywheel and clutch (plus release bearing) from an 88 528e. Parts were purchased from a member of a BMW board who claims they had only 3000 miles on them, and based on the condition of the flywheel and clutch disc I believe him.
One of the mounting tabs on the release bearing broke after maybe 20 mins of running (it's a non-street legal race car so we hadn't driven it much). The tab then bounced around the flywheel and broke off the TDC reference pin on the flywheel and destroyed the sensor. Go to http://r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=123136 for more details.
Now I'm wondering why the release bearing broke. I was researching on the internet and came across this page: http://www.pro3-racing.com/?q=node/11 - which states that depending on which bellhousing our transmission has, we may need a different release bearing, part number 21511204525. I work for a parts retailer, and I looked up an 88 BMW 528e through one of our suppliers (Worldpac) and they show two different release bearings which fit that car. One is the 21511204525, and the other is the same bearing that is used on all 6-cyl E30s.
So now I'm wondering if we used the wrong release bearing, but what would be the symptoms of using the wrong bearing in the car? Would we notice anything? The clutch felt and operated just fine before the car broke. I just want to make sure we put the right part in the car so hopefully we don't have another failure.
One of the mounting tabs on the release bearing broke after maybe 20 mins of running (it's a non-street legal race car so we hadn't driven it much). The tab then bounced around the flywheel and broke off the TDC reference pin on the flywheel and destroyed the sensor. Go to http://r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=123136 for more details.
Now I'm wondering why the release bearing broke. I was researching on the internet and came across this page: http://www.pro3-racing.com/?q=node/11 - which states that depending on which bellhousing our transmission has, we may need a different release bearing, part number 21511204525. I work for a parts retailer, and I looked up an 88 BMW 528e through one of our suppliers (Worldpac) and they show two different release bearings which fit that car. One is the 21511204525, and the other is the same bearing that is used on all 6-cyl E30s.
So now I'm wondering if we used the wrong release bearing, but what would be the symptoms of using the wrong bearing in the car? Would we notice anything? The clutch felt and operated just fine before the car broke. I just want to make sure we put the right part in the car so hopefully we don't have another failure.