I've got a transmission problem...(UPDATE: Bad News)

[Brew]

Alright, I went to get a movie last night, and on my way back I was pulling away from a stop light and my clutch pedal became really, really hard and I couldn't disengage my clutch. So I drove it back the rest of the way just popping it out of gear and rev-matching and shit, and coasting through stop signs.

The car drove perfectly fine up until the moment it happened.

Also, at one point on the way home, the clutch pedal went back to perfectly normal, and then as soon as I tried to put it in gear it got rock hard again.

My mechanic is taking a look at it tomorrow, but what do you guys think?

My clutch is starting to get worn out, but it hasn't gotten too bad yet, and it wasn't slipping at all last night. I don't really know much about transmissions, but I'm guessing that it's something hydraulic.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[e30Matt]

Perhaps the master cylinder? Not a guru on clutches, but the last few clutch problems I had on E30s were all master or slave cylinder failures.

Usually if a master cylinder fails, you'll know it because you'll see hydraulic fluid inside the passenger compartment, and if it "blows", it may end up all over your carpet/feet.

Did you notice any puddles of fluid or anything under the car when you got in to drive away? Any "funny noises" coming from the clutch area?

[randomtask37]

my guess is a faulty master or slave clutch cylinder. worse case sinario would be clutch or tranny failures.

[DaN]

Could be a bad master cylinder, the rod may have broken in it.

[Brew]

Thanks for all the replies, guys.

I'll mention the master and slave cylinder to my mechanic, although I've got a feeling that its one of those things where he will hop in the car and know exactly what is wrong the second he touches the clutch pedal. He's pretty good.

Now, say it is the master cylinder... How hard is it to do yourself? I've done a few m20 timing belts, but I've never done any transmission work. Think I could do it?

EDIT:
I forgot to mention that there was a weird "rattling" sound coming from underneath the car.

I didn't notice the carpet being wet at all, but there was a funky smell going on. I'm not really sure how to describe it, though.

[e30evolution]

most of the time if the slave, or master cylinder fails there will be less resistance in he pedal, not more.... if a piece broke off of you pressure plate or clutch disc inside the tranny that would explain the noise and could stop the clutch from disenguaging....
hope you can get it taken care of

[Bill 84 318i]

The rattle and extra hardness also lead me to believe it's something in the EDIT: not flywheel, but bellhousing.

Master/slave failures *usually* end up in the clutch pedal just going to the floor and not coming back up.

[NickP]

It could also be your throw out bearing...

[Brew]

Damn, I hope its not too serious.

I was reading in the Bentley, and it said that sometimes when either the master or slave cylinders go, they may prevent the clutch pedal from being depressed.

The weirdest thing about it is that it happened instantly, and then for a moment the pedal felt fine again.

Luckily, I've got our ix to drive around if my car is going to be out of commission for a while. If I have to drop the tranny, this might be a good time for a lightened flywheel and a new clutch.

Arghhhhh, $$$!

Thanks again for all your help folks.

[Brew]

So I just a call from my mechanic... My pressure plate is cracked in half.
Looks like I'm getting a new clutch.

Turns out the master and slave cylinders were very, very worn as well, so I'll be replacing those too. He's going to replace the guibo while its apart, also.

Well, the good news is I might be able to chirp third now. :twisted:

[graphikg]

Reviving an old thread... But how does a pressure plate crack in half? And, were there any other symptoms? Like vibrating or noises?

[Adrian_Visser]

Reviving a VERY old thread. There's another thread about an e-bay PP coming apart that's only a couple months old, it happens it's spinning at the same speed as the engine so it has a bit of stress on it and if it is out of balance there is vibration present to fatigue the metal.