1996 BMW Z3 Clutch Pedal Position

[Alistair Francis]

I just replaced my clutch slave cylinder with [1] and bleed the clutch line on my Z3. My clutch pedal now engages the first millimeter after lifting it up. It wasn't like this before I replaced the slave cylinder and bleed the line. Any ideas if this is what it should be or if there is something wrong (like air still in the system).

[1] https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...h-slave-cylinder/cs360081/4671080/1996/bmw/z3

 

[Mnbrennan]

It sounds like you might still have air in the line, which as its compressible, means the clutch plate isn't traveling fully

 

[Stevo7682]

Definitely sounds like you need to bleed again.

 

[FRANKIE]

I just replaced my clutch slave cylinder with [1] and bleed the clutch line on my Z3. My clutch pedal now engages the first millimeter after lifting it up. It wasn't like this before I replaced the slave cylinder and bleed the line. Any ideas if this is what it should be or if there is something wrong (like air still in the system).

[1] https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...h-slave-cylinder/cs360081/4671080/1996/bmw/z3

Hi @Alistair Francis and welcome to the forum from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. Sometimes when a new clutch slave cylinder is replaced and the system is properly bled, it still takes a day or two to settle in the clutch. I replaced the slave cylinder and master cylinder in my '96 1.9L Z3 last year. Proved to be a nasty job to do. I had seen a video of a mechanic doing it and at the end of the video, he said he never wanted to do it again. That's the way I feel also. I had read articles and seen videos about bleeding the system before I attempted the job. I was very diligent in performing this just as I had seen. I was unable to get a satisfactory result. I finally spoke to a 30 year BMW mechanic someone had recommended and he set me straight. Before I tell you his proceedure, I should say that he said after it was completed, it still took several miles of driving for the system to self bleed. This sounded a bit strange to me at first but if you don't see the system getting any better after a bit of driving, then you have to bleed it again. Here's what he told me to do, and it worked just fine. When under the car with the slave cylinder removed and in your hand, open the bleed screw (make sure your master break cylinder reservoir is full first) and let the brake fluid run out free until there are no air bubbles present. Close the bleed screw. Recheck the reservoir and fill if necessary. While holding the slave cylinder in your hand. press the shaft of the piston against something hard that won't move such as your transmission housing. Keep pumping the shaft of the cylinder against the trans housing while holding the slave cyl. in your hand. The bleed screw must be closed while doing this. It will get very hard to press after a few pumps. Bolt the slave cyl. back on to the transmission being very careful to engage the arm of the throw out bearing with the end of the slave cylinder shaft. It will be very hard to start both bolts since fully seating the slave cylinder will put pressure against the pressure plate via the throw out bearing arm. I had to use some tools to wedge against to base of the slave cylinder to hold it into position for the threaded shafts of the mounting studs to come through the base of the slave cylinder to start the nuts. After the slave cylinder is secured, go into the driver's side compartment and rapidly pump the clutch pedal with your hand or foot about 50 times. You should be able to drive the car after this but here's where the system finishes bleeding itself as it takes using the clutch several miles to ge the 'right' feel to it.. If you want to speak to me, PM me your phone no. and I'll call you..........Frankie
PS. What part of the country are you from?

 

[Alistair Francis]

Thanks for the input, I decided to give it a go bleeding again. The clutch definitely feels better today, but I still tried to bleed again. I ended up snapping off the bleed nipple so now I'm waiting on a better quality part to swap out.

 

[FRANKIE]

Thanks for the input, I decided to give it a go bleeding again. The clutch definitely feels better today, but I still tried to bleed again. I ended up snapping off the bleed nipple so now I'm waiting on a better quality part to swap out.

Don't you just love it? You figure that a proceedure will take a few hours or a day and perhaps a little more and it ends up taking a week because of all the small nasty things that happen along the way. When I did mine, I thought the shaft of the slave cylinder was contacting the arm of the throw out bearing and it wasn't so that when I pressed the clutch pedal, the shaft had nothing to work against and popped out of the slave cylinder. Well. LETS TRY IT AGAIN with another slave cylinder. Turns out the first one was a cheap product and the round disc that held the shaft in place wasn't strong enough to keep the shaft in a rigid enough position when being inserted into the transmission. so the chances of lining it up with the throw out bearing arm were very poor. First press of the clutch and a blowout. Hmmmmmmmmmm just another fun day in the garage..............Frankie

 

[Alistair Francis]

Thanks for the advice. I changed the clutch slave cylinder again to a better quality one and bleed the line again. It wasn't noticeably better, but strangely after leaving the car for a day or two the clutch position feels much better (around where I would expect it to be).