GTgenie

Funny you say that polley, when i recieved the resurfaced clutch from autoclutch i was told to give it some decent pulls after install to "wear it in" correctly given its properties. Spinning it while just resting freely on the flywheel surface on the bench he showed me the lever of grip from the new pad compound compared to what ca me off. I still nursed it through its first 1000kms just because of all feedback suggesting to do so at most places. Overall if the reverse judder smooths out I'll be totally happy. As it is if I reverse on an incline It bites releases bites releases bites releases. To overcome that means rev higher. Which means smooth reverse but burn clutch.

The clutch was bedded in on stop and go traffic driving too and from city 50km return each day. Reving low enough to cause the car to almost or actually stall on occasion. The car has so much torque you can use the idle power to take off on most flat surfaces wit clutch fully disengaged before getting on throttle. The judder was present in the rare chances there was a slight bit too much rpm and clutch fethering. I must stress tho that it was very rare. After all this effort I didn't want to waste all my efforts. Any one have experiences with driving shifting characteristics of a heavy duty clutch?

Hi all. First off thanks for all the feedback above. For me each reply was constructive and helpful. 6 months later I can report: - no clutch slip at all. Done 5000kms+ now (unlike before where 1000kms in I had failures). I've driven it to rotorua, tauranga, paihia and around the coromandals during these holidays. Just took the car for a short drive to refresh my feeling of the setup and... - once I take off throughout the gears it feels good on engagement with a strong solid change and holds the power of my stock setup perfectly fine. Enough clamping force to chirp the wheels if you shift it fast enough. - clutch engagement very rarely at take off can sometimes judder if you feather the clutch off for a smooth take off. downshifts are fine. I'd have to say this has improved and I suppose it's either a result of not perfectly bedding clutch surfaces (again?) or the fact that I did notice the teeth of the clutch plate which slides over the transmission spline had a small amount of play compared to the fit of my OEM M5 clutch plate that is designed for use with a DMF. Or my own theory (but take it with a grain of salt as I'm no clutch expert) the clutch disk being larger is gripping, to the surface easily, the play in the spline catches up to the teeth and jerks the clutch disk causing a hopping/ skipping symptom. The symptoms have improved over time since install. - Reversing up an incline is very easy to cause clutch to burn. It's obviously more prone due to the higher gearing bUT i try to avoid it if i can at all times. Also judder here is more noticeable. I wouldn't mind dropping the trans once more just to see the surface of the flywheel and view the wear characteristics. If anyone is keen to find out and has a hoist let me know.

Correction: whatever I rest against my remaining half an arm Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

Also I installed a short shift kit :-P feels great but definitely feels cheap. FYI if you guys don't mind the cheap Bush clank the $30 shifter kit on eBay is an average buy. Definitely shortened my throw distances. I can now put a drink in my cup holder without knocking it over when shifting to reverse gear :-D Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

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Surprisingly reverse bleeding has done the trick. I've had the car back on the road with no leaks or strange noises or smells (finally!). As an initial test without shortening the slave piston I've stacked a few washers between it and the transmission mount point. The pedal now has some slack at the top of the pedal unlike the original setup it was returned to me in. I've been driving it through traffic daily looking for signs of failure but so far so good. Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

I had the rear main crankshaft seal /gasket installed clutch and flywheel in plus transmission loosely mounted for testing the slave cylinder. Following this while beginning with bleeding the clutch from slave cylinder I have ended u with air in the entire system. I will be purchasing a new oil canister to attempt reverse bleeding the system. I have tried : - open bleed niple, suppress clutch, close nipple (repeat x20) - suppress and release clutch x10 and leaving suppressed, open bleed nipple close (repeat x20) - remove slave and fill with fluid. Put back on car attempt bleed. - self bleed system with pressure tank on top reservoir, open bleed nipple only air coming out with most methods. Reservoir has been fulled at all times with someone watching . Fun fun fun! :-@ Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

Good news! Autoclutch in West Auckland have been able to resurface my existing clutch plate as it's in good condition. Steel backed and carbon impregnated compound that is rated for upto 450HP applications. I'll be picking this up along with my resurfaced flywheel. Once back on the car I will post some details around the discussed possible hydraulic system/release mechanism clearances. Fingers crossed for a test drive by Sunday afternoon. Point worth mentioning: - they noted the remaining clutch disk thickness was low and now would have contributed to decreased pressure plate clamping load. Then again my continual use of the car may account for this wear with pre-loaded clutch. Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

Thanks for all the feedback guys I'll be visiting autoclutch this Friday who said the custom ford clutch plate with a bmw center spline will be no problem for them. Once I have the new in and assembled I'll take some measurements. Another thing to note the release bearing that came out does not pivot where as the OEM one which came with the clutch kit does. I wonder if this uneven initial pressure on the pressure plate Forks could be a contributing factor also. It is slightly longer in sleve length so I have some options now for making additional space inside the bellhousing once it's all bolted back up. Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

Thank you Will truly appreciate the feedback. Below is a picture of my release bearing. I'm hoping autoclutch may be able to have this done as they advertise custom clutch builds on their website. They weren't open on Saturday so I'll take time out to visit them. So far all other places I've seen have either said try elsewhere or getting this clutch is not possible here. I understand it is entirely my fault for prolonged use after initial slip being noticed but as mentioned I pointed it out the very first time it was noticed to Hellbm. It's just my circumstances that left me to be forced to keep driving it knowing I'd be going about this on my own. I drove it once to maraitai beach and it got home fine without slipping symptoms but the very next day after a cold start it was slipping enough to be noticed. So in an effort to fix this since new years I saved for and purchased: - firstly a spare car while bmw would be out of commission - a LUK factory m5 clutch kit - etorx and torx head socket sets to remove transmission/ clutch - rear main crankshaft seal and gasket - valve cover gaskets As mentioned I eagerly purchased an OEM m5 clutch kit for the m5 trans little did I know there was no hope of using it till I had everything out. Problem with using this I'd the one local dual mass flywheel too my vehicle is $1300. Is there such a thing as a good used dual mass flywheel? As its OEM the friction plate can't be used with a solid flywheel as it has no damper Springs. (too much shock potential for mounts, trans, crankshaft braking) Lastly my intention with mention to driving previous cars/track days was just that they are high reving and very responsive motors which taught me to be graceful with gear changes to reduce shock and not abuse your transmission, engine mounts etc. Always Rev matched gear changes and under braking. I really to have a new found appreciation for v8's after my first Drive in the 540i as an auto. Torque is like nothing I had driven before especially from the low rev band. This was also why I purchased the 540i for its NA motor and that immediate throttle response you don't get with a turbo. Like most on this forum I enjoy driving and maintaining my own cars to be able to drive the beautiful rural roads NZ has. I definitely have a thing or 2 to learn about v8 engines and I'm open to all advice. I just really want to get the transmission bolted up right this time. This forum and all its members of like minded individuals seemed like the perfect place :-) Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

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Hey all I've had my trans swapped in my '99 e39 540 with an M5 gearbox and the clutch had warn out in a very short period of time. (By HELLBM about Oct-2014) I've been left hanging with no support from Ray after having immediate issues with the setup. After my initial contact regarding the issue he has closed all communication with me so have been basically trying to get around this on my own. I had come across this forum and signed up hoping this is the setup I was provided as I'm in need of a: New Clutch Plate to purchase to fit m5 transmission spline Must be: - A maximum thickness of 8.5mm (compressed) - Fit a Ford Falcon Pressure plate as - Dimension (suspect 265mm will confirm once home) The car began to exhibit slipping symptoms towards the end of the run-in period (1000km's easy driving high gear) and by 3000kms it wasn't derivable without slipping in 4/5/6th gear so has spent much of this year either parked and eventually sitting in my garage while I was saving money to get it running. I've had 7 Honda vehicles before this all were Manual (type R or Euro R versions) so at least everyone knows I am not a novice driver who burnt out the clutch (as Ray accused me of when I called him for Post work support). The 540i was my first auto vehicle and naturally I wondered how the car would be so much more enjoyable as a Manual so sold my last Honda to pay for the swap. I have narrowed down my suspected issues to: 1) I suspect my issue to be a hydraulic system issue 2) Clutch pressure plate fork TO clutch release bearing clearance (with transmission closed). 3) Slave Cylinder piston clearance to release bearing fork/leaver Why: 1) Upon removal of the clutch slave cylinder I noted there had been a decent amount of pressure on the clutch release bearing fork. So as the screws were removed there was decent length of travel with continual pressure. and suspect this to be my primary problem. So I will be putting the unit back together with a new clutch disk and shaving the length of the Piston down. 2/3) Another factor noticed was continual/constant stiff pressure on the clutch pedal all the way from complete lift to full suppression as if the slave cylinder piston was always resting on the forks of the clutch pressure plate. The clutch system was load tested on a machine at Onehunga (sterling brake and clutch) and shown to have no load issues when fully clamped so this does not account for the sever clutch slipping. The Clutch plate itself would not have contamination issues as the trans housing was fairly clean with no oil seepage inside (with the exception of burnt clutch dust). I'm currently on the lookout for a clutch disk/plate to replace my one which has been removed (although it has good thickness). I fear my existing plate may have heat spots. Also now that I have the entire transmission and clutch assembly off the vehicle this would be the best time to have this done. I've been to 5 clutch shops near my area (Onehunga and Manukau region) and managed to get my hands on a replacement pressure plate. I needed a new one as one of the bolts holding this in had rounded and was drilled out and in doing so I damaged the frame of the original pressure plate. Clutch Industries in Onehunga confirmed for me it is a widely used ford pressure plate and had a replacement one for me which I have purchased. Sterling brakes and clutches also in Onehunga (as with 4 other places visited) were unable to source me a new clutch plate due to: - The clutch spline diameter and contact pad dimensions did not match anything within their database Also re-lining the clutch pad was not an option also due to the type of inter plate which was used. Unsure on more detail here but he suggested it may not withstand the forces that will be presented to it if it was re-lined anyway. Any help in tracking down a replacement clutch plate for this system would be an ABSOLUTE life saver and to anyone who has taken the time to read my post thank you in advance for any advice. I'm literally down to my last few dollars and for what has really been a depressing year for me without being able to drive my 540 if you find me a plate ill pray for your good fortune for your entire life! I will post pictures soon Cheers Michael