Caution! Sporty driving style of the car can lead to damage of the new clutch if it has not been run in.
After replacing the clutch, it is necessary to run it in (earn extra money) friction linings of the drive disc under low or medium load, as well as brake shoe linings. The running-in should be carried out in normal driving mode with frequent gear changes or using a special running-in program on a level area with small slopes. Normal driving mode means starting off on an average slope at an engine speed not exceeding 2500 min⁻¹. Normal starting on a level area is expensive - at a speed of not more than 2000 min⁻¹ will also be sufficient.
Under normal driving conditions, approximately 800–1000 gear changes are sufficient for optimal running-in of the linings while driving on the highway for a distance of 30–50 km. In this case, it is necessary to shift to higher gears (1–2, 2–3, 3–4) at an engine crankshaft speed of 3500–4000 min⁻¹, and shift to lower gears (4–3, 3–2, 2–1) at a speed of approximately 2000 min⁻¹. Gear changes must be performed quite frequently and 3–5 starts must be started from a standstill on a slight incline (up to 12%) at a speed of no more than 2000 min⁻¹.
Clutch Fault Table
| Malfunction | Cause of malfunction | Methods of elimination |
| The clutch is slipping | a) Insufficient clutch contact pressure | a) Replace the clutch |
| b) Excessive wear of friction linings | b) Replace the clutch slave disc | |
| c) Oiling of friction linings | c) Carefully eliminate leaks, clean from oil contamination and replace the driven clutch disc | |
| Leaks: | ||
| Engine | ||
| front and rear crankshaft seals, including plugs, oil pan, | ||
| cylinder head gasket, cylinder head, | ||
| oil filler cap, timing gear block cover, | ||
| flywheel mounting bolts | ||
| Cooling system | ||
| pipelines and their connections, heater taps, cylinder block plugs | ||
| Steering | ||
| steering gear, power steering pump, hydraulic lines and their connection points | ||
| Transmission | ||
| input shaft seal, intermediate shaft lock bolt | ||
| Clutch release sleeve | ||
| d) Overheating of the leading part of the clutch | d) Replace the clutch | |
| d) The clutch master part installed is not a genuine BMW part | d) Install the original BMW part | |
| Jerks when engaging the clutch | a) Wrong friction linings | a) Replace the driven clutch disc, |
| b) Oiling of friction linings: reasons, see "Clutch slips, point c" | b) Replace the driven clutch disc, | |
| c) One-sided pressing of the clutch release sleeve | c) Check the clutch release fork, | |
| d) The leading part of the clutch presses unevenly | d) Replace the clutch, | |
| d) Misalignment of the crankshaft and gearbox input shaft | d) Check the mating planes of the engine and gearbox, as well as the centering bushings and shields for damage, | |
| e) Incorrect coupling of the engine and gearbox | e) Reconnect the engine and gearbox, | |
| g) The clutch disc is not a genuine BMW part | g) Install the original BMW part, | |
| c) Engine, incorrect speed curve | c) Eliminate the cause in accordance with the results of the engine operation check, | |
| i) Engine control is faulty (especially for diesel) | i) Check the engine control unit. See BMW Service Information | |
| The clutch disengages poorly (The transmission is difficult to engage) The clutch does not disengage (The transmission does not engage) | a) Damage to the friction linings of the driven clutch disc | a) Replace the clutch slave disc |
| b) The friction linings are rusted to the flywheel | b) Evenly sand the flywheel and friction linings with sandpaper (grain size 120 - 180), replace the driven clutch disc | |
| c) The crankshaft thrust bearing under the gearbox input shaft is faulty | c) Replace the crankshaft thrust bearing | |
| d) Leak in the clutch hydraulic drive | d) Replace damaged parts and bleed the clutch hydraulic drive | |
| d) The tangential leaf spring is damaged | d) Replace the clutch | |
| e) Jamming of the clutch release sleeve on the guide sleeve | e) Clean the guide sleeve, remove and install the clutch release sleeve | |
| Increased noise when engaging and disengaging the clutch | a) The imbalance between the leading part of the clutch and the driven disk is too great | a) Replace the clutch or clutch disc |
| b) The torsional vibration damper is faulty | b) Replace the clutch slave disk or, if necessary, replace the dual mass flywheel | |
| c) Malfunction in the clutch release coupling | c) Replace the clutch release sleeve. | |
| d) The crankshaft thrust bearing under the gearbox input shaft is faulty | d) Replace the crankshaft thrust bearing | |
| d) The clutch rivet connections have become loose | d) Replace the clutch |
(The original article is available on the website «BMWMAN.ru»)