[mising]

I just performed a clutch job on my son's 1995 318ti. We replaced the plastic pivot pin, clutch assembly, master and slave cylinders, and hydraulic lines. Our problem is that the clutch grinds when going into any gear. Once in gear and the clutch is released it drives fine and does not seem to slip. Did we not bleed the system well enough, or is there something misaligned in the clutch assembly. To me it seems as if the clutch is not being disengaged enough by the slave cylinder. We have tried all the bleeding procedures we could find on this forum, and the pedal seems firm enough, but still grinding when shifting.
Thanks in advance for any helpful suggestions.

 

[BimmerE39]

Was the slave cylinder new when you installed it?

 

[CanadianWraith]

did you replace the throwout bearing with a new one?

 

[marti5]

There must be air in the system somewhere.

 

[mising]

Was the slave cylinder new when you installed it?
did you replace the throwout bearing with a new one?
New parts: clutch disc, pressure plate, throwout bearing, pilot bushing, clutch fork pivot, hydraulic line to slave cylinder, slave cylinder and master cylinder, DOT4 brake fluid.

There must be air in the system somewhere.
That is what I was thinking, aside from motorcycles, this is the first hydraulic clutch that I have dealt with, so obviously I am missing something somewhere in the whole air removal process. Oh well, will try again this evening.

Thanks for the responses, and keep them coming if you have any tips or suggestions.

 

[BimmerE39]

Yeah, I agree with marti5 on air bleeding in the system. I was questioning that slave master cylinder because I've known some used ones to have issues somewhat similar to what you described earlier. Definitely try bleeding the system and see where that gets you!

 

[FCPGroton]

Keep us posted if re-bleeding the clutch fixes the issue. I am curious to hear the out come.

 

[mising]

Keep us posted if re-bleeding the clutch fixes the issue. I am curious to hear the out come.

Will do.

This is the process I have used so far:
Ensure resevoir is full
connect pressure bleeder to resevoir
attach hose to bleeder valve on slave cyl
place other end of hose in collection bottle
apply pressure to system with pressure bleeder
crack open bleeder valve
let fluid bleed through under pressure until no more bubbles ensuring resevoir stays full
close bleeder screw

unbolt slave cyl from tranny
position bleeder screw so it is at top
open bleeder
compress pushrod
close bleeder
repeat until no air comes out
reinstall slave cylinder
at this point I will usually have a fairly solid pedal

Is this correct, or am I doing too much or skipping a step?

 

[darkhorse737]

the bleed

unbolt slave cyl from tranny
position bleeder screw so it is at top
open bleeder
compress pushrod
close bleeder
repeat until no air comes out
reinstall slave cylinder

<<< not too sure about this part of the process.

-slave cylinder should be bolted to where it belongs.
-Fill your reservoir.
-have an assistant pump your pedal, say 10 times and HOLD IT DOWN.
-now open the bleeder from under and let all trapped air out; then close bleeder.
-pump another 10 times, and hold the pedal down.
-open bleeder, let air out, and close bleeder.
repeat the sequence 4 -6 times and you should be fine.

*if still not ok, have your assistant press clutch pedal, and physically watch the rod to see whether it is actually moving. If no, either clutch maste or clutch slave is defective...

Cheers