e36 m3 clutch pedal travel

[stephen pook]

Hi all. I've just bought an E36 M3 Evolution (1996)which has recently had a new clutch fitted. The clutch seems to work fine albeit a bit fierce. The problem is that the pedal travel seems to be quite long to get down to the bite point and very frequently I catch the edge of my shoe on the 'foot rest' which lies next to the clutch pedal position.

This is a bit irritating as it frustrates quick gear changes and I seem to have to make a concerted effort to depress the clutch with the left side of my left foot as opposed to the ball of my foot.

Is this a common complaint and just takes getting used to or can the pedal travel be shortened such that the bite point occurs before the pedal gets alongside the foot rest.

Any info or ideas will be most welcombe.

Cheers.

Steve.

[dimsum]

I'm no expert with the oily bits, but a friend of mine had a E36 3.0 M3 with a problem clutch too.. When he took it in to a clutch specialist, they found that the clutch plate?, ( Or somthing to do with the clutch!) had in fact been put in the wrong way round?!

Made a hell of a difference to the cars drivability once it was sorted..

Just thought I would put in my 2 pennies worth..

>> Edited by dimsum on Wednesday 21st December 18:23

[Stephen Pook]

Thanks Dimsum.

The function of the clutch is fine. It just has a seemingly low bite point which is not unusual on a new clutch but it is because the pedal runs so close to the foot rest that the problems occur. I bloody hope it's not in the wrong way round as that will mean a few quid to fix!!

Cheers. Steve.

[Dave Dax builder]

I had an E36 M3 10 years ago with the same problem, I took it to a BMW dealer and they replaced the clutch under warranty..........It was exactly the same when i got the car back. I'm sure they changed the clutch as they said that they could not explain why the pedal bite was low before or after.

Good luck.

[Stephen Pook]

Thanks Dave. Looks like I'm just going to have to get used to it! Interestingly on some other forums owners have complained of the problem but seemed to adapt after a while. Seems strange as it was a real pain for the first hundred miles or so.. I was having to sort of double de clutch for every gear change. Cheers.

Steve.

[outnumbered]

Low clutch biting point is an E36 M3 feature.

If you find the biting point gets even lower as the engine gets hot (especially in traffic), you will probably find that the "braided clutch hose" mod. will help. You can find details of this by looking on www.bm3w.co.uk or www.e36coupe.com and doing a search for those words.

[Stephen Pook]

Cheers Outnumbered I'll monitor it and if it gets worse or I get completely exasperated with it I'll consider the modification.

Steve.

[Nick P]

mine does it too.....'98 Evo
It has been like it since I bought it earlier this year and I always thought it was a problem...so good news to hear "they all do that Sir!!"

[stephen pook]

Thanks Nick. Reassuring I suppose. I thought 'they all do that sir' was a catchphrase for TVR dealers! ( In my experience anyway).

Cheers,

Steve.