E30 clutch judder.

Subject: E30 clutch judder.
From: Dave_Edmondson@domain.elided
Date: Tue, 6 Aug 96 10:43 CAT
I have encountered this problem on my E30 M40 318i. When I bought the car it
had had one carefully neglectful lady doctor owner ( this doesn't mean ALL
lady doctors are neglectful, just THIS one!) and it had a bad oil leak from
the rear crankshaft oil seal. To replace this I had to remove exhaust, prop
shaft, gearbox, clutch and flywheel - a longish but easy job. The clutch was
in almost perfect condition and was the original after 101,000 km. I have
subsequently had occasional clutch judder but there is an easy if crude way
to get rid of it. I am pretty sure it is caused by glazing of the friction
material - possibly because my normal driving is pretty gentle and doesn't
stress the clutch. Park the car on the level and engage the handbrake HARD.
With the engine running at about 2-3000 rpm engage 5th gear and, with some
judicious 'heel and toe' force the clutch to slip for about 10 seconds. You
DO need to be careful not to let the car move forward. This will normally
burn the friction surfaces and restore clutch behaviour for several thousand
miles or kilometers whichever you prefer. You will get a nasty smell of hot
clutch but as long as you don't overdo it, you won't do any harm. The
alternative would be a new clutch! DaveE.