E24 - clutch problems (long)

[Sam Douglas <sam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, I've been lurking for a short week and I have to say that I am very
impressed with the amount of technical expertise in here as opposed to the
newsgroup which I have lurked in and posted to over the last year or so.  My
first BMW was a 1980 E24 732i euro, and just to answer the ABS thread, my
car does have a very functional ABS system...  :)  Onto my current
challenge.  I just bought a 1983 E24 with a Hartge engine, and Zender body
kit.  Its black with nice black leather, 144K mi, and only two small dings,
with virtually no rust.  Anyways, I got it for an absolute steal, and am
having to fix a few things.  Right now I'm dealing with a clutch pedal that
likes to stick down and not go into gear.  I have to put it in Neutral, lift
the pedal with my foot and pump it a couple times and then shift into
first...  It works fine shifting in higher gears.  I understand that the
slave cylinders go bad.  I also have a fairly loose shift linkage.  And the
clutch may be getting worn(or it may just be the hydraulics).  I'd like to
hear from some E24 owners who have had similar clutch woes and have been
able to fix it themselves.  I don't want to get into a project that will
take too long.  I do have extensive experience working on cars, but recently
my avaliable time has been drastically shortened.  Any pointers suggestions
would be greatly appreciated, and any suggestions as to where to buy the
aforementioned parts would also be very appreciated...  Thanks, and sorry
that this post is so long.

also, can anybody tell me any details whatsoever on my Hartge engine.  I
know virtually nothing about it except that it has a Hartge valve cover and
headers and really goes fast...  :)
- --
Sam Douglas
1983 E24/M30 633CSi Hartge
1980 E23/M30 732i Euro

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