New to Bimmernut

Hi everybody,

I am a two year owner of a 1989 525i. Never been a member of Bimmernut before, but I saw the dedicated E34 community had to join. Hope to give and gain a lot a knowledge :)

Taboo on the first post, but one question: just went to a car wash and now the clutch shudders a bit when starting from first gear. There is no slippage when driving, and the clutch was acting normal before that. I slipped the clutch maybe eight times entering the pressure wash - was this enough to glaze the facings or is there a moisture issue?

Could'a cooked it. Used to get them in from the local Manheim auction all the time after the old guys who could barely drive sticks worked to clutches to death on the way into the auction bays. Some of the V8s would simply explode the plates.

Just get out of the city and drive it normally for a while and see if it clears up. Didn't smell anything, did you? I doubt moisture had anything to do with it. Driving in the rain would be worse if that were the case. Mileage, yes. Humidity, no. Oil leaks at the rear main seal can also cause a problem, and the M20 engine is known to leak from nearly anywhere it can.

Ooch...hope that's not the case. No smells or anything else, just the shudder. I've heard that giving it a fast start can remedy the situation, but could just as well see how it could become worse.

Is the issue terminal to the friction surface or flywheel, or a precourser to a terminal issue?

That would depend on whether it's a pressure-plate problem or a glazed clutch disc. Also whether or not it's oil-soaked or just worn out. How many miles on your 20-year-old car's clutch? If it's not slipping in top gear under load, just keep driving it normally and see if it improves.

That spells the #1 rule of buying a car with spotty service records: don't/shouldn't have. 192k on the car, but the clutch has been strong the whole time through, and the vehicle has been driven gently, maybe one start over 1.5k per week if that. Took it out for a drive last night and pulled some SC downshifts, and everything seemed fine. I hope all is well.