Made a clutch stop today...

I drove a car with a clutch stop yesterday and preferred it. Figured I'd make my own.

Prior to trying it, I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be "riding the clutch." I pushed the pedal in to the point where I was confident the clutch was not at all engaged. I shut off the car and tried to re-start it - it would not start. Perfect- the starter lockout was beyond the engagement point, as it should be.


I found these instructions over on e46fanatics:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=206363


Mine isn't quite that nice because I couldn't find any 'elevator bolts' at my local Orchard Supply Hardware. I did find a bolt with a plastic "knob" on the end of it.... figure I'd give it a shot.

I bought two rubber washers (they were pretty thin) and super-glued them to the end.

I then used my dremel to cut the bolt down until the clutch would go down far enough for the car to start.

The bolt with the knob on it (sorry, I don't remember what the plastic bag said it was called) was 1 1/2" x 3/8 - 16 (I assume "-16") is a measurement of the thread width. Although the BMW uses metric bolts, this fit snugly.

It took me 4 times of trial-and-error to get the bolt short enough. To save you time, I measured it with my micrometer. The stock clutch stop is 26mm long, and my clutch stop is now 44mm long (including the rubber washers).


Initial impressions are good. Worth $5.37.

cash fletch? i'm impressed.

You didn't waste any time did you?

Krisl,

Congrats on the upgrade. I don't think I could drive my E46 without it. It was the best 2.46 I ever spent. (Go figure, on a 40K+ car) lol. It's too bad you couldn't find the elevator bolt and had to keep chopping away. With the elevator bolt (found at any local hardware store, or Lowes - but not at Home Depot for some reason), it's a 2 second job.

Oh well, it took a little longer, but i'll bet it's worth it.

Originally Posted by icemanjs4

Oh well, it took a little longer, but i'll bet it's worth it.

Yeah. Not a huge difference because of how I shift. I think I have a mental clutch stop already - I guess I have my brain trained to only depress the pedal to the disengagement point already. The pedal lever only touched my new clutch stop about 25% of the time.

This may sound like a dumb question. But what exactly is the benefit of this? I realize what it does, but does it make for faster shifting or something else?

Originally Posted by Crawlings

This may sound like a dumb question. But what exactly is the benefit of this? I realize what it does, but does it make for faster shifting or something else?

It just helps clutch feel by eliminating the "dead range" at the bottom of the pedal travel. Some say it helps them shift faster, others say it just helps them shift smoother.

Just an update... my syncros weren't happy, so I removed the clutch stop awhile back and went back to the stock unit. I was now able to fully disengage the clutch again, so shifting was once again smooth... and you know what? I don't miss it at all. Like I mentioned before, I guess I had a 'mental/muscle memory' clutch stop already. I'm glad I didn't spend more than a few bucks on it.

Originally Posted by KrisL

Just an update... my syncros weren't happy, so I removed the clutch stop awhile back and went back to the stock unit. I was now able to fully disengage the clutch again, so shifting was once again smooth... and you know what? I don't miss it at all. Like I mentioned before, I guess I had a 'mental/muscle memory' clutch stop already. I'm glad I didn't spend more than a few bucks on it.

+1
I had problems engaging gears with my clutch stop. The foreman at the dealership said something about a pressure plate. A knowledgeable tech at a good local indy shop told me it has to go to the floor too and that i could take off 1/2, half inch at most.

I have been using it for about a year now and I don't regret a single day..

I stalled twice on red light today. Let the clutch out too quickly thinking that first few inches are dead range... I guess, I did form a habit in last few weeks and now have to unlearn it.

Originally Posted by KrisL

Just an update... my syncros weren't happy, so I removed the clutch stop awhile back and went back to the stock unit. I was now able to fully disengage the clutch again, so shifting was once again smooth... and you know what? I don't miss it at all. Like I mentioned before, I guess I had a 'mental/muscle memory' clutch stop already. I'm glad I didn't spend more than a few bucks on it.

You just had it set too high.
Try choping it a bit more with your dremel.

Originally Posted by Boile

You just had it set too high.
Try choping it a bit more with your dremel.

For no real benefit again?
Nah.

No probs after 20k miles with mine. Love it!