2000 Z3M Road - Crooked Clutch Lever/Pedal?

Hello All!

I'm new to my 2000 Z3M Roadster, love the car. Here is my question or issue:

First off, my clutch pedal seems to function just fine. Please continue reading...

When I depress the pedal it appears that it does not travel straight away/down? Rather it travels (or bending) away and toward the left (seemingly crooked to me...). Is this normal? Should I attempt to correct this? Would replacing the bushings help? Ignore it?

Thanks in advance for your help and feedback.

Mahalo!

TC

Originally Posted by tcesar888

... 2000 Z3M Roadster... clutch pedal seems to function just fine... When I depress the pedal it appears that it does not travel straight away/down? Rather it travels (or bending) away and toward the left (seemingly crooked to me...). Is this normal? Should I attempt to correct this? Would replacing the bushings help?...

The bushings need to be replaced:
http://www.bimmerbum.com/bmwseoibrclp.html
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/dri...edal_slop.html
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1264974

Some people even replace the whole pedal and mechanism with a kit that is better:

The standard E36 / Z3 plastic clutch pedal main bush housing becomes ovalized over time. The replacement of the bushes does not seem to remedy the bad situation. The only option appears to be discarding said pedal and re-new.
New steel pedals are available, improved geometry with a reduced travel of 1.5 in. also is on the same horizontal plane as the brake pedal, cures the pivot bush problem due to all metal welded construction=bullet proof. I worked on the design of these pedals with Dr. Stroes prior to his withdrawal from the BMW accessories industry.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1264974

You certainly need bushings. I would use bronze replacement ones instead of the original plastic ones. UUC used to make some high-density plastic ones like Delrin. Those are still available some places, and are quite nice.
You could also replace the pedal with a steel one from Mason Engineering. It comes with stock bushings, so you still need to replace them with better ones.

Originally Posted by tcesar888

... clutch pedal... Would replacing the bushings help?...

When replacing the clutch pedal bushings, it makes it easier if you remove the driver seat.
http://www.waycoolinc.com/graphics/z...ish/remove.jpg
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=922228

While the driver seat is out would be good time to replace the seat bushings which may be allowing the seat to move back and forth as you apply the brakes hard.
http://www.bimmerdiffs.com/collectio...bushing-kit-z3
http://www.waycoolinc.com/z3/02/100602/shish01.html


May as well do the passenger seat bushings while at it. And with the passenger seat out, it's easier to do the glove box door, which may be sagging and rattling.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=160920088028
http://www.waycoolinc.com/z3/06/0429.../glovebox.html
http://www.waycoolinc.com/z3/06/0429...x/glovebox.pdf

+1 on the seat bushings

Thanks so much for all the helpful information!!!!

Awesome!

Off the topic of the clutch pedal, you also need to check two more things.
1
Check if the forces of the differential are damaging the subframe on your 2000 Z3M, a serious problem for all Z3's but particularly for a high-powered M that has been driven hard. Search on the terms:
rear subframe
differential mount
randy forbes
Here is the problem:
http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Compl...Roadster/Frame
2
Check if the rear shocks are tearing the sheet metal of the body at their upper mounts. And if the shocks need replacing, buy a rear shock mount kit to buttress the mount. Search on terms:
rear shock mount
RSM

I will not mess up this thread by going off topic more, but if you can't find all you want and need to start new threads, I can dump a lot of info into them.

Thanks Vintage42!

Great info, and I'll certainly check on these elements too. I'm going through and normalizing the entire vehicle so to speak. Fortunately it is in pretty decent shape to begin with. Honestly I'm doing the easy thing first. Then I will proceed to tackle the tougher stuff.

It's all part of the fun... DIY!

Mahalo,

TC