E30 Zone

Helloo...

first I want to apology my bad english, I´m from estonia and I have always problems with my english teachers
but maybe you understand what I want to ask and you can answer me.


I want make my first engine swap to E30, but I have first problem.

what brake servo I need?
in here everybody wants their clio servos about 70 eur, but golf servos is much cheaper so I want use that.

witch engine brake servo I need?

only Mk1/Mk2 GTi servo or in 1,3/1,6/diesel golf have same servo?
I know that there are two typ. servos in golf, 7" and 9" wich one is right?


what servos are you use?

As far as I'm aware everyone is using the clio servo's mate to be honest, the golf ones are the old way of doing it.
The clio servo is brilliance in my opinion, the peddle feel it gives my 1989 e30 is like having a V reg (2000) brake feel, an I bet even with standard pads and discs ect mine could pull up quicker than a standard e30 thanks to the duel diaphram servo off the clio.
I hate french cars but hats off to the french on this 1, the servo is the 1 thing they had their thinking caps on in terms of design - Ant

Yeah, because it's Bosch

i am using a golf servo atm
would a clio make a big diffrence?
would it be a bitch to change now the engine is in?

The servo is a Bosch design (german)

It does feel like it gives more assistance than the E30 standard servo, the golf servos are shite in comparison, not to mention 20 years older in design

hmm i may haft to have a look at that then in the new year

The servo is a Bosch design (german)

so it wasn't the french after all haha, had to rely on the germans for parts

as for changing the servo with the engine in, would be a bit of a struggle but still doable. probably be easier undoing the brake lines from the master so that it comes off straight due to the clearance. worth it tho imo

I understand, that clio servo is better than golf servo.

but in here, at estonia I don't have change to get one right now.

wich servo I need.

is 9" too big? or it can be used in e30 with M50?

I want go and buy it in next week, but I don't know what I need.

You can also just use the standard servo that is in the e30 but you have to move it over 24mm to the shock tower (not hard redrill the holes and a little bit of cutting, the brake lines will bend also you have to adjust the brake rod inside and redrill the inside part) remenber that the left hand side of the brake rod is (left hand tread and the right hand side is normal thread) shoukd take about 2 hours, also shave off 4 of the back intake fins I have done this and I got the info from Booster on this forum

Thanks Nick (I would put pics but not sure how)
http://www.bimmerclubinc.com/showthread.php?t=2168

when using the Clio servo,

What size does the rod need drilling out too??

Iv got mine sat on the kitchen table, with drill in hand,

And I'm too lazy to go outside to check the pin size

Just drill out a little indentation in the spacer Craig, just so the rod from the servo can push central into the master cylinder.

As for the spacer length or depth, seems to vary by each conversion. 10-15mm seems common, but I actually have no spacer and had to shorten the rod on the servo

Bit of trial and error for the best feel then,
Not a problem

What about the rod on the other side of the servo,
the one that connects to the E30 rod inside the car,
under the glovebox?

Drill it out to about 10mm?
Sound about right?

The hole for the clevis pin literally needs a bit of a tickle through with a drill bit, you don't want the pin sloppling about as it will be exaggerated more at the pedal. Just keep giving it a poke through with a drill and a wiggle about and eventually you'll get the pin through. I can't remember the diameter of the pin, if you have some verniers then knock yourself out.

As for the servo/ master cylinder, I would push them together and keep trying different lengths of spacer. You want it so that there isn't any resistance when you push the servo all the way onto the master cylinder (otherwise you'll end up with the problem I had with the brakes sticking on), but at the same time you don't want any slack as this will mean you push the pedal and it won't actually be applying the brakes for the first could of mm of pedal travel.

i have a golf one i might not use now hmmm.


will any clio servo do like

Any clio servo from 2000 onwards Mick.

A lot easier to get out if the donk has been removed, if not there is a removable inspection panel in the driver side front inner wing where it will come out but it's a load of chew.

I paid £5 for my last servo from the local frag yard

Edit, i've not driven one with a golf servo, but I believe the clio one gives a far better pedal due to the double diagphram

Its seems to vary with the extension, I started off with a 20mm spacer and it actually worked for my car! Others have used 15-20mm.
I was pushing the car in and out of the garage for a while as I did the servo bit a few weeks before the lump went in an the brakes didn't bind at all. Since the engine has gone in I have driven the car and still the brakes are fine, infact they feel better than before.

Start at 20mm and see how you go, you can always cut a little off if necessary. With drilling the clevis out I used bigger and bigger bits until as lee said, the clevis pin fit nice and snug

E30BeemerLad wrote:The hole for the clevis pin literally needs a bit of a tickle through with a drill bit, you don't want the pin sloppling about as it will be exaggerated more at the pedal. Just keep giving it a poke through with a drill and a wiggle about and eventually you'll get the pin through. I can't remember the diameter of the pin, if you have some verniers then knock yourself out.

As for the servo/ master cylinder, I would push them together and keep trying different lengths of spacer. You want it so that there isn't any resistance when you push the servo all the way onto the master cylinder (otherwise you'll end up with the problem I had with the brakes sticking on), but at the same time you don't want any slack as this will mean you push the pedal and it won't actually be applying the brakes for the first could of mm of pedal travel.

Spot on Lee, the hole for the clevis pin (couldnt remember the name of it ) was 8mm so iv just ran thru a 9.5, im sure i read somewhere that the pin was a 10mm, but i'll leave it at 9.5 for now, just incase

its weird how some people need different spacers , or non at all, wonder if its got anything to do with the engine size of the clio the servo came from??

im knocking up a couple of spacers now to save pissing about,
once its bolted up its not coming back off

magpie wrote:i have a golf one i might not use now hmmm.


will any clio servo do like

Mick a servo from a "plastic winged" clio is the way to go mate,

mines from a V reg






Man im slow this evening

Mines off a v reg clio. My car feels like it has v reg brakes on an 89 car

As lee said, its a hell of a lot easier to get out without the engine in

E30BeemerLad wrote:Any clio servo from 2000 onwards Mick.

A lot easier to get out if the donk has been removed, if not there is a removable inspection panel in the driver side front inner wing where it will come out but it's a load of chew.

I paid £5 for my last servo from the local frag yard

Edit, i've not driven one with a golf servo, but I believe the clio one gives a far better pedal due to the double diagphram

i'll see what's in the yard tomorrow

Thought id drag this one back to the top

I pulled the 2.7 donk out today,

fitted the clio servo,

but when i came to slip in the clevis pin inside the car,
the holes in the 2 rods didnt meet up .....




now if you can see in the pic, i had to push/force the servo rod back by hand, about 20mm,

but when i took out the e30 servo, the 2 points met up niceley,

is this a problem?

or has this happened to all the clio servos that have been fitted?

iv put a spacer bit in the master cylinder and there was a little resistance, at about 5mm
before it was "flush

Up we go...


did anyone have this^^^ when they mounted their Clio servo?

I think I adjusted the bar that goes from the pedal box and it moved the lever into the right location. Only a small adjustment needed and keep an eye on where the pedal ends up.

Once again............. Lee too the rescue



cheers dude,
i'll give that a bash

Just changed mine.The rod that fits inside the master cylinder was adjustable.Just had to wind it out a bit might explane the different lenght spacers used.Apart from the drilling it was like fitting the standard one.