HELP! What could it be? lost my gears last night!

[dobbie82]

Hiya,

coming home in the 318i last nigh, other half was driving, and we were discussing whether to keep the 4dr or the touring, we had agreed that the 4dr was a known car and was very reliable.......


about half a mile from home gearchanging became VERY difficult... about 50 meters from home we lost drive completely,

so we pushed her onto the drive and there she is sitting all miserable

I don't want to book it in to a garage for a new clutch if its something easier!

Any idea, experience? prices?

its a 1991 H plate 318i m40 4dr

[Brianmoooore]

What do you mean by lost drive? You tried to change gear, took it out of one gear then couldn't get it in another?
Does the ger lever flop around? Can you put it into gear with the engine stopped? Does the clutch feel normal when you push it?
If so, make sure you have a clear space in front of you, put it in second and turn the key with the clutch fully down. Be prepared to turn it off quickly if the car lurches forwards.

[dobbie82]

the gear stick wont select any gears at all, its stuck in neutral. the pedal feels like it isnt attatched to anything!

will have a look at it in the morning though, to see if i can do what you suggest

[bigun]

have you had a look at your clutch fluid if its low/empty could be the clutch cylinder on the side of the gearbox whats the pedal like is there anythin there ?

[Ziggy]

have you had a look at your clutch fluid if its low/empty could be the clutch cylinder on the side of the gearbox whats the pedal like is there anythin there ?

What he said! & if the carpet by the pedals is wet with clutch fluid it'll be the master cylinder...

Neither's difficult to fix though

[fuzzy]

if theres no feel at all in the pedal id check the clutch fluid,if thats gone its likely to be leaking at either the master or slave cylinder,both easy and cheap fixes,(Ԛ£28 and Ԛ£20).

[gareth]

i'd agree with the above as it's happened to me.

bunging some fluid in should get it moving for a short while. if it's leaking inside (will be if it's the master cylinder), i'd remove the carpet and clean it all out very well. brake fluid will strip the paint and in a short space of time can rust the floorpan out (there's bound to be a leak somewhere so there will be a bit of water present to stir things up a bit.)

[dobbie82]

cheers for the replies guys, will try look the car over if it stops bucketing with rain! its depressing seeing her sit there. I will change the clutch all the same though, i have tonnes of service history but no record of the clutch being changed recently.


car is going in on tuesday. If i need master or slave cylinders I will buy them and see if they will fit them while they at it

[gareth]

the slave cylinder can be cahnged in an hour easy. with a long extension (18"?) and 13mm socket you can get it off without any effort. bleeding is really easy too. i'd be very suprised if it was the clutch. they usually last ages...

may be worth just throwing some fluid in to see if it works again as even it it leaks out after 30 seconds, this will identify a fluid fault.

[Brianmoooore]

It's quite possible to drive an E30 with no clutch fluid, as long as you don't have to come to a complete halt very often.
Start the engine with the car in first gear, and when you want to change gear, lift off the accelerator pedal while applying light pressure on the gearlever to push it out of gear. Now increase or decrease the revs to suit your speed at the gear you want to be in, and lightly ease the gear lever into that gear. If the revs are wrong, then you will be rewarded with a grating noise. If they are right, it will slide into gear.
If you need to stop, slide the gearlever into neutral as above, turn off the engine and brake to a halt. When you want to start again, push the lever into first and start the engine.
Drove an E30 over 100 miles like this recently.

[Simon]

It's quite possible to drive an E30 with no clutch fluid, as long as you don't have to come to a complete halt very often.
Start the engine with the car in first gear, and when you want to change gear, lift off the accelerator pedal while applying light pressure on the gearlever to push it out of gear. Now increase or decrease the revs to suit your speed at the gear you want to be in, and lightly ease the gear lever into that gear. If the revs are wrong, then you will be rewarded with a grating noise. If they are right, it will slide into gear.
If you need to stop, slide the gearlever into neutral as above, turn off the engine and brake to a halt. When you want to start again, push the lever into first and start the engine.
Drove an E30 over 100 miles like this recently.

I've done this too, was entertaining at first, but soon got the hang of it, you soon start to learn what RPM the engine needs to be at to match the drive.

[gareth]

i've done this a lot in my poorer days! made a knackered slightly slipping clutch last a year like that! only used the clutch in an emergency! after a bit of practice, the passengers often didn't notice!

[Brianmoooore]

Should be part of the driving test!

[gareth]

agreed! as should a skidpan course.

[Simon]

agreed! as should a skidpan course.

And motorway driving...

[dobbie82]

yeah motorway driving should be part of the test but what about us north walians? There arent any motorways!


on my test route, there were no traffic lights (unless you count a pelican crossing ) no roundabouts and no daft one way systems... there were however single lane roads, hills so steep you get nosebleeds and sheep!

as soon as I passed my test I jumped in the car on my own and drove 250 miles to devon, soon got used to motorways!

[Brianmoooore]

When I took my test there wasn't a motorway within 150 miles, and there was, and still is, only one three mile stretch of dual carriageway within thirty miles.

[320Touring]

When I took my test there wasn't a motorway within 150 miles, and there was, and still is, only one three mile stretch of dual carriageway within thirty miles.

this was just after the british took over wolfsburg and started making beetles again?




honestly though, what could cause such a catastrophic failure?

[thesaint]

busy roundabouts can be interesting when the clutch doesnt disengage, tried it in my old mercedes 300td, lots of horn blaring and cutting across lanes. still i did about 500 miles befiore i got it fixed...