1st gear slipping on 318is!

[moonraker]

Hi

I am sure you can help! When I am in heavy traffic (ie. when 1st gear is used a lot), my 318is slips in 1st gear (as if the handbrakes were on!) - this happens in 1st only. I can only give it a go, and then change to 2nd quickly to pull away, stressing the engine a bit. No pb at all when I drive everyday in fluid traffic, even at stops in 1st. What can it be? Is it the gear, the clutch, etc.? My mechanic says if it is the gear it could be expensive, he is having a look. I thought I would get great advance knowledge from you!

Thanks guys!

[Martinaston]

when moving at a low speed put it in 4th or 5th and floor it.
if the engine revs up but the speed does not it's a worn clutch.
There's no way a gear can slip, It's eather the clutch bearing is worn or the plate is contaminated/overheating

[psychochild187]

same as wats above

gears dont slip
they slip out of gear and you put it back into gear .

it has to be clutch .
i test mine by driving in 3rd or 4th and low revs and foot hard down and dab the clutch peddle. if the revs increase and dont fall down again and bite, your clutch is on its way .

[Bob_S]

Just out of interest, how much would a new clutch be? cheers

[johnono]

its not so much the cost of parts, its more the cost of the labour if your not doing it yourself

[Jos]

ECP have the Boge/Sachs clutch for the 318iS at about Ԛ£115 inc VAT but as Jhonno says, it's not the parts that cost the money, it's getting the bugger out and in that hurts.

[peejay]

Sometimes I sit in traffic with the car in 1st, clutch in or at biting point and as I pull off there is a clunk and car throws itself out of gear, its dead embarassing. I have made a conscious desision to make sure gear is properly engaged & its still done it ! However this only happens now & then plus sometimes I cant access 1st attall & have to pull off in 2nd, is this the same problem as were discuussing here ?
Finally, my car man says 1st gear on E30's is notorious for this kind of behaviour. What dya think ?
Peejay.

[johnono]

does the gear sellector feel "loose" in its movement when not in a gear? and have you had a look under the gaiter to see if anything has come out/ unclipped?

sounds like the stick is floating around in the box

[moonraker]

Thanks for all these brilliant responses guys. You have really educated me. Gears do not slip, they slip out of gears. Gears do not slip, they slip out of gears. IԚ'll copy that a 100 times, à la Bart Simpson.

Around Ԛ£115 + vat + works seems reasonable, my baby is worth it (mechanic is a friend) - if it is the clutch. IÔš'll do the 4th/5th test. A friend also told me that it is easier to work on the gearbox/clutch of rear wheel drive cars as you have more space in front. Just a comment, donÔš't know what you think. IÔš'll let you know what the mechanic finds out asap.

He is also tackling a loud noise in the rear shock absorbers (on the right only, and only on potholes) and a small engine oil leak (it was enough to block my ignition sensor though!). Apart from that, the car is fine! But I also have to change the antennae with a working one and clean a few spots of rust ... Then a good polish. Ah, I was forgetting: one centre cap is missing Ԛ… plus an interior door panel has to be clipped back Ԛ… there is also a piece of torn leather on the dash Ԛ… steam clean the engine Ԛ… hmmm, why not the interior while I am at it Ԛ…

THIS FORUM SHOULD BE OUTLAWED, IT IS TOO ADDICTIVE!

[astondg]

^ and now you have a big list . The same thing just happened to me, I thought the car was ok but then I started adding things to a list of things to fix after exams and now there are quite a few . That's ok though, I get to spend some time working on my E30 which is good and then I can take take it for a "spirited" drive knowing everything is ok .

Aston

[Jos]

That's Ԛ£115 INC vat, 90something without..

There ya go Ԛ£20 less than you thought, enough for 48 beers to make the job more painless.

And yes RWD is much easier to work on than FWD, helped change the clutch in my m8s GT Celica.. NEVER EVER AGAIN!!! At least it wasn't a GT4, apparently they are near impossible to do, which is worrying, as the 2WD was hard enough.

[astondg]

And yes RWD is much easier to work on than FWD, helped change the clutch in my m8s GT Celica.. NEVER EVER AGAIN!!! At least it wasn't a GT4, apparently they are near impossible to do, which is worrying, as the 2WD was hard enough.

A bit of semi-related trivia:
My father has a Lancer Evolution VI, the mechanic that services it said that the gearbox is made to come out easily and fairly quickly because being a rally car they need to be able to do stuff like that in service. GT4 is a bit older than that I suppose, first came out in the early 90s. They might not have thought that far ahead back then and is something that has come from experience.

With RWD the gearbox is just under the car, you can see most of it if you get under there, so definately easy to work on. Having a hoist like the mechanics do would make it a lot easier and quicker but it's possibly to just use jack stands.

Aston

[peejay]

Johnono, yep lever is very loose. In neutral stick moves easily 2in to left and maybe 1in to right at which point there is resistance. When in gear 1in play both ways in all gears. Gonna wait till weekend to remove gaiter and av a dekko. Will it be obvious if there is a clip missing ?

Peejay.

[johnono]

dude, depending on which arangement u have , uԚ´ll find the breakdown on this picture.

click to enlarge the pictures

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.do?m ... g=25&fg=05

[peejay]

Fantastic info' or wot!

Cheers Johnono, I'll let you know how I get on.
Peejay.

[johnono]

all good bro if u have to change anything, why not consider a Z3 short shift conversion

basicaly u need a Z3 1.8(not sure if thats right) and the ass. gubins

remove the old one and record the secuence u stripped it, then replace with the relavant replacement parts for the conv.

Geeman has a parts list on one of the the threads, do a search for Z3 short shift and u shoud get a few results

[moonraker]

Hi, I started this thread and I have come to a sort of conclusion on the pbs I mentioned but I need your feedback on point 2 below:

1. Loud knock in rear shock abs: was only the bushes, changed (Ԛ£20 only!).
2. Oil leak: my mechanic friend told me it is the head gasket but leak is very, very small (I do not even have to top up). He suggests to live with it for as long as possible and clean the engine from time to time as it would be too expensive, major works required he says (rough estimate Ԛ£400-500).
3. Slipping out of 1st gear: again, could be Ԛ£200-300. As this is not happening too often (remember: only in heavy traffic), he advises to use the car for another year (ie. profit more from the existing clutch) and then change next year.

I agree with him on point 3 esp. as the car is only being used by my wfe on her 1-mile commute w/o any pb and my occasional leisure drive. But on point 2, is it that much to change the head gasket? Cheers!