I'm finding myself grinding second gear every now and then because the clutch/pedal seems to have to be pushed all the way to the floor. In previous cars I've owned I never had the problem (theres was more room before the clutch engaged), seems like if the clutch isn't ALL the way in I will grind :(

anyone else notice this or am I just not used to it?

 

How many miles on the clutch?

 

2700

 

Why wouldn't you push the clutch to the floor every time you shift .

 

I push the clutch to the carpet everytime. I don't remember when I didn't. I drive to work 15miles each way 22 times a month and it's been two months. And I shift about 32 times each way. Let's do the math...

32times/day X 22 days/month X 2months = 1408 times.

I have pushed the clutch to the carpet about 1408 times so far.

 

cuz in all my other cars the clutch didn't engage until the pedal was halfway or more released so it made quicker shifts to not always push the clutch all the way t the floor. my cooper seems really sensitive tho like if I miss half and inch to an inch I might grind, just wondering if its normal or just cause its new

 

Interesting question...I find the same thing, because I have my seat all the way back. Clutch takeup however, seems to be when the pedal is almost fully out.

 

I will have to try it when I drive home tonight. I am not sure if any of my cars required me to touch the carpet.

 

The clutch on my R53 engages right about midway, I ALWAYS push it to the floor though. Bad habit to shift with the clutch halfway down .

 

I do the same thing very infrequently. And I cuss at myself and feel bad for moment. Seems to happen if I'm being LAZY in my driving, not paying attention to the shift routine in general. However, a good friend who has owned all kinds of cars, Maseratis, Ferraris, you name it, and is a professional bike/car mechanic drove my 07 MCS when brand new and commented that he didn't like the clutch setup, that the pedal required too far of a downward push for his taste. Me, I get used to driving my other "toy car", which runs a BMW K series cycle drivetrain and requires only the tiniest clutch action to shift when revs are right, and that doesn't help one bit either. When and if I have to go to the dealer, I'm going to ask them about the clutch adjustment. I don't think the way it is set now is WRONG, but I wonder if it can be set up so that the clutch engages/disengages fully with a less lengthy PUSH of the pedal.

 

yea i'd like to see if anything can be changed at the dealer

 

I hardly ever use the clutch

rev-matching FTW

Oh - I am serious too - over 3/4 of my shifts are clutchless - up and down the box.

 

thats something id practice in my geo metro not my cooper

 

I wonder if the R56 has the dreaded Clutch Delay Valve (CDV) on all other BMW's. It delays the engagement for a split second, but makes shifting smoothly difficult, especially when you're trying to shift quickly.

It would be unusual to have to push the pedal ALL the way down to disengage the clutch. That's why people like using Clutch-stops.

 

My E30 had a clutch stop and the clutch engaged in less than an inch away from the clutch stop. When I got the MCS, it felt like 6 inches that I had to lift before the clutch engaged. Now the e30 is gone and I am driving the MCS only and I am used to it and I don't even think about it. 2100 miles.

 

Here's and excerpt from the attached link, a pretty good discussion of clutch and shifting techniques:

Grinding Gears

A grinding sound coming from a synchronized manual transmission during a shift is usually a sign of improper technique. Some hobbyist drivers blame the machinery: they claim that the synchro mechanism is worn, or there is some issue with the manual transmission lubricant. This comes up again and again in online automotive forums. In fact, the synchro mechanism would have to be completely gone for this to be true, and it's almost certainly not an issue with the lubricant.

Why does grinding happen in a synchronized transmission? It's because the overly zealous driver engages the clutch too fast, in parallel with moving the gearshift, in an attempt to minimize the overall shift time. Or, perhaps the driver is doing everything in the correct sequence, but failing to press the clutch far enough! Either way, the gear selector has already "passed through" the synchronizer, but not gone far enough for the teeth to actually engage. At this point, if the clutch is engaged, even slightly, the speed of the input shaft will change, and the synchronization will be lost. Since the selector has already been pushed through the ring, it's too late: the stick can be moved so that the teeth make contact. The result is grinding.
Quite possibly, there could be a problem with the clutch: perhaps it is not disengaging all the way when the pedal is being pressed to the floor. The pedal might need adjustment, or there is some problem with the hydraulics or mechanical linkage, or other problem with the clutch mechanism itself. But here we are assuming that there is no mechanical problem.

To avoid grinding, do the waltz: think 1-2-3. On the count of 1, press the clutch all the way down to the floor. On the count of 2, move the stick to the desired gear. On 3, release the clutch. To speed up the gear change, you must speed up these motions individually, and not "cheat" by trying to overlap steps 2 and 3. There is little room for that. In particular, the lever must be in the final position before the clutch moves off the floor. Where you can save time is by tightly combining 1 and 2. Push or pull on the stick while pressing the clutch, to get it moving as soon as possible. Practice the waltz: count 1-2-3 in your head. Try doing it very slowly, and then speed up the tempo.

To do a fast gear change without grinding, push the clutch pedal to the floor as fast as possible, in advance of moving the stick, but start moving the stick even before the clutch hits the floor. The clutch should be all the way down as the stick passes through the neutral position to the other gear, and should remain floored. Move the stick as fast as possible from one gear to the other, using speed and force. You should feel a resistance followed by a click; that's the resistance of the synchro, which needs time to do its job before allowing the selector to proceed. Finally, release the clutch. This is the slowest part of the transaction, but with practice, it can be sped up significantly.

The common mistake that causes grinding is not moving the stick fast enough before releasing the clutch; failing to coordinate the two motions. Sometimes drivers complain about grinding during steep gear changes, when the engine is revved to a high RPM in the lower gear. The synchro has to do more work to slow down the input shaft of the transmission to match up the next gear! This takes more time, but the driver is not adjusting for it. He or she is not waiting for the lever to pop through the synchro, and is releasing the clutch using a rehearsed timing, independently of what is going on in the gearbox. The foot doesn't know what the hand is doing and vice versa! The foot must be trained to wait for the hand to complete the gear selection.

Another situation in which grinding can be heard is when placing the transmission into reverse from a stopped position, e.g., when leaving a parking space. Grinding occurs here in part because reverse is often not a synchromesh gear. If one does not leave the transmission in reverse or a forward gear when parked, it is likely that s/he will hear grinding in the transmission when shifting into reverse no matter how far the clutch pedal is held in when shifting. To avoid grinding in reverse, one must "clear the gate": first place the gear shift into a forward gear, then shift into reverse. This will eliminate any grinding that is heard. It works because all gears have the same speed when the car is stopped. On most 5-speed synchromesh transmissions, the gates will lock out a shift from 5th gear down into reverse as a safety feature; therefore, place the shifter into another forward gear before shifting into reverse. Some old cars have synchromesh on the upper gears but not on 1st, so this procedure should be used every time they are started from a stop. (Some old BMWs had synchromesh on first, for downshifts, but still crunched starting from a stop.)

One last note: the transmission oil can make a difference if the shift is being done improperly. A lubricant that doesn't have the proper friction additives will cause the synchro to take more time, giving rise to more opportunity for premature clutch release. This is why some technically inclined drivers report experiences like "I switched my manual transmission fluid from brand X to brand Y and now I get more (or less) grinding". Some cars also shift more easily when the transmission oil has warmed up; Mazda Miatas and Volkswagen Passats are particularly known for this.

Here's the link:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Transwi...ving_technique

 

I also hear the grinding, but only when I don't get the clutch all the way down. I'm new to manual but also even with the seat all the way up I feel like it's a stretch to get it all the way down (I'm 5'1'')