I replaced the clutch in my R56 with a solid aluminum flywheel and solid clutch plate. The engine seems so much happier revving much quicker. The clutch take up is much more crisp without any more dampening and thankfully, I am not getting any rattling coming from the gear box, I'm really happy with the install.


The only issue is that the turbo isn't building boost pressure? Driving, the engine revs freely but I'm not getting any boost, I'm not hearing the bov whistle like usual. I've checked the hot side tubing to make sure I didn't stuff a rag in a tube somewhere. I blew air back through the cool side checking for blockages. I've checked that the turbo spins freely at start up.

I'm currently in the middle of removing the intake manifold, checking for vacuum leaks.

To me it feels like the waste gate is open and staying open. My next step is to check the waste gate controller wiring and make sure I didn't snag a wire or loosen a connector.

Any other ideas?

What I did to install the clutch:
Removed Wheels, fender liners, disconnected sway bar end links, unbolted steering rack, dropped sub frame, moved bumper assembly forward and off, removed radiator hoses, intake tubing, fuse box, ECM box, etc...

 

I checked all vacuum hoses and re-installed the intake manifold. I checked all hose clamps as well. The boost controller on the turbo seems to be plugged in with a fairly short wiring harness to the computer.

No change, still no positive boost pressure. No check engine light either.

Any ideas before drop it off at the dealer and start spending $$$?

 

Come on crew, give me some feedback. I was stoked to pull off a good clutch install but now I'm a not happy.

Driving into work I feel like I'm getting 2-4 pounds of boost. Does it sound like my turbo is losing its waste gate
actuator? Should I consider a turbo rebuild?

I have a 2007 R56 S with about 80,000 miles.

 

If it was building boost before you touched it, then you obviously did something to it. Go through and check everything that you removed, replaced, everything you touched, and all of the stuff that you might have bumped without realizing it. In particular, check for loose hose connections, incorrect hose plumbing, unplugged wires, loosely-connected wires.

 

You most likely have a vacuum leak. I cleaned my valves and in the process one the the vacuum lines that was deteriorating came loose. Ill try to find a schematic of where.

 

There is a vacuum line that runs from the wastegate area to the reservoir under the intake manifold. There are short rubber lines on both ends and a hard line in the middle. The rubber lines are only a few inched long. Both sides of the rubber lines on my had gotten "gummy" and wouldn't stay on and I had no boost. Once I replaced the 2 small rubber ends everything worked fine.

 

I figured it out. I pulled off the front end and took off the head shielding. The gasket between the turbine housing and the down pipe had blown out. The gasket was catching the actuator! Thankfully the turbo seemed good with solid bearings and no shaft movement. The waste gate itself looked good and functioned smoothly with the actuator holding vacuum. The cat looked nice and clean as well.





It seems like it had been like this for awhile. The car was in a front end accident, whoever fixed it must have re-used the gasket when installing the new turbo. When I dropped the exhaust to lower the subframe the movement must have traveled up to the gasket. That has to be it!

 

 

Installed the gasket and unplugged the battery overnight to reset the limited power setting.

Drove here to work today and she drove perfectly.

 

Do you mind doing a write up on the clutch install? I'm going to be tackling that pretty soon and feel clueless. I have the Bentley manual as a reference too. Did you have an problems (aside from the turbo gasket issue) with the install? What set up did you go with?

Also, was your clutch slipping beforehand? Did you need to replace the flywheel? I wanna know what I'm getting into so I don't have to ship my car off to WMW.

 

Also, where did you get your clutch and flywheel from?

 

Ask and ye shall receive:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3837647

My clutch began slipping in the higher gears on the freeway. It got worse and worse over a two week period. It survived just long enough for the parts to get here. One side of the clutch had de-laminated from the clutch disk, I think my wife over-heated the clutch while driving it. When I took off the transmission there was a pile of murdered clutch fibers in the bottom of the bell housing.

The dual mass flywheel is a stupid part that wears out along with the clutch. My car has 80K miles and the DMF was worn out. Laying the FM on the ground I could rotate the inner plate 20 degrees without much force. The DMF is $600-$800 with a Valeo clutch kit for $350. I just figured that I would go with the solid flywheel and save a bit of money and rid myself of that stupid DMF. I went with the aluminum flywheel and it's fantastic. The engine revs so much quicker and I do not have any issues relating to lack of flywheel inertia on take offs.

I got the solid clutch disk and am okay with the little bit of vibration that is transferred to the gear box. For someone else, I would suggest the same Valeo clutch but with a sprung center, that would be just as quiet as the stock clutch. The only reason I didn't order a sprung center clutch is because they were 4-6 weeks out on being in stock. The AutoX guys usually go with a solid clutch, because the engine responds just a bit quicker. There really is a huge difference in engine reponse when you drop the 20 pounds between my setup and the OEM steel DMF.

 

JM Turbo Coopers, I ordered the solid aluminum flywheel and an oem valeo clutch kit for about $1,100. Swapping the DMF for an aftermarket swap kit was a bit cheaper anyway and the car is much better to drive.
http://www.jmturbocoopers.com/Clutch...per-06-13.html

 

Just what I was looking for. My clutch is on its way out. Not slipping, but I'm at 90k miles and getting a bit of the Chewbacca noises almost every day. Hoping it will hold out another month or two.

I've been reading into longevity of these clutches. Most of the people that have them seem to be from the R53 realm of the mini world. Not many people (on here at least) have the JM clutch and flywheel conversion. Since I drive this car on a daily basis to get to and from work, I need something I can rely on. Especially at the price of $1,100 before installation. I'd do it myself (I've done a few Honda clutch jobs) but these look more complicated, and I'd rather have someone that has done them before, do the job. I plan on taking my car to Helix (providing they'll install it).

Can you comment back with your findings on reliability after a few thousand miles? Just want to get a feel for it, before I drop the change.

Thanks!!!!

 

My clutch with the solid aluminum flywheel and valeo clutch kit is doing great. The car is much more enjoyable to drive now.