Attention! A sporty driving style can damage a new clutch if it has not been run in.
After replacing the clutch, it is necessary to break in (earn in) friction linings of the drive disc under low or medium load, as well as brake linings. The break-in must be carried out in normal driving with frequent gear changes or with a special break-in program on a flat area with slight inclines. Normal driving mode means starting off on a medium slope at an engine speed not exceeding 2500 min-1. Normal starting on level ground is expensive - at a frequency of no more than 2000 min-1 will also be sufficient.
Under normal driving conditions, for optimal running-in of linings, about 800–1000 switching operations are sufficient when driving along the highway at a distance of 30–50 km. In this case, it is necessary to switch to higher gears (1–2, 2–3, 3–4) at an engine speed of 3500–4000 min-1, and downshifting (4–3, 3–2, 2–1) be carried out at a frequency of about 2000 min-1. Gear shifting must be carried out quite often and start off 3-5 times on a slight slope (up to 12%) at a speed of no more than 2000 min-1.
Clutch fault table
| Fault | Cause of failure | Troubleshooting |
| Clutch slips | A) Insufficient clutch pressure | A) Replace clutch |
| b) Too much friction lining wear | b) Replace clutch disc | |
| V) Lubrication of friction linings | V) Thoroughly repair leaks, clean of oil contamination and replace the clutch disc | |
| Leaks: | ||
| Engine | ||
| front and rear crankshaft oil seals, including plugs, oil sump, | ||
| cylinder head gasket, cylinder head, | ||
| oil filler cap, timing gear block cover, | ||
| flywheel bolts | ||
| Cooling system | ||
| pipelines and their connections, heater taps, cylinder block plugs | ||
| Steering | ||
| steering gear, booster pump, hydraulic pipelines and their connections | ||
| Gearbox | ||
| input shaft seal, intermediate shaft lock bolt | ||
| Clutch release | ||
| G) Overheating of the leading part of the clutch | G) Replace clutch | |
| d) Clutch drive part installed, which is not an original BMW part | d) Install genuine BMW part | |
| Jerks during clutch operation | A) Wrong friction linings | A) Replace clutch disc |
| b) Lubrication of friction linings: reasons, see «Clutch is slipping, point c» | b) Replace clutch disc | |
| V) One way clutch release | V) Check clutch release fork | |
| G) The leading part of the clutch presses unevenly | G) Replace the clutch | |
| d) Crankshaft and transmission input shaft misalignment | d) Check the mating planes of the engine and gearbox, as well as the centering bushings and shields for damage, | |
| e) Incorrect pairing of engine and gearbox | e) Reconnect the engine and gearbox, | |
| and) The clutch disc is not a genuine BMW part | and) Install genuine BMW part, | |
| h) Engine, wrong speed curve | h) Eliminate the cause, according to the results of checking the operation of the engine, | |
| And) Faulty engine management (especially the diesel) | And) Check engine control unit. See BMW Service Information | |
| Clutch not disengaging well (Transmission hard to shift) Clutch won't disengage (Transmission does not turn on) | A) Damage to the friction linings of the clutch disc | A) Replace clutch disc |
| b) Friction lining rusted to flywheel | b) Sand the flywheel and friction linings evenly with sandpaper (grain size 120 – 180), replace clutch disc | |
| V) Defective crankshaft thrust bearing under gearbox input shaft | V) Replace crankshaft thrust bearing | |
| G) Clutch leak | G) Replace damaged parts and bleed the clutch hydraulic | |
| d) Damaged tangential leaf spring | d) Replace clutch | |
| e) Jamming of the clutch release clutch on the guide sleeve | e) Clean the guide bush, remove and install the clutch release clutch | |
| Increased noise when engaging and disengaging the clutch | A) The imbalance of the leading part of the clutch and the driven disk is too great | A) Replace clutch or clutch disc |
| b) Vibration damper defective | b) Replace clutch disc or, if necessary, replace dual-mass flywheel | |
| V) Malfunction in the clutch release clutch | V) Replace clutch release. | |
| G) Defective crankshaft thrust bearing under gearbox input shaft | G) Replace crankshaft thrust bearing | |
| d) Loose clutch rivets | d) Replace clutch |