"Decat" on 320d E46

ernest maurice

New member
I googled about the advantages of performing a decat and had it done this morning at Powerflow Newcastle. Was impressed by the performance after taking the boxes out. Unfortunately it seems the extra ooompf the car has made my clutch wave goodbye. the car now shudders at just over 3000rpm in 3rd and 4th gear. At first I thought it was the exhaust but then saw the rev counter jumping and dropping when the shuddering occured. Am not disappointed though as I felt that the clutch was giving in from around January as the car used to shudder on most take offs. Any suggestions on which clutch to use. I thought LUK was good but one mechanic said Valeo was better quality. What do you guys say?
 
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Rolf

Guest
Both LUK and Valeo are OEM suppliers and you can't go wrong with either one!
I personally wouldn't know why Valeo should be better quality than LUK.
If you won't spend some extra Rands to get a Performance clutch then take the cheaper of above brands and you should be fine with either choice :thumbs:

Just make sure to replace the complete clutch inclusive pressure plate and bearing! :idea:
 

milu

New member
Sitting with the same problem, do you feel the shudder in 1st? On my way to purchase a new kit, fearing my whole flywheel or clutch goes :cry:
 

ernest maurice

New member
As far as I know , the 320d has a DMF clutch system, meaning that you will have to change the clutch together with the flywheel.my car shudders in first on take off and today started to shudder in 3rd and 4th gear when the rpm goes over 3000 on fast acceleration, that occured just after I had done the Decat mod in the morning


I guess the extra punch from the decat was too much for the ailing clutch. Will I damage the car if I continue using it. The shudder only occurs when I floor the car, does it mean I can drive it gently till I get the new clutch?
 

milu

New member
Then we in the same boat, if you do install the kit, please drop me a pm and let me know if it made a major difference:ty: I just need to find time to take my bm in, and doubt that will happen soon, else i will return the favor if i do take my car in any time soon :=):
 
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Rolf

Guest
I wouldn't drive the car like that
The shutter and vibrating can and will damage your main bearings of the crankshaft

The centrifugal force on the broken clutch is enormous; if she disintegrates it can break your bellhousing too

So.... don't drive the car :nonono:
 

Pfw28

New member
Rolf@PromotecAuto said:
I wouldn't drive the car like that. The shutter and vibrating can and will damage your main bearings of the crankshaft

The centrifugal force on the broken clutch is enormous; if she disintegrates it can break your bellhousing too

So.... don't drive the car :nonono:

+1, never mind the damage to engine and gearbox mountings, drive shaft coupling, extra wear in the diff, etc. Do the flywheel anyway, the shudder will have killed it even if it was ok. Drive it at your peril, distance = damage here.
 

CliftonH

///Member
Hi rolf and guys.

Just a concern two people are experiencing clutch problems after decat. Is there not a possibility that the decat is causing the problem.

Rolf I never get my price as yet.

Thanks.
 
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Rolf

Guest
I had people with a puncture after decat....

One actually had a broken light.
In the eyes of people software and decat cause that

Ask Mo for pricing

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
 

ernest maurice

New member
CliftonH said:
Hi rolf and guys.

Just a concern two people are experiencing clutch problems after decat. Is there not a possibility that the decat is causing the problem.

Rolf I never get my price as yet.

Thanks.

Hey Clifton
I think its more of a bad coincidence that's all. The guy who took the cat out took the car for a spin 2laps around the block and was pushing the car like Fernando Alonzo smoking his team mate, the clutch had already been giving signs that it was on its way out and I think the dude's driving antics only made a bad situation worse. I drove the car yesterday and the shuddering is gone, am still getting quotes for the clutch though. The cheapest I got so far is R9300 including labour. Stealers want R19000 for clutch and flywheel.
 
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Rolf

Guest
R9300 for everything is a bargain in comparison to what BMW Charge :idea:
 

ernest maurice

New member
hey guys

Just collected my car this morning from the garage which changed the clutch and flywheel for me, clutch pedal is very light now. They showed me the old flywheel but it still looks ok, didnt see the clutch plate as they had already thrown it away, mechanic said it was worn on one side more than the other. I hope I wont have any problems soon as the clutch broke my bank.
 

ernest maurice

New member
hi guys
I think I got a problem after changing the clutch and flywheel. when the car is stationery, I battle to put the car into 1st gear or reverse, the gear lever feels solid like there is no gears. I have to play with it and put it int 2nd gear first before I am able to find 1st or reverse. I took it back 2 days after the clutch job had been done and the guys from garage said they cant do anything as they fitted everything back as it should be and also that the linkage system is not adjustable like on other cars, the guy suggested that maybe my box was low on oil. My worry is why did it start behaving like that after clutch was done. personally I dont mind but what if I borrow the car or decide to sell it, the other person will battle to drive the car. What could be going on here?
 
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