Clutch Swap and Lightweight Flywheel

[RossA]

So recently my clutch has been starting to slip every now and then on the 528e. I have no idea when it was replaced last.
I was planning on replacing the clutch and putting on a 325i flywheel lightened to 14 pounds. I also have a z3 short shift that I will be putting in.

I'm assuming that by going from a dual mass to single mass flywheel I will need to replace the starter due to the width difference.
Is there a way that I can just replace the pinion gear with one from a 325i starter, or is it completely different?

Also, any recommendations on clutches? I'm not looking to go with something expensive, but with my e2i swap, I would
like something that I can beat on every so often. Any advice would be great, Thanks!

[Bimmerguy2002]

I'm assuming that by going from a dual mass to single mass flywheel I will need to replace the starter due to the width difference.
Is there a way that I can just replace the pinion gear with one from a 325i starter, or is it completely different?

Also, any recommendations on clutches? I'm not looking to go with something expensive, but with my e2i swap, I would
like something that I can beat on every so often. Any advice would be great, Thanks!

No, you dont need to touch the starter. Just use a sachs clutch, its strong.

[lilpoindexter]

A little off topic but...I just swapped a 5 speed in my super eta...My parts car had one of those Z3 (or some other short BMW) shifters. I hate the stupid thing. I'm 5' 11", so I'm not that tall, but I am more comfortable with the seat a little back..the short shifter requires me to be too far forward for my taste.

[derrith]

What year 528e? If the 325i flywheel doesn't have the reference sensor tab your car won't start after putting it back together. Unless you have a super eta.

[RossA]

No, you dont need to touch the starter. Just use a sachs clutch, its strong.

Sounds good, thanks!

A little off topic but...I just swapped a 5 speed in my super eta...My parts car had one of those Z3 (or some other short BMW) shifters. I hate the stupid thing. I'm 5' 11", so I'm not that tall, but I am more comfortable with the seat a little back..the short shifter requires me to be too far forward for my taste.

Thanks for the shifter input. I actually prefer to be a little close to the steering wheel, so I feel like I should be fine with it

What year 528e? If the 325i flywheel doesn't have the reference sensor tab your car won't start after putting it back together. Unless you have a super eta.

It's an '88. So does it matter whether or not this flywheel has a reference sensor tab? Also is there anything else that I need to look out for?

[tn535i]

Just make double sure your 88 is the Seta with the code ring and sensor on the front of the engine. If so it won't matter which flywheel you use.

An eta with a chip and lighter flywheel changes the personality of the car a bunch. We turned my son's e30 project car FW down to just under 14 lbs iirc. You will like it. Put in a 3.64 or so diff and it will pull hard but just run out of revs a little bit sooner than you might like if going all the way to redline. If you shift in the 4500 range it feels like 1.5x the hP.

[RossA]

Just make double sure your 88 is the Seta with the code ring and sensor on the front of the engine. If so it won't matter which flywheel you use.

An eta with a chip and lighter flywheel changes the personality of the car a bunch. We turned my son's e30 project car FW down to just under 14 lbs iirc. You will like it. Put in a 3.64 or so diff and it will pull hard but just run out of revs a little bit sooner than you might like if going all the way to redline. If you shift in the 4500 range it feels like 1.5x the hP.

Thanks, I will have to look for that.

[mooseheadm5]

There are two different lengths of 260/5 M20 transmissions. Ones with the shallow bell housing for the single mass flywheel and a deeper one for the heavier dual mass. The DM flywheel is thicker than the SM. As a result, if you use a SM FW and clutch with a DM trans, you will have issues. There are a couple of ways to get around this. One is to make a longer slave pushrod, but this isn't the best way because it gets the clutch arm into a weird angle. Another is to make a slightly longer slave pushrod and a longer pivot stud (they would both need to be lengthened the difference in thickness between the DM stackup and the SM stackup, but I don't know this dimension off the top of my head.) The last way is to use a longer throwout bearing, but I don't know the part number, if there is one, for a BMW bearing that will work.

[RossA]

There are two different lengths of 260/5 M20 transmissions. Ones with the shallow bell housing for the single mass flywheel and a deeper one for the heavier dual mass. The DM flywheel is thicker than the SM. As a result, if you use a SM FW and clutch with a DM trans, you will have issues. There are a couple of ways to get around this. One is to make a longer slave pushrod, but this isn't the best way because it gets the clutch arm into a weird angle. Another is to make a slightly longer slave pushrod and a longer pivot stud (they would both need to be lengthened the difference in thickness between the DM stackup and the SM stackup, but I don't know this dimension off the top of my head.) The last way is to use a longer throwout bearing, but I don't know the part number, if there is one, for a BMW bearing that will work.

hmm I thought that they all used the same clutch, and the dual mass vs single mass wouldn't matter with it being inside the whole assembly...this definitely complicates things. Any idea which would be the cheaper/ less complicated route?

[mooseheadm5]

The clutch disk is sprung with single mass flywheels and unsprung with dual mass.

[derrith]

The early eta clutch kit is what you want with the single mass. Euro e21 323i throwout bearing.

[RossA]

The clutch disk is sprung with single mass flywheels and unsprung with dual mass.

Wow, I feel dumb. I definitely remember seeing that with the clutches I was looking at.

The early eta clutch kit is what you want with the single mass. Euro e21 323i throwout bearing.

Does it have to be early eta, or can it be any M20 clutch kit meant for the single mass?
Also, what makes the euro e21 323i throwout bearing different from the US? Because when I looked up parts, the US. e21 323, 528e, and 325i all had the same throwout bearing

[Mike W.]

A little off topic but...I just swapped a 5 speed in my super eta...My parts car had one of those Z3 (or some other short BMW) shifters. I hate the stupid thing. I'm 5' 11", so I'm not that tall, but I am more comfortable with the seat a little back..the short shifter requires me to be too far forward for my taste.

I've seen and heard of the need to bend a stock later model shifter lever for it to be in the right place. Apparently they use a different angle than E28 era parts so they end up in the wrong place if you don't. I've also heard you might not need to, suggesting it's kind of where you like to sit or how it fits you, but it sounds like that's what you are looking at.

[derrith]

The clutch disk is sprung with single mass flywheels and unsprung with dual mass.

Wow, I feel dumb. I definitely remember seeing that with the clutches I was looking at.

The early eta clutch kit is what you want with the single mass. Euro e21 323i throwout bearing.

Does it have to be early eta, or can it be any M20 clutch kit meant for the single mass?
Also, what makes the euro e21 323i throwout bearing different from the US? Because when I looked up parts, the US. e21 323, 528e, and 325i all had the same throwout bearing

The clutch kit I have used in the past is part number 21 21 1 223 119. Works with the lightweight M20 flywheel. I've used it in early and late M20 transmissions, as well as with G250s and ZF310s/320s in M5x/S5x swaps utilizing the m20 flywheel.

[Ricky535]

1982 528e has the 13lb flywheel. Those also have the g265 transmission.

[mooseheadm5]

The clutch disk is sprung with single mass flywheels and unsprung with dual mass.

Wow, I feel dumb. I definitely remember seeing that with the clutches I was looking at.

The early eta clutch kit is what you want with the single mass. Euro e21 323i throwout bearing.

Does it have to be early eta, or can it be any M20 clutch kit meant for the single mass?
Also, what makes the euro e21 323i throwout bearing different from the US? Because when I looked up parts, the US. e21 323, 528e, and 325i all had the same throwout bearing

The clutch kit I have used in the past is part number 21 21 1 223 119. Works with the lightweight M20 flywheel. I've used it in early and late M20 transmissions, as well as with G250s and ZF310s/320s in M5x/S5x swaps utilizing the m20 flywheel.

I have too, but I still had the issue with the shorter stack height of a single mass flywheel/clutch when used with a dual mass trans.

[RossA]

The clutch kit I have used in the past is part number 21 21 1 223 119. Works with the lightweight M20 flywheel. I've used it in early and late M20 transmissions, as well as with G250s and ZF310s/320s in M5x/S5x swaps utilizing the m20 flywheel.

I have too, but I still had the issue with the shorter stack height of a single mass flywheel/clutch when used with a dual mass trans.

So I did some more research on that e21 323 euro throwout bearing being used for this swap, and apparently that is the thing to do. Part number is 21 51 1 204 525 and I'm assuming it just fits right in place of the old one. It's a bit expensive, so I will have to save some pennies.