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Car Forum / BMW Cars / May 2008

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Neutral to 1st Gear = THUD

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madloof72 - 18 May 2008 22:42 GMT
Hi All,

When I shift from Neutral into 1st gear, usually at a stop light, I
hear and feel a thud.  It's not that loud and only the driver would
notice it if really paying attention.  It doesn't happen all the
time.  Does anyone know what this could be?
Jeff Strickland - 18 May 2008 23:03 GMT
Nothing to worry about.

> Hi All,
>
> When I shift from Neutral into 1st gear, usually at a stop light, I
> hear and feel a thud.  It's not that loud and only the driver would
> notice it if really paying attention.  It doesn't happen all the
> time.  Does anyone know what this could be?
R. Mark Clayton - 19 May 2008 10:00 GMT
> Hi All,
>
> When I shift from Neutral into 1st gear, usually at a stop light, I
> hear and feel a thud.  It's not that loud and only the driver would
> notice it if really paying attention.  It doesn't happen all the
> time.  Does anyone know what this could be?

Normal operation as the box engages.  It will be more pronounced if the air
con is on because the EMU raises idle by about 200rpm to compensate.

BTW it is not normally necessary to shift to neutral for stop lights etc.,
although I used to do it.
Jeff Strickland - 19 May 2008 15:24 GMT
>> Hi All,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> BTW it is not normally necessary to shift to neutral for stop lights etc.,
> although I used to do it.

It is good practice to put the car into N for the duration of a traffic
light -- it takes stress off of the throw out bearing. You are right, it is
not necessary, but it is a good thing to do.
madloof72 - 20 May 2008 01:31 GMT
> >> Hi All,
>
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> light -- it takes stress off of the throw out bearing. You are right, it is
> not necessary, but it is a good thing to do.

How long should I expect my clutch to last.  I have about 110k miles
on the car and I used to drive it really hard.
Jeff Strickland - 20 May 2008 03:30 GMT
>> >> Hi All,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> How long should I expect my clutch to last.  I have about 110k miles
> on the car and I used to drive it really hard.

It is impossible to say. I have no trouble getting 200k from a clutch, but I
don't slip the clutch when I start, I always match the speed of the motor
and the transmission when downshifting, etc.

Setting the transmission to N saves the throw out bearing, not the clutch.
R. Mark Clayton - 20 May 2008 11:13 GMT
>> How long should I expect my clutch to last.  I have about 110k miles
>> on the car and I used to drive it really hard.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Setting the transmission to N saves the throw out bearing, not the clutch.

We may be talking at cross purposes here - I was talking about an auto, and
Jeff was talking about a manual.  Which have you got?

PS I never needed a clutch on any of the manuals I had.
madloof72 - 21 May 2008 14:33 GMT
> >> How long should I expect my clutch to last.  I have about 110k miles
> >> on the car and I used to drive it really hard.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> PS I never needed a clutch on any of the manuals I had.

I am using a MANUAL transition.  The thud is faint and I hear/feel it
when I press the clutch down...
R. Mark Clayton - 21 May 2008 14:48 GMT
>> >> How long should I expect my clutch to last.  I have about 110k miles
>> >> on the car and I used to drive it really hard.
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> I am using a MANUAL transition.  The thud is faint and I hear/feel it
> when I press the clutch down...

You are just releasing the back lash in the drive train.
Scott Dorsey - 21 May 2008 15:20 GMT
>I am using a MANUAL transition.  The thud is faint and I hear/feel it
>when I press the clutch down...

What model and year?  Is it coming from the front or the back?  All kinds
of things can cause this sort of thing, including the bushings on the shock
towers and the goofy rubber mounting thing on top of the differential.
It can help to put the car up on a rack and get a prybar and start shaking
things around to see what is shifting when you accelerate.
--scott
Signature

"C'est un Nagra.  C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Jeff Strickland - 21 May 2008 18:27 GMT
>> >> How long should I expect my clutch to last.  I have about 110k miles
>> >> on the car and I used to drive it really hard.
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> I am using a MANUAL transition.  The thud is faint and I hear/feel it
> when I press the clutch down...

If you press the pedal several times, do you hear/feel the thud each time?

You said earlier that it happens when you select 1st gear, this is a
different symptom than when pressing the pedal.
Vet - 23 May 2008 00:51 GMT
I had similar problem with my bmw,and found out that "flex disc"
antivibration rubber disc between gearbox and driveshaft was gone(split).
about £150 fitted .
After that one of the engine mounting split in two (another thing for you to
check).
good luck

>Hi All,
>
>When I shift from Neutral into 1st gear, usually at a stop light, I
>hear and feel a thud.  It's not that loud and only the driver would
>notice it if really paying attention.  It doesn't happen all the
>time.  Does anyone know what this could be?
madloof72 - 25 May 2008 15:00 GMT
> I had similar problem with my bmw,and found out that "flex disc"
> antivibration rubber disc between gearbox and driveshaft was gone(split).
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> >notice it if really paying attention.  It doesn't happen all the
> >time.  Does anyone know what this could be?

I should have been a bit more specific in my original post.

Here is what happens.  I press the clutch to the floor.  As I am
shifting from N to 1st I hear and feel a thud coming from the center,
underneath the car.  So the sound comes as I put the car into 1st
gear.  Pressing down the clutch alone doeant cause it to happen.  Its
faint, not terribly noticeable.  The car is a 1995 325is with 110k
miles.
Dave Plowman (News) - 25 May 2008 18:40 GMT
In article
<191c007f-70db-45f6-874a-9c5e8015ded6@y38g2000hsy.googlegroups.com>,
> I should have been a bit more specific in my original post.

> Here is what happens.  I press the clutch to the floor.  As I am
> shifting from N to 1st I hear and feel a thud coming from the center,
> underneath the car.  So the sound comes as I put the car into 1st
> gear.  Pressing down the clutch alone doeant cause it to happen.  Its
> faint, not terribly noticeable.  The car is a 1995 325is with 110k
> miles.
When you press the clutch in neutral, the gearbox first motion shaft
should stop turning. So engaging a gear should produce no noise at all -
other than the movement of the linkage, etc. What I think is happening is
the clutch is dragging slightly, ie not disengaging fully. One way to
prove it would be to do the same with the engine stopped. If you don't get
the thud you have the answer - the synchromesh is having to work hard to
engage the gear.

Signature

*Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional

   Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                 To e-mail, change noise into sound.

frischmoutt - 25 May 2008 20:16 GMT
On May 22, 7:51 pm, "Vet" <u43773@uwe> wrote:
> I had similar problem with my bmw,and found out that "flex disc"
> antivibration rubber disc between gearbox and driveshaft was gone(split).
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> >notice it if really paying attention.  It doesn't happen all the
> >time.  Does anyone know what this could be?

I should have been a bit more specific in my original post.

Here is what happens.  I press the clutch to the floor.  As I am
shifting from N to 1st I hear and feel a thud coming from the center,
underneath the car.  So the sound comes as I put the car into 1st
gear.  Pressing down the clutch alone doeant cause it to happen.  Its
faint, not terribly noticeable.  The car is a 1995 325is with 110k
miles.

Does the first gear engage smoothly or do you have painful shifting needing
to shift the second before the first ?
When you shift from 4th to 5th at 100 / 130 km/h do you feel the same thud ?
For years, I've been experiencing something similar as you did with my gear
box, with the additional symtoms above.
Now the car has 115 000 km on it. No progress except that the gears are more
difficult to engage, especially since the dealer changed the oil.
 
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