E46 M3 Clutch pedal question

The car in question is a 2005 M3 with a manual trans. I have about
1500 miles on the car.

yesterday as I started the car in the parking lot after leaving work I
tried to get something from my left pant pocket. In doing this I
apparently pushed a little harder on the clutch pedal, that was
already all the way down, and it went down about another 1/2 to 3/4 of
an inch and about the same distance to the left!

I relaxed the pressure on the pedal and it returned to the original
fully depressed position. I again applied additional pressure and it
went down and to the left the additional 1/2 to 3/4 as it did the
first time.

I nervously left the parking lot and drove about a mile and came to a
stop light. I tried the additional force on the fully depressed pedal
and it stayed where it was suppose to.

Is this normal or do I need to get the car in for service?

Thanks,
R.C.

"Richard Cranium" > wrote
> The car in question is a 2005 M3 with a manual trans. I have about
> 1500 miles on the car.
>
> yesterday as I started the car in the parking lot after leaving work I
> tried to get something from my left pant pocket. In doing this I
> apparently pushed a little harder on the clutch pedal, that was
> already all the way down, and it went down about another 1/2 to 3/4 of
> an inch and about the same distance to the left!
>
> I relaxed the pressure on the pedal and it returned to the original
> fully depressed position. I again applied additional pressure and it
> went down and to the left the additional 1/2 to 3/4 as it did the
> first time.
>
> I nervously left the parking lot and drove about a mile and came to a
> stop light. I tried the additional force on the fully depressed pedal
> and it stayed where it was suppose to.
>
> Is this normal or do I need to get the car in for service?

There's a little screw-in stop on the floorboards - they can break
and allow too much slop. Check to see if the cheap plastic
stop has broken and is acting as a ramp that forces the pedal
off to the side.

Floyd

Floyd,

That diagnosis was real close to the problem.

There is actually enough side movement that if the pedal is near the
edge of the stop (actually a rubber washer in this case) it can slide
off the edge of the washer with additional pressure as you suggested.

Is this side to side slop normal?

R.C.

On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 18:01:52 -0700, "fbloogyudsr"
> wrote:
>
>There's a little screw-in stop on the floorboards - they can break
>and allow too much slop. Check to see if the cheap plastic
>stop has broken and is acting as a ramp that forces the pedal
>off to the side.
>
>Floyd

"Richard Cranium" > wrote
>
> On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 18:01:52 -0700, "fbloogyudsr" wrote:
>>There's a little screw-in stop on the floorboards - they can break
>>and allow too much slop. Check to see if the cheap plastic
>>stop has broken and is acting as a ramp that forces the pedal
>>off to the side.
>>
>>Floyd
> That diagnosis was real close to the problem.
>
> There is actually enough side movement that if the pedal is near the
> edge of the stop (actually a rubber washer in this case) it can slide
> off the edge of the washer with additional pressure as you suggested.
>
> Is this side to side slop normal?

My guess is: "yes". The washer thingy is a screw-in piece that
costs a few dollars. I broke mine stretching with my foot on the
clutch, it was replaced under warranty. I'm guessing that it's
purpose is to prevent the pedal's joints from getting to a position
that allows a lot of flex (fully depressed.)

Floyd

Nothing to worry about.

There is a stopper that sets the travel of the pedal, but when you went into
your pocket, you managed to press the pedal sideways a little bit, and it
slid off of the stopper. This is normal. Of course, you should try to avoid
pressing the pedal from the side, but there is nothing here that needs the
attention of the service department.



"Richard Cranium" > wrote in message
...
> The car in question is a 2005 M3 with a manual trans. I have about
> 1500 miles on the car.
>
> yesterday as I started the car in the parking lot after leaving work I
> tried to get something from my left pant pocket. In doing this I
> apparently pushed a little harder on the clutch pedal, that was
> already all the way down, and it went down about another 1/2 to 3/4 of
> an inch and about the same distance to the left!
>
> I relaxed the pressure on the pedal and it returned to the original
> fully depressed position. I again applied additional pressure and it
> went down and to the left the additional 1/2 to 3/4 as it did the
> first time.
>
> I nervously left the parking lot and drove about a mile and came to a
> stop light. I tried the additional force on the fully depressed pedal
> and it stayed where it was suppose to.
>
> Is this normal or do I need to get the car in for service?
>
> Thanks,
> R.C.

Floyd,

Thanks for your help.

R.C.

On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 19:29:03 -0700, "fbloogyudsr"
> wrote:

>
>My guess is: "yes". The washer thingy is a screw-in piece that
>costs a few dollars. I broke mine stretching with my foot on the
>clutch, it was replaced under warranty. I'm guessing that it's
>purpose is to prevent the pedal's joints from getting to a position
>that allows a lot of flex (fully depressed.)
>
>Floyd

Jeff,

Thanks for your response.

R.C.

On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 09:00:48 -0700, "Jeff Strickland"
> wrote:

>Nothing to worry about.
>
>There is a stopper that sets the travel of the pedal, but when you went into
>your pocket, you managed to press the pedal sideways a little bit, and it
>slid off of the stopper. This is normal. Of course, you should try to avoid
>pressing the pedal from the side, but there is nothing here that needs the
>attention of the service department.
>

You're welcome.

I wondered the same thing the first time I did this. My first thought was,
oh ****. Then I worked the pedal again and it worked right. then, I tried
applying pressure from the side, and it fell off the stopper.




"Richard Cranium" > wrote in message
news
> Jeff,
>
> Thanks for your response.
>
> R.C.
>
> On Thu, 30 Jun 2005 09:00:48 -0700, "Jeff Strickland"
> > wrote:
>
>>Nothing to worry about.
>>
>>There is a stopper that sets the travel of the pedal, but when you went
>>into
>>your pocket, you managed to press the pedal sideways a little bit, and it
>>slid off of the stopper. This is normal. Of course, you should try to
>>avoid
>>pressing the pedal from the side, but there is nothing here that needs the
>>attention of the service department.
>>