mrbelk

Yesterday I had the Clutch Delay Valve removed from my 545i/6sp and replaced with one that had the guts removed. Unfortunately, I was not there to watch the procedure or take any pictures, but the mechanic said that they had to take off numerous underbody panels to get to it. He showed me the original CDV, and the opening is about 1/3 the area of the modified one that he installed.

The clutch action is so much more precise now, it's amazing. The CDV is only supposed to help with the clutch "take-up," but I swear that the "clutch-in" is much smoother now, too. There's no mushy feeling at the end of the clutch pedal travel anymore.

The clutch "take-up" is excellent now. I feel like I can modulate/feather the clutch way more accurately now. The response is so quick that I am having to "relearn" my transmission in order to get the engagement zone into my muscle memory.

Anyway, I would heartily recommend having this procedure done if you have a manual tranny E60 and don't like how the clutch egagement/disengagement action is. I got my modified valve from Dave Zeckhausen Racing (www.zeckhausen.com) and had a local DINAN mechanic install it.

I also had him do a post break-in oil change and it was amazing the amount of tiny metal filings in the filter.

-MrB

jksanford

MrB.

I wonder what performance enhancements your guys could do for my 530....

So it's ok to go ahead and change the oil before the computer says to? I've always been a big proponent (did I spell that right?) of oil changes, especially on a new car. Did they reset the computer of anything?

Sometimes during the annual inspection of the airplane I fly we will send off the oil filter for an analysis... Kinda interesting to see the results. I wonder what they'd find if I sent them a car filter! I bet they'd look twice!

Rudy

You can change the oil as often as you like. BMW will only pay (under the maintenance warranty) for scheduled changes though.

There is a lot of skepticism regarding the longevity of the synthetic oils used in our cars. It may take many more years to see if there is a long term affect to the extended change intervals.

For me, since I lease, I just do what BMW tell me to do and I don't worry about additional changes.

As far as the metal particles in the filter, I'd say that's good news. If the particles were found somewhere else, that'd be bad!

mrbelk

DINAN has nothing out yet for the E60's, according to Ronald, the proprietor. I would think, that since the 2.5L and 3.0L motors have been around for several years now, and since there's software for them for E46 and E39 applications, that it shouldn't be too much longer. Test cars have to go through 2000 dyno runs with no faults before DINAN and BMW will "approve" the mod.

He also said that they are working on "tweaks" to the AFS program and the ARS program.

I would also suspect that auto tranny SW would be forthcoming within the next year.

I like changing the oil post break-in to make sure that all the little metal filings from the break-in period are out of the system. I haven't decided if I will change the oil more frequently than the recommended interval. Ronald recommends 5000 - 7500 mile oil changes, but since mine is a lease, I think I might just stick with the free ones from BMW. No, he did not reset the indicator.

-MrB

Mercy

Mr. Belk thanks for the information. I too have a 545i 6sp. I was fine with the clutch during my ED. I have not gotten the car back yet. Most of my driving was on the autobahn - 156mph

I took it easy on streets so I did not push the clutch.

Can you be more detailed in discribing the diffence between the two.

Thanks

mrbelk

I'll try to explain the differences, but it's tough to describe...

Before: The clutch travel was very mushy toward the end of pedal's range of motion, maybe the last 3/4" or 1". By "end," I mean the end of the travel as you push the pedal in towards the firewall. It was also very vague and mushy coming back up as you let off the clutch to engage a gear (this is the CDV in action; attenuating the clutch engagement to prevent damage from "dumping," but also "slipping" the clutch a little more than necessary on every shift).

After: The clutch travel is nice and firm all the way through the pedal's range of motion. Also, the clutch engagement zone is much more pronounced. I like this because I can modulate the clutch better for fast or slow shifts. Before, you really couldn't get a good quick start since the CDV was artificially limiting the speed of the clutch engagement.

FWIW, except for some E46 M3's, no M-cars with manual trannies have CDV's installed, so BMW obviously thinks that even though we got manuals, we still want a vague, mushy gear change similar to automatics.

Ronald, the owner of the shop, said that with the original CDV, the clutch is probably only good for about 80,000 miles. Without, it should go for 200,000 miles no problem.

-MrB

JDN

I wonder if there is a similar application for the SMG 6-speed?

Mercy

Thanks for taking the time, I know it's hard to put into words. I got use to the clutch quite fast while in Germany.

The clutch would engage quite fast for me. The clutch never had to travel beyond 1/3 of the way down to engange or disengage. The sweet spot was very small. Once I got use to this I did not have the need to feather the gas anymore.
I shall see when I get the car back and do some fast acel from stand stills.

80,000 miles versus 200,000 WOW....please keep us inform on your progress.
And thanks again for sharing real life experiences.

I too have been thinking alot about this CDV mod but so far from the limited driving I've done I'm not to sure I need it yet. We shall see.

mrbelk

I doubt it, since the SMG basically prevents "dumping" as part of it's normal operation. Also, since it practically guarantees a perfect shift everytime, there's no need for BMW to introduce any additional "self-protection" mechanisms.

-MrB

heezy545i

I'm glad your happy with the results. I'm looking to get this done in the future and was wondering how much the shop charged you. And also, does this affect warranty in any way?

Since the car is rather new and lots of panels need to be removed, I'll make sure I have a qualified mechanic to do the job.