Allen

So we had an ice storm here and I was in my ’08 535i 6-speed manual trying to make it up a very long icy hill. In the process of doing this…I had to ride my clutch a LOT to try and get traction. After about 15 minutes of trying, waiting and trying again…I began to smell something kinda burning. Not real bad, but it was definitely there. I lifted the hood and it wasn’t coming from any place specific. It smelled like a mixture of rubber and electrical…but not really either one. Anyway, I stopped and gave up the fight. I imagine this was the clutch…but not sure.

The car remained parked overnight and I drove it home, parked it in the garage, and now I can still smell it…just not as bad,but it is still there. If it was clutch, I can’t imagine it would still be lingering like that?? Anyway, my car has 75K miles, and I have been driving a manual for 30+ years, so I know how to do it…although I guess I’ve never smelled a burning clutch (I suppose that’s a good thing). Any ideas?

handyben

When you were trying to climb up the hill, did you use 3rd gear? Instead of riding on the clutch which is never advisable, I imagine you could have avoided spinning the wheels by starting in higher gear, but then you have driven manuals for 30 years, so you must have known ........

Yes, the smell from a burned clutch may linger for days. Happened to my son's Mazdaspeed 3 a few years ago. One of his friends rode the clutch as he drove the car up a steep ramp from the underground garage and the smell lasted a few days. Needless to say my son never let this guy drive his car ever again.............

Allen

I was starting up hill from a dead stop...so I had to use 1st gear. I agree...riding the clutch is never advisable. However, I was trying to avoid spending the night in my car with 12 deg. temps. As it turned out, I took different path and got within about 2 miles of the house and walked through the snow/ice the rest of the way to my house.

Mike986

Riding the clutch seems unlikely to have helped gain traction. You really needed winter tyres? Maybe you had those and weather was just extreme. No ice here in the UK yet but I'm told a BMW won't move off the driveway in snow/ice on summer tyres.

Allen

I appreciate the responses...but I think I'm mis-communicating the situation. I was stopped on an icy incline. When trying to start in 1st gear as normal...the tires immediately started to spin...as you can imagine on ice. By releasing the clutch VERY slowly/gently while applying power to the wheels (riding the clutch), I was able to start moving very slowly without spinning the tires. But after a few feet...I would loose traction and have to stop and try again. It is that repetition that causes the overheat of the clutch. Snow tires or 4-wheel drive would have been really nice. I really beleive the clutch just got a bit glazed, and I'm smelling the residual of that. It feels perfectly fine, and it was/is is great shape as I'm very gentle on it...unless I'm trying to get home to avoid freezing to death...lol..(sorta). In the end...it will either continue to smell and work fine, the smell will cease and clutch conitnues to work fine, or (hopefully not) it contimues to smell, and clutch dies soon.

handyben

I am sure you could have kept going up the hill had you started the car in 3rd gear. 1st gear, especially in the 300 hp 535i, produces too much torque, which is undesirable when you are starting off on slippery road.

I am from Toronto, Canada, have been driving manual practically all my life ( am 60+ ...). During winter storms or on slippery roads I often start off in 2nd or 3rd gear, never got stuck ever, no matter how slippery the road is. The next time you drive on slippery road, try starting in high gear, you'll be amazed how "friendlier" the car behaves!

Allen

How does the car not stall when starting uphill in 3rd gear...I am really confused. Fortunately, I don't get the opportunity to deal with this issue often. Now in normal driving, I will sometimes start in 2nd gear...if I'm on a decline...but never 3rd. But I can't imagine starting in 3rd...and especially not if I'm on an incline. Am I the only one on this board missing something here...

DanL

handyben knows what he's talking about. You need to minimize the amount of torque going to the wheels and the best way to do that is to start out in second or even third if possible. The 535i has a ton of low-end torque and won't stall as long as you don't pop the clutch. In an auto you want to turn off traction control, switch the transmission to manual mode, start out in second, and shift to third as soon as possible. I don't think the auto will allow you to start in third.

audiophool

I live in an ice-ridden climate and drove stick for 30 years (7 of those years in an E34 M5) and never once did third gear launches in any situation. Second gear, yes. Contrary to what's stated above, N54 has NO torque just off idle.

My last stick car was an Infiniti G37S 6 speed and even on dry roads my preference was 2/4/6 shifting on level or downhill launches, 1/2/4/6 on uphill. That is, unless I wanted to fly. But for casual driving in traffic it was the way to go. The clutch in the G was a stinky one. The least bit of excess slippage and it smelled rank for days. It was always fun getting it up on ramps - stank up the garage pretty bad every time. One day in a fit of *ahem exuberant driving it even left a trail of smoke. Didn't make any difference in performance afterward.

Allen

I think I'm starting to understand the idea of the 3rd or 2nd gear start. You basically ride the clutch the entire way while in 3rd...never completely releasing the clutch until you were out of the ice and/or over the hill. Because if you did, you would be going about 15 or 25 mph (minimum non-stall speed in 2nd or 3rd). I will definitely try that technique if I find myself in that situation again.

As "audiophool" said...I do the same shift patterns of 2/4/6, etc. I think after you've driven a stick for many years, you begin to understand what the clutch and gearing is doing, and you can skip gears, etc. depending on the situation. You can also get over 300K miles out of a clutch...I got 327K miles out of my '95 525i clutch...and it still felt like new. Car got rear-ended (totalled) or I'd still be in it today...LOVED that car

I think clutch and shifting techniques are a tough thing to communicate in writing...I really appreciate everyone's input. I think I've learned something new about stick driving after all these years...that's pretty cool!

Oh...and the stinky/burnt smell seems to be subsiding a bit every day...that's good.