[sammyt152]

Tonight when trying to move the car to move a trailer, the transmission failed me. I was not able to put the car into any gear including reverse. When the car was off it would shift normally, however if i started the car while it was in gear I could not get out of gear, and it would lug as if the clutch wasn't fully engaged and it felt like it was trying to move forward. There are no fluid leaks and all fluids I could see from the engine bay were full or above the minimum fill line by plenty. Eventually had to push the car in neutral to my parking space. I was told by a mechanic friend that it could be the throw out bearing, the slave cylinder, or the clutch itself. Looking for opinions from the E community as I believe I have read about people with the same issue but I never saw it resolved.
Thanks a bunch,
Sams

 

[GaryS]

Slave or master cylinder. Might as well replace both. If pressing the pedal does not disengage the clutch and there is no sign of leakage at the slave cylinder then it is a good bet that it is the master. But you might as well do both.

 

[desinia]

Tonight when trying to move the car to move a trailer, the transmission failed me.

One other thought. Did this happen immediately AFTER you plugged in the trailer lights or before they were connected? If so, please check and see if your tail lights are working.

 

[ramblerdan]

> There are no fluid leaks and all fluids I could see from the engine bay
> were full or above the minimum fill line
The one that matters is the clutch fluid reservoir. Looking in from the front of the car, it's just to the right of the brake myster cylinder.

There have been cases where springs in the friction plate break and become lodged between the plate and the flywheel, but hydraulic failures are more common.

 

[dgale]

There have been cases where springs in the friction plate break and become lodged between the plate and the flywheel, but hydraulic failures are more common.

This was my first thought - this is how my clutch went out finally after 150k miles...not a slow demise where it would show signs of slipping on not disengaging but rather all at once I couldn't shift into gears...once disassembled, the broken pieces of springs were lodged in the clutch assembly. Of course check the hydraulic system first but if that is all functioning properly, its probably time for a new clutch. I seem to recall numerous people who had similar clutch failures with broken springs on their E's. The good news is once you do it, you'll get another 150k miles ;-).

 

[bmwrider]

Mine had same symptoms, turned out the stamped steel part of the clutch friction disc failed around the2 of the springs jamming the clutch so it would not release. Many similar incidents reported on this forum.

 

[HondaWanda369]

No history of clutch/gear shifting issues until 68,000 miles on my 2007 Honda Element SC just the other day. Had great difficulty when driving to/from local store when shifting into different gears...took considerable physical force on the gear shifter (which I was very uncomfortable doing due to fear of causing damage) to get from one gear to the other. Spoke to transmission specialist who said if problem persists even with engine off....it's a transmission issue...if shifts/runs thru gears ok with engine OFF, but not while engine ON...said it's a "clutch" issue. OK so we'll see if anyone follows up as I'm responding years after last entry in 2017 so...tell me your experience please...