DCT Clutch Wear

[jakob66]

Originally Posted by CBS

^ For what it is worth, I have had my SC (ESS VT-1 550) for several years, put on 24K miles and attended 40+ track days. My M3 is not a DD. I haven't (yet) had problems with my DCT but I do change the Pentosin and filter every winter.

As a side note, I'm very interested in SSP and what they can offer.

That info will certainly help in my decision.
Thanks for input!
I don't want to hijack this thread but did you perform dyno tests on your car to know how much more torque/power you now have? Looks like you really have a very nice set up on your car!

[BrewRifle]

I'm going to be picking up the SSP DCT filter, but am still not 100% sure on their SSP Gold DCT fluid as there has been 0 testing from what I've seen on this website thus far. I'm at 42,000 miles on original fluid without any issues, but lifetime fluids don't exist in my opinion for something as mechanical as the transmission.

[SSPKris]

Originally Posted by crypticc

Oe or afrermarket clutch packs? Can you post before, and after pics of the "good" old clutch packs and assessment of how much life was left in them, I.e. how much after the 0.2mm was left. I'm thinking that if a single disc manual clutch might last 100 thou miles, how long does a multi disc wet clutch with similar driving last. /2 because each clutch is used less. Also has the owner posted a review anywhere? Asking because the grapevine still implies dct clutch pack replacements that aren't OE give issues, and I read that BMW won't sell the OE pack as a separate at all.

P.s. seeing on vag forum to 300 plus isn't uncommon provided they are the wet clutch and not impacted by the cooking issues they had due to lack of cooling and synthetic oil.

.2mm is hardly noticeable from a picture. Wet clutches wear entirely different from manual clutch transmissions. In a wet clutch you have multiple discs that wear together. The typical BMW clutch utilizes 6 frictions plates on each side of the basket. The clutch will wear from the top- down. The transmissions piston applies its most force on the top friction plate, with the least amount of force on the bottom friction plate.
Under normal driving conditions this clutch can last thousands of miles. Adding horsepower, launching, and lead foot driving will wear the clutch very quickly.

Most of our customers in general are not forum goers. I imagine we can find someone to comment on their experience with the clutch upgrade.

SSP

[SSPKris]

Originally Posted by BrewRifle

I'm going to be picking up the SSP DCT filter, but am still not 100% sure on their SSP Gold DCT fluid as there has been 0 testing from what I've seen on this website thus far. I'm at 42,000 miles on original fluid without any issues, but lifetime fluids don't exist in my opinion for something as mechanical as the transmission.

Our products are relatively new to the BMW world. The SSP Pro Gold fluid has been used in DCT race cars since late 2008. We actually started in the Mitsubishi Evo X platform and have been working our way up the line for DCT transmissions.
"Lifetime" fluids do not exist. It is marketing by all DCT transmission manufacturers. The average person trades their vehicle every 2-3 years. This is what they claim as lifetime. The second owner then deals with the maintenance that the dealer usually will no longer cover.

For your transmission oil change, you will need approximately 9.5 liters of fluids as called for by the manufacturer. The 9.5 liters will include the transmission pan, cooler, and cooler lines. If you do not plan on changing the cooler and lines, you will then 8 liters of fluid approximately.

SSP

[bigjae1976]

Going OT...do you have a procedure to do a full flush of the DCT system?

[modkrazy]

Originally Posted by SSPKris

BMW dealers are not trained to work on the DCT transmission. The only options they have currently:
Replace the transmission
Replace the factory clutch with a new OE unit
Replace factory fluid and filter

This is not going to change as Getrag and Borg Warner keep these transmissions under wraps. The only parts you will see in the near future will be from aftermarket companies.

Currently SSP has performed the following procedures to the DCT:
Aftermarket fluid change with stainless lifetime filter
High performance clutch plates changes (14 and 16 plate)
High performance internal clutch basket seals changes
Total tear down including gear sets and electronics

We currently work on the BMW DCT transmission from all over the world. From race teams in South Korea, to clutch changes in Germany. We have the capability to transport these transmissions and or come to your location to repair this transmission on site.

SSP

Awesome, I'm bookmarking you guys!

[SSPKris]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Going OT...do you have a procedure to do a full flush of the DCT system?

We offer a complete flush package for the DCT transmission. This package comes with complete instructions on how to flush the transmission.
http://www.sspperformance.com/bmw-dc...h-package.html

[SSPKris]

BUMP..

SSP

[E93S65]

There was an earlier post stating that BMW dealers only "replace" the whole DCT assembly, which may be true for anything outside of the clutch pack, but they do replace clutch packs at the dealer.

With only 8,046 miles on the Odometer, the Odd gears went out (1,3 & 5), throwing 5A44, 5A41 and A7C9 fault codes.

Dealer replaced the following per my invoice #38276:

Qty 1: 28-40-7-842-841, Dual Clutch
Qty 1: 28-40-7-842-844, O-Ring
Qty 1: 28-40-7-842-845, Shaft Seal
Qty 1: 28-40-7-842-843, Snap Ring
Qty 2: 11-62-7-830-668, Gasket Ring
Qty 4: 18-30-1-317-898, Hex Nut
Qty 2: 17-22-2-245-358, O-Ring
Qty 3: 17-21-1-742-636, O-Ring
Qty 2: 83-22-0-440-214, BMW DCTF-1 1L
Qty 1: 24-11-7-552-349, Screw plug w/ gasket

SA stated that if this was done out of warranty, expect the bill to be around $2500 (ball park number, actual cost would reflect actual labor hours, not a jobber number).

When purchased new, there was noticeable slip in 1st gear. I thought it to be normal, but after the repair, it was almost eliminated.

[Amaproracin]

Mine is on its way out we think.... 63k miles later.. Still need to do more investigation.

[SSPKris]

BMW is slowly letting the technicians work more and more on this transmissions to replace faulty OEM parts. At this time they even have a oil pump assembly rebuild kit available.

This is interesting....

SSP

[Amaproracin]

I'm am told that we are going with Dobson for a clutch upgrade kit

[Shredicus]

Man the e92 m3 aftermarket is getting better and better. Awesome product line guys.

[V8FunNaturally]

6MT, no worries, runs faultlessly and is rated significantly higher torque than dct. bookmarked this thread for next time some dct owner says the dct will never require maintenance.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by sunsweet

6MT, no worries, runs faultlessly and is rated significantly higher torque than dct. bookmarked this thread for next time some dct owner says the dct will never require maintenance.

Really?

[Andrew30azs]

Originally Posted by SSPKris

Under normal driving conditions the DCT Clutches will not see much wear.

Excessive wear comes from:
Driving the car hard at cold start up before the transmission comes up to temperature
Launching
Adding additional horsepower that exceeds the limits of the stock clutch

We now have a M3 DCT in the shop that we are upgrading the clutch in. The car has 32000 on it, and the clutch plates look really good. There is only .2mm of material that has worn during this time. Now this being said, the car has had a pretty easy life. All clutch wear will vary depending on driving conditions.

SSP

Hi Kris

According your messages I can tell you have some experience with dct transmision. I have problem or not with mine I just wondering if this behavior is something to not worry about it. After I change my diff bushings (stock oem) I have some clunking noises on my transmision . Usually I hear that noises at low speeds at low gears and when I’m downshifting from
The higher gears to second on first one . What this could be ? Some people saying clutch , some normal , and also some recommend me to reset adaptation and do gts software to eliminate the clunks and thuds from my transmision , what is your opinion ? Thanks

[Andrew30azs]

Originally Posted by SSPKris

Under normal driving conditions the DCT Clutches will not see much wear.

Excessive wear comes from:
Driving the car hard at cold start up before the transmission comes up to temperature
Launching
Adding additional horsepower that exceeds the limits of the stock clutch

We now have a M3 DCT in the shop that we are upgrading the clutch in. The car has 32000 on it, and the clutch plates look really good. There is only .2mm of material that has worn during this time. Now this being said, the car has had a pretty easy life. All clutch wear will vary depending on driving condition






SSP

Hi man

Just did diagnose on my dct after clunking noise on first two gears ( downshift ) And The stop where I did that diagnose said The transmission has a massive play under load And need to be replaced . Its any chance to gts flash could fix that problem ?

[Redd]

Massive play under load? Have you looked at cheaper possibilities like transmission mounts?

[Andrew30azs]

Originally Posted by Redd

Massive play under load? Have you looked at cheaper possibilities like transmission mounts?

Yes I looked it. Trans mounts looks like new . When my car was was on the lift I was under the car and the noise definitely coming from
The inside on the transmision. Upshifts smooth as butter , downshift low gears (1-2) when’s coming to stop my car
Is clunk and thud under load

[M43S7RO]

You are probably better served calling SSP directly rather than trying to reach them in a thread they havent posted to in 6 yrs.

Originally Posted by Tobiasz17azs

Yes I looked it. Trans mounts looks like new . When my car was was on the lift I was under the car and the noise definitely coming from
The inside on the transmision. Upshifts smooth as butter , downshift low gears (1-2) when’s coming to stop my car
Is clunk and thud under load

[SSPKris]

Just saw this quite old thread you guys revived...
The clunking noises you are experiencing are normal clutch wear. Over time the clutch will get sluggish as it wears. A quick fix that may take some of that clunking noise away would be to do an adaptation via the ISTA scan tool. If you do this adaptation, you may experience ROD codes. ROD codes are from excessive build up of metallic debris on the shift fork magnets. Why do I get ROD codes from an adaptation you ask? When undergoing a factory reset "adaptation" the TCU AND ECU resent to factory parameters. The TCU recognizes a certain magnetic field strength coming from the shift fork magnet. When they are filled with metallic debris, the field strength changes, and thus ROD codes appear. The TCU thinks that there is something out of place and then throws the ROD code errors.

SSP

[Andrew30azs]

[QUOTE=SSPKris;26050180]Just saw this quite old thread you guys revived...
The clunking noises you are experiencing are normal clutch wear. Over time the clutch will get sluggish as it wears. A quick fix that may take some of that clunking noise away would be to do an adaptation via the ISTA scan tool. If you do this adaptation, you may experience ROD codes. ROD codes are from excessive build up of metallic debris on the shift fork magnets. Why do I get ROD codes from an adaptation you ask? When undergoing a factory reset "adaptation" the TCU AND ECU resent to factory parameters. The TCU recognizes a certain magnetic field strength coming from the shift fork magnet. When they are filled with metallic debris, the field strength changes, and thus ROD codes appear. The TCU thinks that there is something out of place and then throws the ROD code errors.

SSP[/QUOTE

You saw my video Kriss and you think that clunk inside are clutches ?