2002-2003 Clutch Stop Solution

[BenPRunkle]

For those of us who have a 2002-2003 e39 we no longer have the simple bypass switch found on the earlier models. The safety swith and cruise switch is now integrated in the clutch cylinder. Instead of there being a physical switch, there is now a magnetic switch that can not be physically altered without affecting the cruise control.

There are 4 wires that come off the magnetic switch on the clutch cylinder.

There is a pink one, a brown/black one, a blue/black one, and a blue/(yellow?) one. (Its hard to see anything down there)

The pink one is power, and the brown/black is ground. The blue/yellow one is given power as soon as the pedal is pressed and continues to have current as long as the pedal is depressed in any way. The blue/black one is only given power when the clutch gets to the very end of the stroke.

This means that the blue/black wire must have current in order for the vehicle to start.

The blue/yellow wire is what deactivates the cruise control when it has current.

Therefore in order to bypass this switch you just have to either connect the blue/black and pink in parallel, or do what I did and create another switch in parallel. (Parallel meaning you leave everything alone and just tap into the two wires with wire taps.) With the 2nd switch in parallel, this allows the original switch to function normally, but allows you to have a bypass switch that you can put anywhere.



The cruise words with the two wires bridged, but I went with the switch because I felt like it was a cool additional theft prevention measure, and it helps remind you not to start the car while in gear.

I placed my little switch in one of the dummy spots for the seat controls. I just have to reach down and press and hold the button while I start the car. The button switch was from Radio Shack and is only 1/2" in diameter. You can barely tell its there.



I routed the cables behind the dead pedal and under the carpet and up along the existing seat control wires so that the wires would not snag.



This allows me to use however long of a clutch stop I want. Here is a picture of my clutch stop, and one with it installed.





I have really enjoyed the mod, and have come across no complications. If for any reason the switch were to fail, you simply have to just unscrew your clutch stop, and the original swith will work just fine. Hope you all enjoy, and let me know if you have anymore questions. Finally a pic of my car. . .

[JetBlackE46]

Here's a clutch stop that will work with the M5 without any type of modification:

Link

[MaxVQ]

So... the benefit of this is that you don't have to hold the clutch to the floor to start the car??