rebiulding shift linkage

[mops 4]

Howdy.

I just bought 1985 e30 325i, 2 door, 5 speed manual that needs a bit of TLC.

The shift linkage needs rebuilding badly. The gear changes are so bad that i sometimes put 4th instead of 2nd and 3rd instead of 1st. The car is hardly drivable in that condition.

Anyways, I found several guides on how to do it, but I got no idea where to source parts here in auckland. Could you guys point me in the right direction ?

I would consider a short-shift conversion (like from 1.9 Z3 described in several other places at US forums), if it wasnt much more expensive. Again, it would be great if you could share your experiences if you have any in this area.

Any clues appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Mops.

[Carl 3]

You're going to have to replace the shift knuckle, the part where the shift link rod attaches to the gearbox selector, this is what wears out and causes the excessing slop. I remember mine going from side to side whacking both sides of the plastic surround thingee.

Your best bet is to get the Z3 1.9 lever and a new knucle and replace them at the same time. It would also pay to replace the selector shaft oil seal aswell while you're doing it.

See the G/Box sticky thread in the maintenance forum for more info.

Cheers

[Gus 5]

its easy if you do it all right

get everything from dealer

i find the z3 M lever is great..i wouldnt want another as the 1.9 wouldnt be much shorter than stock

get these:

2 x 25111434194 the washer that goes into the knuckle. cut one in half and squish

1 and a half in there. this is what causes the sloppiness

depending on your shift console (aluminium arm or the sheet metal) get the appropriate nylon bushes

i just make sure the actual linkage was on tight to the box and the gear lever with bits i have lying around

the lever is easy to do, a straight swap. you wil need to remove the big metal thing that goes around the rubber flex disc at the start of the drive shaft.

PM me or email angus@bimmersport.co.nz if you need more help. its easy but its also easy to miss out bits and not achieve the result you desire!

[mops 4]

the primay thing i'm concerned with is that i read that i will have to remove driveshaft....

is that correct ??? i got no idea how to go about doing that....

as well when you mention the dealer to get stuff from. which particular dealer did you have in mind ?

[Carl 3]

If you want to replace the knuckle and o-rings then you'll probably want to detach the driveshaft so you can get at it but you don't have to completely take it out if you really don't want to but if you're going to do the replacement on axle stands there's not much room under there.

[Gus 5]

the BMW Dealer

the driveshaft will need to be removed (not fully, just undo the front and centre support bearing and let it hang down) its not as difficult as it sounds though....so dont be afraid!

[mops 4]

sounds good.

dealer as in jerry clayton or team mcmillan ?

[Gus 5]

either or....if you want a hand depending where you are in auckland could help you out for some beers....wont be for a few weekends though!

[mops 4]

Hello.

I just spent whole saturday under my e30, as I attepmpted a rebuild of my shift linkage. Few thing that I learned that I didnt see anybody mention before.

To rebuild your shift linkage in e30 325 you have to:

1. undoo rear exhaust mounts, so you can bend the exhaust out of your way.

2. remove the heat shield (10 bolts)

3. you have to disconnect the driveshaft from the guibo (spelling ?) and undoo middle driveshaft mount and let the driveshaft hang there. (pic 4)

Other not-so-good things...

1. I broke my shifting arm durning the process - while trying to remove shift leaver form the nylon cup (pic 8)

2. The selector rod joint that i got from the dealer turned out to be different than the one I had in my car (pic 25)

3. I think my shift seal is leaking (pic 20)

So yeah, I'll update as i put it together :/

Pics Here

If you know somebody who can solder aluminum let me know ASAP.

Shifting arm will be available at my local dealer but i have a suspicion it will be expensive. If you can recommend a BMW dismantler/wreckers plz let me know.

[Grant 4]

One thing to be very careful of when changing the selector shaft seal, is that you don't damage the selector shaft and put any 'dings' or 'nicks' into it.

That happened to mine and this caused a new seal to wear within 2 weeks each time, a real cause of frustration.

In the end I had to buy a second hand gearbox (off Mike in here) and I got this rebuilt and installed in my car. This was much better than replacing the damaged selector shaft (which apparently was going to be a major drama).

Good luck with getting it all sorted.

Cheers

Grant

[Palazzo 438]

Try BMWarehouse in Hamilton, or otherwise, Brent (I think) on here. The dealers may be worth a go, or Ebay, or Royz (tradername ) on Trademe. He has heaps of stuff.

[Gus 5]

The selector rod joint that i got from the dealer turned out to be different than the one I had in my car (pic 25)

you dont need to change the whole linkage.....if you look inside your old one, you should see the crumbled remains of a sponge bush thing..you just replace that bush (1and a half works well...they like a dollar each or and you're good

[mops 4]

Thanks for the info. I'll try recommended places for parts.

On my rod joint that particular bushing is EXTREAMLY worn (cirecled on pic)

In fact the plastic busging is not there, hence the extreme slopyness on the shift leaver. Apart from that the that joint is allright.