dionin 2 Report post Posted May 17, 2018 Hello I've trawled numerous national/international spare suppliers and can't seem to find an original or aftermarket 840Cia E31 Gear Selector - Bowen Cable (which is part #11 in the attached diagram) anywhere. Any one got any ideas where I can source one from a breakers yard or does anyone have one spare they'd like to sell? Any help appreciated. Rob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted May 17, 2018 i wonder if one from a e34 540i or e39 540i may work , probably jsut sleightly different lengths , same levers etc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionin 2 Report post Posted May 17, 2018 Thanks for the suggestion. The BMW OEM part number is :- 25161421432 Not sure how to check that though for those other car models. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 24 minutes ago, dionin said: Thanks for the suggestion. The BMW OEM part number is :- 25161421432 Not sure how to check that though for those other car models. no only e31 840 but others may work , just need to check lengths Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionin 2 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 (edited) Crikey - hopefully someone more resourceful than me on here may know how to do that as impossible to tell from the old BMW part specs. I guess the only way would be from someone who has a Bowen cable ripped out of a 540i? I can get the lengths from the one I have taken out of the 840i. Edited May 18, 2018 by dionin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabe79 410 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 A handful of them if you google 'bmw 25161421432' you get some hits in the US, and in Europe. Looks like you can get one for ~50 euro. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionin 2 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 Yeah mentioned that in the first post - tried them all (I think) and they accept the order and then advise that it's no longer produced or available and then do a refund. I'm down to scavenger mode now Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabe79 410 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 7 minutes ago, dionin said: Yeah mentioned that in the first post - tried them all (I think) and they accept the order and then advise that it's no longer produced or available and then do a refund. I'm down to scavenger mode now Ah, my bad. I didn't get that from the first post. Good luck mate! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 1 hour ago, dionin said: Crikey - hopefully someone more resourceful than me on here may know how to do that as impossible to tell from the old BMW part specs. I guess the only way would be from someone who has a Bowen cable ripped out of a 540i? I can get the lengths from the one I have taken out of the 840i. send me pics of the ends etc and length of it , [email protected] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TLH 45 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-e31-Bowden-Cable-Gear-Shift-25161421433/132544522075?hash=item1edc44e75b:g:ljsAAOSwoIlar-Fn&vxp=mtr This has a different part number to what you said, maybe US or LHD cars have a different cable. Thought I would share it anyway. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionin 2 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 Thanks TLH - this does look promising - I have asked teh mechanic to check if it's compatible. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionin 2 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 @ BM World - have also asked the mechanic to measure and provide his photos and will get back to you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted May 18, 2018 What happened to the cable, stretched? This happened on my E36. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionin 2 Report post Posted May 19, 2018 @Michael - mine did the opposite and the metal component at the gear selector handle end buckled and snapped when I put it into Park. @BMWorld - still waiting for the garage mechanic to get back to me with the pics. @TLH - I've ordered the one from eBay as the mechanic was advised there is little difference to the centre console between LHD & RHD models. Worth a try as not much other choice as yet Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionin 2 Report post Posted June 8, 2018 Hi All Well the problem has been solved and my 840 is back on the road :) Thanks TLH for the link to the available LHD version on ebay as my mechanic made this work and there was little difference to contend with. Thanks also to everyone else for their suggestions and interest. Regards Rob 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites