Shift Lever and Short Shifters

[woody]

it'll take so much less time to bend the selector rod.

yeah but since i'm down there anyway with the tranny dropped and driveshaft disconnected to access the b**** clip, i might as well remove the Vib Damper without bending the selector rod....

[thereisnoyun]

??

yeah but since i'm down there anyway with the tranny dropped and driveshaft disconnected to access the b**** clip, i might as well remove the Vib Damper without bending the selector rod....

are you saying that you already did that? or are you saying that you needed to do all these to access the rear clip on the selector rod?

[woody]

are you saying that you already did that? or are you saying that you needed to do all these to access the rear clip on the selector rod?

i already have the tranny dropped and bolts out between the driveshaft and tranny (through the guibo).
now i'm stuck b/c i don't know what to do next in order to remove the Vib Damper.
For example, how do you create a space between the driveshaft and tranny so that you can get the guibo & Vib Damper off? (I mean, is there any other way other than removing Exhaust, Heat Shields, CSB, etc...)?
I thought it was a simple task to remove the Vib Damper.

[atomic]

I know this dead horse has been beat to death but has anyone used euro depot's modified z3 short shifter ? They have shortened the pivot point of the conventional z3 shifter. I am at a cross roads as to which shifter to go with with reading this thread it seems like alot of modifing to make the oem shifters work. Might just pay up and go with the UUC with the dssr and delrin bushings too..... From past experiences it seems you get what you pay for and to me although the UUC is way expensive maybe it isn't " notchy feeling " or have to bend, weld, rape and anything else need to make these others work. Give me some suggestions on what you guys think

[thereisnoyun]

Uuc?

my bro has the uuc ultimate ssk with all the goodies, delrin, dssr etc. For all that IMHO way too much money. You can buy any style ssk 2.5, 1.9, 3.0 and just change the cup every other year or every year, after 10 years it still wouldnt be as expensive as UUC. Dont get me wrong, its a fantastic product, but not only is it extremely notchy it really isnt that much better. DSSR is good I guess if you are into hard shifting and need the precision. But in general, the cheaper stuff is just as good as the 300 ssk + 150 dssr + etc. I would definitely spend money on something else. And bending is a cake walk, dont let that scare you. I was made scared, but once you take it off, you see that is super easy, and you can't really screw it up.

[woody]

well, it looks like in order to remove the vibration damper, i'm going to have to do too many things (exhaust, heat shields, etc. etc.). too much work for this shifter, so i'm going to try to work around it.

say bye bye to the skin on my hands as i try to work within that tight space above the driveshaft!! i think i will go and bend that selector rod...

[woody]

update:
so yesterday i got under the car again, resolving not to get up until that dang clip was out. after trying many different body angles and arm twists, i finally got the clip out.

i read all the tips and studied all the photos about the clip, but found that the best way was to use a small screwdriver (i had one about 3 inches long) and get the flat tip inserted into the top of the clip. once i had worked it in, i just started lifting and tugging, trying to deform the clip enough to get it to release (i had a new clip anyway). it worked, and once it disengaged it was not a problem to rotate it up and then slide it out the side. anyway, i'm never doing THAT again.

so, the vib damper is still on, and i'll leave it like that. problem is, now that i've got the IE delrin bushings in, the new b**** clip isn't sliding in as easily....took me a good half hour to get the clip in halfway, and i left it like that. maybe today.

at the same time, i bent the selector rod (actually, hammered it over the old shift lever) and did the $5 poor man's way of adding mass to it (lead solder, then duct tape). it'll go in next.

bottom line, i wonder why my Z3 1.9 lever is hitting the Vibration Damper. i thought it was "compatible" without modifying the selector rod...?
(i did confirm that I had the Z3 1.9 lever from BMA).

[thereisnoyun]

vib dampner

only the 318is is plug and play cause they dont have vib dampner. All the 325 I know has the vib dampner. No matter which one you get you have to bend it.

i just use my finger to pull super hard to get those clips out.

[sticksdaman]

just installed my z4 2.5 shifter and im in love!! the throw is so short and replacing the bushing on the selector rod makes a hell of a difference in play i mean the thing doesnt move at all and you KNOW what gear you are in. took it for a spin around the block and the difference is astounding it does seem a bit stiff but im certain it will break in after a week or two. it was super easy to do id recommend this for anybody as their first mod.


and to the guy above you dont need the vibration dampener just unbolt it clean it up and use it as a paperweight the 1.9 shouldnt give you trouble i had a short shift kit that was nearly the same dimensions as the 1.9 and mine worked fine and only rubbed in reverse a lil bit. shouldnt be givin you much trouble check to see that the shift console is in place properly

[Sean]

just installed my z4 2.5 shifter and im in love!! the throw is so short and replacing the bushing on the selector rod makes a hell of a difference in play i mean the thing doesnt move at all and you KNOW what gear you are in. took it for a spin around the block and the difference is astounding it does seem a bit stiff but im certain it will break in after a week or two. it was super easy to do id recommend this for anybody as their first mod.


and to the guy above you dont need the vibration dampener just unbolt it clean it up and use it as a paperweight the 1.9 shouldnt give you trouble i had a short shift kit that was nearly the same dimensions as the 1.9 and mine worked fine and only rubbed in reverse a lil bit. shouldnt be givin you much trouble check to see that the shift console is in place properly

It'll break in, no worries. Give it a couple months, and it will feel like a liquid motion. I misshift every once and a while, but I catch it before I grind (as in, it doesn't go into second) - but that's only when I'm being careless. :)

It's well worth it, and it totally kicks ass! SPEICALLY with a heavy shiftknob!

[sticksdaman]

thanks

[woody]

i just installed the Z3 1.9 lever, and now i'm finding that the stock shift boot doesn't fit the new lever. the new lever is shorter in height, and so the plastic collar on the boot will not sit down on top of the lever (the KNOB won't snap on).

see in this pic, the height of the lever where the knob sits on, is much longer in the stock versus the Z3. so there's not enough space between the bottom of a knob and the "fat part" of the lever...



anyone have to buy a new type of boot?

[atomic]

OK I broke down and called the guys at Eurodepot about a SSK they sold for the e30 that is factory parts. They say it is a Z3 shifter but the part number is competely different than the ones posted at the first of this thread. The part # 25 11 7 527 252 . I will let you know what it is like once I do the 5 speed conversion in a few weeks... If you have any suggestions about this part please let me know....

[crunk3]

only the 318is is plug and play cause they dont have vib dampner. All the 325 I know has the vib dampner. No matter which one you get you have to bend it.

i just use my finger to pull super hard to get those clips out.

my 318is has the vibration dampener

[Jean]

yeah i took mine off. couldnt tell a diffrence. i can go faster thoiugh, dont know how much. took about a .8 of a pound off maybe. hahahha;)

i got the z4 3.0 shifter in last weekend with new guibo and center suportbearing and new bushings all around in the consold(sheet metal stamped one) and fresh fluid in tranie. i love the shifter. i laughed like the first couple days when i shifted. it was so funny how short it is. its like a big toggle swich. didnt even bend the selecter rod. i made a new back bushing, made the consold alot stiffer. anyone intersested i can find the partnumbers and show ya what i did.

Just wondering if you still have a z4 3.0 shifter installed with the sheet metal console ? How is it working out still ?