iX 1.9 Z3 Shifter

[poptart4YALL]

I know this has been beat to death like a horse at a glue factory, but I have a few questions that I can't seem to find the answer to.

Anyway, with my recent purchase of a '87 iS with a UUC SSK installed, I have become very aware of how sloppy my shifter is in my '91 iX, its like a sloppy joe with no bun, and I really need to do something about it. The bushings are probably original and you can move it almost 4" side to side lol.

Anyways my questions are:

Does any one sell a Z3 1.9L Shifter as a kit?
I think www.understeer.com has kits, will that work? If it does, what else should I get along with that?

If no kit for the whole thing is there a bushing kit?
If no kits, can you hook me up with some part #'s?

Can you do the swap with the transfer case in place (with a lot of cursing)?
If not, any good DIY's on removing the transfer case?
If not, can someone type up a short direction?
Its not that I can't figure it out, it just that I like to have as much info going in a project as possible, save time, aggravation and me from breaking shit in the process.

If I have to pull the transfer case I might as well throw in a new guibos.
The one behind the transfer case is the same as all the other 325's, correct?
And my RealOEM-fu is failing because I can't find a part number for the guibo between the transmission and transfer case? Or is that the same as well?

Lots of ?'s I know but I figured I'd knock them all out at once.
Thanks in advance.

-Poptart

[mkcman17]

If you're clever with your hands (eh, eh?) you can install it from inside the car. In fact, I put a loose clip on the selector and it rattled off on the freeway....hooked the lever back up while doing 65mph in 5th. The clearance area will be close with the t-case though.

Small flange guibo should work for both IIRC.

[downforce22]

I just bought one from here.. newegg of all places...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1060PF7183

Can't speak to it since it just came in the mail today.

[poptart4YALL]

I guess I should asked if the Carrier Shifter Bushing, (the one closest to the transmission) is accessible with the transfer case in place? Cause that's probably where that side to side is coming from. Kinda want to throw a Garagastic Delrin Bushing in there, any thoughts on them?

Also do you have to drop the engine to get to the top mounting bolts on the xcase? Or is that a luxury? I'm a glutton for punishment apparently when it comes to messing with the drive train.

I'm probably going to have the drive shaft and exhaust pulled while I try to pull the gas tank and patch that. That should give me some extra room, but will it be enough?

[mkcman17]

It's really, really not worth the effort. I wouldn't pull the t-case until I had to do the clutch.

The top two bolts are pretty impossible to get to. I think it's much easier to remove the entire trans assembly while on a lift. I've done it on my back on jackstands and it was much more challenging.

[nando]

If you're clever with your hands (eh, eh?) you can install it from inside the car. In fact, I put a loose clip on the selector and it rattled off on the freeway....hooked the lever back up while doing 65mph in 5th. The clearance area will be close with the t-case though.

Small flange guibo should work for both IIRC.

Do you have unusually small hands? lol. also, I wouldn't recommend replacing just the shift lever like this - you can't get to the other bushings without removing the transfercase. it's probably not even worth trying to do without the transfercase out of the way.

I'm pretty sure they aren't small flange guibos. the center and rear are both 96mm. for the center one I think the original part is NLA but it was replaced with one from the E24 6 series. it's definitely somewhere on realoem.com or wherever you look up your parts, I think in the transfercase section.

It's really, really not worth the effort. I wouldn't pull the t-case until I had to do the clutch.

The top two bolts are pretty impossible to get to. I think it's much easier to remove the entire trans assembly while on a lift. I've done it on my back on jackstands and it was much more challenging.

yeah, what? it's not hard at all. you need some long swivel extensions and one u-joint. unbolt the trans mount and lower the rear of the transfercase as much as possible (the engine will be touching the firewall). you can get to the top two bolts pretty easily this way and use a breaker bar. I usually use the shifter hole as an access point to guide the socket onto the top bolts. make sure you use a 6 point socket!

I wouldn't remove the whole transmission just to do the transfercase.. that's like 10x more work, at least. I've pulled and reinstalled the transfercase in under 2 hours including doing up the exhaust, and that was on jackstands. I'm probably too old to do it that fast now but it's not like it would take you a whole weekend or something. the most time consuming part is removing 18 driveshaft bolts.

not to mention the transfercase is fairly light. I usually just lower it down onto myself. Just make sure you remove the exhaust bracket first so you don't cut the hell out of your chest.

you definitely do not have to drop the engine. really, it's not that bad. get some long extensions, some swivel extensions, and 1 u-joint. that's all you need.

[ghatid]

If you're clever with your hands (eh, eh?) you can install it from inside the car. In fact, I put a loose clip on the selector and it rattled off on the freeway....hooked the lever back up while doing 65mph in 5th. The clearance area will be close with the t-case though.

Small flange guibo should work for both IIRC.

How did you end up putting the clip back in? Did you take off the tcase to do it?

I, uhh, didn't use foresight and began replacing the shifter bushing (#10 in the photo plastic one) and now I have it all together with a new plastic thingy, except for the c-clip (# 8 ) that holds the linkage in on the shifter.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E36-Shift_Bushings/pic15.jpg

[mkcman17]

Maybe they are large guibos, I don't have the car anymore. However, I bought my manual swap in bits and pieces and didn't have an issue with sourcing them in my garage.

Personally, I consider it excessive work to remove the transferase to install a short shifter. And wouldn't go so far as to not recommend doing it without the front bushing - that also seems a little extreme.

Then again, that's just me.

[nando]

IMO you shouldn't install a short shifter without rebuilding the entire linkage. if you put in a brand new fancy lever and still have 25 year old bushings, it's still going to feel like crap.

it also gives you the opportunity to replace the guibos, grease the front driveshaft, and replace any broken seals on the transmission and transfercase.

[mkcman17]

Can you install a shorter lever without dropping the transfercase? Yes.

Can you refresh linkage/driveline parts without dropping the transfercase? No.

/thread

[nando]

there you go!

[ghatid]

Can you install a shorter lever without dropping the transfercase? Yes.

Can you refresh linkage/driveline parts without dropping the transfercase? No.

/thread

Alright, I thought so. Thanks!

[AWDBOB]

I did the Z3 1.9 and all of the Gargistic bushings and it feels like a million bucks.

The center linkage piece also gets quite worn which causes a ton of slop, so I would recommend purchasing an OEM linkage piece if you're already in there.

[nando]

I reccomend modifying a DSSR to fit (you have to grind one side flatter so it clears the transfercase, and clearance the shift carrier a bit). Such a big difference in feel, plus being in double shear it doesn't oval out the bushing on the shift lever and selector joint as quickly.

For whatever reason I tried to have mine modified to be the same length as the ix selector rod but every time it ended up the wrong length. it ended up being too long this last time so I put the Z3 shifter in backwards, and now it's centered perfectly. lol

the only thing I don't have is the delrin insert for the shift carrier bushing which I assume improves the feel as well.

[4x4_e30]

Can you install a shorter lever without dropping the transfercase? Yes.

Can you refresh linkage/driveline parts without dropping the transfercase? No.

/thread

I installed all the linkages, carrier etc with the trans/ transfer case bolted up when doing my manual swap earlier this week, which means the reverse can also be done.

-Pull the wiring harness inside the engine bay up above the valve cover/ intake manifold.
-Unbolt the rear trans/transmission mount, with the entire assembly hanging as low as possible.
-Have someone inside the car guide the selector rod down while you have both hands on either side of the trans from underneath.
-Install washers then clip.
-Have your helper guide the carrier down to you, then install the clip and bolt the rear carrier mount to the body.
Install shift lever into carrier, add washers to the linkage, then clip.

DONE