Shift Lever and Short Shifters

[randomtask37]

boy i missed alot.

well, speaking of the carrier mod. i have herd of it but it seemed a little unneccessary. when u raise the carrier, the shifter will be raised up to avoid the balencer, however the knob will be raised also, so if your looking for a "low" shifter then dont bother with the carrier mod. UCC's shortshifter has that mod, btw.

about bending the selector rod, all i did was take a vice, put 2 sockets on one side and 1 socket on the other, tape them there, and clamp. took all of 10 seconds. just make sure to mark where to bend, and how much to bend.

like so.

IMHO, i think the best way to go is to just bend the rod becuase it takes the least ammount of time and effort. it will be plenty sturdy unless your going to drive it like a race-car every day for the next 10 years.

you have 3 options when installing a short, short shifter:
1. bend the selector rod. EASY
2. raise the carrier. much more difficult as u will have to fabricate something custom.
3. remove the balencer.

Also, what exactly is the harmonic balancer that I see a few talking about in some posts. Can anyone point that out or describe where it is in relation to the carrier or selector arm?

the harmonic balencer, from what i know, just keeps the driveshaft balenced and quiet. it has nothing to do with the shifter, other than get in the way ;)

btw, it took me about an hour to install my z4 3.0, because the clip that attaches the selctor rod to the tranny was terribly difficult to get to. a friend of mine called it a.... star clip? it was a total PITA. also, the carrier "cup" was very stubborn to come out. but my advice is just keep trying if it doesnt work for you.

[Sean]

Ok, I think I've settled on the Z4 3.0i. The way the shift pattern moves forward a bit is not a huge deal to me, really.

The M Roadster shift lever has the bend in it, doesn't it? It's ratio is almost as small as the Z4 3.0, but it's a lot longer (picture above).

I remember someone did remove the harmonic balancer, was it Jordan? Anyone know the outcome of what happens when that is done. Just how much noise does that create?


Very informative post, Drew, I'll try to get everything put into this thread eventually. Sounds like bending the selector rod really isn't all that bad afterall.



Edit:

I sent an e-mail to Ben Liaw - his name was on the link above MZ3.net.

I sent him this:

Hello,

I read on MZ3.net that you made an effort reducing kit?

I'm trying to find an effective way to be able to fit a Z4 3.0i shift lever into an E30, where the bottom end (the part below the ball) extends too far to use. A fellow forum member of mine reccommended actually moving the falcrum up, or rather, making the nylon cup sit up higher.

Do you have any ideas on this matter? I'm trying to compile a thread full of wealthy information regarding short shifitng and linkage - it's located here: http://www.r3vlimited.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5004

Thanks a lot for your time!

-Sean hayes

He replied with this:

Sean,

You REALLY don't want to install the Z4 3.0 lever into your E30. I'm assuming you have a 325 or even an M3, but neither are candiates for this particualar retrofit. Shifting quality will be terrible, guarenteed.

You're better off with a Z3 1.9 lever, same price, but bent properly for the application. Plus, you won't have interference with the driveshaft. No ERK thingy required.

BTDT. Welcome to 1998.

The website doesn't come up for me, but then again, I'm not a member.

Ben

I know for a fact that last thing I want is a Z3 1.9 shift lever - it's ratio is just about as close to being stock as you can get! That, and it seems many are happy with the Z4 3.0i.

It seems like for the shortest throw and best overall - the tie is between the M Roadster and Z4 3.0i. The deciding factor is - do you want the shift pattern in the same spot (IF the M Roadster lever is bent - is it???) or if you want an actual shorter lever, since the M Roadster one has a longer upper part.

I think the ABSOLUTE BEST solution would be to bend the Z4 3.0i shift lever. Question is, how do you go about bending an actual shift lever???

[iXer]

...
IMHO, i think the best way to go is to just bend the rod becuase it takes the least ammount of time and effort. it will be plenty sturdy unless your going to drive it like a race-car every day for the next 10 years.

That's true but as I have an iX I fear that the transfer case will make it impossible to use even the Z3-1.9 shifter, but time will tell.

[Den]

Stock E30 lever ratio = 7.23:1.
Z3-1.9 lever ratio = 5.13:1. ~30% less than stock.
Z4-3.0 lever ratio = 3.28:1. ~55% less than stock.

Z3-M lever is straight.
I think the E36 M3 lever is bent, but it's not much lower ratio than the Z3-1.9.

* Asterisks indicate straight levers in the list of levers in this link.

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/drivetrain/e36_replace_a_shift_lever.html

The longer your shifer is below the pivot ball(lower ratio), the more you will need to bend the selector rod. When the selector rod is straight in the stock position, the bottom of the shifter lever is perfectly on-axis with it's connection to the transmission. The farther you move off-axis with a lever that is longer below the pivot ball, the more notchy the shifting will be. The only way around this is to raise the whole lever so that the bottom of it will still be straight in-line with the transmission connection(iXer's plan.) More effort is also required with lower ratio levers. Less leverage. :P

I like a smooth shifer and I didn't want to have high-effort shifting in traffic, so I went with the Z3-1.9 lever. Here's a good procedure for bending the selector rod. If you don't have a vise, just go to Lowe's and "try one out." The amount of bend required is very small, 1/4 - 1/2"; just don't bend it too much, and the selector rod will be fine.

https://www.shortshifter.com/pdfs/UUC_Selector_Rod_Modification_Instructions.PDF

https://www.shortshifter.com/pdfs/UUC_Shifter_Only_Install%20.PDF

[randomtask37]

...
IMHO, i think the best way to go is to just bend the rod becuase it takes the least ammount of time and effort. it will be plenty sturdy unless your going to drive it like a race-car every day for the next 10 years.

That's true but as I have an iX I fear that the transfer case will make it impossible to use even the Z3-1.9 shifter, but time will tell.

hummm, i dunno how the IX's tranny/driveline is layed out so i coudlnt tell ya.

https://www.shortshifter.com/pdfs/UUC_Selector_Rod_Modification_Instructions.PDF

https://www.shortshifter.com/pdfs/UU...Install%20.PDF

those are great, i used them both 8)

[Mystikal]

On Monday a guy I know, who is a BMW tech, installed my Z4 3.0 shifter in literally 10 minutes, if not less. There was NO bending involved at all, it just slipped right in.

My $0.02.

[Sean]

On Monday a guy I know, who is a BMW tech, installed my Z4 3.0 shifter in literally 10 minutes, if not less. There was NO bending involved at all, it just slipped right in.

My $0.02.

What car do you have and how do you like it?

Maybe your car has no harmonic balancer?

[BMW BMXER]

On Monday a guy I know, who is a BMW tech, installed my Z4 3.0 shifter in literally 10 minutes, if not less. There was NO bending involved at all, it just slipped right in.

My $0.02.

Same guy installed my Motronix short shift and had to modify it or something.

[Mystikal]

What car do you have and how do you like it?

Maybe your car has no harmonic balancer?

90 325is. I love the thing to death, best bang for buck mod. The shifts are incredibly short and accurate, great feel. Slightly notchy, but I think it will break-in more. Also new fluid may help. I have no idea regarding the harmonic balancer.

Dave, he literally flew through the install. Me and Jon couldn't believe it. Jon was saying good things about the Motronix one in your car, I need to take a look at that bad boy.

[Spoon e30]

I have the z4 3.0l ssk in my 1991 318is and i didn't have to bend anything. It fits just fine with ablsolutely no modifications.

[Rob]

318is dont have the bullshit on the driveshaft that interferes.

[KenC]

How to Rebuild a Sheet-Metal Console Shifter Mechanism

How to Rebuild a Sheet-Metal Console Shifter Mechanism

Everybody with a sheet-metal console should thank Bill for this one:



Okay. In terms of console bushings, there are three. In the diagram above, they are parts 1 and 7. I'd also get a couple of 2's, as they come with locking material on them (and are known to back out of the transmission). It can't hurt to get a couple 8's and 9's either, as they are easy to lose and the clips are easy to break. If you wanna go crazy (I didn't), 14 is a rubber washer that wears out over time.

1: 25 11 1 208 580 (2)
2: 25 11 1 205 659 (2)
7: 25 11 1 204 422 (1)
8: 25 11 1 209 078 (4)
9: 25 11 1 220 379 (2)
14: 23 41 1 466 118 (1)




For the shift lever, you really don't need any parts. You can reuse ones off of your old shifter, but you have to grind down the metal ball and it's a pain in the ass. For as cheap as the parts are, I'd just get new ones. Here's the list for stuff to replace in the two pics above:

Upper Diagram:
4: 25 11 1 207 744 (1)
8: 23 41 1 200 844(1)
12: 23 41 1 466 112 (1)
Lower Diagram:
4: 23 41 1 466 110 (1)

I just order by part number from BMA.

For installation, you're going to have to file down the inner rim of the upper ball cup to slide it down over the Z4 lever.

[KenC]

Review of Z4 3.0 lever:

I just installed the Z4 3.0 lever into my '84 318 today. It took a bit of modification to get it to work. I had to use two of the lower plastic retaining cups to keep the lever from hitting the drive-shaft.
The throw is WAY shorter. It's much notchier than the stock lever, but I really like it. Overall I'd recomend this lever 100%!

[m42technic]

Installed my MZ3 lever this morning. Went right in, and I am overall very pleased. Only thing about the MZ3 shifter is that since its straight, the knob sits a little to the right and forward in the neutral position (non-detrimental to functionality). Daramatic difference in throw, and not unreasonably notchy.

I dont understand why you M42 guys having problems with the selector rod? (especially with the Z4 3.0 rod, which is shorter than the MZ3 one)

[Schniddy]

i just had a Z4 2.9L shifter installed. now i havnt heard much about the z4 2.9l on this site but it seems like it would be inbetween the z4 2.5 and 3.0. all I can say is its perfect! Everyone should have a shortshifter, it makes driving soo much fun, even if your not old enough to drive yet!