Shift Lever and Short Shifters

[KenC]

I had the Z4 3.0 in my 84 318 for about 4 years and it worked great. The whole "loosening up" thing is a myth. There isn't anything to break in; you just get used to the lever. I didnt drive the 84 for a couple weeks when i got the 91 and when i got back in the 84 the lever felt just like it did when i first installed it

[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?

OK, I ended up just cutting off the bottom part of my stock knob. Since I used the Z3 1.9 lever, I needed to cut 20mm from the bottom of the knob. Easy as pie.

Consider my adventure, closed!

[NOMAD]

Where that says "shortened 1 1/8 inch" for the Z3 1.9 lever, how did they do it?
Is the "fat" part of the rod able to be taken off the smaller rod? Did they then cut the bottom of the fat part off and reinstall?

Is there a trick to this?

I have a 95 M3 shift lever and it looks about the same as the Z3 knob from the ball down. Can I shorten this lever too?

[bimmerobsession]

I have an e21 euro dog leg getrag 245 in my e30. I'm looking for a new shift lever since mine is a stock lever chopped down to be shorter. What do you think I shoul use, the 1.9l z3 lever looks like its the easiest to install bu it cuts down the throw the least. I'm interested in the z4 lever, you think it would fit in the getrag 245 and how much does it cut down the throw by?

[sticksdaman]

well it should fit the only issue would be whether it clears the guibo or not. if you can some how measure the distance from the ball down to the nearest obstruction then you could find the measurments for the 3.0 kit from ball to end to see if it will clear.

[bimmerobsession]

I have been reading up this thread quite a bit. What lever would you guys recommend. I was leaning towards a z3 1.9 or 2.8 lever. I wanted something shorter but I don't want to put any excess stress on the tranny that isn't necessary. I just got my transmission rebuilt and it was near close to impossible to find parts for it, trying to keep it in the best shape that I can. Any opinion would be helpful

Thanks

[e30prideTN]

I'm just now reading this thread; all 24 pages today, whew.

So after everyone's opinions and my preference (some street, autox moreso) I believe I should use the z4 3.0. Would anyone disagree?

Supposedly it uses more 'effort' to shift the 3.0 or mis-shifts. Will this create a problem for autox?
I need to know as I'm ordering it tomorrow. Also along with this installation will be new guibo, center support bearing and center support bushing. I guess I should find out what other bushings I need too.

Can anyone recommend a heavyweight knob?

[blazing]

I'm just now reading this thread; all 24 pages today, whew.

So after everyone's opinions and my preference (some street, autox moreso) I believe I should use the z4 3.0. Would anyone disagree?

Supposedly it uses more 'effort' to shift the 3.0 or mis-shifts. Will this create a problem for autox?
I need to know as I'm ordering it tomorrow. Also along with this installation will be new guibo, center support bearing and center support bushing. I guess I should find out what other bushings I need too.

Can anyone recommend a heavyweight knob?

[Jean]

e30prideTN I doubt it will create any problem for autox, most of the time you'll shift once and pretty much good for the whole run in 2nd gear. rarely do you need to shift down to 1st or up to 3rd (unless you goto big lots). Order all of the shifter bushings and do them all at once.

[e30prideTN]

I'm still a little confused as to what (all) that I need. I'm about to call Patrick, but I need to know if I need anymore bushings or the like to correct the slop (I should have aluminum console).

Here's what I'm getting:
UUC Delrin Carrier Bushings
Shft Plate Mnt
Rubber Washer
Shift Twr Mount
Bolt, Shft Mnt
&
Short Shift Kit Fits E30 / E32 / E34 / E36 & E24 Cars Shortens The Throw Up To 30% For Quicker Cleaner Shifts. Kit Includes: New Shift Lever*, Shift Lever Bearing Bushing, Bearing Sleeve Bushings, Seals And Clips.

I'm going to call beforehand to confirm the shifter lever.
I'm hoping this is all I need and should this also eliminate the slop?

[Jean]

It's an 86 right ? It might be older style, have you checked to make sure ?

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.do?model=1254&mospid=47308&hg=25&fg=05

You'll want 2 of #1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=1254&mospid=47308&btnr=25_0093&hg=25&fg=05

and possibly #4

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=1254&mospid=47308&btnr=25_0085&hg=25&fg=05

if it's newer style then 2, 10-19

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=1254&mospid=47308&btnr=25_0074&hg=25&fg=05

[e30prideTN]

It's actually an 87...due date was 11/86.

Aaah, hurry...I'm on the phone w/ bma right now.

[Jean]

Patrick will know what you need if it's newer style, he's got a kit.

[e30prideTN]

Well I should be newer and I just placed the order with Patrick...http://www.bmaparts.com/item.wws?sku...entid=bmaparts

He said this should be all that I need unless I find anything else within it that needs replacing.

Total w/ discount...$69!! Now off to find a knob.

[Jean]

Does not include (#13) 13 GEARSHIFT ROD JOINT 1 06/1986 09/1989 25117501309 $29.85

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=1254&mospid=47308&btnr=25_0074&hg=25&fg=05

You don't want to do this twice.