Shift Lever and Short Shifters

[robspeed325i]

i made a video of my z3m shifter filled with 90A poly with all derlin and poly trans bushings that I poured. The shift linkage is also weighted with a pound of material.

you can see how much more notchy the shifter is when im shifting slow... this is because there is no momentum to overcome the notchyness... compared to when i shift faster where the additional pound of weight drives up the momentum of the shifting resulting in a smoother shift.

http://www.understeer.com/cheapwsr.shtml

nice vid, thanks :)

[p0cket penguins]

i made a video of my z3m shifter filled with 90A poly with all derlin and poly trans bushings that I poured. The shift linkage is also weighted with a pound of material.

you can see how much more notchy the shifter is when im shifting slow... this is because there is no momentum to overcome the notchyness... compared to when i shift faster where the additional pound of weight drives up the momentum of the shifting resulting in a smoother shift.

http://www.understeer.com/cheapwsr.shtml

[lennon]

just installed all new everything and 2.8 z3 lever into my 86 early style sheet metal shift console. everything worked fine, early style consoles just need everything off their original shifter (some of it is not made to come off/go on a complete lever). i got it all together without any trouble. i took out the whole console and everything and assembled it on my workbench and then mounted the console.

the z3 2.8 lever has made the throws a lot shorter and the whole thing is notchier, even though i fitted a sort of spacer below the lower ball cup in the console to raise the ball as high as possible to straighten the selector rod. i think the notchiness i feel is mostly all the new parts in comparison to my old ones of unknown age and obvious wear. i didnt have a ton of play before and none of the parts were wasted but still the difference is seriously night and day. i almost feel like the throws are too short for my taste but ill probly get used to it. if i dont like it after a while i can semi-easily change it out for another.

[ShowStopper]

very interesting thread. i like it

[NOMAD]

take pics, I'm sure a lot of people will be interested in an easy to find alternative.

[wojtek79]

Good to hear. I will post pics once I acquire the E36 one and compare it to the stock E30 one.

[Thor]

I installed an E36 M3 shifter in my E30 M3. I believe this is the same part as what you're looking at.

Anyway, it's like a 1/4" taller than the Z3 1.9 shifter but because it is longer under the ball, the throws are a hair shorter than the Z3 1.9 one. Basically you get a lever that sits shorter than stock but a touch taller than the Z3 1.9, but has the same shift throw as the Z3 1.9. This was useful to me for two reasons: 1) Used E36 levers are everywhere and 2) I autocross the car and I'm not looking for the lowest lever.

Pictures of the two levers are here: http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/dri...ift_lever.html

Notice the lever ratios: Z3 1.9 is 5.13:1 while the E36 levers are 4.86:1. But you'll see in the pictures that the E36 shifter is slightly taller than the Z3.

[NOMAD]

the one that is left was flipped so cabin space is significantly reduced.

Ha ha, great way to put it.

I haven't installed yet. The lever arm under the ball is about 1 to 3/4 inch so it'll make a difference but i'm waiting on a Z3 shifter to compare before install.

[wojtek79]

How do you like it? Is it shorter?
Turns out there is only one. The other is gone and the one that is left was flipped so cabin space is significantly reduced.

[NOMAD]

grab it and take a photo. Not like its going to be that expensive.

I have an E36 M3 shift lever, not sure if it's different from the regular one.

[wojtek79]

I just browsed through the entire thread and have not noticed anyone using an E36 shifter. Has anyone tried using one? There are two 325i manuals in my local boneyard.

[robspeed325i]

increased notchiness comes from moving the lower joint out of line of the back of the transmission, aka by installing a SSK. move the upper joint (the fulcrum ball) upwards to bring the shift rod back in line with the transmission selector shaft, and this fixes this. this is why UUC uses their "ERK" and B&M has their pivot-raising blue cup...

[rThor432]

Alrighty, man, I want to go over a few things on this post. Too much misinformation!I do not quite understand how you would think that sloppy bushings equals smooth shifting, but think about it...if you change the lever, all you are gonna do is make short sloppy shifts.

Well if the shifter feel is good before you change the shifter, there is no real need to replace the bushings, unless you want it to be more notchy. If the bushings are worn out to an unacceptable point where the shifter is excessively sloppy, then replacing the bushings is a no-brainer.

Of the last 3 E30's I have bought, one had an unacceptable shift feel. I replaced all of the bushings in that vehicle, and it is noticably more notchy than the other two, which have original bushings that arent trashed. Yes, most E30's I drive have completely shot bushings. But I havent had a problem with it for the most part.

It's not how I would do it, but if it is too notchy, that's the only way I can think of to reduce that.

Basically true. But show me a 20 year old M20 powered E30 with a non-sloppy shifter and I will show you one that has been rebuilt...

1985 with perfect shift feel and no service to the shifting assembly.

Yes, but that would be an entirely different transmission, see? The little motor got a little transmission, which makes sense..think about that too: the G240 is a much newer tranny with 10 years more development in...so yeah, they shift smoother.

Didnt M10 cars have 240 transmissions?

Anyway I see where you are coming from. I guess I should have said to lube everything up instead, but I just had a good experience with leaving everything as-is in a couple of vehicles. I was just sharing from my experience.

[StereoInstaller1]

Alrighty, man, I want to go over a few things on this post. Too much misinformation!

If you want smooth shifts just replace the shift lever without replacing all of the bushings in the system.

I do not quite understand how you would think that sloppy bushings equals smooth shifting, but think about it...if you change the lever, all you are gonna do is make short sloppy shifts. The "notchiness" was and is part of a Getrag 260 transmissions. They complained about it in all the magazines back in 1985, too. When I did the SSK on my car and replaced most of the bushings, it got LESS "notchy".

Unless your stock linkage is excessively sloppy, replacement of the bushings isnt necessary.

Basically true. But show me a 20 year old M20 powered E30 with a non-sloppy shifter and I will show you one that has been rebuilt...

My 318is with the stock linkage at 140k felt great with no excessive play, so I just replaced the shift lever. It is much more smooth than my eta, which got all new bushings. Both have Z3 M coupe shifters.

Yes, but that would be an entirely different transmission, see? The little motor got a little transmission, which makes sense..think about that too: the G240 is a much newer tranny with 10 years more development in...so yeah, they shift smoother.

Luke

[robspeed325i]

^^
The OEM part is basically the same thing as most aftermarket shifters (like B&M) except it is cheaper.

My Z3 M shifter is the same as my co-worker's B&M shifter, but cost something like $100 less.

not exactly the same thing, the B&M offers distinct advantages to the OEM route. the major one being the raised pivot point. this is the point of the el-cheapo B&M clone I bought....