A LOT! of shifter play. and reverse is very far left

[peytonracer4]

ok so i picked up an e30 yesterday and the shifter is crazy loose. there's literally 5 inches of play in each gear. i assume this could be fixed with the kit from pelicanparts.com
my next question is about the reverse gear. i have to push so hard to the left to get reverse that it moves the whole console. the shifter rod actually pushes against the center console. 3rd is sorta where 1st should be so i find myself starting off in 3rd a lot.
is this more than just the bushings?

[M3 Ryan]

Early model? Sounds like all the bushings are worn out and you need a rebuild... I would refresh everything and convert to the aluminum carrier while your in there, makes for a much more sturdy shift platform.

[peytonracer4]

Early model? Sounds like all the bushings are worn out and you need a rebuild... I would refresh everything and convert to the aluminum carrier while your in there, makes for a much more sturdy shift platform.

oh yeah i forgot to say. it's a 91 318is. i think the bushings are worn too i'm just concerned about the gears being too far left. when i replace the bushings is reverse going to be where it should be? it's seriously so far left.

[bloodshot-e30]

mine also does this but i was wondering if i should go with the stock nylon or get something else?

[peytonracer4]

does someone have a complete list of everything i'd need to replace? pelican parts has a rebuild kit for like 83 bucks but it seems to have a lot more than what i've seen other people put in. i want the shifter to feel like how it did when the car had 0 miles on it.

[Marcos]

Rebuild

I just installed this kit and it feels awesome. I used every piece in it and found that in every case the parts that where in my car were in fact worn out.

Mine's an 89 is and the only issue was that there are two O-rings at the front of the shift rod that they didn't include, some cars have the little yellow bushings instead Im pretty sure.

[redhatpat]

I used the Pelican kit and it's very complete. Go through the Real OEM diagram and make sure you get everything that can possibly wear out. Do it once, do it right.