Reason why selector rod failed?

[joshhmann]

Hello! I currently own a 87 325e and I was replacing my csb/guibo the other day and while I was pulling the ebrake down to turn my driveshaft, I wiggled my shifter. It didnt feel/look like it was on neutral so I attempted to. shifter went all the way foward like in third. Tried going down and it went to fourth and once I let go the shifter sagged to the far lower right corner.... Checked underneath and saw the selector rod was broken, probably less than half an inch away from the rod joint. The snap/breakage point of the rod didnt look so clean, so I'm not even too sure how it was held up (glued jb welded idk).

I'm wondering why the rod could have failed though. When I got the car, it came with some ralco short shifter idk, but after doing some research on short shifters,(correct me if I'm wrong) depending on the shifter lever, you're suppose to bend the rod to clear the guibo. I assume this was the reason why my rod snapped?
here's a picture of it

[jlevie]

That seems to be where selector rods break. At least I've not heard of one breaking at the other end. Since the loads/forces on both ends of the rod are the same I suspect that vibration from the transmission may be causing metal fatigue.

[joshhmann]

So it's just a normal wear and tear? Not because of the shifter? I've been looking around to find a replacement and the dealership wants 140 for it!

[Exodus_2pt0]

I might have one, I'll check on Monday. If interested I'll ship you it for $25. PM me so I remember to look.

[Wanganstyle]

I have one from e30 1989 325i here if you want to revive your car; broken shifting mechanism is all no fun; pm me if you want to come pick it up. I was just in mountain view yesterday lol