Shifter play after DSSR / rebuild

[hdizzle]

So I am in the middle of an auto to manual swap in my '91 325i.

I decided to use the following setup for the shifter assembly:

-Garagistic DSSR
-New shifter cup / Garagistic delrin bushings / rear carrier
-Z3 1.9 shifter
-New selector joint (p/n 25117503525)

The assembly is installed, and I can access all of the gears, but there is a ton of of lateral play in the shifter, both in neutral, and while in gear.

I had a similar DSSR setup installed in a previous e30, and that one felt tight as a drum.. so I know something is off.

What could be screwed up here?

Here are two videos of my brand new sloppy shifter:

https://youtu.be/ITRKat8KPsA

https://youtu.be/H6iHYo3429A

any input would be appreciated.

[rube207]

Did you remember the little yellow shift washers that go between the DSSR and Z3 shifter and the DSSR and input shaft (4 total)? Part number 25111220439.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...h/25111220439/

[varg]

You can replace every wear part between the transmission and the knob and you'll still have a fair amount of play unless you get lucky and find an exceptionally low mile getrag. There's shifter play inside the transmission itself.

[rturbo 930]

I'll have to check when I'm home to see just how much play there is, but that does seem a little excessive. I've gone through my shift linkage assembly pretty thoroughly, and there's still play in it. Part of it is the shifter carrier, which I reamed out to make the inner diameter more uniform, and then put custom delrin bushings in. I also have a DSSR and associated parts, and a new rear bushing (rubber, not delrin). There's only so much you can do.

[earthwormjim]

Looks like it's play inside your transmission, if it was in your linkage you would see where it was coming from when you were under the car. These old Getrag transmissions are not as tight as the nicer ZF transmissions you find on later BMWs.

It's not a whole lot more play than on my car when in gear. I have an IE SSK and UUC DSSR and new selector joint too.

[hdizzle]

Thanks for all of your input.

To provide some closure....

I ended up gently tapping the "fork" on one side of the DSSR, so as to tighten the fit on the selector joint side. This removed all play within the linkage assembly itself.

Any additional play that remains is clearly coming from the transmission, but it's really not bad at all, especially now that the rubber insulation boot and interior shift boot are on.

I am just a bit OCD about this stuff.

[nando]

Heh, i have a DSSR but my trans has like 350,000 miles on it. It's sloppy like a 50 year old hooker - just today i completely missed 2nd gear in the middle of an intersection (like it never existed). Fortunately i have a fully rebuilt one in the garage if i ever decide to finish my new engine.

And the good news is, while newer BMWs may have smoother 6 speeds - you can beat the ever living piss out of a getrag 260 and it will keep going.