uh wtf transmission problem

[Car Addict]

so i don't know if you guys can help but my new 87 535is will not go into gear nor shift while the car is running. you can put it into any gear fine when the car is off. i figure you guys might be able to help since it is an m30 engine and a Getrag 260. any help?

[mattdk318i]

TO bearing?

[Car Addict]

hahaha oh ya probably should actually check the clutch considering it engages about an 1/8th of an inch off the floor.

[mattdk318i]

yea, thats your problem.... Was the fork correctly installed?

[Car Addict]

i have no idea the weird thing is it drove home fine sunday. and then just today nothing so i re-charged the battery started it and it would not go into gear. is it possible that it happened suddenly like that?

[mattdk318i]

Not really sure, Obviously its possible that something else could be wrong besides the TO bearing. But to my knowledge thats one of the only things that would cause that problem

[Car Addict]

alright will check tomorrow.

[mattdk318i]

wait, How old are your clutch hydralics? i assumed they were new since you did the M30 swap?

[abepark]

check the pedal and the spring, it would feel ok, but the spring actually flopped out of place and block some of the travel of the pedal so it wouldn't disengage the transmission when it was running

[Dominic49]

sounds like how mine acted when the clutch disk was installed backwards

[Car Addict]

mattdk, i did not do a swap this is my 535is aka comes with an m30.

Alright so i did a little more diagnosing, I can't get under the car yet due to my friend having borrowed my jack stands :(. So before i started it just now, I noticed the clutch pedal was not all the way up. So i pull it up and let it go, and it falls right to the correct spot. After doing this i started it and it works fine. I can put it in first or reverse or any other gear, and I can shift fine. The only thing is i have to do that every time i start the car. Not that big of a deal for me but i am just wondering what the hell would cause that and how could I fix it. Could it just need a bleed?

thanks again for all the replies anyone else got an idea.

[Adrian_Visser]

sounds like the slave cylinder for your clutch is gone i had the same problem in my 533i you could still just barely shift in 2nd 3rd and 4th but the pedal was buried to the floor. and first gear was not possible.