reverse hitting console after new bushings

[iwantspeed]

hymm
I have the late model aluminum shift console
z3 1.9 lever
new motor mounts
new trans mounts
i also replaced all bushings with new ones except the rear most.
hits the center console in reverse

I did replace the joint up front.
everything was replaced except the rear joint like I mentioned earlier.

[lennon]

my shifter is vibrating all of the time with OEM parts. id imagine stiff bushings all over would add to that. which bushings are you referring to replacing with stiffer?

[e34john]

Will those aftermarket stiffer bushings make the shifter vibrate more? Don't care if it is a little buzzy while shifting but I don't want the whole thing shaking.

[lennon]

that is what i am using with my shifter. very hard shifts all the time, etc, etc. it should have little grooves for it to kind of pop into the shift carrier and pop into its little mount point. its metal inside and they do eventually(200k miles maybe? maybe never) wear out and possibly bend/break. you could easily make/rig up a solid mount for back there but i see no need. that piece is fine for its purpose. it doesnt get much abuse.

[Raxe]

Mine doesn't even come close to the center console in reverse. 1.9L Z3 shifter with rebuilt bushings.

[tjmonsen5]

Is there an alternative to the rear mount of the sheet metal console? My rebuilt kit from pelican came with a stupid rubber bushing, it just kinda slides into place. Its very wobbly, i dont think that it does anything at all. Is this the same kind everyone else has? Or is there an aftermarket upgrade?

[lennon]

OP if your car is the old style "sheet metal" shift carrier, check to be sure its tightly secured to the trans and its rear mount point. ive had e30s where the front allen bolts came loose and/or the rear mount point/bushing was totally destroyed. that will cause the exact problems you describe with the shifter moving so much and hitting the console.

either of the shift setups (early or late) when properly installed with good condition OEM parts, will not have that kind of play. i dont know why people consider the early style inferior. the only reason i would choose the late style if presented with both options, is because its the same style as the newer bmws, so swapping in different shifters is a bit simpler.

edit- also for what its worth, ive put plenty of different shifters in different e30s any never had and real problems with them being centered. i have a z4 3.0 shift lever in a sheet metal console car right now and it is perfectly centered. also +1 on what jean said if hes talking about what i think he is. try to put something (maybe another ball cup) under the ball cup to shim the shift lever fulcrum upward. this counteracts the problem you get with the selector rod not sitting horizontal anymore, because of the bottom half of the lever being longer than stock. shifting suffers when the selector rod isnt on a level plane from the tranny to the lever.

[Jean]

Sure it has more attachment points. But those points are MUCH less rigid than the aluminum style. You can wiggle the sheet metal console around even with new bushings.

The Delrin bushings on the aluminum arm allow for virtually no wiggle room. This might not be true with an OEM bushing.

Either way, I prefer the aluminum style much more.

What I did is replaced the rear mount with the solid mount/bolt and it was VERY SOLID. The rear mount on the aluminum style has a LOT of play.

[tjmonsen5]

I have to disagree with you on that one, you must have done something wrong there. If you replace the spring / metal cup with two plastic cups after sanding one down a bit, the metal console has LESS shifter play than the aluminum one. The metal console has 3 points of attachment vs. the 2 of the aluminum one.

Sure it has more attachment points. But those points are MUCH less rigid than the aluminum style. You can wiggle the sheet metal console around even with new bushings.

The Delrin bushings on the aluminum arm allow for virtually no wiggle room. This might not be true with an OEM bushing.

Either way, I prefer the aluminum style much more.

[Freshjive]

I had this problem as well. I changed ALL bushings(pelican parts rebuild kit) and installed a 1.9 shorter shifter
I finally got pissed and bent the selector rod in a torsional rotation. It fixed the problem.
I can get pics of your not sure what I mean.
It didn't require any tools either. I just gripped the rod in a vise and using a large pipe on the shifter side of the selector rod I rotated in a clockwise manner.

[DJB]

Is the shifter firm when in gear, or still sloppy?

Did you replace the joint? That's typically the source of side-to-side play.

[Jean]

I rebuilt my 87 325is with a Z3 1.9 shifter and all new bushings, as well as Delrin bushings for the shift arm carrier (the one on top of the trans). My shifter does not hit the center console.

I rebuilt my buddies 85 eta, Z3 1.9, with the sheet metal console, and all new bushings, and it hits the console. I blame it on the stupid design of the sheet metal bushings. Those things allow way too much play. I think it would be best without a bushing at all, just bolted right to the trans.

I have to disagree with you on that one, you must have done something wrong there. If you replace the spring / metal cup with two plastic cups after sanding one down a bit, the metal console has LESS shifter play than the aluminum one. The metal console has 3 points of attachment vs. the 2 of the aluminum one.

[quickervicar]

After doing some research, I bent my Z3 3.0 rod in a press before installation. I probably added 15 degrees to it (looked like a lot). It is perfectly centered in the console now with plenty of room in all gears.

[tjmonsen5]

I rebuilt my 87 325is with a Z3 1.9 shifter and all new bushings, as well as Delrin bushings for the shift arm carrier (the one on top of the trans). My shifter does not hit the center console.

I rebuilt my buddies 85 eta, Z3 1.9, with the sheet metal console, and all new bushings, and it hits the console. I blame it on the stupid design of the sheet metal bushings. Those things allow way too much play. I think it would be best without a bushing at all, just bolted right to the trans.

Oh yea, forgot to mention that both of our cars recieved new trans mounts and guibos during the process.

[StereoInstaller1]

check your motor and tranny mounts