Need a fresh Getrag 240 - TRANNY WOES

[BHT2109]

Hello All,

Love my 318is, and want to keep it as stock as possible, but the transmission is showing signs of wear. For the last few months 4th gear has been rejected (grinds getting it into gear, then spits it back out), and Levent at Guten basically said it was shot. Guess that means rebuild or replace.

Know a guy who will rebuild it for around $3K, but man I just can't afford that right now.

So I have 2 basic questions for you guys at this point:

1. Anyone have experience swapping in a used tranny from a salvage yard etc? Any tips, or things I should look out for in my search? I guess I have to rely on the honesty of the salesman for info provided (mileage, overall condition), but going into this type of transaction with a little ammo would be nice.

2. Should I be worried about my clutch? It was fine when I bought it, but I've been shifting from 3rd to 5th and back for months now, and I'm worried I'm going to need a clutch replacement along with the new tranny. Assuming I'm fairly competent at rev matching, anyone think I'm still doing damage?

Added to this, the clutch slips when I stomp hard on the gas (revs jump, but no real acceleration). Is my clutch f-ed up, or is this probably just another symptom of a failing tranny overall?

Any advice is heartily appreciated...

Thanks,

Ben

[TobyB]

Used g240's are still common over here- but-

Do you have an M42? That's a 1- year only 1991 thing, AND
you can use any M20/m42/m52 etc box. You would probably want a
lower ratio diff if you swapped in a 1:1 5th box.

If you have an m10, 84-85 240's are what you want.

Your clutch is shot, sorry.

t

[BHT2109]

Crap.

Thanks for the info Toby.

Was afraid that the clutch situation might be degraded.

Let me ask you guys this: If I'm going to be switching out the tranny anyway, refurbing the clutch is definitely a "while-you're-in-there" kinda thing, right? In other words, if I manage to remove my old tranny myself, then tow the beast to my mechanic and have him install a new tranny, then having him do a clutch job shouldn't really be that big a deal since the tranny is already off from the start, correct? Basically, I'm trying to save some $$$ on shop hours involved.

Anyone think a shade tree mechanic like myself could install a new clutch/pressure plate/throwout bearing after removing the tranny? Basically, I'm a nuts and bolts DIY-er that can feel his way around replacing brakes, belts, exhaust, axle shafts, etc.

Anyone think I should be replacing the flywheel too?

Sorry for the newbie questions - I've never had experience DIY-ing a transmission situation.

Thanks!

[glnr13]

If you plan on dropping the trans yourself you might as well put it back in yourself too. By the time you have taken it down you will have understood how to put it back in.

Removing and replacing the clutch and pressure plate is easy once the trans is out, be sure you get the alignment tool that should come with the new clutch kit.

Leave the new trans in neutral so you can turn jiggle/turn the output so you get the splines to align. Don't disconnect the clutch slave lines, just disconnect the slave from the trans bellhousing. Get a second pair of hands when you're dropping the old trans out and lifting the new trans in, doable by yourself with a trans jack a little bit of a balancing act with a regular jack.

It's a big task because the components are large but it's all very straight forward and it will give you a much better idea of what needs maintenance down there. Bare in mind you'll have to take down the driveshaft and the shift mechanism so right now is a great time to put in a new giubo and shifter washers/shims. Center support bearing is also part of this tear down. You can do it! First time for all these items I'd say you can do this over a weekend if you go slowly and methodically.

Also 318is is definitely the later g240, the 84-85 trans housing will not fit.

[BHT2109]

If you plan on dropping the trans yourself you might as well put it back in yourself too. By the time you have taken it down you will have understood how to put it back in.

Removing and replacing the clutch and pressure plate is easy once the trans is out, be sure you get the alignment tool that should come with the new clutch kit.

Leave the new trans in neutral so you can turn jiggle/turn the output so you get the splines to align. Don't disconnect the clutch slave lines, just disconnect the slave from the trans bellhousing. Get a second pair of hands when you're dropping the old trans out and lifting the new trans in, doable by yourself with a trans jack a little bit of a balancing act with a regular jack.

It's a big task because the components are large but it's all very straight forward and it will give you a much better idea of what needs maintenance down there. Bare in mind you'll have to take down the driveshaft and the shift mechanism so right now is a great time to put in a new giubo and shifter washers/shims. Center support bearing is also part of this tear down. You can do it! First time for all these items I'd say you can do this over a weekend if you go slowly and methodically.

Also 318is is definitely the later g240, the 84-85 trans housing will not fit.

Oh man, THANK you for the words of encouragement! Just what I needed to hear! Everything you said still scares the hell outta me, but at least now it feels more doable.

PO recently replaced both my giubo and CSB, and Levent at Guten Parts rebuilt my shifter last year, so fortunately I’m good to go there. It’s the little things...

But aligning splines and messing with the slave lines? Man, that’s intimidating, gotta admit. Definitely going to want to have an experienced second set of hands guiding me.

So other than aligning the splines, there’s really no hardcore mechanic’s “skill” involved? It’s really only just heavy and cumbersome nuts-and-bolt work? Even the clutch replacement is just putting parts on in the correct order? I just get the sense that this kind of stuff should be left to the experts, but maybe I’m just a wimp 🤪

I guess now is when I invite all the NY/NJ E30 dorks to help out a newbie. Free meals and beer would obviously be involved! 😎

And thanks again for the advice; keep the comments coming!

[glnr13]

Aligning the splines is easier than aligning the splines on an axle in my opinion since they're bigger and there's no gunk on them. Also I wrote that wrong up there, keep the trans in gear so you can rotate the splines.

Take before pictures at every step to help you see how to put it back in if you're a little worried. A video clip helps too. It's really straight forward once you're in there.

Clutch slave line is chill, just disconnect the slave and hang it up with a zip tie out of the way. DO NOT STEP ON THE CLUTCH PEDAL while it's disconnected.

Strongly suggest a second set of hands even if they have no wrenching skills. Lots of breaks, YouTube how to's, r3v searches. Beers. Pizza. A shit load of soap. It'll be fun! Kinda sorta. you will feel so accomplished and you'll have real hands on experience with the job. It's one thing reading about these projects and seeing pics, it's another thing when you can actually do it.