DIY Short shifter (P/N's, prices, step by step)

[kowalski]

1x 25111434148 $37.45 z3 1.9 shifter

3. 1x 25111221849 $5.92 BEARING BOLT
4. 1x 25111220707 $13.73 BEARING, SHIFTING ARM
5. 1x 07129946400 $0.26 SELF-LOCKING HEX NUT
7*. 1x 25111469397 $7.60 each BEARING, SHIFT LEVER (*PN from Circle BMW. I don't know why it's different than that in realoem.com)
8. 1x 25111220912 $9.14 RUBBER BOOT
12 2x 25111220439 $1.02 each WASHER, PLASTIC 10X16X0,9/GELB 2 06/1986 09/1989
13 1x 25111220379 $0.70 CIRCLIP ZNS3
14 1x 25117503525 $15.07 GEARSHIFT ROD JOINT
15. 2x 25111221243 $1.24 each O-RING 10X2,2
16. 1x 25111220439 $0.51 SPACER RING
18. 1x 23411466134 $0.60 DOWEL PIN 1
19. 1x 25111203682 $1.50 TENSION BUSH
20. 1x 25111434194 $0.50 WASHER, PLASTIC
23. 1x 25111220837 $0.37 CABLE CLAMP 2 06/1986 09/1989

Total: $96.94



again, the instruction file is almost 600kb, how would i go about attaching this?

[Febi Guibo]

you got it man:

Bending Selector rod (http://m42club.com/writeups/shifter/UUC_Selector_Rod_Modification_Instructions.pdf)
Installing the Shifter (http://m42club.com/writeups/shifter/UUC_Shifter_Only_Install.pdf)

credit: kowalski and UUC Motorwerks (http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/)

[aglio]

installed a Z4 3.0 shifter lastnight. no bend required.

tad notchier than i was hoping for, but all in all, i love it...SSK in a 318is is a great upgrade.

[Febi Guibo]

dwayne...!! you still in the game?!!! say it's true!

[kowalski]

installed a Z4 3.0 shifter lastnight. no bend required.

tad notchier than i was hoping for, but all in all, i love it...SSK in a 318is is a great upgrade.

no bend required in the 318is 89-91. i'm not sure about other years tho so i thought i'd keep the bending instructions up there.

but yeah, the shifter is awsome, you get used to the notchyness and you don't even notice it after a while

[stevohill]

I also have the z4 3.0 in my car, picked it up for 25 bucks used on e30tech :). I didn't replace half of the parts on that list(no offense), just the shifter bearing, the washers and circlips, and it feels like a completely new car. Great upgrade for our cars and cheap too. Give it an a++ for anyone who has been contemplating it.

[asubimmer]

I have a Z4 2.5l and I love it. Same hight as a Z4 3.0l on top but shorter on the bottom = slightly less shortness and knotchyness. Once again, like others have said NO bending of the selector rod is necessary. I changed all bushings etc. when I installed the lever.

[m42 fan]

Just did this one on Sunday, went with the milder z3 1.9 shifter. Super easy install, took me <1 hour, and I didn't know what I was doing. As noted above, well worth the time and effort.

Brian

[glockstalk]

hello everyone! im noobie here and i have a stupid question. are you guys talking about putting a stock z3 shifter into our e30's or an after market short shifter for the z3?

[Febi Guibo]

stock Z3 or Z4 shifter

[glockstalk]

OK :D !! thanks, good to know. i love this forum! aftermarket short shifters for our cars are very expensive. how much will the z3/z4 shifter shorten the travel?

[asubimmer]

http://e30.electrontek.com/shift_levers/shift_levers_z-models.jpg

[glockstalk]

great! the pics really help, thanks asubimmer. im going to keep my eyes open for a z4 3.0 shifter.

[thumper3ld]

What do the numbers on the right represent in the shifter lever pic?

[romkasponka]

it works and quite cheap ;)

[M42boy]

1x 25111434148 $37.45 z3 1.9 shifter

3. 1x 25111221849 $5.92 BEARING BOLT
4. 1x 25111220707 $13.73 BEARING, SHIFTING ARM
5. 1x 07129946400 $0.26 SELF-LOCKING HEX NUT
7*. 1x 25111469397 $7.60 each BEARING, SHIFT LEVER (*PN from Circle BMW. I don't know why it's different than that in realoem.com)
8. 1x 25111220912 $9.14 RUBBER BOOT
12 2x 25111220439 $1.02 each WASHER, PLASTIC 10X16X0,9/GELB 2 06/1986 09/1989
13 1x 25111220379 $0.70 CIRCLIP ZNS3
14 1x 25117503525 $15.07 GEARSHIFT ROD JOINT
15. 2x 25111221243 $1.24 each O-RING 10X2,2
16. 1x 25111220439 $0.51 SPACER RING
18. 1x 23411466134 $0.60 DOWEL PIN 1
19. 1x 25111203682 $1.50 TENSION BUSH
20. 1x 25111434194 $0.50 WASHER, PLASTIC
23. 1x 25111220837 $0.37 CABLE CLAMP 2 06/1986 09/1989

Total: $96.94

I think your parts prices are a little out of date. Again, I think this is a repost. Did you just order these? I went to order these and my cost on the shift lever was $57 with my 15% club discount. The total of all the parts here was actually about $150.

I decided to go with a single billet unit from Autosolutions.
http://www.autosolutions.net

See pic of the shifter here:
http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=514

That one piece replaces all the pluthera of parts listed above.

[e9nine]

The list is a tad overkill but it's personal preference. I would say to at least inspect yours to see what is actually worn. I have done this 3 times (sigh) haha and I don't remember that laundry list of parts being necessary.

[enildeR]

Don't forget that there is also this shifter one can choose

http://m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122

[B2thazizza]

The z4 3.0 shifter is great with a small but weighted shift knob as what i have in my car now.

[kowalski]

The list is a tad overkill but it's personal preference. I would say to at least inspect yours to see what is actually worn. I have done this 3 times (sigh) haha and I don't remember that laundry list of parts being necessary.

its not that many parts, most of it is small plastic washers and such. as for the prices, it shouldn't be outdated, because i did wrote this about a week before i installed it all.

edit: after 16 years, most things are worn on these cars. the first time it all needs to be replaced, after that pick and choose whats worn.

[e9nine]

its not that many parts, most of it is small plastic washers and such. as for the prices, it shouldn't be outdated, because i did wrote this about a week before i installed it all.

edit: after 16 years, most things are worn on these cars. the first time it all needs to be replaced, after that pick and choose whats worn.

Not challenging you at all. I have done a thorough rebuild and a less thorough rebuild and the shifting between the cars has not been any different. Some might have been done by a PO as well hence me sometimes waiting to take stuff apart before ordering. Personal preference is where it's at :D

Pricing is hard to maintain hence the need to sometimes omit it as people call up BMA etc and filp the shiet at a price tally that's a few pennies more :rolleyes:

[kowalski]

hahaha yes, that some people do... I got a pretty decent discount for everything tho cause i had a VERY LARGE order, so that might be why my numbers are a little lower.

And your right, the only thing that effected shifting for me was the new nylon cup for the shifter. But i figure some stuff might fatigue, like a clip or something, and for the extra 5$ or so in my opinion I'll spend it.

and like e9nine says, don't get mad about inflation!

[Majikal]

hate to resurrect an old thread but better than starting a new one... what is the SHORTEST shifter available? Also, where are you guys buying these parts from, dealers? I dont have any bimmer dealers nearby.

[D. Clay]

http://bmaparts.com (http://bmaparts.com/)
Click on Specials>BMW>Short Shift Kit. $75.
You can pick any of the shifters in the picture above. The round rubber bushing is where the wear if any comes from.
As an alternative you can buy just the shifter itself and reuse all of your old parts. I would recommend buying the plastic bearing as it easy to crack it doing the remove and install on an 16-18 year old car. #7 in the drawing.
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=AF93&mospid=47305&btnr=25_0026&hg=25&fg=05

[Majikal]

thats awesome D. Clay, thanks for that link. Now which one should I go with? It seems like the z4 3.0 is the most popular, but is it the shortest or is the z4 2.5 the shortest?

[M42Technik]

thats awesome D. Clay, thanks for that link. Now which one should I go with? It seems like the z4 3.0 is the most popular, but is it the shortest or is the z4 2.5 the shortest?

Shortest isn't always the best choice if thats what you're thinking. I have the M Roadster/Coupe and it is a VERY short throw and sits very low. It is too notchy to most, but I enjoy it.

Remember, the higher the shift knob is, the less time it takes to bring your right hand down from the 2:30 position to shift.

http://www.e30m3performance.com/installs/ergonomics/my_approach2.htm

Read this, its very good.

[shellback]

thats awesome D. Clay, thanks for that link. Now which one should I go with? It seems like the z4 3.0 is the most popular, but is it the shortest or is the z4 2.5 the shortest?

i'd like to piggyback on that question:

which is the shortest and with the least "notch"?
Thanks,
Chris

[achtungE30]

To anyone who did this mod?

How and where did you jack up your car and place on jackstands to comfortably access the shifter lever and replace it?

[dude8383]

To anyone who did this mod?

How and where did you jack up your car and place on jackstands to comfortably access the shifter lever and replace it?

You can access the shifter lever from the top...theres just one clip below.

http://understeer.com/shiftlever.shtml

Take a look there!

[achtungE30]

Thanks, but even still - gotta get under the car to remove the circlip and washer, remove selector rod. I had my car on stands this saturday and crawled underneath to the bellhousing and saying to myself, "Shit, the car just isnt high enough and I still gotta crawl at least another 3 feet, to which my chest would be in contact with the bellhousing.

I guess I'll try ramps next time.

[dude8383]

Thanks, but even still - gotta get under the car to remove the circlip and washer, remove selector rod. I had my car on stands this saturday and crawled underneath to the bellhousing and saying to myself, "Shit, the car just isnt high enough and I still gotta crawl at least another 3 feet, to which my chest would be in contact with the bellhousing.

I guess I'll try ramps next time.

I can't imagine why you would be so close to the bell housing...

Why can't you slide in from the side?? Thats how I was able to reach it.

[nomad]

what's the best single or pair of bushings to replace to get the shift to be crisper? I have an E36 M3 shift rod waiting to go in to my '91 is.
I bought the odd shaped shifter bushing and the small foam pad that fits in it, as well as the plastic cup. I figure I can reuse the little yellow washers and circlips if they are in ok condition. I just want to take acare of some of the sloppiness in the shifting along with a mildly shorter throw. I could have waited for a z3 shifter rod but it probably would have cost more.

[achtungE30]

Well I finally did this mod....had to take my car the local german car mechanic because I couldnt figure out my stumbling issue - so I had him install it while he had the car on the lift... When I got the car back, the shifter now sits 1-2" forward in neutral than before and shifting 1st,3rd,5th is now pushing up against the center console. He claims that the shifter arm underneath is too short. He's also asking me to ask you guys how long is the shifter arm from lever to trans so he can adjust a "fix" to it. I'm not quite sure thats necessary as all you have done it without issue.

I questioned him to a point without insulting him but what did he do wrong so I can correct it later myself? I used the Z3 1.9 shifter from BMA.

[r0ckrat]

Spin the selector rod 180 deg (after disconnecting the pin that runs though it) and see if that solves the issue or not. I don't remember if the 1.9 shifter has a kink in it or not...

[christophbmw]

anybody running the Z3 1.9 shifter? or does anyone know the ratio of our stock shifter?

[achtungE30]

NICE!!! With a friend, I was able to "flip" mine and low and behold its sitting properly now. Shifts are crisp and short. Like brand new!

[jrobie79]

i just bought a 3.0 lever from the dealer, now will i have to bend the lever itself? cause it came as a straight lever from the factory, but the stock one i took out had a kink in it, will this screw up shifting and will i be hitting the console? or will it sit properly in the middle there.

[Asserti]

Nice write-up! I'm going to do this one too, but don't know yet wich rod I'll take.

Also pay attention to this one folks:

Remove the shift knob by pulling straight up
with a firm tug. Be careful as you can punch
yourself in the face when the knob lets go or
punch the rear view mirror since you’re
tugging at it so hard. I find that if you
position yourself so that you cover the shifter
knob like you’re covering a grenade, you’ll
pull the knob and you just hit yourself in the
stomach.

First time I pulled a knob I left the car with my nose bleeding :D

[bmwpower]

i'd like to piggyback on that question:

which is the shortest and with the least "notch"?
Thanks,
Chris

+ 2.....................

[silverblades181]

I just installed the Z4 3.0 and I love it. I had to slightly bend the selector rod since it was touching in 4th gear but I didn't change all the bushings so I assume that's the reason. I'll change them when I do my clutch.

[dude8383]

+ 2.....................

I'd say the Z3 1.9l. Its the least notchy and the throw is definitely shorter.