M3 shifter in 318Ti

[brucelee]

BTW-I can't say enough about how well my new shifter works in the Ti.

Cheap too!

Go for it.

[ClubSport]

I put in a shift lever from a 95 m3 and it feels great. Aftermarket SSKs are a huge waste of money.

[grail]

was is direct bolt on or do you need to bend the lever?will doing this soon.i was planning to put 1.9 z3 lever originally but if this fits and there's no problem aftrewards then i would definitely do this.

[ClubSport]

It's a direct fit. No other parts need be changed. I'd go with the M3 lever over the Z3 lever just because the shift is shorter. I'm already starting to get used to mine and wish it was a little shorter. A lever from an M roadster or M coupe would give way shorter shifts, but would have to be bent.

[brucelee]

Club is right. Direct bolt in, no fuss not muss. Great shifting this new shorty.

[grail]

not on my ti.the selector rod was rubbing on the propshaft cover and produced a lot of spark when i drove it.

[brucelee]

Bad install?

[ClubSport]

Some people say that with the M44 you need to bend the selector rod to clear the driveshaft. It has a different driveshaft than my M42.

[RAJ]

i have a b&m right now-- is stinks-- sloppy. notchy going in gear is fine... but the lever still wobbles like 3" left to right. its like a knife in butter..with chunks. its just bad. Heard others say it is fine...but to me, coming from amrican muscle cars, its a gross short shifter. I dont believe in paying $300 for one though- benn kinda playing with making a new rod and lever- dome it before on other cars and it worked out. just haven't spent much time on this one. really dislike all the rubber bushing junk- how about some bronze bushings eh?

[gooten1]

Originally Posted by ClubSport

Some people say that with the M44 you need to bend the selector rod to clear the driveshaft. It has a different driveshaft than my M42.

So the m3 lever would have to be bent in the m44? Anyone else verify this?

[ClubSport]

You can look under your car to see if it needs to be done. The selector rod goes right above your driveshaft, from the shift lever forward to the tranny. If there is a disk or flange on the driveshaft right below the rod, that would be in the way if the bottom of the lever were longer, that's where the rod will rub.

[L84THSKY]

I installed an M-coupe lever last night. The removal was easy and the install was easy. But the selector rod was definitely touching the propshaft cover. There is no way to improperly install this, it's a no brainer. I used a lift at my brother's house, so I had plenty of time to see what was going on, without straining to get under the car. The question is, did it really matter, if I drove the car. I didn't lower the lift and drive it, so I don't know. We ended up removing the selector rod, heating it up, and bending it. Not sure if we bent it the correct way, but it did clear the propshaft cover when done. The problem is, I didn't try shifting through the gears to see how close the selector rod came to the propshaft in all 5 gears and reverse. We lowered the car, and I took it for a ride when done. The short shift is amazing, and feels very solid. Only problem is when I shift into 2nd gear, I hear a scraping sound. Only when entering second, not while driving in second. All other gears feel and sound fine.

We may have bent the selector rod like a pretzel heating and bending it many times. The position of the lever in neutral is up and to the right of the midpoint. When the car is in 2nd gear, it sits dead center of the console. Bottom line is, expect to bend the selector rod when fitting. I think I will go buy another new selector rod, and try to bend it just right. Removing the selector rod is very easy, and I do not have to mess with the shift lever to swap it out. I remember seeing a picture of how to bend the lever in a vise. My brother's vice was too small, so I couldn't do it.

The throw on the lever now is probably half of what it was, and really feels good. I just want to get the selector lever clear of the prop shaft and adjust the neutral position of the lever. It felt like the odd gears 1-3-5 had more motion than the even gears 2-4. The even gears sat about halfway between the front and rear of the console. So in effect, I am moved to the front half of the console for all gears.

I will send pics when I redo the arm. BTW, the plastic clip that holds the ball of the lever is a pain to remove. It holds the ball in, so you must either pop the clip out with the ball, or try to remove the lever with the clip still in the recepticle. My brother got under the car and used a drill to drill out the white plastic clip, then we just yanked it out. Putting it in was very easy.

Originally Posted by grail

not on my ti.the selector rod was rubbing on the propshaft cover and produced a lot of spark when i drove it.

[L84THSKY]

read my previous post about my install this weekend. I just ordered another selector rod, and will put that one in this weekend. I will install it with no bending, and then drive it to see if it works fine, I doubt it will. Then I will put the car back on the lift and see if any damage occured to the rod during driving. If so, I will attempt to bend the rod again, and get it right. The M-coupe shifter has a straight neck to it, unlike the standard and Z3 shifter. This angles the selector rod lower than that of the other two shifters.

I'm not sure if you have this propshaft cover on your car, what year is yours?

Originally Posted by brucelee

Bad install?

[Freedy]

so since all the trannys have the same housing from m42 to m44, the only difference would be the prop shaft, correct? is it just bigger in diameter from 95 on...?

EDIT: if the prop shafts are the same and the only difference is that the 95+ had a cover...it seems the best solution would be to bend or remove the cover rather than bend the selector rod...what you guys think?

[L84THSKY]

I have been calling it a propshaft cover, since someone else did. But this outer ring is about one inch wide and very sturdy. I don't think you can cut it at all.

I hate to say this, but it seems the safest bet is to just install the Z3 shifter and forget about it. If I can't get a happy medium with the M-coupe shifter, I will just put in the Z3 shifter.

Here is a picture comparing the three. Left is M-coupe, then Z3, then standard

Originally Posted by Freedy

so since all the trannys have the same housing from m42 to m44, the only difference would be the prop shaft, correct? is it just bigger in diameter from 95 on...?

EDIT: if the prop shafts are the same and the only difference is that the 95+ had a cover...it seems the best solution would be to bend or remove the cover rather than bend the selector rod...what you guys think?

http://www.geocities.com/l84thsky/lever18.jpg