[Souvent]

K, so perhaps it's just me. But when I shift from 1-2, and 3-4, the shifter is not "silky smooth". Like, I pull from 1-2, and i feel i'm hitting things on the side as i'm going into 2. Perhaps it's just a nice stilff sporty shifter. But my frenids '04 Corvette feels better than this. Clutch on the Corvette engages better also. I took it to the dealership, and they didn't find anything wrong, i want to go back and ride with them though. I was too busy during the day to do that. Anyway, anyone else's manual feel like this? Other than this, i LOVE my 330i....drooling towards the ZHP. But hey, a couple mods, and i'll have a ZHP..sort of. . Thanks.

P.S. Sorry, it's 1-2, and 2-3 shifts.

 

[cgrizzly888]

You can try changing your tranny fluid to redline d4atf.

 

[Dalton]

K, so perhaps it's just me. But when I shift from 1-2, and 3-4, the shifter is not "silky smooth". Like, I pull from 1-2, and i feel i'm hitting things on the side as i'm going into 2. Perhaps it's just a nice stilff sporty shifter. But my frenids '04 Corvette feels better than this. Clutch on the Corvette engages better also. I took it to the dealership, and they didn't find anything wrong, i want to go back and ride with them though. I was too busy during the day to do that. Anyway, anyone else's manual feel like this? Other than this, i LOVE my 330i....drooling towards the ZHP. But hey, a couple mods, and i'll have a ZHP..sort of. . Thanks.

mine does that as well. Like you go into 2nd and it feels like you hit and moved something and you can hear a "cer-clunk". I think its a fairly common aspect of the manual tranny.

 

[Souvent]

Not Alone

mine does that as well. Like you go into 2nd and it feels like you hit and moved something and you can hear a "cer-clunk". I think its a fairly common aspect of the manual tranny.

Yeah, I'm almost glad to hear that, in a strange way. I know EXACTLY that "cer-clunk" sound you're talking about. At least i know I'm not alone, cause i thought i've been ruining my tranny, and i was just waiting to hear that i need new synchors or something. Perhaps i'll try changing the tranny fluid.

 

[bradleyg]

Mine does it too...mostly from 2-3...i think it's the shifter...like a worn bushing. Changing the oil (it's lifetime oil) will not help out with worn parts. The factory oil is good enough. I'm waiting to take it into the dealer when i get time.



__________________

 

[Souvent]

Mine does it too...mostly from 2-3...i think it's the shifter...like a worn bushing. Changing the oil (it's lifetime oil) will not help out with worn parts. The factory oil is good enough. I'm waiting to take it into the dealer when i get time.

See, that's what I thoguht at first. Would getting a short-shifter help? I don't know why the dealership didn't notice it though when i took it in, they just told me everything was fine.
Ok, wait, stop and think......."the dealer said".....yeah, i'll got back and ride with them, and explain to them if that's normal. If they say it is, i'll ask to test-drive a new 330i, and see if it does the same thing.

 

[bradleyg]

See, that's what I thoguht at first. Would getting a short-shifter help? I don't know why the dealership didn't notice it though when i took it in, they just told me everything was fine.
Ok, wait, stop and think......."the dealer said".....yeah, i'll got back and ride with them, and explain to them if that's normal. If they say it is, i'll ask to test-drive a new 330i, and see if it does the same thing.

I'm pretty sure it's a worn palstic bushing. Replacing the bushing or installing a new shifter should solve the problem. Messing around with oil won't. I'm thinking of the uuc ssk and not screwing around with the dealer trying to fix it.


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[Slee421]

my z3 has the same problems, going from 1-2 i feel like i have to stop for a second, then the rest of the way up is smooth sailings.

 

[Rob Levinson * UUC Motorwerks]

Changing to Redline D4 Synthetic ATF may help, depending on what it is you are actually feeling. Considering that it is not very expensive (roughly $10/quart and you only need 2 quarts), it's worth a try. BMW's "lifetime" fluid is really a bit of marketing to lower the estimated maintenance costs in the consumer magazines - don't be fooled by that, normal maintenance involves regular fluid changes in every lubricated system in the car.

The shifter does not have any replaceable bushings. You have to replace the entire thing.

In the normal operation of a BMW manual transmission, you shuold feel like you are "pushing through" something as you engage each gear. In general, that is normal... but diagnosing if yours has an abnormal feeling is a different question, try another same-model BMW to see if there is a big difference (small differences are normal).

- Rob Levinson

 

[mystique333]

I took my car to the dealer today regarding that problem (plus a poping noise i hear from the back when i turn). I told them about the noise i hear when i shift from 1-2 and 2-3, it's like a loud thump coming from the back of the car. I also told them that i noticed that sometimes i have a problem shifting in the 1 and 3 gear. Also sometimes no matter how gentle i am with releasing the clutch, it always engages rough, and again i get the loud thump from the back. They took the car for a test drive and confirmed that there is a slight problem. They said that there is a small play in the diferential, but at 74000 KM (not miles, catr still under warranty) BMW will not replace it bnecause they think it's normal for that mileage. Second they told me that i do have a clutch problem, cluthc is not worn but it apears sticky and might not engage 100 evenly, most likely it has dirt buildup inside. The problem is now that if they take it apart and the pressureplate is worn BMW will not cover the repair, but the pressure plate is OK they will. Dealer can not tell me that upfront, so i'm kinda stuck here. They also said that i can not expect to have a smooth and quiet shifter like most other euros do (audi, VW) due to the fact that it's a rear wheel drive and it will always be louder than a shifter on a front wheel drive. So i do not know if they are pulling my leg and judt trying to rip me off and charge me for a repair even the car is under warranty. Maybe i do as advised and take a brand new one for a testdrive and see how shifting works. After all, a car under warranty should still perform as a new one.

 

[Souvent]

I took my car to the dealer today regarding that problem (plus a poping noise i hear from the back when i turn). I told them about the noise i hear when i shift from 1-2 and 2-3, it's like a loud thump coming from the back of the car. I also told them that i noticed that sometimes i have a problem shifting in the 1 and 3 gear. Also sometimes no matter how gentle i am with releasing the clutch, it always engages rough, and again i get the loud thump from the back. They took the car for a test drive and confirmed that there is a slight problem. They said that there is a small play in the diferential, but at 74000 KM (not miles, catr still under warranty) BMW will not replace it bnecause they think it's normal for that mileage. Second they told me that i do have a clutch problem, cluthc is not worn but it apears sticky and might not engage 100 evenly, most likely it has dirt buildup inside. The problem is now that if they take it apart and the pressureplate is worn BMW will not cover the repair, but the pressure plate is OK they will. Dealer can not tell me that upfront, so i'm kinda stuck here. They also said that i can not expect to have a smooth and quiet shifter like most other euros do (audi, VW) due to the fact that it's a rear wheel drive and it will always be louder than a shifter on a front wheel drive. So i do not know if they are pulling my leg and judt trying to rip me off and charge me for a repair even the car is under warranty. Maybe i do as advised and take a brand new one for a testdrive and see how shifting works. After all, a car under warranty should still perform as a new one.

Mystic,

Yeah, I'm going to try and drive another 330i later this week just to feel, and see if this is "normal".
After reading the post from UUC, i'm thinking:
1. Have them replace the shifter
2. Place a UUC in and screw BMW
3. Try the fluid

But, I'm close to warranty, so I'm thinkin I may just have them replace the shifter.

 

[Rob Levinson * UUC Motorwerks]

Clarification, please - did they say they would not warranty it if the pressure plate is worn or if the clutch disk is worn?

The pressure plate itself does not really wear out... even if driven abusively, the clutch disk is what gets worn or damaged.

With the E46, the problem with the pressure plate is the SAC (Self-Adjusting Clutch) mechanism. I've posted about this before:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=1662829#post1662829

"The problem with the clutches in the E46 (and E39) is the SAC - Self Adjusting Clutch. This new mechanism built into the clutch pressure plate is supposed to keep your clutch pedal engagement point the same as the clutch wears... but in all reality, it's a case of engineers with too much free time. They have added a layer of complexity and feedback isolation, filling a need that didn't need filling - like anyone ever notices that their clutch engagement point as moved 1/2" over 50K miles?

The SAC mechanism itself causes problems; it over- or under-adjusts the pressure plate and therefore causes the clutch to slip or burn out prematurely. They are also known to shift, causing the pressure plate release fingers to slip off the plate, keeping 1/3 of the pressure plate engaged at all times. Bottom line is that the only fix is a complete clutch job, and your dealer is likely to claim "driver abuse". We've seen it happen too many times."

So E46 pressure plates can have problems unrelated to how they were used. A shuddering or other oddball engagment feel is generally an indicator that the pressure plate itself is having SAC problems.

- Rob

 

[325ci2B]

Sounds like standard bmw shifter complaints, not sure the dealer is going to help much unfortunately. I'm getting a rogue ssk installed tomorrow, hopefully that will help a bit...

 

[CC Nomada]

My shifter does the same thing. From 1st to 2nd sometimes it doesn't seem very smooth and some times it even feels like it goes into 2nd gear but its not and I have to apply a little more preasure and it will fully engage. My clutch also seems to be a lil outta wack. Sometimes it will engage super smooth and other times doesn't matter what I do it just doesn't engage nice and smooth at all. But usually after I drive my car nice and hard it shifts pretty nicely and the clutch will also engage smoother.

Edit: I just had my Inspection II ~5,000miles ago and I was told that they replaced the tranny and diff fluid.

 

[mystique333]

Mystic,

Yeah, I'm going to try and drive another 330i later this week just to feel, and see if this is "normal".
After reading the post from UUC, i'm thinking:
1. Have them replace the shifter
2. Place a UUC in and screw BMW
3. Try the fluid

But, I'm close to warranty, so I'm thinkin I may just have them replace the shifter.

How do you get your dealer to just replace things? Here in Canada is very hard to make them do a repair if they are not 100% sure what's defective. They told me that if they replace a part that is not defective BMW will not reimburse them for their work. The dealer i take my car in now (BMW of Mississauga) is a bit better in service, but the previus one (Budd's BMW Oakville) is just awful.

 

[Rob Levinson * UUC Motorwerks]

This should be common knowledge already, but any replacement shifter with a plastic pivot bushing and cast-rubber center section will inherit the problems of the identical-design BMW shifter. A new shifter may feel great at first, but the degradation happens just as fast (or faster) as the OE shifter parts. That's simply common sense backed up by lots of empirical evidence:

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/shifter_comparisons/no_plastic/index.htm

- Rob

 

[mystique333]

Clarification, please - did they say they would not warranty it if the pressure plate is worn or if the clutch disk is worn?

The pressure plate itself does not really wear out... even if driven abusively, the clutch disk is what gets worn or damaged.

That's what i meant Clutch Disk, not pressure plate. They said they will not warranty a clutch if the Disk has substantial wear on it. Sorry about the mistake.

 

[mystique333]

Hi Rob,

Can the thumping noise while changing gears also be caused by play in the diferential and/or driveshaft?

Thanks and sorry if i ask stupid questions.

 

[Rob Levinson * UUC Motorwerks]

Hi Rob,

Can the thumping noise while changing gears also be caused by play in the diferential and/or driveshaft?

Thanks and sorry if i ask stupid questions.

Definitely. Your clutch is actually never fully disengaged, so when you change gears you are loading the drivetrain slightly, and looseness anywhere in the driveshaft universal joint or center support, or the the diff itself, will cause a sound. It's often "normal wear" but E46s are not generally known for making enough noise in these areas to bother the driver. You are correct in having the dealer check it out.

- Rob

 

[mystique333]

Definitely. Your clutch is actually never fully disengaged, so when you change gears you are loading the drivetrain slightly, and looseness anywhere in the driveshaft universal joint or center support, or the the diff itself, will cause a sound. It's often "normal wear" but E46s are not generally known for making enough noise in these areas to bother the driver. You are correct in having the dealer check it out.

- Rob

Thank you Rob, i'm not really mechanically inclined but i think i have a good ear. To me the sound apears to be comming straight from the diferential area. Also d I did another test with the car off, i push the clutch and shift i get the loud thump from the back, now if i do not relesae the clutch i can shift back and forth and its smooth. Now if i relesae the clutch and push it again i'll hear the loud thump again from the back no matter what gear i shift to, but only on the first shift.