[RichardG]

Hey I have been doing some small work on my 325is I bought not to long ago and the shifter just wobbles all over the place. I know there should be a little play but this is excessive. There is this rubber thingy under the shift boot but I decided not to mess with until I had an idea what may be wrong. So what can I do or need to replace to make my shifter not wobble like the day it was new??

 

[323ci Fanatic]

yes id also like to know about this, and in my car, in first gear, when u fully slam the throttle the gear stick goes crazy

 

[BMW_SSG]

When I replaced my shifter with an off brand from eBay it did the same thing. I think the ball and socket where the shifter accually sits in was not correct. I then bought a UUC ssk and WOW what a diff: tight, minimal movement inbetween gears. I love it. So maybe your car is telling you that it needs a ssk? best of luck though.

 

[Arsevader]

yes id also like to know about this, and in my car, in first gear, when u fully slam the throttle the gear stick goes crazy

This is probably transmission mounts. When you apply torque to the gearbox, it twists, the worn mounts let it move.

 

[[email protected]]

In some transmissions, the shift detant mechanism becomes clogged with dirt over time, preventing the springs from properly centering the shifter. The fix for this is to have it cleaned/repaired, but it involves dropping the transmission down.

Replacing shifter components with aftermarket parts like UUC's DSSR will tighten up actual shifting, but if there is no spring centering, it is probably the detant problem. You may hear it referred to as "Fifth Gear Flop". My car has it as well.

Ken

 

[RichardG]

Thanks

 

[aaronu]

+1 on transmission mounts. Aftermarket ones aren't expensive.

Also... Gear Selector Rod Joint Bushing (I think that's the name)... It's a foam pad inside the ankle joint in the shift linkage. The pad lasts maybe 50k miles then it gets crushed. Then you'll have play in the system. It should be replaced during SSK install and will tighten up the system. It's worth the extra $6 or so...