E30 forums? / shifter replacement

[schuetz1619]

Off-topic, I know, but I suspect that many of you have E30s. Are there any good forums for these vehicles? I'm especially interested in the 1991 E30 318i with M42 engine. URLs appreciated.

 

While I'm here, forgive me if I ask the question I'm facing right now. My wife is losing strength and can no longer drive our 1991 318i because too much force is required to get it into reverse. I bought it used and the previous owner, a BMW mechanic, had put in a short-shift kit. 

 

I wonder if restoration of the original shift lever might do the trick. Anyone have any experience/advice in this area?  Many thanks.

[bergie33]

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WWW.M42CLUB.COM

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[PhilC]

Reverse in my car with M42 and Getrag 240 is through a gate with massive resistance. My left arm is like Arnie’s now 😂

[schuetz1619]

O.K., you,ve got me. You shift with your left arm? 

[Mike Self]

I think reverting to the OEM shift linkage on your 318i would help some.  I currently have a 91 318is with a short shift kit, and it's much stiffer than the previous 318is I owned with a stock shift linkage.  I wouldn't go through the trouble to change mine back now as it doesn't bother my shoulder...yet.  But I ain't getting any younger!  

 

Swapping back might help your wife with shifting, though.  I'm sure someone on the RV3 board has the OEM pieces, and you could sell your kit to someone there.

 

mike

[Einspritz]

Are you sure that the clutch isn't a "sport" clutch?

e.g. M3?

 

You didn't say whether it was hard to push the pedal in or just hard to get in gear.

 

Should be like budda........ Unless it's M3 gear.

[Ian]

For the shifter, I agree that reverting to stock might help decrease the effort.  You might contact Ronald at AutoSolutions.  He is a wizard at designing shift linkages and might have some ideas on how to decrease the effort going into reverse.

[John_in_VA]

3 hours ago, schuetz1619 said:

O.K., you,ve got me. You shift with your left arm? 

 

Phil is UK-based!

[Son of Marty]

A longer lever and reverting to stock may help.

[schuetz1619]

1 hour ago, Son of Marty said:

A longer lever and reverting to stock may help.

Yes, that seems to be the general consensus. This itself involves alonger lever, right? Were you thinking of something yet longer? If so, what? Thanks so much for taking the time to respond.

[schuetz1619]

4 hours ago, Einspritz said:

Are you sure that the clutch isn't a "sport" clutch?

e.g. M3?

 

You didn't say whether it was hard to push the pedal in or just hard to get in gear.

 

Should be like budda........ Unless it's M3 gear.

Thank you for thinking of this. The clutch is stock—I had it installed at the time of purchase. The knob, however is an "M" knob. Maybe that's been the problem all along.

[Einspritz]

Be happy, as the reason that they call it the M3 is that parts are three times more expensive..... just because.

[Lucky 7]

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Both of those (along with R3VLimited) were absolutely invaluable in understanding my M20 swap. The motor took so much research to do right, I now know more about the 325is than I do about the 2002.🤦‍♂️

 

edit:

 

Oh, and maybe a tall weighted shift knob would help? Condor has one, but I’m sure you can find others. I also found that new bushings and grease along the entire shift line made things notably smoother.  

Edited March 28, 2023 by Lucky 7