engine and drivetrain What kind of tranny is this?

[Guest]

I got this 5-speed transmission (see photo below) in a bunch of spare parts. Can anyone tell me what kind it is and if it will work as a 5-speed conversion into my '72 tii?

Thanks,

John

[wagnerf15]

looks like a 4 speed.....

[thehackmechanic]

The most common 5-speed conversion for a 2002 is a Getrag 245 overdrive unit from a late model 320i. These have a three-piece case -- the big front part, the rear end-cover, and a 3.5" spacer piece in the middle. The trani you show has a two-piece case, making it look like a four-speed. However, the clutch slave cylinder is bolted right to the side of the case (unlike the stock 2002 4-speed where the clutch slave is held to the edge of the bellhousing). So it is possible that this is a two-piece Getrag 240 5-speed out of a later car. My understanding is that some small number of these were in late ('83) 320is, and that they also were used in E30 318is. The "can it be made to work or can't it" issue is whether it has a mechanical or electronic speedometer drive. If does not have a hole at the back in the bottom left side to receive the speedo cable, then I don't believe you can use it.

See this thread:

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,0/page,viewtopic/topic_view,threads/p,383116/t,284775/

[Guest]

It does have a metallic (not electrical) cable coming out of the lower left side at the rear end of the transmission. It could very well be an E30 transmission. Unfortunately, there are no markings on it, such as "Getrag". There is a number at the top of the bell housing "01401ME".

[BLUNT]

that looks like a 2 pc 320i od box (1983)

the down side is they are a 1 year only box so if it goes bad you need to find another or change your driveshaft ,platform etc again

[tomorrowcalling]

It looks alot like a 242 4 speed that I have from a E12 520.

[thehackmechanic]

You can probably find the number cast in the end cover of the trani. The Getrag 245s I've had have had the number vertically on the left side of the end cover, near where the speedometer drive. There is also a number inside the bell housing, but the numbers may not match. All of the 245s I've had say 242 inside the bell housing, presumably because the cases get used for multiple applications.

To verify that it is indeed a 5-speed, put a phillips screwdriver into the pin hole in the shift rod so you have some leverage, and go through the shift pattern -- hard left and back (yes, back, since you don't have a shift lever on it) for reverse, then 1 through 4 in the traditional H, and hard right and back for 5th -- and turn the input shaft and watch what the output flange does.

My understanding is that, if it is a Getrag 240 -- a short-cased 5-speed from a 1983 320i -- it should work, but you'll be on your own in terms of sourcing a shortened driveshaft and a shortened shifter and shift platform, since all the commercial-off-the-stuff out there for a 5-speed conversion is for the Getrag 245 with the three-piece case. This is what the previous poster was referring to -- that you'd be putting a lot of time and money to do a one-off installation. In addition, my understanding is that the 240 is a less robust trani than a 245.

[Lee]

Pictured tranny is obviously a 4 speed. And not from a 2002 but from an e21 like can be deducted by the "modern" clutch slave cylinder.

[Martin]

I've also got a 2-piece OD tranny that I plan to install in my tii--it came with a collection of parts when I bought the car. It should work fine, but I'm not put off by the custom fabrication work.

Here the 4-speed and 5-speed gearboxes are side-by-side to figure out how far back to move the mounts.

In the process of relocating the mounts.

[lynxrat]

Martin, good to see you back at it....we all need an update fix.

Kevin