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BMW E30 M3 Shifter Vibration
If
you own an E30 M3, you already know what a unique car you have.
However, ownership does have it's price.
One
common issue with E30 M3s is the shifting action and its degradation
over time. Some have it worse than others. Common issues
include:
- Buzzing and
vibrating shifter at 4000rpm.
- Shifter rattle
at specific speeds.
- Shifter
"wagging" at specific rpms and speeds.
- Notchy
shifting.
Some
obvious sources of the vibration is caused by:
- Broken shift
knob attachment or not securely engaged.
- Loose or
broken exhaust bracket to bell housing.
- Worn or broken
transmission mounts.
- Worn or
missing spacer ring (foam piece within gear selector rod joint)
 The
spacer ring (which is actually a small piece of black foam) is the trick
to taking out the buzz. Normally, it deteriorates over time as
it's a small foam piece about the size of a sugar cube. It sits
inside of the gear selector rod joint and will, over time, compress and
fall apart. After a few years, your shifting gets buzzy since it's
not doing the job any longer.
Replacing the
Gear Selector Rod Joint and associated parts with a genuine BMW part
will take a lot of the "play" and vibration out of the
assembly, if you do a short shifter or not. The recommended parts
to replace include:
These
parts should be purchase from a BMW dealer.
UUC Motorwerks does NOT offer these parts for sale. |
| Item |
Qty |
Part
Number |
Retail
Price |
| Gear Selector Rod
Joint |
1 |
#25 11 1 220 198 |
$11.00 |
| Dowel Pin |
1 |
#23 41 1 466 134 |
$0.51 |
| Tension Bushing |
1 |
#25 11 1 203 682 |
$1.50 |
| Spacer Ring |
1 |
#25 11 2 226 585 |
$0.51 |
 Installation
of the parts requires removal of the exhaust and driveshaft, so
use the appropriate equipment or have a professional mechanic perform
the work. While the entire assembly is apart, replacing the
bushing bearing (# 25 11 1 220 832), UUC Motorwerks sells Delrin
Bushings to replace this wimpy rubber piece to take out the slop in the
carrier during the shifts.
Replacing
the transmission fluid with a synthetic such as Redline MTL is a common
upgrade as it's friendly at the track and makes things easier when the
weather is cold. Purchase 2 quarts as your tranny takes less
slightly than that. Upgrading the stock transmission mounts is a
smart idea. Details on how to do that can be found by clicking
here.
Overall, it's
a lot of work, but when done, it's worth the effort. Good luck.
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