Oh snap! Changed gear knob.. now there is massive play...

E

emmet

Member
I have done this on numerous BMWs before and yes, sometimes the knob really is stuck there.... but finally it popped! Connected and assembled the new ZHP illuminated one... and as you know, one has to give it a steady whack to put in place.. and "snap" - the linkage (or shifter pole) is now very loose, I can move it up and down... my God it used to be so firm before.

Filmed it and here it is. The "knocking" at the end of the film, can be heard from outside the car, its a "metallic" sound. When driving, if I push the shifter down, there is a scraping sound and I feel a "scraping sensation" thru the knob.

[youtube]Ex4rQkoN6Uw[/youtube]

Question is... I looked at realoem.com... there are a few things in the linkage.. how does it look under the car? I havent lifted it yet. Anyone else experienced this? What could have happened?
 
Ouch. I just pushed it on, I didn't 'whack it'. I think you can probably remove the entire gaitor to try to get a view easier than getting in from underneath.
 
I removed the gaitor (in order to install the illumination harness) and the only thing that can be seen in the car, is the rubber seal between the inside and the outside of the car. There is definitely something snapped in the linkage under the car. Question is.. what can have snapped to make the shifter move like this?

153.png
 
Only part I can see that could have failed is number 7 which locates around the bottom of part 6 (gear lever) around the ball at the bottom.
 
srhutch said:
Only part I can see that could have failed is number 7 which locates around the bottom of part 6 (gear lever) around the ball at the bottom.
Click to expand...
What about the thin end of the shifting arm #1 where it locates into bearing #5 - I thought that the bearing was to keep the shifting arm in the horizontal plane?
 
PerryGunn said:
srhutch said:
Only part I can see that could have failed is number 7 which locates around the bottom of part 6 (gear lever) around the ball at the bottom.
Click to expand...
What about the thin end of the shifting arm #1 where it locates into bearing #5 - I thought that the bearing was to keep the shifting arm in the horizontal plane?
Click to expand...

it would be better if you could see how that assemblies fits into the car but i agree. i assume No1 is rigidly fixed at 2 and 4 and pivots around 2 and 4. if 5 is also fixed to the car then i would guess that the pointy bit of 1 is flexible and this is what you have snapped.

did you actually hear a crack?
 
Sounds like you've wrecked one if the bushes. Needs stripping out to see which, reassemble temporarily, then part ordering and refitting.
 
Just removed the rubber part 8, and now the arm (1) is hanging in mid air (actually its resting directly on the drive shaft) only held by the front parts (2,3,4). I can hold/lift the gear lever up and still shift, driving it to the garage to have it fixed today. Don't have a place to tear exhaust and drive shafts.

It seems its part 5 that has come loose because when I try to feel with my fingers I cant feel it at all. Maype, as someone said, the shifting arm actually is cracked but impossible to see.
Did so many knob swaps before, never would I think the linkage is so fragile. :headbang: Just hope I can swap knob afterwards again. I like to try different ones, always did.

Treating the Z with a set of Eibach springs as well, at least the damage (money wise) wont feel as horrible when getting an upgrade done at the same time.
 
:o :o

Is that only accessible from under the car?

From what i recall installing a short shifter into out car has to be done from underneath.
 
Part II

[youtube]Pt_Dsu_6kV0[/youtube]

The part 5 in the diagram above is gone... I can feel the holder for it but the "bearing" is gone.
Most stupid design I ever saw, a steady whack and it pops off. :thumbsdown: The amount of time to put it back is pretty massive.

The metallic sound when "dropping it" is when its actually touching the drive shaft. Had to hold the gear stick up constantly while I drove it to the shop yesterday. If it for some reason would tangle up with the drive shaft the damage could be tremendous, with a little bad luck the joint on the gearbox itself can be destroyed. That would NOT be cheap.
 
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