Bent shift fork?? - BMW Forum

Stuka · 03-15-2004, 03:08 PM

Well ever since i got my car, it has Always grinded when I shifted into 4th. It never seemed to bother me, as if I keep the stick to the left kinda, it doesnt grind. Ive gotten good at making it not grind. But after driving my friend's 328is, I now realize something is wrong. Every gear is difficult to change into, in which I mean I need to apply significant force to put it in gear. Do I have a bent shift fork, and can i repair it by either fixing that or getting a short shifter?

CBA · 03-15-2004, 03:30 PM

if it was a bent fork odds are you wouldnt get it into a certain gear, i believe their measured for that kinda stuff to an exact spec..

maybe a syncro or somethin..

Stuka · 03-16-2004, 01:53 PM

sigh.... i was afraid of that. Knowign my luck, im sure there is no way to fix that other than by getting a whole new tranny, or ripping mine apart, which will cost an ungodly amount of money. This calls for the frustrated mechanice smiley....
:wrench

EXtech · 03-16-2004, 06:50 PM

sounds like you're STUKa then. hahaha ... that was dumb.
Anyway, you probably have a synchro or two that is worn out, nothing you can do but rebuild or replace the trans.
Check this out http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission5.htm
it might help

Stuka · 03-17-2004, 08:11 PM

Yep, thats it. Thanx for that link, I needed the pics to explain it all. Sigh.

Leicesterboy15 · 03-18-2004, 11:04 AM

What mileage is your car on?

Mine does the same thing (may be a different cause but...), I have been told it is the gearbox bushes which are very common on BMs of that era. Mine has 155k on it and the car is fine normally but sometimes when you boot it, its hard to find a gear, almost as if the gearbox has moved - well if the gearbox bushes have gone, that is exactly what happens! I think there are 2 bushes and here in the UK they are only about £5 each, can't see them being more than a couple of hours to fit.

My friend has a 90 320i on 90k and the same has happened to his, he has been told that it is either the selector bushes (this makes the stick feel loose when in gear or in neutral) or the gearbox bushes (sometimes makes it difficult to get it into gear, also the difficulty is inconsistent) both of which are not a massive task (not as big as removing the transmission).

Its worth looking into cos it will save you a fortune if it turns out to be this and not the other. I have called plenty of BMW specialists and as soon as I explain the problem, they all say its the gearbox bushes and its common on these cars.

Stuka · 03-18-2004, 02:36 PM

Ok, theres the situation... I looked thouroughly at howtsuffworks.com and it told me that synchros eliminated th need for double clutching. So as I drove, before going from 3rd to 4th I double clutched(put the stick in neutral to rev match) and viola! No grind. BUT, i alos realize that my stick is loose in gear and in neutral, remarkably similar to the car mentioned above. My car also has 127k on it. im going to take it to my shop today to get an estimate, but I would rather not be ripped off, so how much would you guys think this should cost to fix, whether it be bushings or a synchro?

Stuka · 03-19-2004, 03:02 PM

Jeez, dont all respond at once....

But anyhoo, the estimate was, brace yourself, 1600 dollars for a new tranny and installation. Hooray for BMWs. Hooray.

Mach 5 · 03-19-2004, 03:31 PM

$1600 is not really that bad. I removed the 4-speed manual tranny in my 85' Ford Bronco II myself and it was still almost $800 to rebuild. So to remove, rebuild, and reinstall I think it is not to bad. If you have the time and inclination you could remove it yourself, it will save you a little money.
Ben