Short Sifter Installation (Leaver only) - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum

Edit: updated for new details.

First DIY, let me know what you think. Which I had take more pictures

Oh well.

First, I’d just like to state that I am not responsible for any damage to you or your car as a result of this DIY.

Materials

New shift leaver (I used the leaver off a BMW M coupe s54 model).
Pliers
Flat screw drivers for prying
Grease
Brake parts cleaner

Before you begin, make sure you know what you are getting into. I’ll tell you the results of what I used. The shift effort goes way up and the action becomes notchy. Also, you are significantly reducing shifting time which means the synchros will have to take the up the speed difference faster. In short, if you shift hard a lot, you will notice faster gearbox wear. Lastly, if you shift really fast, particularly from first to second, you will start grinding gears. You could not move the old shifter fast enough to notice this. If you’re willing to make these trades to get shorter shifts, it’s worth it. I’m more than happy with the results.

NEW: I just installed Rouge's SSK with the WSR. The shifter now centers properly because the new selector rod repositions the leaver and the through is slightly longer because the shifter sits higher. The action is smooth and extreamly precise. The installation is not much more complicated than just installing a leaver.

Installation:

First you need to remove the shift boot and knob. The boot just clips into the isle-stand. Press inward around the edges to pop it loose. Next shift the car into second gear and pull up on knob to remove it (If you’ve never removed it, it will take a lot of force to get it off). The picture shows the leaver with the boot and knob removed.

Next you have to get under the car. I used a rather large hydraulic lift so I could walk under the car but this is not necessary. You can use jack stands. You’ll also want to work from driver’s right. Fortunately you do not have to remove any body work. There’s an access hole where you’ll see the shift leaver attached to selector rod. The picture below shows the rod detached from the leaver. The selector rod is sitting just above the large black cylinder. The flat metal piece holds the shifter ball and cup in place. You can see the bottom of the shift leaver just above the end of the selector rod.

To detach it, you need to remove the c-clip by sliding it straight back. You can use a flat head screw driver to pry the ends loose. Before you slide out the leaver and rod, look at the position of the washers. Then simply pull the selector rod out of the shift leaver. Save any washers and save the c-clip. Here's what the c-clip looks like.

NEW: the c-clip on the other side of the rod can also be easily removed the same way. The working space is a little tighter but it's doable. If you're just on jacks this might be really challenging.

Lower the car off the jacks; you’ll be working inside again. The shift leaver should be completely loose now. You need to remove the other boot now. I used and short, stubby, flat screwdriver to pry it loose. Then slide it up the leaver to completely remove it.

Now you should be looking at the plastic cup and ball. The sifter will only come out with the cup. To get it out you need to twist it CCW or CW until it moves up. I used a pair of pliers to twist and pull. Bear in mind, it doesn’t unscrew, you are just lining the tabs up with the track that allows you to remove the cup. The cup is made of plastic so be careful not to damage it. Once you get the cup and shift leaver out, remove the cup from the leaver and clean it with a rag.

NEW: The second time I removed it, it was a lot more stubborn. Just keep trying. If you have a replacement cup than you can break the one in there.

This picture shows both shift leavers. The one with the kink in it is the stock one. Notice how the bottom is longer and the top is shorter; this is what shortens the throw. There is a fairly large difference between these two which explains drastic difference in shifting. The other thing to notice is that kink in the stock one. That just repositions the shifter in the cabin. The new one with no kink sits further forward, to the right and lower. To adjust this you need to modify the selector rod and/or shift leaver, something I did not want to do just yet.

It’s a good idea to grease the shaft and ball of the shift leaver so you can more easily replace the lower shift boot and reduce the wear on the cup and ball. Place the new leaver in the cup and replace the cup back in the car. Also replace the lower boot.

Put the car back up on the jack stands/lift and connect the shift leaver to the selector rod. (You may want to clean the pin the goes into the shift leaver.) Place the c-clip back on the selector rod.

NEW: refer to the instructions that came with your SSK (if you got one) to see which end goes where and which washers go where. Also once you're done reattaching everything make sure nothings comes into contact with the drive shaft.

Lower the car and replace the upper boot and knob. Make sure you secure the knob on tightly. Drive the car around OUTSIDE OF TRAFFIC first so can get used to the new feel and make sure everything is working properly.

Here's the result: 3rd, N, 4th.

As you can see much shorter that stock. However, the leaver does not center properly anymore. I'll post another DIY when I fix this problem.

Hope you guys find this useful. This took my friend and me about 1 hr to install. It's pretty straight forward.

-Marcelo

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