[wren57]

I have this OEM shift knob:




Replaced the regular OEM knob. The one I have now is a press-on knob, but it keeps sliding up and off, comes off way too easily to comfortably drive around. Has anyone else dealt with this? Any suggestions? It looks like the rubber on the shifting stem itself is worn and degraded. I tried adding some electrical tape for thickness but it didn't seem to help much and when it gets hot it's even worse.

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Did you hit it on real good? I took my first and hit the top real hard and it finally snapped into place. The shift knob retention design on these cars sucks so hard. All they had to do was make it threaded...

[wren57]

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

Did you hit it on real good? I took my first and hit the top real hard and it finally snapped into place. The shift knob retention design on these cars sucks so hard. All they had to do was make it threaded...

No dice. I just rewrapped it with tons of electrical tape and it's tight again - for now.

[arhoads335i]

These snap on...but yeah shifting hard as fuck from 1rst to second I've ripped it off before

[wren57]

There's nothing for it to snap to. I can push it all the way down to the base and there is no snap.

[tdavis42]

Just stick some JB weld and tape all over it. It might not look pretty but hey you can shift now right?

[Efthreeoh]

Okay, the reason your shift knob keeps coming off is because the shift lever on your car is totally fucked. I have no idea what all that shit is on the shift lever, but it should be completely bare metal and have a 2 - 3 millimeter slot cut into the top end of it where the mating part inside of the shift knob snaps onto the shift lever.

Obviously someone who owned the car before you didn't understand how BMW MT shift knobs fit onto the shift lever. Remove all that shit that is on the shift lever and see if it has or has not been modified somehow. It looks too short for a standard E90 Shift lever, so I suspect someone cut it down, thus loosing the slot needed to snap the shift knob into. If that is the case, then you either need to replace the shift lever with a new part, or source an aftermarket shift knob that uses set screws that hold the knob to the shift lever. I know Momo shift knobs use set screws (I have a Momo on both my Z4 and E90).

[wren57]

Originally Posted by tdavis42

Just stick some JB weld and tape all over it. It might not look pretty but hey you can shift now right?

That's what it looks like was done. The previous owner cut some corners modding the car which I am having to go back and do-over properly. Looks like he cut the shifter down for a "short shift kit" which he told me the car had when I bought it. SMH.

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Okay, the reason your shift knob keeps coming off is because the shift lever on your car is totally fucked. I have no idea what all that shit is on the shift lever, but it should be completely bare metal and have a 2 - 3 millimeter slot cut into the top end of it where the mating part inside of the shift knob snaps onto the shift lever.

Obviously someone who owned the car before you didn't understand how BMW MT shift knobs fit onto the shift lever. Remove all that shit that is on the shift lever and see if it has or has not been modified somehow. It looks too short for a standard E90 Shift lever, so I suspect someone cut it down, thus loosing the slot needed to snap the shift knob into. If that is the case, then you either need to replace the shift lever with a new part, or source an aftermarket shift knob that uses set screws that hold the knob to the shift lever. I know Momo shift knobs use set screws (I have a Momo on both my Z4 and E90).

Looks like I'll have to get a new shift lever. Please tell me I don't have to get under the car and loosen everything up in order to do this like for the full SSK upgrade.

[tdavis42]

Originally Posted by wren57

That's what it looks like was done. The previous owner cut some corners modding the car which I am having to go back and do-over properly. Looks like he cut the shifter down for a "short shift kit" which he told me the car had when I bought it. SMH.





Looks like I'll have to get a new shift lever. Please tell me I don't have to get under the car and loosen everything up in order to do this like for the full SSK upgrade.

holy shit man! That stick is fucked up! I've seen dicks with herpes that look better than that and I'm a Dr.

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Originally Posted by wren57

There's nothing for it to snap to. I can push it all the way down to the base and there is no snap.

Is it a used knob? The snap thing is plastic. It could be broken. If it's a new knob, you could try returning it for a new one.

Edit: never mind....well, looks like the original owner totally ruined the shifter. You'll need a new one. No better time than now for a good SSK!

[wren57]

I knew the deal on this car was too good to be true. Bought it for a great deal on eBay sight unseen while in a hospital and hopped up on pain medicine recovering from a pretty severe surgery. Lesson learned: don't car shop while stoned on dilaudid. Been getting it up to my standards, and every time I think it's almost there I find something else. It's gonna be perfect when I'm done, tho!

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Okay, the reason your shift knob keeps coming off is because the shift lever on your car is totally fucked. I have no idea what all that shit is on the shift lever, but it should be completely bare metal and have a 2 - 3 millimeter slot cut into the top end of it where the mating part inside of the shift knob snaps onto the shift lever.

Obviously someone who owned the car before you didn't understand how BMW MT shift knobs fit onto the shift lever. Remove all that shit that is on the shift lever and see if it has or has not been modified somehow. It looks too short for a standard E90 Shift lever, so I suspect someone cut it down, thus loosing the slot needed to snap the shift knob into. If that is the case, then you either need to replace the shift lever with a new part, or source an aftermarket shift knob that uses set screws that hold the knob to the shift lever. I know Momo shift knobs use set screws (I have a Momo on both my Z4 and E90).

Damn, that first sentence made me blow beer out of my nose. Hilarious.

Sorry, op, he's right. You need a new shifter. Make sure you dispose of the old one...right through the front window of the previous owners house. Back from whence you came!

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Damn, that first sentence made me blow beer out of my nose. Hilarious.

Sorry, op, he's right. You need a new shifter. Make sure you dispose of the old one...right through the front window of the previous owners house. Back from whence you came!

Apologies for the lost beer, but I didn't know how else to describe it.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by wren57

That's what it looks like was done. The previous owner cut some corners modding the car which I am having to go back and do-over properly. Looks like he cut the shifter down for a "short shift kit" which he told me the car had when I bought it. SMH.





Looks like I'll have to get a new shift lever. Please tell me I don't have to get under the car and loosen everything up in order to do this like for the full SSK upgrade.

That even looks worse than I thought. Jesus christ, the hacks that live on this planet...

Sorry to tell you this, but yes, you need to get under the car and remove the (1) exhaust, (2) underbody areo shields, (3) heat shields and (4) driveshaft (not totally necessary - but at least unbolt the front of the driveshaft from the transmission flange) to get to the shifter mechanism so you can replace the shift lever (i.e. install a new SSK).

If you remove the driveshaft, just unbolt the 3 bolts on the guibo that bolt to the transmission output shaft.

If you don't want to do all that, I'd just cleanup the shift lever and get a aftermarket shiftknob that attaches with set screws and call it a day.

[Bob Shiftright]

If you want a short shifter, buy a real short shifter kit.

They are available from multiple sources, including BMW. (BMW's short lever seems to be one of the cheapest.) It looks like a pain to install, which is probably why I haven't done this.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102808

[max_330i]

The BMW short shift lever is not that hard to install. It is done from inside the car-- you remove your shift knob, leather boot, and then the actual shift lever itself. It's tight in there, so it can take a couple tries to fit everything together correctly when the new shift lever is being installed, but it's definitely doable.

And yes... that previous owner completely f*cked the shift lever. What an awful mod. People who chop the shift lever instead of paying $80 for an OEM short shift lever don't deserve to drive BMW's.

[wren57]

Originally Posted by max_330i

The BMW short shift lever is not that hard to install. It is done from inside the car-- you remove your shift knob, leather boot, and then the actual shift lever itself. It's tight in there, so it can take a couple tries to fit everything together correctly when the new shift lever is being installed, but it's definitely doable.

And yes... that previous owner completely f*cked the shift lever. What an awful mod. People who chop the shift lever instead of paying $80 for an OEM short shift lever don't deserve to drive BMW's.

Yeah, they guy really jimmied up the car a bit. Spacers instead of correct offsets, chopped the shift lever, poorly glued on rear spoiler, installed larger exhaust tips instead of an exhaust, non-wired up p3 vent boost gauge, and a few paint chips from a cheap/poor job. Almost all corrected now though!

[NGEE]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Okay, the reason your shift knob keeps coming off is because the shift lever on your car is totally fucked.

I was like...wtf is no one going to tell this guy his shit's all fucked up? Then I read this and was like

Originally Posted by tdavis42

holy shit man! That stick is fucked up! I've seen dicks with herpes that look better than that and I'm a Dr.

Lol! I almost cried! (I see how the "and I'm a Dr." thing was so necessary tho)

[terryd5150]

Originally Posted by tdavis42

holy shit man! That stick is fucked up! I've seen dicks with herpes that look better than that and I'm a Dr.

^^ You've got my vote for Quote of the Year, Dr. Davis. ^^

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Is it weird that I have a recurring dream that my shift knob pops off when I'm driving?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by max_330i

The BMW short shift lever is not that hard to install. It is done from inside the car-- you remove your shift knob, leather boot, and then the actual shift lever itself. It's tight in there, so it can take a couple tries to fit everything together correctly when the new shift lever is being installed, but it's definitely doable.

And yes... that previous owner completely f*cked the shift lever. What an awful mod. People who chop the shift lever instead of paying $80 for an OEM short shift lever don't deserve to drive BMW's.

I don't see how one can remove the shift lever from inside the car. It's pinned to the shift shaft at the transmission. You have to get under the car to remove the shift linkage from the lever.

[max_330i]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I don't see how one can remove the shift lever from inside the car. It's pinned to the shift shaft at the transmission. You have to get under the car to remove the shift linkage from the lever.

I seem to recall having done it all from the top, like the guys are saying in this thread: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...27&postcount=7

I only installed the Short Shift Lever, not the whole kit, which I understand changes the nature of the installation