Shifter Buzz - How To Eliminate

[mwagner10702]

So I have this buzz in my shifter between 3800 - 4200 rpm. Not noticeable on the track with helmet on and windows down, but certainly noticeable driving to and from the track and around town. It's driving me nuts! Fortunately no slop in the shifter and I have no issues with upshifts or downshifts.

Is there a permanent solution out there? Turner makes a rebuild kit https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5...de-kit-e30-m3/ Has anyone used this?

I read through this thread CAE Ultra shifter - S14.net (vbulletin.net) but not sure I want to drop a grand on a shifter along with the necessary console modifications to make it work. Looks nice though.

Thanks in advance for any advice or recommendations.

Mark

[Dave @nz]

Lift up the shift boot stick on a strip of mag wheel weights all way round lower section of shift lever.
Po did this to mine and never had any issues.

[Mick]

I've tried a lot of shifters and in my opinion the 2 best options are the CAE style (only along with near solid motor/tranny mounts and in a dedicated track car) and a properly rebuilt OEM shifter. There are a few keys to getting the slop out of an OE shifter without introducing buzz.

• Don't use delrin or any hard bushing at the front carrier, use a stiff poly
• Use a stiff rear bushing, but again, no delrin
• Use a UUC DSSR and short shift lever that has roller bearings
• Replace nearly all other components

Here's the recipe I recently used on my street car and it shifts better than it ever has. Going off of this diagram

• Replace 2 with a new bracket as a preventative measure. I broke one at the track once. Keep the old one in your spares bin.
• For bushing 4 use Powerflex PWF-PFF54630BLK and also replace bolt 5
• Replace rear bushing 7 with the Turner upgrade (I had to grind the rear nub off of the carrier 1 to slide it on, an easy mod)
• Replace the shifter cup 10 with new OEM
• Replace selector rod 12 with a UUC DSSR. If there's play at either end use shims 17 to tighten it up. I didn't need any FWIW, in fact I had to spread the ends a bit to get it over the bearings.
• Replace shifter rod joint 13. Anytime I've bought one it comes with cuirclip 15 and the bushing 16 pre-installed. I'm not sure if it comes with pin 14 but that should also be replaced

ECS sells a kit with some of these things in it. If you buy the kit remember to not use their delrin front carrier bushings (for 4).

When you do this job you'll resist dropping the exhaust and driveshaft because it looks like more trouble than it's worth. I've done it both ways and believe me dropping those components out of the way is well worth the effort. If you drop them you'll want a pair of header gaskets 11761308686 and might want to replace your drive shaft collar 26117514037 while you're in there. Before separating the driveshaft halves mark the driveshaft so that it goes back together with same alignment

[mwagner10702]

Mick - Thanks for the detailed post. Parts purchased. I'll update the thread once I have them installed.

[jimmy p.]

Thats a gold star post Mick.
I have a UUC stage 3 or some silly thing short shifter in my Cabrio and I hate it so much. Its such a shitty notchy thing when I take it out I dont think I could even sell it in good conscience.
I cant believe how many people got suckered into buying those things.

My street M3 still has a stock but refreshed shifter in it and its so much better that the UUC "upgrade".

Mick next time I have some lift time for my street cars I may just print out your recipe posted above and do it to both cars.

For a track car, the CAE or its assorted clones are the way to go.
Look no farther, its just a better way too shift gears. Fixes all the ills of the stock shifter architecture even over the assorted flat plate, bolt to the tunnel DTM style clones. The elevated shift tower is the way.

[HANDBLT]

I'll have to check and see what just came off my car for the new CAE style solid mounted shifter (best thing I've ever used), but I have vibrating technics engine mounts, and solid trans mounts. Whatever was on my car before changing was the best 'stockish' type setup I've ever used. It was a little shorter, with great notch feel, and never wagged. I think a lot has to do with the engine also. My new 2.7 smooths out to straight 6 level when I get to the 3.5-4k rpm anyway, so this may have something to do with it as well.

Its weird, with all solid mounts, solid suspension stuff, gutted, caged car, the mirror goes dead still after 3.5k. The balance of the 2.7 is something else. Literally feels like a silky smooth straight six in there.

T

[Narayan3]

"Its weird, with all solid mounts, solid suspension stuff, gutted, caged car, the mirror goes dead still after 3.5k. The balance of the 2.7 is something else. Literally feels like a silky smooth straight six in there."

My shifter buzzes less and the engine is V12 smooth after I wash and wax it. Sorry HANDBLT, I can't help myself...

[nsubre]

Hi Mwagner,
I have found that when there is no clearance in all the shifter parts of the stock shifter assembly the shifter vibration goes away. So without buying a completely new shifter mechanism you can check all the wear points in your current shifter and remove any clearance you find. One place I have found some is where the yellow washers go at the bottom of the shifter arm. When there is wear enough to add some of the yellow washers the vibration goes down. There are many more places for wear to occur, at the center pivot and at both ends of the arm between the shifter and the shaft coming out the back of the trans. I have seen parts made available out of delrin, graphite loaded plastic, brass that can replace the rubber in the assemblies, and if the adding yellow washers doesn't help those are the next places to tighten up. If you are using a stock linkage, I have a gear shift pivot bearing, BMW P/N 25 11 1 469 397, I will send you if you want it.
Larry

[mtony]

In my experience, the rear bushing was the key to getting mine to stop buzzing. I originally replaced everything with new components, including the rear bushing/bracket, but I still had the buzzing. I then added red RTV silicone to the rear bushing to limit its free play, and that did the trick!

[Austin]

So I have this buzz in my shifter between 3800 - 4200 rpm. Not noticeable on the track with helmet on and windows down, but certainly noticeable driving to and from the track and around town. It's driving me nuts! Fortunately no slop in the shifter and I have no issues with upshifts or downshifts.

Is there a permanent solution out there? Turner makes a rebuild kit https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5...de-kit-e30-m3/ Has anyone used this?

I read through this thread CAE Ultra shifter - S14.net (vbulletin.net) but not sure I want to drop a grand on a shifter along with the necessary console modifications to make it work. Looks nice though.

Thanks in advance for any advice or recommendations.

Mark

Mark,

i dealt with the same issue, upon initial purchase of my m3. i have absolute garbage hearing, so certain frequencies come in better than others - the shifter buzz being one of them, and it drove me insane. it was one of the first things i did to my car. it had a Rogue Engineering short throw lever and proprietary selector rod installed, along with all worn out shift bushes and selector rod joint.

i replaced all the parts with the following:
e36m3 shift lever (from my departed '95 m3)
factory e30m3 selector rod
OE shifter cup bushing, rear support bushing, front shift bushing, selector rod joint and new yellow washers, all parts new OE from dealer

after i finished the job and went to drive the car, the buzzing was mostly gone, but the only one remaining, was around 4k and it came from my 30 year old shift knob. a small piece of electrical tape on the lever, where the shift knob clicks on solved that issue.

the e36m3 lever is my absolute favorite for these old cars (e30, non-M and M, alike). i like a tall height with a slightly notchy throw. this is a perfectly happy medium, IMHO. you are welcome to test out how mine feels. if i were to go with an aftermarket kit, i would suggest Autosolutions. they make a really nice kit. have installed quite a few over the years.

YMMV, however...

A

[HANDBLT]

"Its weird, with all solid mounts, solid suspension stuff, gutted, caged car, the mirror goes dead still after 3.5k. The balance of the 2.7 is something else. Literally feels like a silky smooth straight six in there."

My shifter buzzes less and the engine is V12 smooth after I wash and wax it. Sorry HANDBLT, I can't help myself...

so you have experienced it too?? sweet! wicked weird when you go from the stock buzz bomb, to something amazingly smooth, and engineered to be that way huh?

sorry, couldn't help it either lol

T

[mlytle]

have rebuilt two e30m3s and an e30325 shifter recently. used the turner poly rebuild/upgrade kit with all three. two of the cars use z3 shift levers and one is stock E30M3. ZERO shifter buzz in any of the three cars. BMW rubber engine and trans mounts used in all three cars.

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-555694-turner-motorsport-shifter-rebuild-upgrade-kit-e30-m3/?gclid=CjwKCAjw_o-HBhAsEiwANqYhpy0nmSWtHXPo8G91Mytr_bXffYB2ld8VoYO3KGy140MS8mxAihVW6BoCfpcQAvD_BwE