2002 BMW M3 Shift Action

Considering the virtual disappearance of manual shift transmissions from the American car buying landscape, I suspect most folks simply won't give this issue a whole lot of thought.

Sorry for beating a dead horse, but automatic...ugh.

Your description of the tranny sounds like my 2001 M3. 2nd is difficult to engage when cold, and there are definite notches to 3rd and even 4th sometimes, requiring some careful timing. Going into 3rd, I press gently towards 3rd and then a second later something gives and the lever is sucked into the gear.

Out of the five manual transmission BMWs I've owned, only one has ever needed a transmission rebuild. That car was my 1973 Bavaria 3.0; the transmission bearings were toast because a previous owner had filled it with hypoid 90W gear oil- a BIG mistake on Getrags of that vintage. A properly maintained transmision should make it to 200,000 miles without any problem. Changing the transmission oil-if it wasn't changed at the last Inspection II-should make a big difference, as would installing a $129 UUC Motorwerks DSSR to firm up the shift action. And remove the clutch delay valve if the car still has one.

"And remove the clutch delay valve if the car still has one."

+1 - the CDV makes a significant difference. BMW puts it there for us ham-fisted Americans but it can make smooth first and second gear engagements tricky.

The final line, "Unfortunately, as this M3 shows, the transmission is the one component in a BMW that is most likely to be abused.", made me realize this post was a good post on the M3 and a terrible judgement of BMW manual transmissions as a whole.

Have you changed manual transmission fluid yet? Have you tried alternative fluids? Have you checked bushings and shifter linkage? A worn clutch can cause some problems, but the problems you describe when cold are most likely fluid related.

My 06 Civic SI, a manufacturer known for solid drivetrains, has a really fragile transmission in the sense that it has problems with 2nd and 3rd gear stock. It's very balky and tough to shift in the cold. stock.

My 08 Legacy GT tends to be very notchy, slightly grindy, locked out of reverse sometimes....stock.

In my 06 Civic SI, at 15k miles, I swapped to an aftermarket synthetic fluid. Shifting became "like buttah" and has stayed that way for 40k miles with a slight degradation in quality happening now as it gets cold this year. New fluid awaits it.

My 08 Legacy GT, at 9k miles, was swapped to an aftermarket synthetic 75w110 fluid in it's transmission/front diff. Combined with an aftermarket adjustable shift lever, I can actually say my car is no longer notchy, scratchy, grindy, or unpleasant to shift.

You can't blame the transmission until you've actually put in a superior fluid and attempted to ensure the linkage/bushings are in good working condition.

Joe

Change the tranny fluid already! Oh, wait, that money was spent on the big brakes and at the dealership for stuff you could have done yourself. My bad.

"Have you changed manual transmission fluid yet? Have you tried alternative fluids? Have you checked bushings and shifter linkage? A worn clutch can cause some problems, but the problems you describe when cold are most likely fluid related."

Hey, it's much easier to just complain- especially with regards to "problems" that an enthusiast M3 owner would have addressed long ago.
Probably for less than $250.

"Change the tranny fluid already! Oh, wait, that money was spent on the big brakes and at the dealership for stuff you could have done yourself. My bad."

I thought the same thing.

It's unfortunate that I am occasionally driven away from this great blog by the vacuity of some of the blog entries....

I reread the whole last paragraph and the whole thing qualifies for entry as "What?". The manual transmission is the most complex, expensive component in A car....not just this car, any car? Huh?

This is a manual transmission. It's precision engineered, no doubt, but it by no means faces the difficulties of an internal combustion engine running optimally within the wide variety of conditions/parameters it encounters with fuel and air variances and states of engine tune. The computerized needs of the engine changing timing, spark, and fuel based upon what it's reading coming into the engine (air flow sensor) and coming out (exhaust sensors). The air pumps that regulate the re-entry of exhaust gases to regulate emissions. The precise event of a piston traveling down a cylinder to be exposed to an explosion timed with the opening/closing of valves for optimal power delivery and evacuation of the explosive byproducts, while not allowing pre-detonation to occur or for the piston to hit the valves. The 8 individually motorized throttle bodies opening precise amounts to not only allow air into the engine, but manage the pressure inside the intake manifold to PUSH air into the engine when the valves open. To create turbulence in the air at low engine speeds to better manage emissions, while streamlining the airflow to ensure the engine is not starved.

Compared to that, a few precisely machined and micropolished gears, synchros, shafts, clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, bearings and selector isn't the most complex or expensive part of the vehicle.

:)

Joe

By the way, "You need a pretty stout clutch to transmit as much horsepower as this, and the action of the M3's clutch pedal is predictably long and heavy as a result."

This is fairly erroneous as well. Clutches need to be stout to transmit torque. HP is a byproduct of the torque being transmitted at a given RPM. Though clutch manufacturers rate their clutches to Horsepower, it's just marketing and not reality.

The M3 makes around ~250-260 crank torque. The clutch required to handle that torque is a "less stout" clutch than would be needed to handle the new 335i manual transmission....so you'd think the 335 would have a long and heavy clutch pedal if your logic was applied. But it's pedal is medium in travel length and effort.

The M3 clutch pedal has a long travel because that is a BMW design....some feel the longer travel allows for a more precise feel of clutch engagement. The heaviness is either by design or because BMW chose to use a clutch design which caused heavier effort.

Either way, it's fairly easy for a clutch to be light and medium in throw while transmitting 300+ lb/ft of torque....it's just a matter of design.

Joe

P.s. My father's 99 boxster, hardly a model of torque output, has a very similar clutch feel to the M3.....it's all in the design.

Short throw shifter? I thought BMWs always had long throws. A e36 m3 i drove had very long throws. Especially compared to my rsx with short shifter.

"It's unfortunate that I am occasionally driven away from this great blog by the vacuity of some of the blog entries...."

And they aren't improving with age either...;)

I expect more out of Michael Jordan. I've been reading his stuff for YEARS and this is probably the whiniest thing I've seen from him. Not to mention the goofiest ("wannabe car guy?" the tranny "is the most complex, expensive component on a car?" Tsk, tsk).

From what I understand, the fluid in the transmission is one of those never change it deals (most likely thanks to the 4 year free maintenance plan), but causes significant notchiness on the 1-2 and especially 2-3 shifts in all M3s of this vintage. Replacing the fluid with a performance alternative like the Red Line Oil version reportedly cures all notchiness (though you still won't have a Honda shifter).

Not that the editors will pay attention, but let's summarize:

$75 (?) for new tranny fluid to remove the notchy shift action
$30 for CDV removal for predictable clutch engagement
$110 for a ZHP shift knob + boot to replace spongy stock shifter
$5 for a taller clutch stop to eliminate the long clutch travel

So for $230 total, you could dramatically improve the shifting performance in your car, something that you would immediately notice every time you drove it. And yet we keep getting whiny blog entries such as this and you spend 3 grand on a big brake kit that you will never notice in everyday driving - which is fine, but you guys never seem to take this car to the track either.

Brian, you nailed it.

I wouldn't exactly call the stck shifters "short" either. The short shifter install was the best thing I did to my E46 3 series. As far as I know, the no transmission fluid changes is a non-M thing and the M3 still requires the fluid change. I do change my fluid, though. The transmission bushings probably need to be replaced and that is a cheap part. It is not that hard to do either, so it shouldn't be expensive to do if you pay somebody (preferrably an independent shop).

They are short shifters in the sense that the M3 stock shifter is short in height, not in throw.

"The transmission bushings probably need to be replaced and that is a cheap part. It is not that hard to do either, so it shouldn't be expensive to do if you pay somebody (preferrably an independent shop)."

Nah, they'll take it to Santa Monica BMW, get charged $800, and then complain about it...

Tranny mounts may be cheap but you have to prop up the tranny to get them in. It's not exactly a bolt-in job.

First off it sounds like the someone pissed in the exec editor's cheerios before he took a cold M3 out into LA traffic. I'd hate it too in a situation like that... Having a notchy gearbox when cold at low speeds is the trade-off for having one that is precise and incredibly smooth when shifting at 6000-8000 rpm. so its notchy for 10 minutes when you first get in the car in the morning...the +'s way outweigh the -'s with the E46 M3. no question. No car I've ever owned has put a smile on my face like the M3 does on a daily basis.