Autosolutions SSK install Z4M

[onebluemcm]

Got all the photos hosted somewhere that won't hijack them like Photobucket did for 3rd party hosting. Took a while but they are all embedded, and I made an update in the initial post. Have fun with it, hope this is helpful.

[nutzkicker617]

Thanks!

[PLCZ4MC]

Thank you so much for fixing the photos. This treat is a huge help to those interest in installing this short shifter.

[PLCZ4MC]

Nuuuu
Photos don't work again x-x

[onebluemcm]

An hour and a half later, I got all the pics fixed.....again....holy shiit, I took a lot of photos and am long winded.

It's funny, I did this job and this documentation of the work before we had kids. Now, were I to do it again, I would have had 1/10th the photos, and the job would have taken 10x as long.

Update on the shifter, well nothing to update, it's still as awesome an upgrade as it was at first, definitely one of the very best things a person can do with a Z4M or E46 M3.

[wdb]

Originally Posted by onebluemcm

An hour and a half later, I got all the pics fixed.....again....holy shiit, I took a lot of photos and am long winded.

It's funny, I did this job and this documentation of the work before we had kids. Now, were I to do it again, I would have had 1/10th the photos, and the job would have taken 10x as long.

Update on the shifter, well nothing to update, it's still as awesome an upgrade as it was at first, definitely one of the very best things a person can do with a Z4M or E46 M3.

This forum member thanks you for doing it! Great shots. And, kids keep you young. The payback comes later though.

[nutzkicker617]

Is the kit supposed to come with a new circlip? My set that I purchased from a forum member did not have the clip of satan.

Also, are people replacing the front carrier bushings with delrin bushings or are new stockers good enough?

[wdb]

Resurrecting this thread. I just did this install, but since I was pulling the gearbox I did things a bit differently. Reading over the original instructions here, there are a couple of things I'd modify, and a couple I'd add -- perhaps due to Ron adding bits to the newer kits.

An alternative to custom tooling for the exhaust work is to disconnect the back end of the exhaust at the mufflers, perhaps even dropping the mufflers as well (I left them in place). MUCH easier access to the bolts in that location. It does mean dropping the rear stress plate and braces but those go off and on pretty quickly. The bolts are supposed to be replaced but a lot of people reuse them 1 or 2 times before replacing. The reason they're supposed to be replaced is because they're torqued to 59Nm AND THEN another 90 degrees. They stretch. Be prepared with leverage if you choose this option.

I was able to remove the shift arm with the gear lever in place, without removing the rear mount. I would try that first before fabricating tools to remove the rear mount.

I had the gearbox on the bench for removal of the brass "spawn of satan" connector to the shift rod that goes into the gearbox. It. Still. Was. A. Bitch. I don't know how I'd do it in the car! But one idea might be to drop the driveshaft center bearing, put a jack under the gearbox, then remove the 4 nuts holding the transmission mount. Lower slowly, revel in the extra accessibility. Note that the center bearing needs to be preloaded upon reinstallation; push the center bearing mount towards the gearbox a couple of millimeters before tightening it down.

The kit I received included a new, Ron-made connecting rod between the lever and the gearbox selector shaft. It includes lovely bronze bushes which improve precision even more, and it eliminates all the stuff about modifying washers. Oh and it uses C-clips instead of devil's clips.

I also received delrin bushings for the front of the shift arm, where it connects to the gearbox. They also have lovely bronze bushes, and are a tight fit up there -- both into the gearbox ears and for getting the pins back in. I used a little bit of synthetic grease to help get the front of the arm started, then I used an aligning tool with a 90 degree bend to line up the holes. It is a bit fiddly. But worth it.

I installed a new rear mount before wiggling the shifter arm + lever back in. Kinda wish I had reviewed this first. I think reassembly would have been easier. So, before reinstallation, assemble the arm and the rear mount as described here. The rear mount comes out pretty easily without special tools once the shift arm is out of the way.

[onebluemcm]

Thread revival #4, or something....

Getting ready to use my own DIY to install another AS SSK in the 07 M roadster I recently purchased. Ronald is definitely still making these and he's refined the process more since the big group buy way back in 2011. Job should be a little easier this time - car has 73k miles on it so I am going to drop the drive shaft, replace the guibo and service the rear CV joint.

I suspect a lot of the guys that were around for the GB and installed this are no longer around. If you are and still have the AS SSK in your car, still like it? Any issues?

[wdb]

I wasn't part of the GB but can't say enough good stuff about Ronald and his solution. I went with the stiffer blue (I think?) bushings, which brought a bit of gear noise into the cabin but to my ears not too much -- a 'just right' amount. I used my car for long trips and so if it were annoying loud I would have swapped in softer units, which were very thoughtfully included.

My car is with robblr now. Perhaps he can shine some light on how the shifter is getting along.

[MBan]

I had an AS SSK installed a couple of years ago and the noise was too much for me. Ronald was great with advice and troubleshooting and ended up sending me a softer bushing, but by then the cost and hassle had gotten the better of me and I just had all brand new stock parts installed.

[onebluemcm]

Ya, back when we did the GB I don't think there was a higher durometer bushing option. Know what I know now I wouldn't do anything other than the OE bushing for a street car. The shifter itself makes so much improvement that any increased NVH would not be worth the additional minimal improvement from the bushings, IMO.

[Barryb97]

I was on the original group buy. Love it! I did upgrade the the M5 shift knob which is a little shorter than OEM. Might have gone too far. But I'm used to it now.

[chris719]

So, if I get the kit but use the OE ultra-oval bushings, it should be noise free?

[vt100]

Originally Posted by Barryb97

I was on the original group buy. Love it! I did upgrade the the M5 shift knob which is a little shorter than OEM. Might have gone too far. But I'm used to it now.

Ditto!
PS: no, you haven't gone too far

[vt100]

Originally Posted by chris719

So, if I get the kit but use the OE ultra-oval bushings, it should be noise free?

I didn't not notice much NVH increase even with Ron's blue bushings.

[wdb]

Expect a bit more gear whine no matter what. But just a bit. I found it added to the cars character without being at all loud or annoying. And the improved shifting…

…priceless.

[MBan]

I had a lot of whine when I fitted mine. Spent a lot of time emailing with Ronald from AS to try to pinpoint the issue. He ended up making a softer bushing for me but by then (6 months later) I had given up and changed back to stock with all new parts. I’m not sure why it’s worse on some cars but it really was too much for me. The shifter felt amazing though.

[vt100]

Originally Posted by MBan

I had a lot of whine when I fitted mine. Spent a lot of time emailing with Ronald from AS to try to pinpoint the issue. He ended up making a softer bushing for me but by then (6 months later) I had given up and changed back to stock with all new parts. I’m not sure why it’s worse on some cars but it really was too much for me. The shifter felt amazing though.

IMO, it's very subjective, different ppl have different perception of NVH.
I've got poly engine and tranny mounts and I really love vibration it gives me, I feel that the car is alive and eager to do crazy things
With all this NVH in my car, a bit extra from the shifter is just not noticeable