New E34 535i 5speed owner! Problem already.

[Waynegro]

Greetings,

I recently acquired a 93 535i 5sp and I am blown away by the quality of ride and smooth power delivery the 535i gives me. It is a far different beast from my E30 325is. The car runs perfectly other than a transmission problem. Every so often my gear lever will pop out of 1st gear. If I feel two clicks when selecting 1st gear it will stay in and everything is great, but if I just feel a normal engagement it will pop out, rather violently I might add. After reading up on similar problems with other E34 535i 5speed owners it seems the pop out could be due to a number of different problems.

I am running Redline MTL in the tranny, but it has roughly 20K on the fluid, should I flush it and replace? I have a new clutch in also. Would it be hard on my clutch if I start out from a stop in 2nd gear to avoid the 1st gear problem? I just bought the car and dont have the money for a syncro rebuild or tranny swap yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and I look forward to being a forum member.

[Adnan]

Hi,

Firstly, check to see what fluid your gearbox requires by locating the colored sticker on the top of the bellhousing right at the engine back plate. It will tell you whether to use ATF or not.

Secondly, I had a similar problem with my gearbox which appeared to be related to a damaged pin of some kind. When that was replaced, other, more serious problems surfaced and I ended up replacing the gearbox.

Starting in 2nd gear will wear your clutch, of course, but it may be a reasonable option given the problem you have.

Good luck,
Adnan

[alishahna]

I have 92 535i and when I bought the car I had the same problem. But mine was bad if the car was cold I had no problem but when it warmed up 5 min later the first gear would pop out and ways that is ur synchronizer in the first gear that is bad. The cheapest way is to find another Transmition with lower miles and swap it. It took me about six hours in one of my friends shop to replace it and I have put 41000 miles on it ever since. I think u can find a trany for about $500.00 but to rebuilt urs will cost u $1700.00
Good luck.

[Waynegro]

Roger. Thanks for the help guys, I will keep my eye out for a used tranny. Are they common to find, or some of a rarity? It's a Getrag 260.6 if I am not mistaken?

I will try to post some pics of the car soon. She is a black on black beauty.

[632 Regal]

start with the shifter bushings, if it dont go all the way into gear that could be causing it. If thats not it it probably needs new syncro's in the trans, not a big deal for someone thats familiar with these transmissions

[Robin-535im]

start with the shifter bushings, if it dont go all the way into gear that could be causing it. If thats not it it probably needs new syncro's in the trans, not a big deal for someone thats familiar with these transmissions
Bad engine and tranny mounts can also make it sit askew and not engage properly... Should be easy to check visually.

[granit_silber]

Greetings,

I recently acquired a 93 535i 5sp and I am blown away by the quality of ride and smooth power delivery the 535i gives me. It is a far different beast from my E30 325is. The car runs perfectly other than a transmission problem. Every so often my gear lever will pop out of 1st gear. If I feel two clicks when selecting 1st gear it will stay in and everything is great, but if I just feel a normal engagement it will pop out, rather violently I might add. After reading up on similar problems with other E34 535i 5speed owners it seems the pop out could be due to a number of different problems.

I am running Redline MTL in the tranny, but it has roughly 20K on the fluid, should I flush it and replace? I have a new clutch in also. Would it be hard on my clutch if I start out from a stop in 2nd gear to avoid the 1st gear problem? I just bought the car and dont have the money for a syncro rebuild or tranny swap yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and I look forward to being a forum member.

Starting in 2nd will wear you clutch but not a lot. One of the US regulations about manual trannys is that they must be able to move the car for a dead standstill. If you don't stand on the clutch you won't kill it.
-ashley

[kyleN20]

wayngro? like from heat?

[Kalevera]

Lol, that's exactly what I was thinking when I read that user name :)

Shift bushings, motor and trans mounts, and fluid (both quantity and type) are all excellent ideas, but if the thing pops out of gear even when the shifter is solidly in place, it's likely a fork problem (and we've determined why this car was for sale). These are not difficult transmissions to rebuild, but you need to know what you're doing. Hard parts are readily available. Jim Blanton @ Performance Gearing sells the best rebuilds, and it's a 2 grand affair (worth it).

The E34 535 has a unique rear case. Cases can be swapped, but you might as well rebuild the transmission at that point, as the rear half of the case is what everything is mounted into. You can fit a 260.5, 265, or 280 in its place (basically anything with the correct bellhousing), but you'll likely need a custom shift console, and the car will definitely need a driveshaft. Because everybody wants the late M30 and 5 speed, they're not easy to come by.

best, whit

[kyleN20]

good, then im not crazy

[Waynegro]

wayngro? like from heat?

Yes, that is correct! The charector is a classic, one of the all time great slimeballs in movie history.

I will try and replace the smaller (less expensive) items and pray they will fix my problem. If that does not work I think I will end up rebuilding the syncro in first gear. No need to get another tranny when all the other gears work great. Until then I will try to not worry about it and drive it until it stops working, or just start in 2nd gear every now and then.

I feel kinda stupid for buying a car with a semi-major problem. I should have looked into the problem deeper before I bought the car. Lession learned. Thanks everyone.