m42 boxes are shite.!

[e30-EVN]

anyone else fed up with the m42 box or is it just me??

i want to get a stronger unit to match the abuse i give her. i have a z3 shifter but theres play in the stick! the boxes feel notchy and its not fluke, ive had 3 and they all have felt this way.

which box could i use, that feels nice, can take a hiding and will not cost me to much to swap over (dif- prop ect ect) ?

e36 328/m3 box?
does this need gearbox brace modifying ect?

[e30-EVN]

car drives fine but the box just doesnt feel slick, more when driving slowly and changing gears slow.... cars a weapon but this little thing is niggling me lol

[DanThe]

Did you get some redline oil in it Ant?

[e30-EVN]

i havent as yet dan mate,, had other things to do like change that stat and dif bush, gasket and oil ect ect
do you think that will cure it? and how can i get rid of the play in my shifter? feels like i dont have a short shifter really.!

[Jozi]

The play is down to worn bushes in the shift mech. As far as I remember the m42 is known to be notchy?

[retroboyo]

My M42 gearbox feels ok and its got a z3 shortshifter. Ive just bought some red line for it as Im servicing everything.

[e30-EVN]

The play is down to worn bushes in the shift mech

which ones Brend? could you find me a diagram thingy off a wiki or something?
thats something i could do with the box in situ isnt it?

ive had 3 of these boxes now and they have all felt notchy. not massively but not exactly smooth like ya know

[e30-EVN]

i will be buying some of that red line stuff. my box takes ATF though.... will that still be ok boys?

[retroboyo]

This is the boy - Red Line D4 ATF Automatic Transmission Fluid

[redcar]

I don't think changing the bushes will make it any less notchy. If anything, it might make it more notchy.

These boxes get ruined by people shifting gears very quickly. Worn/bent selector forks and synchros are quite prevalent especially as these boxes are getting quite high mileage now. Generally just makes the gearbox feel awful.

[e30-EVN]

danthe told me to stick some red line in it which will cure the notchyness, or most of it atleast.

but i want to get rid of the play i have.. when in gear i can move the shifter about an inch in any direction.! the z3 shifter is supposed to be 60 percent less throw and slop but mine moves i think to much.
it didnt move so much on my last box though

[leeparkes]

Id say its the knuckle on the geabox where the linkage fits.

[e30-EVN]

This is the boy - Red Line D4 ATF Automatic Transmission Fluid

so this then.....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Red-Line-D4-A ... 2ebedbf57b
??

[e30-EVN]

thats held onto the box witha pin and sleve isnt it Lee?

[retroboyo]

That's the stuff, although I would also listen to the advice on this thread from others

[BATTS91]

I dont know what its like with m42 box but i have m50 and the e36 box and tbh it takes the abuse i give it and i like the sound of rev limiter in second gear clicking 3rd hard

[Barx325i]

Nasty, notchy & the current POS flatly refuses 2nd gear when beasted. The m42 is a vibrating peaky unit & abuse which is passed back to the transmission by tires superior to M42 powah, isn't favoured by gearboxes.. Many will disagree I guess but g.box oil starvation in an iS is a possibility - not that I've changed or checked the oil in mine, nor will I bother...

[e30-EVN]

im going to try using some of the oil suggested above first and see what happens....

the current POS flatly refuses 2nd gear when beasted
this ones ok in that respect but my last box would crunch like a bastard when coming down from high revs.. it hated going into 2nd in anger.! it was ok when driving normally but as you say...
this ones ok so thats a good thing lol

[e30-EVN]

but i have m50 and the e36 box and tbh it takes the abuse i give it and i like the sound of rev limiter in second gear clicking 3rd hard

well its taking the abuse but i dont think its loving me for it haha

[leeparkes]

This is the boy - Red Line D4 ATF Automatic Transmission Fluid

so this then.....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Red-Line-D4-A ... 2ebedbf57b
??

Id rather go with the MTL (manual trans)


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Redline-MTL-F ... 415b995eff

[e30-EVN]

Lee, its the yellow bottle that dan told me to get for it when i called up to see him last week.... i took a picture of it but when i got home and looked again i saw its manual trans fluid.
i just wanted to check its safe to use in a box that takes ATF, not that i dont trust dan, just wondered if he ment red line fluid but atf if you get me..?.. lol

[DanThe]

As Lee says, thats the one to use.
What oil do you have in the box? It was attached to the back of my 3 litre for some time and I never had any problems with it, Z3 shifter too

[e30-EVN]

ok mate, i didn't doubt you mate...

i put ATF in it, i text you when i recieved it off Mark and you told me it takes ATF. im going to have to try that red line (yellow). And also change that knuckle Lee speaks of.
can i get to this little bugger with box in situ? i remember doing one on someones m20 before and that was a little twat lol

[Jozi]

Here's the shortshifter wiki entry with parts to replace: http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... conversion
And the wiki entry on replacing the gear linkage: http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... ar_Linkage

I'll be doing it with my box but before it all goes in to the shell, never done it in-situe. I don't know how much play it takes out of it either.

[randomspeedfreak]

i have the m42 box aswell mate. Changed my gear linkage knuckle for a new one. improved it, but its still difficult to get into gear especially with the z3 short shift. it takes a fair bit of force if you know what i mean.

[randomspeedfreak]

i have the m42 box aswell mate. Changed my gear linkage knuckle for a new one. improved it, but its still difficult to get into gear especially with the z3 short shift. it still takes a fair bit of force to get it into gear

[rich318i]

e30-dk. did you sort out your vanos problem in the end?

[e30-EVN]

Vanos seals done yes. Just need a rocker gasket now. Noticably better mate

[rich318i]

funny thing is i changed the oil last weekend and its pulling all the time now(so far so good) used 5w40 and used 10w40 before (done 7k with that oil) now with fresh oil and with the m50 manifold and now with a 3.25 diff feels good. left a new ford focus ST standing. just think i need a good cool air intake now

[Barx325i]

most ST jerbs will hang onto their warranty before attempting any performance mods - still trying to convince a local he's pissing into the wind by going all intake before installing a slipper - he won't be educated and still believes performance over smashing his suspension components & top mounts to hell are street

[rich318i]

always had a slipper myself even with my 318i, drove a 325i with a open the other day. really noticed how much better the rear end feels with a slipper on SOLID!

[Barx325i]

innit bruv - respekt &

[SSlovik]

I run the Getrag 240 w/ Z3 shifter behind my s52 it shifts fine using plain old Mobil 1 ATF, maybe you have a linkage issue. BMW makes the straight in parts for it to work perfectly in an e30. Shifter arm part# 25111220759 & Shift Rod Part# 25111220835 They will put the shift in the exact correct position with no binding or interference, also the gear selector joint can be worn on these older transmissions part# 25111220198. Hope this helps.

[Duke137]

Ant you are just a lairy cooooooont!!

[e30-EVN]

Ant you are just a lairy cooooooont!!

thank you Ferg, i appreciate it mate lol