DIY: SSK - N54 135i + Dinan and BMS SSK Review [Updated]

[thetaobear]

[Update]
I experienced both Dinan and BMS SSK. Here is a log of my adventure.

------ DINAN SSK
Installing the SSK can be a pain if you don't do some problem solving. I included some tips for the install to help you out. The 135i DIY is a bit different from 335i, etc. because the space underneath the car is limited due to the mid-pipes

Use this diagram to help you out and terminology:

http://parts.bmwmonterey.com/p/BMW__...wd=&origin=pla

Time to install: 1 hour (up to 4 hours or annoyance if you aren't using your brain)

Suggested tools: () are optional
1. 2x long flat head screw driver
2. long needle nose pliers
3. trim tool kit
4. 8mm socket
5. flash light
6. magnetic snake
7. ramp (lift preferable)
8. dish washer soap
9. (lube)

Parts to buy:
1. (Shift lever bearing 25111220600 - the Dinan SSK reuses this part) You don't need to buy this- you can reuse the original
2. (Securing clip 25117571899 - nice to have if you "lose" the original secure clip)

Preparation:
1. Make sure your car is cooled down- you will be playing around near the mid-pipes!
2. Ramp (which I did) or preferably lift. All the safety precautions with this when working underneath the car!

* indicates annoying parts of the install. I included tips that made my life easier.

Phase 1: In the Cabin Part I
1. Remove the boot by pressing in from the left of the boot then pull up gently
2* Pull out the shift knob. Switch into 4th gear to make it easier to pull the knob straight up. Pull it hard!
2. pull out the trim around the boot to avoid damaging it
3. pull out the foam piece
4*. pull out the rubber piece. The easiest way to do this is to use one long flat head screw driver, and dig underneath either the left or right side of the rubber piece. The front/back of the rubber piece has extra rubber underneath the metal, which makes it harder to start with. Use the flat head screwdriver to pry up the rubber underneath. Then use the trim tool to help you "pull" the rest up. Once the rubber piece comes off, then you have to pull the rubber piece off of the lever, which may be difficult. Use dishwashing soap and stroke that lever. Then pull the rubber piece off the lever- should be easy.
5. shift to REVERSE (this makes your life easier to release the pin from underneath)

Phase 2: Under the Car Part I
Bring with you the two long screw drivers, flash light, and a magnetic snake
1. get underneath the car and move yourself below the shifter. It is very far back! Move back until you see the mid-pipes. Use car jack and stands if needed if you don't have a lift. I wasn't able to use a creeper (wasn't enough room)
2. Use the 8mm to remove the plastic shield
3. Between the drive shaft and the mid-pipes, you can see a the selector rod connecting to your lever and the securing clip. This is above the right side of your drive shaft.
4*. Remove the securing clip. The space is small- you may try bending the heat shield to make your life easier (I wasn't able to because I am not strong enough). Use the first long screw driver and shove it in between the secure clip. Rotate your screw driver 90 degrees to "open up" the secure clip. Then use your second screw driver to push it off the selector rod. If you did not buy an additional secure clip and the original secure clip flies off somewhere, use your magnetic snake to recover the secure clip.

Phase 3: In the Cabin Part II
Climb back into the cabin
1. Push the selector rod off of the shift lever using your long screw driver
2. Use two screw drivers (long nose pliers works too) shove into the original shift lever bearing plastic (that white thing) and rotate it 90 degrees (there are two tabs that make it secure)
3. Pull the lever up.
4. Remove the plastic bearing and put it onto your new shift lever. You may need to lube the plastic bearing- depending on your SSK. I had to put the O-ring between the plastic bearing and the new bearing of the shift lever
5. lube up the shift lever connector at the bottom of the lever. Use just a little bit.
6*. Put the shift lever back into the shifting arm. There are TWO possible orientation that you can insert your shift lever back in. The bottom of the shift lever that connects to the selector rod should be left to right. However, make sure that your shift lever is pointing towards the back by a few degrees. Make sure your plastic shift lever bearing tabs go underneath the metal tabs of the shifting arm. You should be able to "snap" it in
7*. Pull your shift lever and make sure it is *securely* fastened to your shifting arm. Do this check now or you will regret it. If you are able to pull up your shift lever with a light pull, your shift lever is not installed properly. This was a problem for me because the Dinan SSK ball bearing is a bit too small and I was able to pull this up and the whole thing wiggles around. If it is not securely fastened to the shifting arm, when you WOT (especially in 3rd gear), you will hear an annoying rattle! How I made sure the shift lever is securely fastened with the shifting arm was inserting some pieces of rubber in between the plastic shift lever bearing and the shifting arm. BMS/UCC short shifters come with an adapter instead of using the OEM plastic bearing (which requires a few steps more to install).
8*. Insert the first washer, if applicable, to the selector rod. I used a long needle nose pliers to carefully put the washer onto the selector rod.
9. shift to NEUTRAL (this will make sure the selector rod is fully connected to the bottom of your new shifting lever)
10. Connect the selector rod onto the bottom of the shifting lever

Phase 4: Under the Car Part II
Bring your flashlight, the securing clip, washer (if applicable), and 8mm socket
1*. position your body right underneath the mid-pipes and place your left arm in between the mid-pipes and drive shaft. Practice blindly touching the selector rod. Make sure that the selector rod's ridge where the secure clip should be clipped on is visible on the right of the shift lever connection. If you accidentally push the selector rod off of the shift lever connector, put your arm on the left side of the drive shaft to push the selector rod back through the connector. Remember, there is not a lot of space. Familiarize yourself prior to the next steps.
2*. put the second washer onto the selector rod carefully, if applicable, using your left hand
3*. put the securing clip onto the ridge of the selector rod. I would suggest NOT to push the securing clip upwards, because this will cause the selector rod to slip off of the shift lever connector. I pushed the securing clip parallel to the ground. If the secure clip is clipped on, congrats. This is really the worst part of the installation.
4. Install the plastic cover back with your 8mm socket

Phase 5: In the Cabin Part III
1. test the functionality of your lever
2*. put the rubber through the shift lever. Put some dish washing soap in the rubber hole
3*. secure the rubber with the bottom metal. Use the trim tool and your hands to help you out
4. put back the foam
5. put back the trim
5. put back the shifter and boot by pressing firmly downwards



Congrats! You are done.


Review of the Dinan SSK (D550-1005):
+ looks beautiful
+ well built
+ *easier* to install
+ nice shifts

- expensive for just the shift lever (uses stock selector rod)
- slight rotation of the lever
- the bearing ball is slightly too small, shift lever bearing doesn't secure tightly onto the shifting arm, causing noticeable rattling and the shift lever can be pulled up from the shifting arm (not too sure if this is a good thing)
-> resolved by inserting pieces around/into the bearing

Bottom-line for Dinan SSK: Shifts nicely, great built, and noticeable shorter throw, but expensive. My main disappointment is that the bearing ball is too small, which is why the fitment isn't great causing problems noted above- I expected better given the high price of the shift lever. Still a pain to install; a bit easier install of reusing the original plastic bearing compromised the fitment.



---- BMS SSK
[Update -- Purchased BMS SSK after Dinan's]
Because of the rattling and the slop via shifting because of the moving bearing ball from the Dinan SSK, I decided the purchase the BMS SSK. The installation is such as PITA in some areas. But here are a few tips for installation. I am going to echo from the post, http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=962594

1. biggest time drain : the bearing liners
Because the bearing liners probably have some manufacturing tolerances, they sometimes do not fit exactly with selector rod. I did not replace the selector rod replacement that came with the kit. However, use the selector rod replacement to help you with fitment. If the bearing liners do not fit over the replacement rod, it probably will not fit over the original selector rod. I had to sand off the inner surface. To do so, I used a Dremel.

What is great is that the Dremel tool has one head that is perfect for this,
https://cdn.mscdirect.com/global/ima...8390735-21.jpg

the sand one on the bottom left. Keep sanding until it can *easily* fit over the replacement rod. Use the trial and error approach. Don't over sand; if you over sand, it will increase slop.

2. Allen wrench screws. Use your hands to start the screws. Make sure to place something underneath to catch the little screws. Put pressure on your lever to lean left/right to fit the provided wrench.

3. Adjust height, lube, and tighten the shift lever prior to installing. Without doing so, it will be hard to tighten the shift lever height adjustment mechanism. Also, lubing it helps reduce squeaking.

Review of the BMS SSK for E Series
+ well built
+ much nice shifts than Dinan's
+ actually does not rattle
+ feels very solid

- not quite exact fit .... my observation with the two orientations:
1. bias towards the front - it is way too forward. When shifting to 1,3,5, it seems like it will be touching the front. Also it seems like I am reaching for the shift level.
2. bias towards the back - it is more comfortable than 1, and seems more "right." However, when shift to the 2nd gear, you can definitely feel the lever hitting one of the metal pieces close to the driver. It is not that obvious, but you can definitely feel it
- hard to install due to modifications needed to bearing liners and screws

-> Very happy with the BMS SSK even though it is a pain to install.

[ShocknAwe]

Expensive as hell and doesn't even fit properly? Pah.

[ianc]

Looks like the BMW part is NLA these days?

ianc

[thetaobear]

Originally Posted by ianc

Looks like the BMW part is NLA these days?

ianc

Nope- need to go after market. UCC/BMS seem to be popular options.

[thetaobear]

Quick question- for those who installed the BMS Shiftek SSK,

I checked that my installation and the position of the shifter are correct.

However, I am experiencing a problem where when shifting to second gear, I believe the shifter *slightly* hits the bearing liners. Is this what you experience? If so, anyway to fix this issue?