Now: shift to 5th gear, this will put pressure on the driver side, freeing up pressure on the circlip (which itself is on the passenger side) for you to remove. Mine was cracked (torn), I should have bought a new rubber boot but no big deal, you can always install the rubber boot later when you have it.Ħ. Dig in with your fingernail and it will come out. Lift up the small carpet and remove it.ĥ. (Using a Sharpie pen, mark the existing setup of the metal sleeve to duplicate its position during re-installation).Ĥ. Loosen the 10-mm bolt and remove the metal sleeve. Alright, enough talking, let's get to work.ģ. Alternative: Jack Stands + place tire under the car. Also, remember you are working on the shifter so you cannot use the gearbox to stop the car! The ONLY thing that stops the car is the Parking Brake and the 'Wood Stopper' if you do it my way….but there is an alternative: The E39 is notorious for bad Parking Brake at this age, so if your Parking Brake is bad and if you are not careful, the car WILL roll while you are underneath = Serious injury or even death! NOTE: that most driveway inclines outward, so I place my wood ramps in such a way that if the car rolls, it is stopped by the 'Wood Stopper' on the wood ramps. This is how I did it: Jack the FRONT of the car, then lower it on wood ramps as shown. If you ever drop the circlip, don't panic, get back into the cabin and it will be likely on the shield. Telescopic magnet in case you drop the circlip (I did!). Long Flat Blade Screw Driver, at least 17 inches long! However, you can definitely do this even with driveshaft and muffler in place. If the driveshaft ad muffler are removed for other jobs, take the opportunity to replace the Shifter because the job is much easier. After 100K miles, the stock shifter is loose, mostly from the worn plastic bushing at the very bottom of the shifter that gives you the 'vague' feeling.Īfter the new shifter is installed, it was a night-and-day difference! This Shifter DIY has been written before in different forums, you can always search for more info. Get this at dealer for $20 or so.īut no big deal, you can always install this later. In retrospect, I should have bought the Rubber Boot (PN 25111434181) beforehand. Basically this kit includes (The # refers to the items in the 1st picture): Get this kit (E60 545i Short Shifter) from 'EAC Europarts' for $76. Thanks to Mark and Jared at EAC Europarts. You can always replace your loose shifter with another stock shifter but personally I like the Short Shifter from E60 545i better. This DIY applies to all E39 models with manual transmission. DIY: E39 Short Shifter Kit using E60 545i shifter

E36 short shifter kit