Short Shift Kit & Clutch Delay Valve fix

[Ricky Bobby]

GD, I see what you're saying, here is the 09/03 build up till end of production diagram:



And here again is the UP TO 9/03 diagram I posted above:



The difference is in the rod joint #12 needing washers #10 on the old design, and as you can see on the bottom attachment point of the actual shift lever there are 2 of the #10 washers, one on each side.

The 9/03 - onward diagram shows an updated #12 without washers, and no washers on the attachment to the shift lever, only clip #11.

Now, mcurcio as well as Riggo both have the same 6-speed production so I assume that their linkage is identical. Which leads me to believe that either mcurcio has something not engaged properly (could be the fact that he has one original "bitch clip" in place and one that is new, perhaps the original is looser), as well I recommend ALL CONNECTIONS OF METAL TO METAL be lubed up good with grease to keep noise minimal and everything moving smoothly.

I would agree with your theories about a different part GD, if mcurcio was a pre-9/03 production 5 speed. However, since his is same as Riggo's I think we can agree if the issue is in his linkage, it is not due to differences in parts.

[Green Dragon]

Yeah I'm so tangled up with part numbers. RB is right. There must be some slop some where. My wife just asked me why I was talking about "shaft slop", what a "loose bitch clip" was..............and why it needed lube?

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by Green Dragon

Yeah I'm so tangled up with part numbers. RB is right. There must be some slop some where. My wife just asked me why I was talking about "shaft slop", what a "loose bitch clip" was..............and why it needed lube?

And she should be so happy we are only talking about our rides my man! curcio, go under there and check that a retainer clip didn't work itself loose and all metal on metal contact points have grease on them. I'd also look into putting the fresh "bitch clip" on there too

Wife and I were watching a Discovery Health "reality show" about these swinger couples and their lives, man let me tell you that was a real eye opener. Made my days surfing the forums, browsing for deals on parts and mods for my X5 seem like I'm a programming nerd working for Dell in the early 80's.

[Green Dragon]

Originally Posted by mcurcio1989

Now that I have had her in for a few days I figured I would give my impressions which are overall good.

It definitely takes some getting used to because, as expected, the shorter throw requires more force. It is very smooth but just takes more force. Additionally the lack of a rubber bushing on the shifter arm makes for a stiffer shift. It changes the feel from having more of a soft luxury feel to a sporty aggressive feel. To be honest when I first put it on I wasn't sure I liked it but after driving it for 6 days the feel has really grown on me. It is a very firm defined shift. You feel exactly where the shifter is going and the throw is very much noticeably shorter.

The only complaint I have is that when I pull the shifter towards the rear (for 2, 4, 6) I get a kind of clicking / knock noise. I am not sure what is causing this and I need to look into it cause it sounds cheap and loose. I am in no way trying to say this is because of the shifter - there is probably something a little loose or needing re-positioned somewhere. I am probably going to hang on to my oem shifter because, as easy as this is to put in, I think it would be cool to have the option to switch between the two to shake up the feel from time to time.

I uninstalled the shark injector tune a time or two just to remember the difference and further justified the investment. It made me love the tune even more....

Just wanted to add that my weighted version of UUC's DSSR should smooth out the "notchiness" as well. Because you have altered/changed the position of the pivot with a short shift kit, you have also altered the dynamics of the shift. A change in the pivot has a direct proportional relationship to effort and feel. You can add a weighted shift knob to help, but personally I like the factory shift knob feel and in my mind, if I could choose where I wanted to add mass to the equation, it would be on the bottom side of the pivot, but that is a matter of preference and feel. Even though I drive a 4500 lb SUV, not a fan of things feeling "top heavy"(unless you talking about women....) My goal with my DSSR design is to feel "Balanced, scaple like percision.....(kinda like the feel of a well oiled bolt action on a rifle.) That smooth "click, click" sound reminds me of my father-in-law oiling up the gun as I was picking his daughter up for a date.

When I converted my e36 to a manual transmission back in the day, I made a weighted selector rod out of two pieces of steel beefy rectangular key stock, parallel with each other, tied together at both ends and in the middle. It was structurally stronger, heavier, and made the shifting like a "hot knife through butter" feel. My e36 did not have an SSK.

I know I'm making a lot of promises for something that is intangible in my mind, but I'm confident that this will help. Adding the EVO SSK alone, however sexy that piece is, doesn't address the whole shifting equation in it's entirety in my mind. Your just moving it to the weakest link. Shifter, links, and bushings/bearings... best to do the whole package. Let us know what you find out with the 2-4-6 shift issue/complaint. We're in this together.

[Riggodeaux]

Green Dragon, you certainly have high standards, and I wish you well. If you are looking for that bolt-action, lock'n'load feel, find and drive a Mercedes SLK, circa 2004-2008, with the six speed tranny. Wonder if its shifter would fit in our trannies and tunnel? Sweetest manual tranny I've ever owned or driven.
The UUC SSK kit, properly installed and lubed, got me to where I needed to be.

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by Green Dragon

I uninstalled the shark injector tune a time or two just to remember the difference and further justified the investment. It made me love the tune even more....

Just wanted to add that my weighted version of UUC's DSSR should smooth out the "notchiness" as well. Because you have altered/changed the position of the pivot with a short shift kit, you have also altered the dynamics of the shift. A change in the pivot has a direct proportional relationship to effort and feel. You can add a weighted shift knob to help, but personally I like the factory shift knob feel and in my mind, if I could choose where I wanted to add mass to the equation, it would be on the bottom side of the pivot, but that is a matter of preference and feel. Even though I drive a 4500 lb SUV, not a fan of things feeling "top heavy"(unless you talking about women....) My goal with my DSSR design is to feel "Balanced, scaple like percision.....(kinda like the feel of a well oiled bolt action on a rifle.) That smooth "click, click" sound reminds me of my father-in-law oiling up the gun as I was picking his daughter up for a date.

When I converted my e36 to a manual transmission back in the day, I made a weighted selector rod out of two pieces of steel beefy rectangular key stock, parallel with each other, tied together at both ends and in the middle. It was structurally stronger, heavier, and made the shifting like a "hot knife through butter" feel. My e36 did not have an SSK.

I know I'm making a lot of promises for something that is intangible in my mind, but I'm confident that this will help. Adding the EVO SSK alone, however sexy that piece is, doesn't address the whole shifting equation in it's entirety in my mind. Your just moving it to the weakest link. Shifter, links, and bushings/bearings... best to do the whole package. Let us know what you find out with the 2-4-6 shift issue/complaint. We're in this together.

I hear you GD, good thoughts on the injector tune, now I know I'll be getting one (and an AFE intake) down the line!


As far as the SSK goes, and the "click click" action, that is why I am saying that in addition to that being part of the design, perhaps the UUC Delrin bushings on the shifter arm would be a way to obtain 90% of the feel of the DSSR for someone? On the 6-speed models I can see if adding Delrin on both makes it "too tight" because of the 2 bushings on the shifter arm (which is why I bought two spares in a recent ECS order), but for the brethren with a pre-9/03 production, who have the "old style" linkage with 1 bushing on the shifter arm, wouldn't the adage from all older BMW shift kits apply, that the 1 bushing is a wear item and either replaced with new or a Delrin bushing (oval or round depending on application) installed in place to tighten it back up?

Again we are all theorizing here but I suspect mcurcio has either some lubing to do or something might be loose in his kit, double check your connections man and double check the grease!

Riggo seems to be good to go with no hiccups so I can almost definitely conclude that the UUC design is in fact working as designed and intended for our E53 application. Like he and Rob @ UUC mentioned, on the 6 speeds the only items for wear that remain are the rod joint affixed to the transmission, and the bushings on the shifter arm if the rubber is deteriorated.

Rob mentioned to Riggo that using Delrin on both bushings would make perhaps unnecessary vibration, but I actually don't think that it would cause a negative effect, I think it is just financially easier to sell 1 kit which fits both 5 and 6 speeds, instead of sending out 2 sets of Delrin bushings ($50 from UUC) with each Evo3 kit sold, and trying to keep the price point high enough for someone to buy.

I have no doubt that if the E53 had the "old linkage" with one shift arm bushing throughout production, that Rob would include the Delrin bushing for the arm with his kit, in order to complete the package. However, he needed to package a kit for both models so those are left out. I don't believe it would cause vibrations in cabin if you used Delrin on the new style, "dual bushing" shifter arm, but I believe it might make cold shifting a bit stiffer until the gearbox is warm, and perhaps isn't as desirable. Again, Rob has such a niche market with us E53 guys as is, it took Greg from Switzerland 2 years to get him to put it back into production. If he retailed the Evo3 (w/out DSSR) including the dual set of Delrin bushings for the shifter arm at $450, I think it would be an even tougher sell. I understand why he stopped at just the Evo3 for our cars.

My shift arm bushings should be arrived soon, and when I get under the E53 I'll report back after install. Just cross your fingers my 9/18/03 production has the newer style shift arm, if I for some reason had the "old style" with 1 bushing I'd probably get a Delrin bushing for the arm and definitely update my rod joint as that parts diagram for the older style worries me.

[Ricky Bobby]

For what its worth, I emailed Rob today although I know UUC is down with the ice storm, wanted to let him know in case he didn't know already about the difference in linkages between pre- 9/03 and 9/03 onward production.

Also wanted to know his thoughts about adding Delrin in the shift arm bushings, and perhaps a benefit when adding in the earlier style shift arm, as opposed to the negative effects he said in the later style shift arm. Will report back when he emails me.

[Ricky Bobby]

OK well I can confirm that I have the earlier linkage as shown above which says up to 9/2003, only one bitch clip in my application, but still 2 bushings on the shifter arm. So it turns out all 5-speed users will have the older linkage as mine is about 2 weeks before end of 5-speed production, for all I know it was one of the last 5 speeds off the line.

Since I have two new oval bushings from BMW for the shifter arm, I will remove the shifter arm from the car, and install 2 fresh bushings, not Delrin since Rob @ UUC apparently does not recommend it, but I would look into replacing with fresh stock bushings at least, when installing the SSK, its only a few extra minutes of work.

I think Rob is aware of the differences between 5-speed and 6-speed linkage, bc he includes a washer #10 from this diagram, which is not needed in 6-speed kits, and he includes 2 bitch clips in the kit, when only one is needed for 5 speed.



It's friggin freezing on my floor right now but the bitch clip is easily in sight, however the "rod joint" below the shifter arm is definitely blind to get to. I hope mine isn't worn. It looks like the design of the #12 rod joint is now universally made without washers, as the part # has been updated, so you would just need #12 and #11 if you were to replace it. However, with Riggo having higher miles than me I'm not worrying about it too much. If for some reason I can get it off blindly I might replace it, but otherwise I won't worry about it.


NINJA EDIT: There is a definite issue with the way the UUC kit is packaged, depending if you have a 5 speed or 6 speed. You need THIS BITCH CLIP or "Retaining Pin" if you have a 5 speed, 1 of them, you'll see its different.



BMW E53 X5 M54 3.0L Search SiteSearch 25111222375 ES#46772 Shifter Carrier Pin - 25111222375

Rob includes 2 of these in the kit, these are from the 6-speed linkage, note there is a different part number as these are a different orientation in left and right sides.



Note that the 6-speed pins are much shorter, this makes a huge difference on my 5-speed. I will not be able to install the UUC kit without the proper bitch clip. Will be calling Rob on this and hopefully he will start asking whether you have a 5-speed or 6-speed when ordering, to supply the proper securing clip for the shifter arm. This is why I check, double check, and triple check my install procedure and parts before starting a job!

UPDATE (4:39 PM): Just spoke to Rob and told him about the difference in retaining pins/bitch clips from 5 to 6 speed, he thanked me for letting him know and told me that if I was careful I could get mine off without breaking, but I'll just get a fresh one from the dealer as I don't like reusing hardware lol. And YES, he also said "no one believes him" but Delrin bushings is a waste of money on our dual mounted shifter arms. He told me they just simply don't wear like the old style arms from E30, E36 etc, obviously putting fresh stock bushings in for $9 isn't a big deal but he said there is absolutely no reason to spend $60 on 2 sets of his Delrin bushings when you won't see any obvious benefit.

There you have it, I'll get a new clip from the dealer and update when it is installed, and GD, my stock shifter is yours as I'm sure I won't be going back to stock lol!

[Ricky Bobby]

Well I decided to start the install tonight, just to see if the bitch clip would give me any trouble, and it came disattached from the top of the trans easily enough, however, either I'm doing things in the wrong order, or the retaining pin is seized in the carrier, bc no amount of pulling the retaining pin/clip out has loosened it yet.

The small metal piece attached to the clip that "latches" on the trans is loose on the pin, so it rotates freely, but the pin itself does not rotate. Will have to thank 10 years of salt exposure for the weak pin most likely.

I have a small C-clamp so I might try to press the pin out from the other side, I find it hard to believe that just because the linkage is still attached inside the car that it is putting some sort of "pre-load" on the shifter arm and not allowing the pin to be slid out. Must just need some extra persuasion.

The rod joint doesnt seem like it would be hard to remove and replace with the shifter arm out of the way, you're just doing it blind is all, I may pick one up (since I need a new clip anyway), if I'm breaking my back to get this stupid friggin retaining pin out and get GD aka Ryan the measurements for a DSSR, then I might as well do the joint too. One things for certain, this isn't a job you want to do multiple times, I have small hands which actually pay for themselves for once, but the space is extremely tight.

[Green Dragon]

RB, I'm not gonna say I told you so... Just Kidding buddy.
Good luck with everything. I find that cussing and working on cars go hand and hand, especially on the blind stuff. A small c-clamp or a long slender punch rod if clearance allows, should do the trick on that upper clip.

If you haven't installed the UUC shift rod yet, could you compare/measure it to the picture below? I'm curious as to the length of UUC's rod from the bottom of the pivot to the lower bushing and the inverse measurement from the top of the pivot to the top of the shifter rod. Just wanted to see the proportions. Seems like I read somewhere that you get about a 30% percent reduction in throw. I wanted to see if I can get an approximate "sweet spot" with my Schiedmann set-up to start with and go forward from there. I'm about two weeks out on my short shifter. Adding a 2" extension and about an additional 15 degrees of bend on the Schmiedmann shifter to approximate the stock shifter height and position.