So I just installed a B&M short shift kit in my MINI yesterday- I have to say that I think the install would have been pretty easy had the instructions supplied by B&M been more accurate. There were some crucial steps that are clearly out of order and led to the damaging of the VERY important "Pivot Retainer Ring" - which may prove to be quite an expensive replacement (BMW only sells the shift assembly as a whole unit- this means I potentially get to pay $100 for a 35cent part woohoo!)

So all in all not an entirely pleasant experience.

What I'm left with now is a car that is drivable but not "right"

I don't think it has anything to do with the quality of the parts- but everything to do with the misleading and erroneous install procedure. So if you are thinking about doing this job yourself- know that it can be done and should be pretty easy- but use your best judgment when following the instructions.

I have a full write up with pics of the debacle at

MINIblog

Anyone have a spare pivot retainer ring ? :evil:

 

Thanks for the heads up on the install...I'm planning on doing this mod also :smile:

 

You will save yourself some time and blood if you do a search for
>short shifter install< there are tips already posted about this.

 

Well thanks for advice- but too late...

now the focus is on getting a new pivot retainer ring

any ideas on that?

 

Back when they first came out a couple of people had the same problem with instructions and the vendor located replacement retainers. Okay I did the search for ya, read on,
Posted: Aug 15, 2003 - 01:36 PM

Update to my B&M shifter installation. Mark from Foreign Affairs has shown customer service like I haven't seen an along time. He Fedex'd the part I broke overnight and I now have my Shifter fixed. I think part of the problem with installing any short shifter in the MINI that replaces the stock stick is that the MINI stick assembly really wasn't designed to be taken apart. I don't know why they would have done this but if the arm that attaches to the side of the stick was removable from the shift housing their wouldn't be any problems installing the short shift kit. Second the B&M instructions should be modifed so that you don't remove the Shift Ball Retainer until you have the Shift housing removed from the car. It's alot eaiser to push the 3 tabs in from the outside of the housing while its sitting on the workbench. Same goes for installation. The Shift ball retainer should be installed on the workbench into the housing prior to installing the housing back into the car. It much eaiser to see what's going on when installing the retainer so you don't break it. Trying to do it bent over in the car trying to balance yourself in the seat while using both hands to manuver the retainer in is just asking for trouble. It took me less than a minute to snap the new retainer in without breaking it. To ease the installation for one person I slipped a small socket over the end of the stick so when I set the shift housing on the bench the socket would push the stick upward so the ball was out of the housing it worked like a third had so I didn't have to pull up on the stick with one hand while trying to snap the retainer in with the other. Well enought said about installation.
Posted: Nov 18, 2003 - 03:55 PM


You will LOVE it, somewhere I posted when I did my install of course I Modded the install and did things a little different to insure no vibration because the instructions indicated there was a possibility. I am very pleased with mine and five other people that have seen and tried it say the same. That's a fair deal Turner Motor sports is offering you the first one can be a little bit of a hassle but the 2nd time around with a lift should take about a hour. Tip Remove the **** pull straight up don't hit yourself in the nose by grabbing the ball and leveraging with your knees, disconnect the exhaust at the flange behind the CAT and the exh. pipe support behind that then the heat shield over that section and slide it back. Now pop off the cover and disconnect the two cables from shift linkage from remove the four bolts.
Pop up the shift boot and remove the whole shifter unit to a work bench to install parts. Then reverse the procedure... norm

 

By the way don't try to install the reaining ring with the cables connected to the shifter, use channel lock pliers to pull off center cable. When removing the retaining ring use strips cut from a soda bottle, slip them between the retaining ring retaining latches and housing.

 

Hello all,
This is very helpful. I just bought a B&M SS and I am planning on installing it this holiday. Maybe I should wait until warmer days? So, what I am getting here is that I should remove and install the pivot retainer while the shifter housing is out of the car? How hard was it to pry off the clips? When you mentioned the strips from a soda bottle, you are talking about cutting up a plastic bottle and making strips? Does this help is making the clips slide off?

Thanks again,
I hope to learn from you guys.
Carl

 

>>Hello all,
>>This is very helpful. I just bought a B&M SS and I am planning on installing it this holiday. Maybe I should wait until warmer days? So, what I am getting here is that I should remove and install the pivot retainer while the shifter housing is out of the car? How hard was it to pry off the clips? When you mentioned the strips from a soda bottle, you are talking about cutting up a plastic bottle and making strips? Does this help is making the clips slide off?
>>
>>Thanks again,
>>I hope to learn from you guys.
>>Carl
The plastic strips are to aid in removing the pivot ball retainer, there are three tabs ( sorry I used the word clips before) just push in one at a time from the outside of pivot ball retainer housing and insert a strip to hold each clip out of it's notch.The cable retaining clips hold the cables in the housing, they can be leveraged down with a screw driver then pulled off with pliers. I had a hard time of it getting the center cable to pop off the shift lever.

 

The copied post above was from my installation. I broke my Pivot ball retainer. Anyone planning the B&M Shifter install should search this site for information. I did a write up about the problems with the instructions. If you follow the instructions that came with the B&M shifter you will break the retainer. Add the following notes to your instructions.

1. Don't remove the Pivot Ball Retainer until you get the entire Shift Assembly out of the car.
2. Install the Pivot Ball Retainer prior to reinstalling the Shift Assembly into the car.
3. Do not attempt to remove or install the Pivot Ball Retainer with the Cables attached. When I did my the instructions have you install reattach the cables first and then install the PBR, You won't get it in without breaking it.

I also thought the instructions from B&M were now modified on newer shifter... Maybe not. If you break the Retainer it will cost $105 to replace because MINI doesn't sell just the retainer, only the entire shift assembly. Mark at Foriegn Affairs was going to contact MINI to find out if he could special order just retainers but I don't know if he succeded.

Below is a post that was from Mark and I responded;

From Mark:

>>Just recieved a call from our B&M rep. He is very concerned that there is some miscommunication concerning the instructions and wants to make sure that they are as clear as possible.
>>We went over the instructions once again ( I did this with him once before) and they are correct in their order. He would like to clarify them if possible and is looking for input from the Mini board from those that have installed this shifter. I suggested that he add in bold letters at the very beginning - " These directions must be followed in exact order "
>>In the interest of insuring customer satisfaction I've also given him my customer list (thoses that have already purchased the shifter) so that he could contact them and make sure there were no issues with their installs.
>>Super_MINI - I know your mad. I was too when I did the same thing but it only takes missing one page in the instructions to have this happen. I'm really sorry that you now have a broken part and I'll keep doing what I can to help lessen the blow. ($105 is really out there!) Will keep you updated when I find a source for the retaining ring.

My Response:

Ok, what did I miss? Following the instructions line by line is what got me into this mess. I even thought to myself after crawling out from under the car after installing the cables, cover and exhaust that I should have installed the Shift ball/pivot retainer first but after looking at the instructions, no I was correct in what I did.... So I spent 20-30 minutes with a friend of mine, both of use trying to get it back in, not knowing how much force may be necessary and pop, it broke.

Step 20 - Install shifter base.
Step 21 - Reinstall shift cables/clips
Step 22 - Reinstall shift cable pivot *****
Step 23 - Reinstall Exhaust heat shield and attach exhaust
Step 24 - Reinstall Exhaust hangers and Support Plate
Step 25 - REINSTALL PIVOT RETAINER INTO SHIFTER BASE!


Setup 25 can only be done between step 20 and 21 or between 19 and 20, which would be even better because the shifter base is out of the car and it's much eaiser to work on. Once the cables are attached as you mentioned above, you don't get enough movement from the stick to get the retainer back in. This would be the same way it was when the retainer was removed - the cables were not connected per the instructions. So the instructions are wrong and need to be fixed.

Also, I appreciate your effort in contacting the B&M rep. I'm not mad at really anyone but myself and B&M. Had I listened to my inner voice that said, it ain't gonna fit, it ain't gonna fit, your going to break it, I would have taken the cables apart and disconnected the stick to get the retainer back on but I kept looking at the instructions that said to keep going your doing it right.