Ok, this is a bit involved and I think I know what the problem is, but i'm not finding any info online on what I can do about it.

2005 Cooper, one day starting having a very stiff shifter. From neutral, you can go to 3rd or 4th super easy, no issues. Getting it over to 5th / reverse took some serious effort, but you could get it there. Once you have it over to that side, going between 5th and reverse was no issue.

Getting it over to 1st or 2nd was basically a no go unless you let the car warm up for 20-30min. (around freezing here right now). My research said shift cables were bad, and sure enough, both rubber boots on mine were shot. I ordered the cables and they showed up. After fighting with the exhaust for a bit, I got them changed. Got back in the car, and while rowing from 3rd to 4th is now like butter, getting over to 5th / reverse was still hardish and 1st / 2nd was super stiff.

now i'm not so happy, as this has taken me 2 days and a trip to the exhaust shop to cut off seized exhaust studs to get it this far. Seeing as I have brand new cables, which noticeably run smoother than the old ones, it appears that my problem was being masked by something else.

I got back under the hood under the air box to check out the assembly that the shift cables hook to. (bentley says I have the getrag transmission based on pictures). This assembly rotates back and forth from one cable (which is the forward and back engagement, like going from 3rd to 4th or from 1st to 2nd) and then has another connection to the other cable that moves the rotating assembly up or down (which connects to the side to side shifter movement which will take you from 3rd/4th over to 5th/reverse or over to 1st second.

If you push down on the assembly with your hand, this is equivalent of moving the shifter over to the 5th/reverse row (while not engaging either gear). When I let go, the assembly pops back up, so that spring action is working. It's not as fast as it used to be, but it works.

Now, if I pull UP on the assembly with my hand, this is like moving the shifter over to the 1st/2nd row (once again, without engaging either gear) and if I remove my hand, it just stays in the UP position. I can push it back down to center (3rd/4th row) but it won't go down itself.

warming up the engine doesn't help. I doused much of the assembly in white lithium, trying to get it under the up/down section, and while it helped just a bit with the 5th/reverse row, the 1st/2nd (UP position) row still will not return to center.

This tells me that the shift assembly (no idea what is really called, bentley manual didn't help) has a bad spring in it or something, as the 1st/2nd row won't return to center. The car is completely drivable, but this just happened one day, and hasn't gotten any better.

So, do I just need a new shift assembly on top of the transmission, or can I remove this one and fix it somehow?

thanks guys

 

I found here:

http://answers.edmunds.com/question-...why-93815.aspx

a reference to a TSB: SI M 23 03 08 referencing a "stiff diagonal shift" which is exactly the issues i'm having. I can't find this TSB anywhere to get official info.

 

I'm sure if you search hard enough you can find the details of that TSB. Otherwise if you want to give up you can usually pay for 1-day access to a car info website that has service data for all cars.

I would definitely confirm with the TSB but it sounds like a new shifting assembly might be needed. Looks like it is around $200-250. If not that, then it is probably an internal transmission issue, and that would be the worst case since it would most likely require transmission removal.

Parts diagram for your transmission: http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...88&hg=23&fg=15

 

no one else?

 

update:

I removed the switching unit to check it out. 3 bolts, torx40, not too hard. I couldn't find anything wrong with it except that part that is on top of the unit on the left side has a rotating piece that transfer motion from front-back to up and down. The Following link gives a better picture. The part i'm talking about is the piece that #10 points directly to.

http://www.bmminiparts.com/DiagramVi...158&MOSP=48014

Anyway, down inside the transmission there is a little spring unit that seems pretty weak, but it is the only thing I can find that makes the switching unit return to center neutral.

The upside is that I reinstalled it, and while not near perfect, is much better. 1st-2nd now returns to center ok, and 5th-reverse does too. The wife still says it's not where near what it should be, so I may end up buying the switching unit, which will be from Way Motor Works if I do, but at least it is still drivable now.

 

update: as it has gotten colder, it gets worse, but it is still driveable. oh well. looks like I'll still the part.