5sp jumping out of second gear

[Helen]

Our 94 318's 5 speed at times doesnt like to drop into 2nd gear, it grinds and jumps out of gear.

Is this something common?

My research suggests that the gear box mounts might be broken or the linkage bushes might be worn, which i hope it is one of those things and not gearbox rebuild time.

I will get the car in the air next weekend hopefully to check the mounts and bushes out but any ideas in the mean time?

We just got the car and love it so far....just this annoying 2nd gear issue.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q86/DannyG13_photos/Private/beamer/IMG_0875.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q86/DannyG13_photos/Private/beamer/IMG_0874.jpg

[predsfan75]

Sounds like the synchros to me .

[Arctikz]

It happens to me sometimes when I don't put it all the way into 2nd gear. But if your engaging it for sure and it still does it, then it's your synchros.

[Helen]

It happens to me sometimes when I don't put it all the way into 2nd gear. But if your engaging it for sure and it still does it, then it's your synchros.

Yes we are trying to be conscious of making sure we pull it all the way into second.....so far I am thinking that we havent been. It might be a bit sloppy in the linkages hopefully.

[Sailor90]

I have the a similar thing with 3rd gear with a '93 325is I recently bought. There isn't any trouble putting it into gear, no grinding or anything. Sometimes it starts popping out. I think it's just from not putting it all the way into gear though. I've been trying to be conscious of putting it all the way into gear like you are (so that if it still does, I can eliminate that), and it hasn't been popping out anymore in a while. So I'm pretty sure with mine it just needed to be put all the way into gear better.

Rambling post, I know. Just wanted to quickly share a similar experience for you.

[Helen]

I have the a similar thing with 3rd gear with a '93 325is I recently bought. There isn't any trouble putting it into gear, no grinding or anything. Sometimes it starts popping out. I think it's just from not putting it all the way into gear though. I've been trying to be conscious of putting it all the way into gear like you are (so that if it still does, I can eliminate that), and it hasn't been popping out anymore in a while. So I'm pretty sure with mine it just needed to be put all the way into gear better.

Rambling post, I know. Just wanted to quickly share a similar experience for you.

Thank you. We will keep you informed on what we find with ours.

[Audi200tq]

My car is a '92. The previous owner told me that he replaced the 5 speed with a '95 unit as the early manual transmissions were prone to this problem.

[RJ 325is]

Any updates on this? My 94 325is is doing the same thing, grinds in second or pops out sometimes. I carefully have to shift into second and hold it until I shift to third. Or I just go from first to third gear :(

[dozanti]

I've heard the trans popping out of 3rd is a good indication of a worn clutch. Maybe that was only the case for a previous car of mine, and it might be a little more serious than that, but after replacing it, i had no more troubles. I read someone on here suggested to try taking off in 4th gear, if the car almost dies out, the clutch is grabbing as it should, and if it doesnt it may be a worn clutch plate etc. Perhaps, the clutch slave cylinder needs bled and topped off due to an older clutch?

[Eleventeen11]

jumping out of gear is normaly a synchro. second gear, unless im mistaken, takes the most force in the tranny based on position and is normaly the one that has synchros go bad the most because of the constant preasure on the synchro. The gear is probly still there but once you get passed about 2-3k rpms you or you synchro will not hold it in anymore and it will popp out and grind. almost all cars will get this in age. solution is normaly new tranny or a tranny overhaul depending on cost.

clutch test ive allways used is while drive... give it some hard gas... if the rpms go up... the car dosnt speed up, and then all of a sudden it catches.. normaly a bad clutch there.

GL ive had this issue a few times before. you can live without second for a while and as long as you didnt chip a gear (rare imo) your not in any serious danger besides the people beeting you off the line.

[Hadders]

Before you go sourcing gearbox replacement quotes, I'd replace the following:

1. New gearbox fluid. BMW doesn't seem to think you need new fluid, but that's a crock. I replaced mine with Castrol Dexron III. Royal Purple Syncromesh is said to be even better - I would have bought it if I could find it. Put the car on jack stands, and undo the gearbof fill bung first, which is the higher of the two (if you open the drain bung first, then find you can't open the fill bung, you have a gearbox that can't be filled). Drop the old fluid by opening the drain bung, then replace it and torque to spec. With the car on a level surface, add fluid into the fill bung hole until it overflows. My gearbox took around 1L of fluid (320i).

That procedure fixed some of the notchiness of my gearbox (still not as perfectly smooth as I'd like, but far better than it was), and stopped it popping out of second. I used to wonder if it was driver error - it wasn't.

2. Replace shift linkage bushings - harder than a fluid swap, but not unnnapproachable. I haven't swapped bushes yet.

[pinkerton]

This thread from United Bimmer mentions a faulty guide sleeve causing the trans to pop out of first and/or second gear. Mine pops out of first pretty often - I'll be looking into this also: http://www.unitedbimmer.com/kb-e36-common-faults-faq.php

[flyfishvt]

If its the guide sleeve then just replace the tranny. Its much cheaper to get a used one for $250-300 than it is to rebuild it.