1995 325i e36 Transmission Replacement

[skylerf411]

​My 1995 e36 325i 2nd gear has started popping. I read another thread that said that this is a common problem for the Getrag transmission. I also have read that people have been replacing theirs with a ZF transmission because those are known to be more reliable. I am a car noob, but I am trying to learn. I just wanted to know if anybody knew a ZF transmission that would fit in the car as I couldn't find another thread that mentioned one for my car. I'm also not very good with these forums yet, so I'm sorry if there is a another thread on this subject. Thank you!

[XnWarden]

It will fit but you need a few more parts to make the swap work. A different driveshaft i believe.

[Ginge323]

My understanding is that the zf out of the m3 (zf226?) Bolts up fine, the only issue being the driveshaft tab and possibly length.

I thought about doing the zf swap when my trans blew, but based on price and ease of the swap, ended up just throwing another getrag in the car.

Not sure if I'm 100% accurate though, so I wouldn't take my word for it.

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[Eric93se]

So here is a search of the E36 sub forum with the terms 'getrag zf'

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...archid=5480150

[flyfishvt]

ZF will swap in perfectly. I did that swap to my 95 325 coupe many years ago. You need the tranny, drive shaft and shifter linkage and a ZF flex disk. Actually you only need the front half of the drive shaft but it's rare to find just the front half. It's normally sold as one unit.

Until about 2 years ago you pick up all those parts for $300. People are swapping out auto trannies like crazy these days and there's a limited supply of ZF trannies and drive shafts. They aren't hard to find but the prices have gone way up. Don't be surprised if you have to pay $350 for the tranny and $200 for the drive shaft. There are still good deals on the parts you need if you search long enough. The question is how long do you want to wait?

Compare those prices to a used Getrag tranny for $150-200. There is no performance benefit from swapping in a ZF. The gear ratios are almost identical. The ZF has a higher torque rating which you won't be able to take advantage of. The Getrag trannies had some issues with synchro's and popping out of 1st gear. That was fixed in later years. If you find one from a 96+ 318 or 323 you shouldn't have any issues.

[Greenday694]

After installing an M90 Eaton supercharger on my 93 325 IS I blew out to getrag V speeds in less than a year. Then I set out to do a ZF swap. But as mentioned they're getting harder to find. The 3:25 and 5:25 and smaller engines used the getrag transmission. 328 and 528 and all the M cars use the ZF trans. You can use the transmission from any of those cars. But the shift linkage and the front half of the drive shaft has to be from a E36. I found the shift linkage and had to use the front half of the drive shaft from a Z3 M. Work perfectly. The getrag 250g is rated up to 250 foot pounds of torque. ZF has been known to handle over 400 foot-pounds of torque. But the GF does have its problems as well. The shift pens tend to get stuck in their sleeves and make it difficult to shift. So if you buy a used one that has not been updated I would recommend changing out the shift pins and sleeves before you put it in your car. Use good oil in it and replace the front and rear seals.

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[Ginge323]

Definitely do the seals...I forgot too, and now my rear seal is leaking :/

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[truthbtold]

Is it feasible to rebuild a ZF? I have one but it could use some "refreshing"

What's involved. I talked to my transmission guy and he said he was pretty sure it's doable.

[Ginge323]

Is it feasible to rebuild a ZF? I have one but it could use some "refreshing"

What's involved. I talked to my transmission guy and he said he was pretty sure it's doable.

Not sure about the ZFs, but based on my research on the getrag, you are better off just replacing it with a used unit in better shape.

As for the ZF, I'm not sure if the parts availability is any better, and it depends on the issues your having and why you feel that it needs to be rebuilt. But I would hazard a guess that it will be cheaper to just replace the trans.

Someone with more experience with a ZF please correct me if I'm incorrect.

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[flyfishvt]

Transmission guys get around $100/hr. You can pick up a ZF for about $300 most of the time. That $300 doesn't buy much labor and parts. its much cheaper to buy another one.

Can they be rebuilt? Sure they can. In mot cases the only thing that needs to be refreshed are the shift detention pins. Those can be done without taking the tranny apart.

[Clappered 330i]

howdy,
Im aware this is a post from about five years ago or so, recently m54b30 swapped my e36 and have the zf 5spd from a 46 and im dealing with driveshaft yolk issues. so the 46 yolk is larger then the 36 yolk, past few days of my research ive found that the zf yolk will work with the getrag and vise versa. Would an auto trans yolk work? I dont think it would but a few buddies think it would work. dont really feel like driving a good two hours to pick up an auto yolk and it not work haha, cant find anything getrag or auto locally.

[scoobiedoo2029]

howdy,
Im aware this is a post from about five years ago or so, recently m54b30 swapped my e36 and have the zf 5spd from a 46 and im dealing with driveshaft yolk issues. so the 46 yolk is larger then the 36 yolk, past few days of my research ive found that the zf yolk will work with the getrag and vise versa. Would an auto trans yolk work? I dont think it would but a few buddies think it would work. dont really feel like driving a good two hours to pick up an auto yolk and it not work haha, cant find anything getrag or auto locally.

realoem.com

i somehow think your combo works in one way, usually its not the one you want to work though. youll have to crossrefrence part numbers between guibos and output flanges and driveshaft frront halves

a large amount of bmw driveshafts have the same center section spline/center bearing setup. you can swap some of the driveshaft parts around, however this will bork driveshaft balance.

[pbonsalb]

You need a driveshaft, or at least the front half, from an E36 with the ZF, plus the larger guibo to match. 96-99 328/M3 have the right shaft. 95 M3 also. Beware there are 4 and 6 bolt duffs so the rear half must match or you can reuse the rear portion of your old shaft. Sometimes people have balance issues — apparently the 2 halves are balanced and there are white dots on each end that should match where they come together. I don’t know whether a shaft balances perfectly when the white dot from the front of one shaft is lined up with the white dot from the rear of a different shaft. But if there is a balance issue you could reorient 180 degrees and try again.