Lost all of my gear selection.

[Guest]

Hi. Fist post on the board.

This previous Saturday, taking an exit of the hwy I went to downshift, but could not select any of the gears.
The shift lever feels very loose, there is totally zero resistance. What could have happened? I do have a Bently manual, but need to know where to start looking. Also during this breakdown, when I depressed the clutch pedal, the clutch master cylinder clevis snapped-off.
I just finished replacing a leaking hydraulic brake booster, only to have this happen.
Thanks
Tom .- 87 535i -.

[Guest]

From your description of the shifter problem it's very probable that the E-clip that holds the shift rod into the shifter might have popped off allowing the shift rod to become disconnected from the shifter. The only way you will be able to tell is to get the car up on a lift or jackstands and crawl underneath to have a look. Another possibility is the shift rod itself failing. The shift rod is nothing more than tubular stock that's been partially flattened at each end. On these partial flats a machined pin is welded to the tube. The welds can fatigue and break.

Your other problem could very well have been caused by a cracked pedal box. When the pedal box cracks, the clutch master isn't held in proper alignment throughout it's range of motion. When this happens the result is typically a very short service life for clutch master cylinders.

If you find the pedal box is defective the best solution is to replace with a new part from the dealership, it's inexpensive and I wouldn't install a used pedal box simply due to the PITA factor.

Rich

[Guest]

Thanks Rich for the info. The shift lever did feel loose and sloppy when it did work. I will certainly take a look and see, hopefully I will be able to fix it.

Tom