MyE28.com

I am sorry in advance for the post and for the repetion of the question as i am sure it has probably been asked many times before. However i have searched many times and different ways but since the search takes me to the old board version it is hard to find anything without getting lost. I curantly own a 84" 533i manual, and on cold days it has a problem or i do shifting into 2nd, everything is stock.

I was trying to find what where the best Transmissions that i could swap in plus the parts i would need to do the swap including the years and models that they would be sourced from. I was also going to switch to a different diff. but i would like to know the best diffs to switch. i was thinking of a lsd but dont know an acceptable ratio. i do alot of highway driving however i dont mind switching diffs for track use. but i need years and models if possible.

sorry again for the repition and for the noob question.but again the old board is a bit hard to navigate and find the info i want. i hope you can forgive me for this.

send me your number and call me, there are too many variables for me to want to sit and type it all out, maybe Shifty will chime in as he can type faster...

When the wonderfully weak G260/5 died in my now deceased 533i I upgraded to the G265 that's used in the '85 535i.

To do the upgrade to the G265 you need the following parts.

Clutch/pressure plate and throwout bearing from any E28 535i or the M5.

G265 transmission, sheetmetal shift console and shifter from an '85 535i

Transmission crossmember, transmission mounts and driveshaft from an '85 535i.

The downside to transplanting a later/stronger trans into a 533i will be the need to have a custom exahust system hanger fabricated to support the exhaust system near the transmission.

To swap in the later G260/6 transmission from an '86 -'88 535i is basically the same as what I did. Simply acquire all the transmssion/shifter/driveshaft parts from the model year car you use as a donor.

HTH

Rich

[QUOTE="scorpion"]... However i have searched many times and different ways but since the search takes me to the old board version it is hard to find anything without getting lost....[/QUOTE]

The big search box is for searching the old board. There is a small search link below the 5er Fest logo for searching the new board...

[QUOTE="scorpion"]I am sorry in advance for the post and for the repetion of the question as i am sure it has probably been asked many times before. However i have searched many times and different ways but since the search takes me to the old board version it is hard to find anything without getting lost. I curantly own a 84" 533i manual, and on cold days it has a problem or i do shifting into 2nd, everything is stock.

I was trying to find what where the best Transmissions that i could swap in plus the parts i would need to do the swap including the years and models that they would be sourced from. I was also going to switch to a different diff. but i would like to know the best diffs to switch. i was thinking of a lsd but dont know an acceptable ratio. i do alot of highway driving however i dont mind switching diffs for track use. but i need years and models if possible.

sorry again for the repition and for the noob question.but again the old board is a bit hard to navigate and find the info i want. i hope you can forgive me for this.[/QUOTE]

Based on your description, you need to do two things prior to considering a tranny swap.

First, drain the transmission lube, after first making sure you can get the fill plut out, and refill with Redline MTL (Manual Transmission Lubricant).

Next, you need to replace the shift linkage bushings, primarily the one the pivot ball on the shift lever rides in, and then the plastic washer-like bushings on the rest of the linkage. There are about four of these yellow plastic bushings to replace. This will remove any slop in the shift linkage that's developed over the years, which may be your main problem.

The total cost for these two maintenance tasks is under $25.00.

In addition to the items that Pat mentioned for replacement.

The 533i utilizes a sheetmetal shift console. If the front mounts for the sheetmetal shift console are excessively worn or fail. You'll have all sorts of grief with shifting of the transmission.

There are two mounts on the front, about $10 each.

Rich

One additional thing.

Your rear transmission mounts could be soft from being oil soaked, this will allow your tranny to be out of alignment with the transmission tunnel wherre the rear of the shift platform is attached, potentially throwing the linkage out of alignment. That cured by new rear tranny mounts, a bit more expensive at $25.00-35.00 for a pair of them. :p

thanx i think i might do a 265 but what about other models it comes from. might also use a lsd 3.73 and just swap between the stock one or get a longer ratio lsd for highway. there is a trans from an 85" 318i on ebay would this work? and if it does do i have to have all the mounting stuff from it or can i pull it from another car with the same trans. Thanx again for the info and the fixing info probably fix it first just would like the swap info for when i do swap trans.