85 bmw 318i stuck in Reverse?

[bmwnut420]

I have a 1985 bmw 318i and one day last week it was cold outside an i went to shift out of reverse an felt something slip, then it wouldnt come out the shifter is loose feeling so i thought probably the bushings so i start to remove driveshaft and saw that my shifter is laying down on the driveshaft so i'm hoping bushings but i got all of the bolts outta the driveshaft transmission output flange all 6 bolts and all of them at the rear diff and even took the aluminum shield and the center bearing down but i cant get the driveshaft to come off the transmission output flange so i can take it out to get a better look at the shifter problem. Any help would greatly be aprreciated. Thanks. Doug

[Frajo]

Iʻm not sure I understood everything you were trying to explain. However if youʻre trying to remove the drive shaft, did you also remove the center bearing bolts? On my 88 325 I did not have to remove the entire drive shaft to access the shifter linkage... only the tranny output and center bearing. Do you have a Bentley manual or even 101 projects book?

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

It isnt needed to remove the drive shaft to replace the shifter bushings. I does make it slightly easier however. You need to remove the bolts holding the center bearign to the chassis and also loosen the large nut on the driveshaft.