shifting problem
 

i'm a newbie here, but this looks like a great forum for tech. well, i'm looking at a E36 318i sedan and its got a couple wierd problems. first of all, it doesn't lock into any of the forward gears, (R, 1, 3, 5) but 2 and 4 feel normal. it will move itself in the forward gears if you hold it in when not moving, or when you are accelerating, but when you let off the gas, the shifter moves back to neutral. just wondering if this is just a shifter bushing or something that may be bad that can be easily fixed. the car has high miles but i'm picking it up VERY cheap! let me know if anyone has any ideas before i buy this 318. thanks in advance!!!! i'll ask about the rest of the problems after i get this one figured out! thanks!

Sounds like something is indeed loose or misadjusted in there. I would reccommend looking it over very carefully prior to buying, as it may be shift linkage, or it may be something more severe.

yea i am planning on it. the dealer is a friend of mine but i definitely want to look it over closely. the other thing, it will run when you are giving it gas, but it dies as soon as you let off. the boot is cracked between the air sensor and the throttle body so i think that is the reason taht it wont idle. anyone else have any ideas on the shifting problem?

I had a similar problem w/my E30 318i. It turned out to be a shifter bushing. Is the shifter sloppy/have a lot of side-to-side play? Does it seem like you have to push the selector hard to get into the odd/forward gears?

If so this problem can be corrected by installing new shifter linkage bushings. Have your mech look at the bushings & check for wear, you might even want to purchase the bushings & have him replace them & check it again (it only takes a few minutes) before you purchase the car.

Hope this helps

ok, another problem, sounds like the drivers side motor mount needs replaced. these shifters have linkage to the transmission, correct? so if a motor mount is broken, the engine may not be where its supposed to and then causing tension with the shift linkage. does that sound possible? thanks in advance!

ok, so i bought the car, replaced both motor mounts, got the intake boot between the throttle body and air sensor and got a new check valve for the power booster, a total of $140 in parts and 3 hours and the car is mint!!!!! thanks guys!