Any common E36 transmission problems?

[jyri]

I'm curious if the E36 transmission (5sp) has any known problem areas or is the following problem a rare one?

In my '95 325is first gear does not fully engage about 30% of the time when the car is fully stopped. For example at a stoplight, trans in neutral, when I put it into 1st it seems to go in fine, but as I let out the clutch it sometimes (about 1 in 3) pops back out.

If the car is moving at all when selecting 1st gear, it always works. So I've taken the habit of downshifting to 1st just before coming to a full stop (1-2mph is sufficient to guarantee that it'll engage). Works ok but gets a little tiring on long lights or heavy traffic.

The gear never pops out once clutch is fully engaged, neither on acceleration nor trailing throttle, which leads me to suspect that the gear itself is fine. I'm guessing the selector fork for 1st is probably slightly bent so it almost but not quite guarantees engagement.

Are there any good sources for remanufactured E36 transmission?