▀▄ eas | Rogue Engineering E9X M3 OCTANE SSK DIY instructions

[tom @ eas]

Components:



(description from the RE product website)

A. 6061-T6 ACQ Billet Carrier - Painstakingly CNC machined from a block of aluminum about the size of a brick, this carrier has incredible strength and rigidity over a stock component. It incorporates Rogue Engineering's Pivot Relocation Cup, to raise the pivot point of the shifter higher, allowing the shifter more drivetrain clearance. For additinoal strength, the rear of the carrier has a steel spike to secure to the mounting point of the vehicle. An important feature is that it realigns the selector rod so that it is near the factory position, preventing off-axis forces against the transmission's selector rod gear joint, preventing shifting notchiness. If you wonder why Rogue Engineering's shifters have always been the SMOOTHEST shifters on the market, this is one of many small details which allow many of our customers to recognize the ingenuity of RE OCTANE SSKs.

B. Our OCTANE shifter lever may seem like the same lever we use in our other kits, but at a closer glance, you will see that it incorporates a double bend, to emulate the factory shifter lever. In essence, the top of the factory lever is moved backwards, approximately 1/2 from the axis of the lower part of the shifter. Other companies have made the mistake of only bending the top of another factory lever backwards, hoping to solve this ergonomic challenge. However, bending the top of the lever back only tips the shift knob towards the driver, and does not emulate the factory position accurately.

C. Rogue Engineering's Self-Adjusting Pivot Point (SAPP) is still used in our E9X M3 application, proving that our simple and effective method of lower pivot tension control maintains reliability, durability, and longevity. Just ask the 50% of the Grand Am Koni Challenge teams racing with Rogue Engineering shifters in their cars.

D. We replace the hollow, factory selector rod with a heavier, TIG welded, stainless steel replacement. This adds additional mass, over the press-tube construction of the factory part. This helps the shifts in the vehicle feel factory smooth, while allowing for the reduced throws. Our weighted selector rod is twice the mass of the factory part (factory is 120g, ours is 245g).

E. We use factory replacement pivot cups and locking circlips to secure the shifter together. These are the same components used in all current model BMWs.

Let's begin:

1. Start by pulling off the shifter boot (pulls upward)



2. Gripping tight on the shifter knob - pull upward. Be sure to keep your face and sunroof (if equipped) out of reach as this can be potentially dangerous when pulled free



3. Disconnect shifter illumination connector



4. The insulating foam will need to be removed next, this can be pulled free from the shifter console while allowing the console to remain in place





Foam insulator removed



5. Lift vehicle or raise on jackstands



6. Remove skid plate and transmission felt liner









7. Unplug O2 sensors from catalytic converters (4 total)





8. Remove felt skidplate from bumper





9. Remove exhaust brackets/hangers



10. Remove band clamps from after resonators



11. Exhaust section coming down



12. Exhaust removed for easier access to shifter

[tom @ eas]

13. Heat shielding is to be removed next to access driveline assembly



14. Start by removing all small screws that hold on shielding





Image of Guibo and bottomside of stock shifter assembly



15. Remove transmission carrier assembly and driveline mount, transmission will drop slightly downward to allow additional clearance to shifter assembly









16. Remove retaining clips on selector rod (1 on each side) and shifter assembly (total of 2) with a using a pick tool.







17. Preparing for driveshaft removal (optional, but allows additional clearance)





Driveshaft mark for proper alignment when reinstalling



18. Free pin bushing from undercarriage using a small screwdriver to work the bushing out of place, being careful not to bend the metal around it.



19. Remove shifter from vehicle.



20. Transfer robber from stock shifter to new RE shifter



That's it. Reinstall your new RE shifter using the following steps in reverse.

[tom @ eas]

Some comparison videos/animations:

Stock:


RE Shifter installed:

[tom @ eas]

Comparison photos of stock vs Rogue:

[lucid]

Thanks for the detailed DIY. Great photos.

[Wyatt]

F. That's not going to be fun at all.

[anthony @ eas]

Originally Posted by Wyatt

F. That's not going to be fun at all.

If you have any way of using a lift, then do it. It makes the installation much easier.

[mdrobc13]

Fugg...that seems like a LOT of work just for a SSK! Definately a major job as it seems that without a lift it would be a PITA job! Definately NOT a regular home garage DIY job for you an a buddy with a case of beers IMHO! LOL If I did it...I just "pay the man" and get a shop to do it right as it seems there's lots of places to mess up your transmission in this install and I am sure BMWNA ain't gonna cry with you when warranty issues come up for a botched job!

[ase2dais]

I agree, a very detailed and comprehensive DIY Tom..
..when I did my e46 M3 I remember it was much simplier than that.. I was able to do it in a very tight clearance through the exhaust and quite tricky doing the finger feel method removing the clips....


It maybe also that I was told I am very good with my fingers

[e92zero]

Very detailed DIY. Any torque specs on all the nuts/bolts that were removed?

[e92zero]

I got a question on the final step of connecting the lever and the selecting rod. On the RE instruction: http://www.rogueengineering.com/rogu...CT_E9X_M3.html, the order of the items should be:

When connecting the bottom of the shifter, install the parts
onto the selector rod, in the following order:
o Curved spring washer
o Flat Stainless Washer
o Shifter Lever Bottom
o Circlip

However, in the following link: http://www.europeanautosource.com/pr...hort-shift-kit. In the 2nd to the last picture, you can see the washer/spring washer are on the circlip side. Can anyone confirm which is the proper/better way? Thanks in advance.