Autosolutions SSK Install Tips

[shonuff1]

I just finished the installation of the Autosolutions SSK on my F82. Since there are several DIY's out there for similar platforms I'll just point out the general steps and differences for the F8X installation.

Some things to consider while you're doing this installation since you're already down there (mileage dependent):
Differential fluid
Tranny fluid
Oil change
Tranny mounts
Guibo
CDV Delete

Reference DIY instructions that I used for general installation procedure:
http://autosolutions.info/instructions/

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1582235
(take careful note that the AS SSK was installed backwards in this DIY)


https://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=485693

General Instructions/Tips:
-Dropping the exhaust is a must. I tried to wiggle the heat shield out without lowering the exhaust at first but there was no way to do it without severely bending the heat shield. Using a floor jack to support the muffler, unbolt all the exhaust hangers and cross brace. Then lower the jack to drop the exhaust out of the way.
-Next remove the heat shield covering the driveshaft/shift linkage area.
-Unbolt the tranny support brace and let the tranny drop down (it only drops down 1-2 inches). My car has 75k miles on it so I replaced the tranny bushings with new OEM.
-The driveshaft/guibo does not need to be unbolted unless the guibo is cracked and needs to be replaced anyways. There is enough space to do the installation with driveshaft in place.
-From inside the car, remove the shift knob and rubber boot under the leather boot.
-Disconnect the shift lever from the shift linkage and remove the shift lever from the aluminum carrier. Ron no longer includes the custom socket tool to unlock the nylon carrier bushing with his SSK so needle nose pliers and various flathead screwdrivers will need to be used.
-Remove the aluminum carrier by unbolting the rear bushing mount and jesus clips on the tranny. These jesus clips are extremely easy to access and remove compared to my E46. Once the aluminum carrier is free it can be wiggled out.
-Remove the front coupler on the shift linkage from the tranny. I pushed out the retaining pin from below and pushed it up. In hindsight, it may have been easier to do from inside the car and push the pin down with a 90 degree dental pick.
-Install the new AS shift linkage/front coupler from above (inside the car). You'll be working blind but there's a lot more clearance than trying to push the retaining pin in from below.
-Test fit the AS shift lever into the aluminum carrier outside the car before trying to install it. Mine required some light sanding to allow the new AS bearing carrier to fit inside the aluminum carrier.
-Install the rubber boot back into the tranny tunnel from below. The rubber boot has a plastic frame molded into the bottom that makes it really hard contort and install from above.
-Install the aluminum carrier by installing the front bushings onto the tranny first and reinstall the jesus clips. Leave the rear bushing loose for now. It makes attaching the shift lever much easier.
-Insert the AS shift lever into the rubber boot from below. Lube up the lever with soap to make it easier to slide into the boot. Insert the bearing carrier on the shift lever into place on the aluminum carrier and install the allen screws on both sides. Push the carrier assembly towards the driver side to get more clearance on the passenger side and vice versa.
-Install the AS shift lever onto the AS linkage now. I recommend reusing the OEM retaining clip rather than the traditional e-clip included in the AS kit. This is mainly for ease of future removal. It would be near impossible to remove a traditional e-clip from the linkage once installed because you would be working blind in a very tight space.
-Reinstall the aluminum carrier rear bushing.
-Reinstall the tranny support brace, heat shield, exhaust, etc by reversing the steps above.
-Reinstall the shift knob

Total time for me: ~8 hours start to finish. This includes replacing the diff fluid, tranny fluid, oil change, new tranny mounts and CDV Delete/clutch line bleeding.

Difficulty: 7/10 due to the extremely tight space you have to work with for this installation.

[Rokoz]

Thanks for this post, easily the most helpful thing I've found for this install on our cars. Is removing the aluminum carrier a must?

[shonuff1]

Originally Posted by Rokoz

Thanks for this post, easily the most helpful thing I've found for this install on our cars. Is removing the aluminum carrier a must?

The autosolutions kit comes with new front bushings on the carrier. You also need to test fit the bearing sleeve onto the aluminum carrier outside the car first to make sure it doesn't need to be sanded.

[1000hp]

I HIGHLY recommend dropping the driveshaft, whether you are doing the giubo or not.

It's not like an e36/e46 where you can reach around everything. It's tighter on these cars, and if you have any stubborn clips or pins, you will get your ass kicked with the driveshaft still installed. Ask me how I know.

For reference, I can do a shifter and all bushings on an e36 or e46 in about 45 minutes, laying on my back in the driveway, without touching the driveshaft.
This job took me about three hours, and I was cursing for at least two of those hours. On my car, the pin for the selector rod joint was seized, and it was an absolute bitch trying to dislodge it with the driveshaft in the way. Never again.

[Dan_Q]

Just did this DIY on my '18. Thank you OP for this description because these instructions were invaluable. My only recommendations are upon reassembly, I did not install the boot before the shift lever. I didn't see how the lever could be installed from below. There was no space to fit it in and even if you got it in there, I don't know how you could ever install the 6 retaining screws for the spherical bearing carrier. Instead, I left the rubber boot out and installed the shift knob from above. I had to cut down the allen key to be able to tighten the screws securing the carrier but it wasn't that bad. When I finished with that, I soaped up the boot and it was not hard to get back into place from above. You have to push it on from above and there is an inner boot that covers the spherical bearing in the carrier. You can just manipulate it from above to get it around the carrier. There are two ears on the rubber boot you can grab from below to try and pull it into place but with it soaped up I didn't even have to do that. Once that is positioned you can get below the car and force the outer edge of the frame back into the opening.

For some additional info on the boot. It has a plastic frame molded into the rubber near the perimeter of where it attaches to the tunnel. When originally trying to remove the boot I pushed the frame loose through the bottom then tried to angle the frame and fit it back up through the hole at an angle. I ended up cracking the plastic in one corner of the frame but it didn't poke through the rubber. It actually helped when reinstalling it at the end.

Other than that, there is a lot of fenagling involved. I didn't detach the driveshaft. It wasn't that hard to complete although my car only has 14k miles on it so I imagine if you have a lot of miles and anything gets stuck then it could add tremendous difficulty.

The shift feel is incredible.

[rosemont83]

I just ordered one of these, I'm just going to have a shop install it.
Have to wait a while for it to be made but will be worth the wait!

[jmciver]

Reviving this thread since I just ordered this kit for my '17 M3 with 52k miles and I had a few additional questions about dropping the drive shaft. I was just up in that area of the car to install the Turner rear bushing (including dropping the exhaust for the Turner bushing job). After reading multiple threads on the AS install (and SSK's in general) on the F8x platform (to include the M2) I have a few specific questions about dropping the drive shaft for those that did (if I need to, initial plan is to not drop the drive shaft).

1. The BMW ISTA procedures say to disconnect the drive shaft from the transmission with the guibo still attached to the drive shaft. Yet the videos I found of shops doing this SSK install they kept the guibo still attached to the transmission. Any reason for this or does it really not matter if the guibo is on the drive shaft or the transmission?

2. When dropping the drive shaft (whether keeping the guibo on the transmission or the drive shaft) once the applicable 3 bolts are removed, will the drive shaft just "drop" from the transmission or will it need to slide off longitudinally first? The BMW ISTA procedures note a seal ring on the center tip of the driveshaft that must be inspected (and replaced if damaged) which is why I am asking.

3. Any issues, tips, tricks for torquing down the drive shaft bolts? With three bolts that need to be torqued down to connect the drive shaft to the transmission, two should be relatively easily accessible, with the the third potentially tricky depending on the position of the drive shaft. Will the drive shaft spin pretty easily with the car up in the air (and transmission in neutral I am assuming)? I have a 3/8 torque wrench which I am assuming should be small enough to get in there. Crows foot attachments needed (or recommended)?

I am a confident DIY'er, with decent experience and a pretty good tool selection - including Quickjacks which makes a job like this a no-brained in my garage. However, one thing I have never done is disconnect the drive shaft on any of my previous vehicles. I may be overthinking this a bit, but given the fact that the driveshaft is balanced, rotates at very high RPMs, and is made of very "expensive" carbon fiber, I want to make sure everything goes back together right if I need to drop it for the AS SSK install .

Thanks!

[jmciver]

So I figured I would bump this thread one last time for the benefit of others doing research on this DIY upgrade regarding my experience….

First, I followed the OP’s tips almost verbatim, and they were a great help. My specific tweaks from the OP’s tips are as follows…

1. When installing the new AS shift linkage/front coupler, I installed it from the bottom of the car, including inserting the pin from the top of the coupler, also from the bottom of the car. While there is less room to maneuver your hands from the bottom than from inside the car, I could at least see what I was doing from the bottom and trying to work blind from inside the car did not work for me.

2. When I put the aluminum carrier back in position above the transmission (with the new AS bushings installed), I did not install the “jesus clips” at this time like the OP did. For the next few steps, which were to install the shifter through the rubber boot from below, then place the AS shifter/cartridge in the aluminum carrier, and screw down the 6 small allen screws to lock down the AS shifter in the carrier - having the additional movement of the aluminum carrier being disconnected made accomplishing those tasks easier for me.

3. I purchased and used all new hardware for this install: jesus clips, stock c-clips, circle clip (holds pin in place on coupler) and coupler pin. Might be a bit overkill, but they were not that expensive and I was concerned that some of the original hardware might get damaged or lost during disassembly.

As far as dropping the driveshaft is concerned, I had every intent to do so, specifically just disconnecting it at the transmission. I disconnected the 3 bolts holding the guibo to the transmission (keeping the guibo connected to the drive shaft), but the drive shaft did not just “fall off”. After some wiggling of the drive shaft did not work, I did not want to wiggle too hard (for fear of braking/bending something) and just completed the install with the drive shaft in place using the tips from the OP.

Overall I am happy with the results, and like what many have said after doing this upgrade, I should have done this mod a long time ago….

[deeLow]

Originally Posted by jmciver

So I figured I would bump this thread one last time for the benefit of others doing research on this DIY upgrade regarding my experience….

First, I followed the OP’s tips almost verbatim, and they were a great help. My specific tweaks from the OP’s tips are as follows…

1. When installing the new AS shift linkage/front coupler, I installed it from the bottom of the car, including inserting the pin from the top of the coupler, also from the bottom of the car. While there is less room to maneuver your hands from the bottom than from inside the car, I could at least see what I was doing from the bottom and trying to work blind from inside the car did not work for me.

2. When I put the aluminum carrier back in position above the transmission (with the new AS bushings installed), I did not install the “jesus clips” at this time like the OP did. For the next few steps, which were to install the shifter through the rubber boot from below, then place the AS shifter/cartridge in the aluminum carrier, and screw down the 6 small allen screws to lock down the AS shifter in the carrier - having the additional movement of the aluminum carrier being disconnected made accomplishing those tasks easier for me.

3. I purchased and used all new hardware for this install: jesus clips, stock c-clips, circle clip (holds pin in place on coupler) and coupler pin. Might be a bit overkill, but they were not that expensive and I was concerned that some of the original hardware might get damaged or lost during disassembly.

As far as dropping the driveshaft is concerned, I had every intent to do so, specifically just disconnecting it at the transmission. I disconnected the 3 bolts holding the guibo to the transmission (keeping the guibo connected to the drive shaft), but the drive shaft did not just “fall off”. After some wiggling of the drive shaft did not work, I did not want to wiggle too hard (for fear of braking/bending something) and just completed the install with the drive shaft in place using the tips from the OP.

Overall I am happy with the results, and like what many have said after doing this upgrade, I should have done this mod a long time ago….

Thanks for the update.

I'm a decent DIY'r myself but no access to Quik jacks or anything like that, so that keeps me from trying this at home.

Did you use any "special" tools besides a regular ratchet set, maybe a wrench or 2, pliers?

This install kind of has me weary of doing it and I hate shops working on my car regardless of the reputation they have.

Also, what knob you running? I saw a guy running a MPerformance Knob and it was totally crooked. That would drive me crazy.

[jmciver]

I do have a set of Quickjacks, but many have done this job up on jack stands. As far as "special" tools are concerned, I don't think any are required, above and beyond a typical 3/8 in metric ratchet set. However, the items below definitely helped me….

1. E-torx socket set. One exhaust hanger uses these torx bolts and the bolts to remove the rear carrier bushing are also torx bolts. This is not really a special tool, but if you DIY enough on modern BMWs, you should have a set of e-torx sockets anyway.

2. 1/4" ratchet, extensions and universal joint. Getting to the torx bolts on the rear carrier bushing, around the drive shaft is easier with 1/4" extensions than 3/8" tools.

3. Telescoping inspection mirror. This was invaluable when aligning the AS shifter in the aluminum carrier so that I could screw in the small allen bolts, at least the first few. The slot in the aluminum carrier is very narrow and without it aligned almost perfectly, you will not be able to get the first bolt started as you are working essentially blind (unless you get lucky of course). The AS instructions say you only need to use 4 bolts, but I was able to get all 6 in.

4. Pick tool set. In particular the "hook" pick tool which made it easier to grab the circle clip on the coupler on the transmission. Then the 90 degree pick tool to push out the pin on the coupler from the bottom (I also use a small allen key to push the pin all the way out since my 90 deg pick tool was not quite long enough).

5. Long flat head screw drivers. These help, over standard length screw drivers, to reach the "Jesus clips" and the stock c-clips.

I think that is about it. None of the above is mandatory. But one thing I have learned in my years of DIY'ing is that there is nothing better than the right tool for the job (and having an excuse to buy more tools is never really a bad thing anyway ).

The video below is a good overview of the install. Even though this shop dropped the drive shaft to install the kit, which is what I wanted to do, it allowed me to see how things went together. That way when working blind (or with limited visibility) it made it a bit easier for me. It is on an M2, but the M2 is very similar to the M3/M4, save the CF drive shaft on the M3/M4…..

As far as my shift knob, I am still using the stock knob that came with the car.

[rosemont83]

Just had a shop install this for me, and it feels great so far. After seeing the install process, definitely not something I want to do lol

Only issue is that instead of being 5mm lower, the shifter is sitting higher, so I reached out to Ron and he said it could be that the shop put the bolts back in the lower holes instead of the top holes. Will hopefully get this solved soon, as when it sits higher, that affects the reduction rate since that's not what it was built to

[njavier03]

OP, idk if you're still around the forum, but this thread helped immensely. i followed all of your tips, and did not disconnect the driveshaft like others recommended. it was definitely a tight space, but i made it work. the most difficult steps were removing the clips (blindly) from the shift linkage and installing the 6 set screws on the carrier. i had to trim the included allen wrench a few times to make it usable for the passenger side screws. all in all, it was a pretty easy install. the most time consuming aspects were moving things out of the way to access the shifter. i can't believe one shop quoted me $900 for installation...

[njavier03]

idk if its just me, but i'm having to adjust to the shorter shifts. my gear changes arent as smooth as they used to be, prior to the SSK. i've also messed with my seat position a few times, so that could be a factor too.