Hi guys,

My 92 E34 has an extremely sloppy shifter. My mechanic is suggesting that I replace the entire assembly... lower shift rod, lever, knuckle, ball cup. $260 (CDN) plus install. Is this normal to replace all of this? He's saying that while doing clutch (see below) has to disconnect it all anyway and the exhaust so would be cheaper labour to do now.

The car is real hard to get into 1st and reverse, occassionally pops out... he says this is clutch. Clutch doesn't slip though? Not near top of pedal, and when I push it while driving to test adhesion, it grabs back right away with no slippage. I do get some "catching" when clutch is fully depressed, where the car actually jerks lightly ahead sometimes; other times a little chattering.

What do you guys think, particularly about the shifter linkage? Do I really need all those parts?

Rod