Pawl Spring Victory!

[Luca]

Well, after some snafu's ordering from Motobins, my parts finally came in.  I decided not to make my own puller in the interest of time.  I found a new Matra puller locally for a comparable price to the cycleworks puller.  I know the cycleworks tool is good (and maybe even easier to use), but there's something sexy about factory special tools.

The rear input shaft bearing has a very slight raspiness, but not enough to halt the job.  Here are some pics at the halfway point.  I got the job done in a workday, including new seals, boots, and a little rustoleum brushed on the frame to quell some of the rust that has developed in hard to reach areas over the years.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/D5y5Q85tW9eJ2La2A
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Xf2DTR7uLyJ7Gjss6

P.S. I wonder how much re-shimming is actually required when you change only bearings. The bearings in our transmissions are probably manufactured to ten-thousandths of an inch tolerances.  I suspect the shims make up for rear cover machining more than anything else

[Tony Smith]

You are correct in respect to the manufacturer's tolerance, particularly if you use the same brand of bearings you find in the gearbox.

But.

On the couple of functioning gearboxes I have pulled apart of other reasons (eg broken pawl spring, dropped oil channel etc) I reckon BMW (or Getrag) set them up on the tight side.

As I prefer to rebuild with semi-sealed bearings a re-shim is mandatory.

Cycle works is an excellent source of shims, much cheaper than BMW

[mrclubike]

Tried just fitting new bearings but it was tight
I had to bite the bullet and buy the shim plate

[mrclubike]

 Holly Cow that garage should have a shim plate