Gear Shift Lever's Bearing Needle Sleeve

[Dave 2]

I was just on Max's Micro Fiche site and A note on the "page" suggests that if your gear shift  lever does not have a bearing needle sleeve then one should consider buy a new lever with the sleeve. As far as I can tell  my bike does not have this sleeve, but has some form of pressed in bearing with a textured surface. So what is the story with this shift lever with the bearing needle sleeve, What difference does it make does anyone have an opinion abut this? Dave 2

[Barry]

There was a thread on this some time back. http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290563356/15#15

Some levers have needle bearings and some just plain with or without a bush. Both can suffer from excessive end play wobble even from new and may benefit from being shimmed. It makes the change a little more positive. Mines the plain type with a grease nipple and after making a custom shim I have almost no play at all. Can't see any need to go to the needle bearing type.

[montmil]

I had a new Bronze Oilite bush pressed into my shift lever. Tightened it up a bit but the shaft is also worn. I live with it as the transmission doesn't really like to be "hurried". Slowed down my left foot and gear changes are much smoother.

Monte

[fermin]

When I tried to replace the brass sleeve in the shifter the one ordered was too thick and didnt fit.  Ended making a replacement sleeve and this tightened the shift lever considerably.

Theres a good prior post at

Excessive Shift Lever Play?
11/23/10 at 19:49:16

[montmil]

When I tried to replace the brass sleeve in the shifter the one ordered was too thick and didnt fit.  Ended making a replacement sleeve and this tightened the shift lever considerably.

Same here. I dropped off the 81's shift lever and bush at a customer friendly machine & welding shop I frequent. They did a bit of boring and pressed in the bushing... for $7.50.

The '83 also has a small wobble.

[Dave 2]

I should have checked out the archives before I asked the question However once again you all are great for your quick and accurate responses [smiley=bmw_smiley.gif] Dave 2

[Bob_Roller]

Just in case you were wondering about the bushing/sleeve that is in your shift lever, it's called an 'oilite' bushing/bearing .


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oilite

If you place the bushing in oil, it will 'absorb' oil into the pores in the pressed  bushing material .

[Dave 2]

Bob, Thanks for the mini tutorial. A very interesting material, which I had never heard of. Dave 2