Recognising 5 speed gearboxes

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Arnold
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Post by Arnold »

Currently I am changing from 4 speed to 5 speed OD. I read in this thread I could change the 3 and 4 bolt flanges easily. This is not always the case! As you can see in the picture below the inner diameter can also be different. +/- 22 or 28 mm.

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The 3-bolt unit is from a getrag 245
The 4-bolt unit is from my old 4 speed box.

Maybe someone has a 4-bolt flange with the small inner diameter available?


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ac/dennis
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Post by ac/dennis »

Hi Arnold,

I got two or three extra shafts from a 4 speed, Unfortunately I cant check the diameter at the moment, ill check it this weekend, send me a pm to remind me, maybe one got the right diameter for you.
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Arnold
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Post by Arnold »

I didn't mean diameter of the propshaft but diameter of the output spline of the gearbox on which the 3 or 4 bolt flanges are fitted.

To fix my problem I can do any of the following:

1) get a 4-bolt flange with small diameter inner hole and shorten a driveshaft I already have.

2) Put the 3-bolt flange I have back on the gearbox and find a 3 bolt propshaft (preferably the right length)

We will see.

Regards,
Arnold.
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Post by Madhatter »

Arnold wrote:Currently I am changing from 4 speed to 5 speed OD. I read in this thread I could change the 3 and 4 bolt flanges easily. This is not always the case! As you can see in the picture below the inner diameter can also be different. +/- 22 or 28 mm.

Image

The 3-bolt unit is from a getrag 245
The 4-bolt unit is from my old 4 speed box.

Maybe someone has a 4-bolt flange with the small inner diameter available?
You need the flange from the 245, 2 32 11 209 612 is the part number. The 3 bolt flange is different on the 242, thats the problem.
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Arnold
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Post by Arnold »

Yep thats the part I would need. But it costs something like 65 euro at BMW, and in that case I also have to shorten a driveshaft and hope its balanced enough. It might be cheaper and quicker to obtain a 3 bolt propshaft in the right length.

By the way how difficult is it to balance a propshaft using hoseclamps. I figured just place one on an unbalanced propshaft, drive, rotate the hoseclamp a bit, drive, etc. untill you find the best orientation for this hose clamp. next keep adding hose clamps to increase the balancing weight untill the vibrations are gone. Sounds good works bad?? Has anyone ever tried this?

Regards,

Arnold.
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Post by Jeroen »

Hi Arnold,

Thanks for your contributions to this discussion... this should help get a complete picture.

What I've heard is that balancing the propshaft isn't that expensive (heard abt EUR 60??) so why would you bother going for such a potentially time consuming and by no means professional approach?
Regards/groeten, Jeroen
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Arnold
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Post by Arnold »

Yes, I would imagine that it can be VERY time consuming indeed since you have to jack up, and get under the car a milion times.

I just called a company in Oosterhout NB (Rietveld Aandrijfassen B.V.)

They shorten and balance the propshaft for me for 130 euro's.

All of this illustrates once more what I have read before: if possible always get the gearbox together with the matching propshaft.
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Post by Jeroen »

That's what I always say. Getting them together doesn't really matter in the price you pay. But finding the right one to match your gearbox can be a hell of a job... unless you're after a 4 sp version...
Regards/groeten, Jeroen
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Post by ac/dennis »

Where is the 5th gear located on a sports version, at the same place as on the overdrive or is it under? If its not in the same position you can check if its a sports version by running all the gears right?
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Post by Jeroen »

Yep, the entire pattern is different. So 5th is down (towards you). Easy to check as long as you keep in mind the pattern is mirrored if you don't have the shifter mechanism on it!
Regards/groeten, Jeroen
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Post by ac/dennis »

cool, tnx J.

I got mine last friday. It looks like a "normal" 5 gear OD one. But ill just mount the gear stuff on it tomorrow and see what it does.
Anyway, the guy i got it from was sure it was a sports 5-gear boz and not a OD one. He said he got it from an M3! Hmmm. Not to sure if its a sports version now ;)
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Post by Madhatter »

dont try and do it yourself, just have a driveshaft place cut, weld and balance it for you.
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Post by Jeroen »

ac/dennis wrote:Anyway, the guy i got it from was sure it was a sports 5-gear boz and not a OD one. He said he got it from an M3! Hmmm. Not to sure if its a sports version now ;)
How many M3's have a M20 engine then? So... b*llsthit!

Hmmmm silly me... I drove a M20 powered M3 yesterday... well that one obviously wasn't completely original.
Regards/groeten, Jeroen
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Post by Madhatter »

could be an m3 265 box with the m20 265 belhousing J :lol:
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Post by Jeroen »

Agree. But in so many cases I see ads here telling there's a M3 dogleg for sale made to fit a M20... and I've seen several cases of M20 4 speeds!!!! The same for LSD's... 90% is no LSD!!!!
Regards/groeten, Jeroen
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