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This install takes 2 to 4 hours and requires a lot of patience and may cause skinned knuckles and over abundant use of profanity. This really not for the feint of heart - you will have to remove a bunch parts just to get to the carrier and selector rod and once there, its a pain in the ass to remove old components and replace them with new RE parts.
Click on the images for larger views. |
WARNING:
- NEVER get under a vehicle supported solely by a jack! If you use a jack to raise the car, make sure to use jack stands to support it.
- You will be working around the vehicle's exhaust. Once you have the car on ramps or jack stands let it sit and cool off before starting work.
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NOTE: The images below were taken with a UUC shifter in place. I installed the RE shifter to satisfy my curiosity so the UUC shifter had to come out to accommodate the test. Your stock shifter will look slightly different (mainly in color). A few of the images are taken directly from UUC's and RE's instructions. |
Step 1: Getting the required items together
This install requires:
- 1 RE Octane SSK with WSR and Replacement Carrier
- Jack and Jack Stands or Lift - Just ramps may work but will make your life far more difficult
- Long Flat Screwdriver
- Small Flat Screwdriver
- Phillips Screwdriver
- Long Nose Pliers
- Snap Ring Pliers (if available)
- Socket Wrench & Extensions (3" & 8" or so)
- Torque Wrench (recommended)
- 8, 10, 13mm Sockets
- E14 Torx Socket
- 12, 13, 14mm Open Wrenches
- Synthetic Grease
- Hammer
- Flashlight / Shop Light
- Windex
- A BMW M3 (E46).
- 2 to 4 hours of free time
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RE SSK w/WSR & Carrier |
Step 2: Remove shift boot
- Carefully pull up the driver's side forward corner of the shift boot (see image).
- Once you have the corner released, work the rest of the way around the boot to release it completely
- Pull the shift boot up over the knob.
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Removing the Shift Boot |
Step 3: Disconnect Power Lead and Remove Stock Knob
- Follow the wire that runs down from the stock knob to a connector.
- Disconnect the knob power wire from the car.
- Push the boot down to expose the knob.
- Using both hands, pull up on the knob to remove it - note: the knob is pretty tight, make sure not to smack yourself in the head with it once it releases from the shifter!
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Location of the Power Wire |
Step 4: Removing the Center Trim and Insulation
- Remove the 2 screws at the back of the center panel.
- Disconnect the power window switch wiring (both sides).
- Remove the foam insulation piece (note its position)
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Center Trim Bolt Locations
Window Switch Wiring
Shifter Insulation |
Step 5: Removing the rubber shift boot
- Pull up on the side of the rubber shift boot and pull it out of the opening in the body.
- Pull the rubber boot off the shifter.
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Rubber Boot Released
Rubber Boot Removed |
Step 6: Disconnecting the selector rod
- There is a retaining clip (just like the one that came with your kit) on the side of the shifter opposite to the selector rod. Visible from the passenger side.
- Some instructions say to do this step from under the car but I think its easier to do from inside the car.
- Using your long flat screwdriver, push the clip off the end of the selector rod (see image).
- Remove the plastic washer from the end of the selector rod (see image).
- Pull the selector rod out of the shifter (see image).
- Don't worry if the clip and washer fall under the car or on to the heat shield - you'll have plenty of opportunity to get at them in a bit.
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Disconnecting Lever From Selector Rod
Close Up of Shifter Parts |
Step 7: Removing the stock shifter
- From inside the car.
- Follow the shifter down to locate the large white nylon cup that surrounds and the ball on the shifter.
- Use your long nose pliers to rotate the cup and release it from the vehicle (see image).
- Don't worry about damaging the nylon cup - you will not be reusing it (see image).
- Once the cup is released, lift the stock shifter up out of the car.
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Nylon Cup Removal |
Step 8: Making room under the car
- From underneath the car, remove the large plastic panel located directly under the shift mechanism. The panel is attached via a number of 8mm bolts.
- Once you remove the plastic panel you will be able to see the a long exhaust heat shield located in the tunnel of underbody.
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View From Under the Car
Shields Removed |
Step 9: Removing the mid pipe
- You have to remove part of the exhaust (mid pipe) to get enough room to get at the selector rod and carrier. First image shows the mid pipe removed.
- The front flanges of the mid pipe are attached via 2 screws each. One end is a torx E14 bolt and the other end is a 14mm nut. (see image)
- Hold the 14mm nut with a 14mm open wrench and use a socket wrench with the E14 torx socket to unscrew the bolts.
- The upper most of the two bolts on the outside pipe is a pain in the ass to get to - you will have to use a little body english to get your open wrench on the nut.
- Don't worry about the pipe landing on your head - there is a small extension from the headers into the mid pipe that will keep it in place.
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Mid Pipe and Hardware
Front Flanges
Flange Bolts Close-up |
Step 10: Removing the mid pipe part II
- Now remove the 6 bolts holding the back end of the mid pipe. (see image)
- The bolt is 13mm and the nut is 12mm - you a pair of open wrenches to take out all six bolts.
- Now worry about the pipe landing on your head!
- Also do not lose the 2 gaskets that are in-line at the connection between the mid pipe and the connecting pipe. If they are damaged you will have to replace them (pretty unlikely unless your car has a lot of miles on it).
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Rear Flange Close-up
View with Pipe Removed |
Step 11: Getting at the heat shield
- You have to at least loosen the heat shield to create enough room to install the selector rod and carrier.
- I did not completely remove the heat shield but loosened it up so that I could move it around as needed.
- Start by removing the 2 front bolts on the heat shield (10mm) (see image).
- Now remove the two large black brackets right at the front of the connecting pipe (13mm). The connecting pipe is also secured to the second bracket, don't worry it will not go anywhere when you take the bracket off (see image).
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Two Front Bolts
Brackets |
Step 12: Removing yet another heat shield (last one!)
- There is a small heat shield on the passenger's side of the car going toward where the exhaust enters the engine bay. This one has to come out completely.
- Its secured by 3 10mm nuts (see image)
- Remove the nuts and pull the heat shield out of the car.
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Bolt Locations |
Step 13: Removing the transmission brace
- There is a brace that goes across the tunnel toward the end of the transmission. This has to come off as well.
- Place a jack under the transmission to support it once the brace is removed.
- To remove the brace, first loosen the top bolts on the transmission mounts. This takes a 13mm open wrench. Loosen just enough for the nuts to turn freely by hand. (see image)
- Once the tops of the tranny mounts are loose, remove the 4 bolts securing the transmission brace to the underbody - don't worry the transmission is not going to fall out - you can then lower the jack supporting the transmission a bit to get more working room. (see image)
- Guess What! You're now ready to get back to working on the shifter!
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Tranny Mount Top Nuts
Tranny Mount Top Nut
Tranny Brace Bolts |
Step 14: Removing the OEM selector rod
- There is a clip that locks the selector rod in place at the transmission. The clip is identical to the clip you removed from the other end of the selector rod (the one connected to the shift level).
- It is hard to see the clip but you should be able to get a glimpse of what you are doing from underneath the car.
- Use your long flat screwdriver to push the clip off the end of the selector rod pin.
- Remove the plastic washer off the end of the selector rod and pull the rod out of the car.
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OEM and Rogue Selector Rods
View from Underneath |
Step 15: On to the carrier
- There is a pin with a clip at the front end of the carrier that locks it in place. The clip has to have its tab released and rotated upward in order for the pin to be removed. (see images)
- Using you long flat screwdriver, pry under the edge of the clip and force it up. This is a royal pain in the ass as you will likely be unable to actually see the pin from under the car. You basically have to do this by feel. This may take a while, keep at it till the clip comes free and lets you rotate the pin.
- Once the clip is released, rotate it up and pull out the pin.
- Push the front end of the carrier up and out of its mounting location.
- The back end simply slides out of its mounting location so once you have the front end out its a snap to pull out.
- Pull the carrier completely out of the car and set it aside.
- Take a break, you're done taking things off - from here on out you will be putting things back in.
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OEM and Rogue Carriers
Know Thy Enemy
View from Underneath |
Step 16: Installing the new carrier
- The new carrier goes in exactly the same way as the OEM piece.
- You may have to wiggle things a round a bit to get it in place.
- The "cup" (blue thing in the pictures) has to face up and into the interior of the car.
- The back end has to slide into its mount before you can snap the front end into place.
- Once the front end is in its mount, run the new carrier pin through the assembly and rotate it down to snap the clip into its locked position.
- Snapping the clip down is not nearly a difficult as unclipping the original was, you should be able to get it to lock by pushing down on it with your fingers.
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View from Underneath |
Step 17: Installing the WSR
- The WSR goes in exactly the same way as the OEM piece.
- Place one of the yellow plastic washers on the end NOT marked with "To Shifter" and insert that end of the rod into the transmission selector tab.
- Place another yellow plastic washer on the part sticking through the selector tab.
- Now install the clip to lock things in place - this is a PIA.
- If you have a pair of snap ring pliers and can get them in position to mount the clip you will be way ahead of the game. Otherwise, try to force the clip on as far as you can with your hands (make sure it gets in the groove on the pin) and then force it home by tapping it into place with a hammer and some sort of screwdriver, extension or rod (I used a long brass rod so as to not damage my tools).
- This may require more than one attempt - hang in there - its not as impossible as it may seem at first!
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WSR, Clip, Washers |
Step 18: Installing the new shifter
- From inside the car.
- Use synthetic grease to coat the inside of the new nylon cup (see image).
- Insert the new shifter through the top of the nylon cup and snap in into place (see image).
- Use synthetic grease to coat the bottom end of the shift lever (the opening through which the selector rod, WSR, will go) (see image).
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View From Inside the Car
All Greased Up and Ready to Go |
Step 19: Installing the new shifter part II
- Note that the nylon cup has two tabs at the top and that the carrier cup has two slots at the 3 and 9 o'clock locations.
- Insert the shift lever with the nylon cup installed into the carrier cup and rotate the nylon cup to line up the tabs with the carrier's slots. You may want to us a small screwdriver to push the tabs into the carrier's slots.
- Pull on the shifter to make sure its locked in place.
- Note that the shift lever has a bend to it. Make sure that bend in the lever is pointed toward the back of the car. Rotate the lever as needed to achieve this (just the lever itself, not the nylon cup).
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Shift Lever in Place |
Step 20: Connecting the selector rod to the shift lever.
- Back under the car we go.
- Place a yellow plastic washer on the selector rod (WSR) and insert the rod through the opening in the bottom of the shift lever.
- Place the last yellow plastic washer on the protruding part of the selector rod and install the clip.
- The clip is identical to the one you installed at the other end of the selector rod and is exactly as much fun to do though there is significantly more room on this end and you can actually see what you're doing.
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Selector Rod Through Shift Lever
Washer and Clip In Place |
Step 21: Reinstalling the transmission brace
- Note the slots on the transmission case that the tops of the transmission mounts slide into (see image).
- Work the bracket back into place - this take a bit of patience.
- Snug the nuts on the tops of the tranny mounts. Do not tighten them all the way down yet.
- Push the bracket as far toward the front of the car as it will go without undue force.
- Reinstall the bracket bolts and torque them to 21 ft lbs.
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Transmission Mount Close Up |
Step 22: Tightening the tops
- Get your 13 mm box wrench out and reverse the steps you took to remove the upper nuts from the tranny mounts.
- Take your time and snug them down as much as you can - the factory torque for these is 15 ft. lbs. though I have no idea how you get a torque wrench in there.
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Step 23: Replace the front heat shield
- Reverse the order in which you removed the front heat shield.
- Make sure you get the ends which over lap with other shields under those.
- Replace the 3 nuts on this heat shield and the one bolt on the heat shield you loosened.
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Step 24: Replace the rear heat shield
- Reverse the order in which you removed the rear heat shield. See step 11.
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Step 25: Replace the brackets
- Basically reverse the steps you took in Step 11.
- Replace the forward bracket first - torque the bolts to 21 ft lbs.
- The second bracket also acts as the support for the connecting pipe.
- Thread the two nuts that go to the connecting pipe mounts on first.
- Then attach the 4 bolts that go to the body and torque them.
- Then go back and tighten down the connecting pipe bracket bolts (see images in Step 11).
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Step 26: Reinstall the mid-pipe
- Basically reverse the steps you took in Steps 9 &10.
- Examine the two exhaust gaskets - if they look to be in bad shape, replace them
- Start by sliding the mid pipe on to the front of the exhaust so that it has some support and does not fall on your head and then match up the rear flanges, insert the gaskets and tighten down the 6 bolts (bolt should be inserted from the back).
- Once the back of the pipe is tightened down, insert and tighten the 4 bolts there (torx end should point toward the rear)
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Step 27: Finishing up under the car
- Replace the plastic covers/shields.
- You're done under the car! You can now lower the car off a lift or off jack stands. If you are using ramps, leave the car as it for now.
- Everything from here on out is done from inside the car.
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Step 28: Reinstalling the rubber shift boot
- Spray the edges and the center section of the rubber boot with Windex (this will make it much, much easier to install).
- Locate the arrow on the edge of the rubber boot and line it up so that is faces forward.
- Slide the boot on to the shifter.
- Push the large under the lip of the opening in the floor - make sure you do not push the boot all the way through - there is a smaller lip on top of the large lip - this stays inside the vehicle.
- Work your way around the boot to make sure it is seated properly all the way around.
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Rubber Shift Boot 'Windexed Up'
Rubber Shift Boot Partially In |
Step 29: Reassembling the center panel
- Reverse the steps you took in step 4.
- Make sure that the power lead for the knob is accessible and not trapped under the shifter insulation.
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Step 30: Reinstalling the shift knob
- The factory knob simply snaps down into place.
- After the knob is snapped into place, reconnect the knob illumination power lead.
- Align the shift boot frame and snap it down into the center panel.
- Done! Go for a drive.
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Completed Install |
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