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      07-22-2010, 10:49 PM   #1
Blind32
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UUC Option 2 Transmission Mounts Installed

I got home from work today and heard a knock at the door. Went to answer it and I found a little box from UUC. It was my transmission mounts! Wow, I just ordered these things Tuesday. I didn't have anything planned for tonight except laying around so I decided to throw them on. 5 Minutes later, car was up on jack stands.

I ordered the Option 2 Red urethane isolated transmission mount bushings. http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/html_pr...anny/about.htm I decided to give these a try since they state "While UUC does expect some vibration transmitted into the cabin, initial user reports say that it is minimal and certainly acceptable." My car is a daily driver and I didn't want my teeth to rattle loose. I've already lost most of my hair, I need my teef! My plan was to try option 2, if they were too rough, I'd sell them since they fit on many different BMWs and pick up option 1s. On to the install...

When you do this, make sure your car is securely supported by jack stands. A hydraulic lift is not sufficient to hold the car up while you are underneath it. You can't have too much safety.




I removed the heatsheild shown in the next picture. 3 10mms Yes I saw that black spot, I'm still investigating why that is there. Anyone have any ideas?




I could then access the transmission support. You must brace the transmission before removing the support. I did this with my jack. You do not need to apply much force the transmission, just support it so the weight of it isn't hanging on the bell housing bolts & drive shaft.




That's my sweet 30 year old jack that weighs ~60 lbs. Does a great job tho.
Here is a good picture of the transmission support that has the bushings. Unclip the wire attached to it and move it out of the way. Remove the 4 13mm bolts holding the support to the chassis. Then remove the 13mm nut at the bottom of each bushing.








Difference between bushings.



Make sure to align the bushings correctly. They are keyed to fit only one way into the support brace.
With the bushings I purchased, I had to attach them first to the support, then bolt the support up to the chassis. Otherwise the bolt threads coming out of the bushings are too long and don't line up with the holes in the support because of the angle they sit at. This made it a bit harder cause I had to twist my hand in a tight spot and put the nuts on top. This was the most time consuming part. For the side with the exhaust, I had my legs hanging out the driver's side of the car and stuck my hand like this:





Man I got some hairy arms. Make sure to tighten all your bolts at the same time. Don't torque one down before you have them all started or else your holes won't line up. Elementary mechanics.

This is what the finished product looked like. Shows a little bit of red.




I took her for a test drive. There is a noticeable difference in vibration but definitely acceptable and reasonable to live with. I would say it is increased by ~10% for normal cruising. Above 5500 rpm, the vibration is increased by ~15-20%.

There is also a difference in the sound of the engine. More noise is transferred into the chassis and it changes the way the motor sounds. It sounds deeper and more of a raw power sound. I drove around for about half an hour with many pulls to redline. Shifter felt more deliberate when shifting but I'll need more behind the wheel time before I can report on that. This is my daily driver so I should have a determination by next week. So far I'm satisfied with the bushings. Only ~50 bucks and the car feels and sounds stronger. These bushings are also brand new so I'm sure they will wear in a bit and get a little softer after a few hundred miles. I will most likely keep these bushings but I am holding on to my OEM ones just in case.

Last edited by Blind32; 07-23-2010 at 10:42 AM.. Reason: Grammar...I Splell gud!
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      07-22-2010, 11:19 PM   #2
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Nice writeup. Ive done mine twice. After the first install I realized I didnt get the notches in the bushings lined up to the mount correctly.DOH
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      07-23-2010, 06:30 AM   #3
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Great job. Mine should be here any day now. I got the black ones with the aluminum hat.
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      07-23-2010, 08:10 AM   #4
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Nice write up.
Mine are enroute & normally I'd be doing the DIY thing too.
I have a couple of things for my Indi to do next so I'll just take the easy way this time.

For that black leak.
Have you checked your power steering?
It seems to be a common issue. (check Bimmerfest)
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      07-23-2010, 08:49 AM   #5
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Thanks for the great write up!
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      07-23-2010, 09:41 AM   #6
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Damn!
Ordered Tuesday, mine just arrived.
That's the fastest anything has been delivered to me & that's after clearing customs as well.

Mine are the UUC black Neoprene w/o cup kit.
I figured I would start at the mildest level upgrade & work up from there.
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      07-23-2010, 10:11 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inTgr8r View Post
Damn!
Ordered Tuesday, mine just arrived.
That's the fastest anything has been delivered to me & that's after clearing customs as well.

Mine are the UUC black Neoprene w/o cup kit.
I figured I would start at the mildest level upgrade & work up from there.
Lucky you. Mine are backordered from UUC.
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      07-23-2010, 10:24 AM   #8
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Thanks for the writeup!

I think I'll probably end up going with neoprene rather than urethane for a bit more isolation, so I'd be interested in hearing people chime in once they get those installed.

Is there a meaningful difference between the Rogue and UUC neoprene ones?
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      07-23-2010, 10:31 AM   #9
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^ I don't think so.
I ordered UUC because someone said RE where on backorder, looks like UUC are the same now.
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      07-23-2010, 10:46 AM   #10
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When you guys get yours done, I'd like to know if it changes the way the engine sounds.

Quote:
Originally Posted by inTgr8r View Post
Damn!
Ordered Tuesday, mine just arrived.
That's the fastest anything has been delivered to me & that's after clearing customs as well.
I was shocked as well. Now that is how I like to get my car parts! Makes me want to look over the UUC website some more
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      07-23-2010, 11:41 PM   #11
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Damn good write-up!

Thanks Blind32, another mod added to the list. What do you think about their engine mounts?
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      07-24-2010, 12:24 PM   #12
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Thanks all.

Well, 2 grinds yesterday I've put about 150 miles on the car. I miss the way it sounded before. It is tolerable below 5k, but above that, it sounds different and I miss the old sound of the engine. The new vibration sound drowns out the beautiful music of the S54 at high RPM and didn't fix my issue of grinding. I'm sure the neoprene won't change the sound much, if any.

Both times I grinded, I was doing everything correctly. I now believe this issue is just something to do with the high rpm and the tranny. I don't know anything about the inner workings of transmissions so I won't even begin to guess.

So anyone want to buy some UUC option 2 Tranny mounts half price?
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      07-24-2010, 02:09 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blind32 View Post
Thanks all.

Well, 2 grinds yesterday I've put about 150 miles on the car. I miss the way it sounded before. It is tolerable below 5k, but above that, it sounds different and I miss the old sound of the engine. The new vibration sound drowns out the beautiful music of the S54 at high RPM and didn't fix my issue of grinding. I'm sure the neoprene won't change the sound much, if any.

Both times I grinded, I was doing everything correctly. I now believe this issue is just something to do with the high rpm and the tranny. I don't know anything about the inner workings of transmissions so I won't even begin to guess.

So anyone want to buy some UUC option 2 Tranny mounts half price?
Pretty sure these would have zero impact on 1-->2 grinding,but what about 3-->2 under load?
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      07-24-2010, 02:31 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blind32 View Post
Thanks all.

Well, 2 grinds yesterday I've put about 150 miles on the car. I miss the way it sounded before. It is tolerable below 5k, but above that, it sounds different and I miss the old sound of the engine. The new vibration sound drowns out the beautiful music of the S54 at high RPM and didn't fix my issue of grinding. I'm sure the neoprene won't change the sound much, if any.

Both times I grinded, I was doing everything correctly. I now believe this issue is just something to do with the high rpm and the tranny. I don't know anything about the inner workings of transmissions so I won't even begin to guess.
Bummer about the 1st-2nd issue. I'm coming to agree with Jragan and inTgr8r that the 1st-2nd grind is a separate issue from the denial of 3rd to 2nd. As inTgr8r put it in one post....

There are three separate issues:

a) 1-2 grind which is tranny design/synchos; other fluid may help RP Synchromax, Redline MTL etc.
b) Downshift to 2nd gear rejection under loading conditions. = tranny mounts
c) Clutch engagement feel = CDV

I've read, or think I've read, that the transmission in the ///M is actually from the regular Z4. If that's the case, it may have never really been designed to handle the higher-revs the ///M throws at it. The two times I've had "grind" were shifting at high RPMs--and that's where maximum torque with this engine lives as well. I really think this points to an internal design flaw--or more likely a design deficiency (they didn't build a transmission spec'd to this motor).

I hope the tranny mounts help with issue "b", but I guess we won't have definitive data on that until someone who has had issues tests the new mounts under the same conditions.

My solution, for now, for the 1st-2nd issue is to shift earlier into 2nd. Not ideal, but I don't really see this as a drag-racing car, and the only other place it could present an issue is launching in autox. And I can't recreate it easily--it's happened very rarely.

If you want to test option "a", you might be a good candidate to try that. I can't recreate the grind that easily but sadly it seems you can, so your car may make a good test subject....
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      07-24-2010, 03:34 PM   #15
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I must of missed that post or read through it too fast. I've never been denied 3-->2 shifts but I haven't taken her to autox or the track. Just some hard street driving The issue I have is winding out 1st and grinding 2nd and being denied into 2nd. It only goes about half way into 2nd and I have to go back to neutrel then back to second, by then the RPMs have fallen. That being said, I usually just get moving with 1st, then easy shift into second before getting "on it". I've even had this issue just running first up to 5k, not just redline. Sounds like I "might" benefit from a tranny oil swap but maybe not. Or maybe it's just time to Frankenstein a M3 tranny in there. Or just baby 1st.
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      07-24-2010, 03:38 PM   #16
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The 1-->2 grind is a learning experience. Once you learn how not to do it, you can drive the car as hard as you want. If you keep doing it, you'll cause real damage which will lead to more grinding.
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      07-24-2010, 03:43 PM   #17
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I'm open to all tips on how not to grind it. Do I wait a tad longer after I press the clutch in before I shift out of 1st and into 2nd or do I wait between 1st and 2nd?
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      07-24-2010, 04:44 PM   #18
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I've yet to grind yet in about 10 weeks of ownership, but I think I've gotten a bit more used to the transmission after driving a Z4 coupe for almost 3 years. When I shift 1st to 2nd I don't jam the lever into second, but rather apply pressure down and towards the left and there's a split second at which point (I assume) the synchros line up and it pops into gear. By split second I mean almost an imperceptible pause, but do it enough times and it feels right. Hard to describe the feeling, and I wonder if it would be more obvious if we were able to take a look at what each of us did in person.

1st and 2nd are both very notchy gears. If you're shifting at 8000 RPM, there's no sense in rushing the lever into 2nd because the RPMs need to drop to about 4500 RPM before the engine speed matches the vehicle speed. I find that shifting in the 4000-5000 RPM range tends to be the smoothest. The shifter not only comes out of 1st gear easily, but it also slips into 2nd almost effortlessly using the method described above.

I've yet to be denied going into gear in the Z4 M but I recall at least one or two situations where I couldn't fully engage 1st or reverse, and had to switch into 3rd or 2nd first to "line up" the gears before I could go into 1st. I've also grinded 2nd->3rd a few times in the Z4 but thinking back on it, it was almost always a result of my letting the clutch out too soon before I had fully engaged 3rd gear.

It's entirely possible that some transmissions were built closer to the ideal spec in the tolerance range, and some cars got a transmission that has a bit more play. Improper break-in might also affect things? I wonder if a tranny fluid flush might help because I always find it shifting much more smoothly after the car has been sitting in the sun all day.

The problem that I seem to have is that if I launch conservatively at 1000-1200 RPM, I often get a bit of kangarooing whereas if I launch closer to 2000 RPM or higher it's appreciably smoother. Used to be much worse when I had the CDV, and it's also much worse over uneven terrain. When I drove the Z4M the first time I did autoX it shifted from N->1 and 1->2 terrifically. It seemed far more in its element than on my commutes, which rarely see speeds above 40 MPH.
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      07-24-2010, 11:02 PM   #19
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Have you tried double clutching... Im some of my older cars when I had issues with the tranny it often helped. It will slow you down though, but it is better then trashing your syncors.
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      07-25-2010, 03:09 PM   #20
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I installed the black UUC mounts yesterday with the aluminum hats. I was tight as pictured in this thread but I have a very small socket set and I was able to get my socket wrench on top of the mounts to tighted them down which I am sure is much faster than the box wrench up there, but it still took me about 1.5 hours but not real hard. I suggest wearing eye protection anytime under the car, I had one of the mounts just resting in place in the slot on the transmission and it fell out and hit me right in the eye, if I did not have glasses on one of the screw ends may have jabbed my eye out.

Anyways these neoprene mounts are still flexible but not as squishy as the stock mounts but they are by no means rock hard at all. I think I notice just a little more sound on acceleration but nothing really noticable.

I have only taken a short drive so far but the shifting does not really feel any notchier with these mounts. I did a few hard accelerations in first in a turn to shift to second and no issue with that so far.

Its not as easy to replicate things safely on the street but I was able to take a hard left turn on a rough road. I was in third and turned hard left and hit the brakes hard and tried to get down to second (same scenario at my autox last week) and I was denied second at first but then tried again 1 second later and was able to get it in. I tried it again on a right turn with similar results. Now I also did this a few more times with full success getting into second. But again I will need to wait until track events to really replicate the problem under hard loads.

I think its better but I don't know how it will be yet for sure. I really thought the mounts would be a little stiffer than they were, but they are definately stiffer than stock.

I have not done my CDV replacement yet but plan to very soon to see if that impacts anything.
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      07-26-2010, 09:42 AM   #21
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+1 on the eye protection. I meant to put that in there but forgot. So much grit and sand gets caught up in the heatsheilds and what not. Be careful. Eyes are important.

Well, after driving my car all weekend. I've decided to keep the option 2 mounts in my car for now. I was on the fence of whether or not I liked them and the new sound. This weekend was HOT and I believe the mounts are starting to wear in a bit so they aren't as stiff as they were when first installed. Sorry for being a flip flopper soap opera of whether I like them or not.

I haven't had anymore denied 1->2 shifts. When I do get the 1-2 denied shifts, I am shifting fast and pull the shifter into 2nd as fast as I can. I guess y'all are right and I just need to modify my behavior to gracefully but quickly put it in 2nd. Like dekaliber said, there is time because the engine needs to drop revs. Drag racing is lame anyways. I usually just use first to get the car moving and use 2nd to put some power down.

Last edited by Blind32; 07-26-2010 at 09:47 AM..
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      08-01-2010, 09:36 PM   #22
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Looks like I'll be ordering a set of the Black UUC mounts - the design looks better than Rogue IMO.

Thanks inTgr8r for the install today on the SS brake lines and encouraging me to keep swapping out OE parts

My problem is the 3-2 downshift under hard braking - hope this solves it - will swap the fluid at the same time - any reco's on fluid beyond the OE Castrol?
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