SMGII Troubleshooting guide

Yeah that's what I thought it could be. Has anyone got an idea of costs for the compression springs to be replaced incl labour?

Originally Posted by M3MATE

Yeah that's what I thought it could be. Has anyone got an idea of costs for the compression springs to be replaced incl labour?

A lot of shops will more than likely try to charge for removing and re-installlation the transmission but it is possible to do them with the transmission still 'in' the car - just a serious pain in the .... It is approx 5 hours to remove the transmission, R&R the compression springs, and re-install the transmission.


5 hours x hourly shop rate = ________

Compressions springs approx $20-$30 depending on which dealership the springs are ordered from.

I had a friend go to a local indy shop here in Oregon and they charged him for the 5 hours of labor - dealership wanted to charge him for 7.

Still less than having a dealership tell you it's a bad pump system and having it fail adaptation after the new pump is installed!

Cool. Cheers guys not as scary as I was expecting

How about if it doesn't engage in 2,4,6 gears at all? It'll just flash for them.

Cog light will come on if it flashes for too long (not engaging) and ill have to come to a complete stop for it to function again

Code: gear not selectable

Replaced GPS one year ago with only 5k on it.

I'm thinking GPS again.

Could be a GPS, Also could be the compression springs. I'd do those first because they're cheaper. There's also an off chance that something with the clutch is wrong. If you have the DIS/GT1 try running the adaptation and see if it self corrects. If it can't run the adaptaion, replace the springs and try again.

Hi,

My first post here and really hoping someone will be able to help. Sorry for the extremely long post, trying to give as much detail as possible. I bought a 2004 BMW M3 E46 SMG one year ago. A few months ago my girlfriend tried to start the car and said the cog light came on, but after a while it started and light went away. About 2 weeks later the same thing happened to me and it eventually started after 2-3 minutes, I then reversed out of my driveway and tried to put it in first but it just stayed in R and wouldn't shift.

I took it to a mechanic that specializes in prestige cars BMW, Mercedes, etc. They told me there was no pressure in the smg pump and they replaced the pump. I later asked them if they changed the salmon relay and they said 'of course'. I get the car back and within about 2-3 days I get in the car and it wont start. First the cog light comes on (and I hear the whirring of the SMG pump) but when I turn the key nothing happens (no clicking noise that some people get). Then after around 30 seconds to a minute the engine warning light also comes on and stays on. The gear stays in whatever gear the car was in last and when I shift the stick around the gear won't change.

So I take the car back to these mechanics (the car starts perfectly for them), they check a few things and replace some sensors (not sure exactly which ones) and they give the car back to me. It works for a few days then the same problem again. The problem seems to always occur when I start the car in the morning but that could be a coincidence.

So I call the mechanics again and this time he thinks it must be an electrical or computer issue so he sends it to a mechanic that specializes in this. They replace the ECU and give it back to me, the car works for a day or 2 and then the same problem again. The car is now back with these electrical specialist mechanics and they've had it for 2 weeks. They told me the error codes they got when they first scanned it (stuck in my garage) when it wouldn't start for them seemed strange and random (one of them said ECU was faulty even though it was just replaced). Now it is starting perfectly for them but of course the problem isn't fixed.

I've read countless forums but there are so many potential solutions, this thread suggests it could possibly be the actuator or the brake pedal sensor. Others say starter motor, solenoid near starter motor, crank position sensor, ignition switch etc. I've already spent $6000 on getting it fixed and it isn't fixed so am desperate to not waste any more money on stuff that may not fix it.

Thankyou so much for your help!

Originally Posted by riffraff28

Hi,

My first post here and really hoping someone will be able to help. Sorry for the extremely long post, trying to give as much detail as possible. I bought a 2004 BMW M3 E46 SMG one year ago. A few months ago my girlfriend tried to start the car and said the cog light came on, but after a while it started and light went away. About 2 weeks later the same thing happened to me and it eventually started after 2-3 minutes, I then reversed out of my driveway and tried to put it in first but it just stayed in R and wouldn't shift.

I took it to a mechanic that specializes in prestige cars BMW, Mercedes, etc. They told me there was no pressure in the smg pump and they replaced the pump. I later asked them if they changed the salmon relay....................................................... .....................................................

Thankyou so much for your help!

For this I would suggest having a different shop check it out. It sounds like they may have soaked you for a pump when it may not have been the issue. Take it to a BMW dealer to have the transmission module read properly, not with the universal OBDII scanners that most shops use. Report back with the codes and then we can go from there. I would wager that it's not the starter or crank pos sensor based on the cog light and the fact that it will start and run.

One thing that can cause this issue is the brake pedal sensor. If it doesn't sense the pedal being pressed, it wont shift to N, and will not start.

Where can i buy some of this stuff to have on hand in case anything happens. or what are some part #'s

Originally Posted by rcsummers

Where can i buy some of this stuff to have on hand in case anything happens. or what are some part #'s

I bought my gear position sensor from Turner Motorsports, I think they carry most of the stuff for SMG maintenance. Sorry, I don't have part numbers because I sold the car last month and included the receipts and service history with it. If anyone has part numbers, PM me and I'll add them to the OP.

Hi roadtrip1098,

Thanks for the quick response. The mechanic told me that they have the special BMW scanners required, he also told me they fix quite a lot of SMG's and showed me another one in the garage that was being fixed. I am reluctant to go to a different mechanic as I would be more likely to have to pay again somewhere else. Last time I took it back to this place after the problem re-occurred they didn't charge me anything. The pump is still under warranty from them. I will contact both the different mechanics today and see what the say and what we can try.

Originally Posted by roadtrip1098

I bought my gear position sensor from Turner Motorsports, I think they carry most of the stuff for SMG maintenance. Sorry, I don't have part numbers because I sold the car last month and included the receipts and service history with it. If anyone has part numbers, PM me and I'll add them to the OP.

ill give it a look, cant be too hard to find.

2006 m3 i got my mechanic just replaced the smg pump and bled the system and everything but when he was ready to go for a test drive the car would stay in N and would not shift in to either R or 1 st gear N light was stayin on not blinking and every once in a while you can hear a noise like the pump would try to engage the gear if anyone has any ideas what that can be pleas let me know i would be really thankfull

REAL OEM is your friend for part numbers.

Turner / Bimmerworld / EAS / VAC / Tischer (BMW of Silver Spring) / BAVAUTO carry the various parts you might need as well as the dealerships.


Join BMWCCA and get 10%-15% off your purchases at participating dealerships. (also building a relationship with a dealership can help get special idscounts on items)

Hi,

So I took the car back from the mechanic as it was working fine for them, but they hadn't replaced anything as they couldn't find anything wrong, so I was expecting the car to fail. The car worked fine for 3 days. Then when I unlocked the car I would notice the pump didn't prime, I would get in the car turn the key and no gears would show in the dash, no N, no 0, nothing. After I fiddled around for a few minutes, locking and unlocked the door, trying to start it etc, eventually I would hear the pump prime and gears now show on the dash and I can start the car. For about 2 days the car did this 1-2 times a day, I would have to fiddle around to get the pump to engage and start the car.

Today the problem has gotten worse. Today the same problem happened, no pump priming etc but once the pump did prime and I started the car, I moved the gear to R and tried to reverse but the engine just revved. I noticed now that the gear R was flashing and also a beeping noise. If I moved into 1st the same thing happened, couldn't move and beeping sound. If I moved the car to Neutral the N did not blink and there was no beeping. I tried turning the car on and off a number of times and the same thing happened. Then after turning on and off about 3 times, I wasn't even able to move from N, if I moved the stick around it just stayed in N.

God I'm starting to regret ever getting this goddamn car. If anyone has any idea please help.

Replace the salmon relay yourself. Buy a brand new one, they're $10 or less. Swap it out, see if the problem persists. I know you said the mechanic said they changed it, I'm not saying they didn't, but sometimes the relays are defective, sometimes they don't seat in all the way, ect. Change it yourself and make sure it is done and done correctly. Also double check to make sure your battery is good. Most places will test them for free. If it's old, even if it passes the test, you should think about a new one.

Originally Posted by damianrado23

2006 m3 i got my mechanic just replaced the smg pump and bled the system and everything but when he was ready to go for a test drive the car would stay in N and would not shift in to either R or 1 st gear N light was stayin on not blinking and every once in a while you can hear a noise like the pump would try to engage the gear if anyone has any ideas what that can be pleas let me know i would be really thankfull

What codes (if any) did it throw? Not shifting is usually because of a hood or door sensor. Go through the steps in the original post and report back, be as detailed as possible.
Thanks

Please help!

I don't hear the pump when i unlock the car. It's staying in first gear. I drove it the night before. My smg light came on the day before as well. But went away when I turned the car off. Also smg light and service light is on.
Brought it to a indy. They said they cant determine without replacing the pump.




check out this video this is the sound im getting when i had someone try to start the car.

I bought parts for the 6mt conversion but id prefer to see if i can have it fixed

Replace the salmon relay and report back. That will typically keep the pump from priming if it goes bad.