SMG not selecting Neutral for start up

This has happened to me twice now in the past month.

I go to start up the car, move the shifter to Neutral so it will start, but SMG won't select it. Nothing happens. I turn off the car, try again, nothing. The display shows the 1 as the gear selected, but has the N lit up in the shift pattern graphic. I move the shifter into drive, nothing, then into reverse, nothing. Back into Neutral, nothing. Take out key again and try it a third time. This time it works and SMG shifts into neutral so I can start the car.

This morning, after about the 10th try it still wouldn't shift into neutral. I had a spare salmon relay for the SMG so swapped it out and even that didn't cure it. About five more tries of taking the key out and trying it again before it finally went into neutral and I could start the car. Hasn't happened again today.

My car is really low mileage so not a lot of use over the years from the PO. I have 14K on it now. So I don't think the pump would be going out this early, but who knows.

I searched the forum, but couldn't find a similar issue. Any BTDT with advice?

Thanks,

Mark in UT

Originally Posted by MBW

This has happened to me twice now in the past month.

I go to start up the car, move the shifter to Neutral so it will start, but SMG won't select it. Nothing happens. I turn off the car, try again, nothing. The display shows the 1 as the gear selected, but has the N lit up in the shift pattern graphic. I move the shifter into drive, nothing, then into reverse, nothing. Back into Neutral, nothing. Take out key again and try it a third time. This time it works and SMG shifts into neutral so I can start the car.

This morning, after about the 10th try it still wouldn't shift into neutral. I had a spare salmon relay for the SMG so swapped it out and even that didn't cure it. About five more tries of taking the key out and trying it again before it finally went into neutral and I could start the car. Hasn't happened again today.

My car is really low mileage so not a lot of use over the years from the PO. I have 14K on it now. So I don't think the pump would be going out this early, but who knows.

I searched the forum, but couldn't find a similar issue. Any BTDT with advice?

Thanks,

Mark in UT

If it were me, and if its still under warranty, take it to the dealer.

Under warranty = dealership.
Out of warranty = salmon relay first, then possibly the gear position sensor.

No warranty. Since I did the relay already, I will do some research on the gear position sensor.

I don't have any error lights on the dash that lit up, but do you think it has thrown a code? I have a Peake scanner but have not had a chance to hook it up. With the gear position sensor throw codes or it is just one of those parts that you swap?

Thanks,

Mark in UT

Was the relay changed in an attempt to correct the problem or already in there from an earlier issue? If you didn't recently change the relay (trying to resolve this issue), then get a new one and try it.

Typically there won't be any codes with most SMG problems. If you do get a code and it's for a gear location / neutral location, then it's definately the gear position sensor.

Also, get a friend and try to rock the car while you try to get it into "N" to start it.

Thanks F22,

I replaced the salmon relay to try to remedy this problem, so it is a new relay. I will see if any codes are thrown later today. I didn't try rocking the car and will if it happens again.

I also read that the hood closed switch can sometimes cause weird errors with SMG, so if it happens again I will also mess with that switch to try and isolate it.

Mark in UT

Is your foot on the brake? I had that problem until I kept my foot on the brake while I shifted from 1 to N, then start. Sometimes I have to tap the brake pedal. I don't think it will come out of gear and go into N unless the brake is on.

Originally Posted by emax

Is your foot on the brake? I had that problem until I kept my foot on the brake while I shifted from 1 to N, then start. Sometimes I have to tap the brake pedal. I don't think it will come out of gear and go into N unless the brake is on.

It will come out, but some times you have to press the brake pedal really hard to ensure the lock-out releases completely.

I had intermittent problems with mine off and on for at least a couple of months. There were a couple of times where I was driving that I would get an alert and then I would get shifted into neutral or I couldn't upshift. Other times the car would not come out of 1st gear and into neutral. Still other times it would not go from Neutral into gear. Baffled the hell out of me due to inexperience. Ultimately I could tell it was the hydraulic pump because when I would unlock the car the pump stopped priming. All of the time leading up to that point was confusing for me because I could hear the thing priming. After I had it repaired I could definitely tell a difference though...the priming routine was a lot faster and quieter.

Eventually I took it into the dealer and when it was all said and done I was out ~$600.00 for a hydraulic pump (including labour). I had tried the relay replacement...but no joy. I think I got lucky with dealing with a cool service manager. I was pretty clear with him that I had talked with the community on e46 fanatics and that a lot of other people have been having this problem. I didn't get off without paying (I wasn't under warranty any longer) but I think I paid a lot less than others did.

Good luck mate. If you were in SoCal I might make you an offer on yours and see about swapping out the hydraulic pump. I was rear-ended by a truck (?) last Tuesday that was going at least 40MPH according to the police. Found out yesterday that my girl is totaled...so I'm back in the market.

Sorry for the loss. Hope you get back on your "///M" feet soon.

600 for a pump and labor is cheap.

Make sure you are pressing the brake pedal down firmly before trying to start the car. I thought I had a problem but I just needed to press the brake harder before starting the car.

Hope this works!

DW

Thanks for all the replies. It has not happened again, but I am sure that I had the brake pedal pushed when I do it. I am hoping that it was just one of those things and won't happen again, but at least I have a few ideas to go on if it happens again.

Mark in UT

grk, 600 for a pump where?

Hey I had an issue just recently on my M3, Could not get the SMG into neutral , so would not start. I got on this forum and read enough to find someone with that same issue. I replaced that SMG relay or Salmon colored relay. And all is good . 14.99 at Advance Auto. I got 69K on My 2003 M3 its been a great car. Thanks again