Member
So, I bought the car just over 4 months back and it has spent more time at the workshop and my garage than on the road. The car was a joy with no issues during the test drive.
Problem 1: Whilst driving on the freeway, I noticed my gear number on the instrument cluster continuously flash but shift ok. At the lights, the car just rolled back as I attempted to accelerate. This was my second day with the car and I started stressing. Thanks to power of google, android smartphone and the BMW community, I learnt that I only needed to shut my bonnet. Did this, and the beast roared again...phew!
Problem 2: I felt the shifts were rough so I got the stealership to do a full codescan and checkup on the car with special attention to the clutch. They gave me the all clear and explained that I needed to get used to SMG as it was inherently rough.
Problem 3: One beautiful hot summer day, while slowing down at the red lights, the car would not gear down from 2 to 1. I would hear continuous attempts at engaging gear but this failed. I turned the car off and on and it seemed to rectify the problem. However, at the next traffic light, whilst gearing down from 6, I heard a loud grinding sound at gear 4 and the transmission cog symbol came on but gears went down to 1 OK. I then drove off perfectly well until home and the cog symbol disappeared by itself. However, when I tried to engage reverse gear after more than 4 hours of the car being off, there was a loud bang-almost as though I was engaging gear without depressing the clutch. The car seemed to drive OK for short periods after this. But after longer periods, I would hear the occasional grinding and banging of the gears.
I took the car to an independent BMW specialist who identified some high/low pressure codes related to the SMG. They also discovered that the SMG fluid was extremely low and of very poor quality-it was black. So they flushed, bled and recalibrated the system. The car then drove beautifully for about 2 days. However, I noticed that once the car got warm (after about 1 hour of stop start driving), the downshift from 3 to 2 to 1 was a little bit rough – I could hear a thud but not as loud as it was before.
Problem 4: On my way back home after an initial smooth drive, I noticed that there was a lot of hesitation (lag) during shifts (especially noticeable during upshifts) – the revs would drop, but gear would not change immediately but would be stuck in neutral for a few seconds (almost 30s) before eventually shifting. Also, the cog symbol came on momentarily later that evening when upshifting from 3 to 4.
Problem 5: After having the car garaged for over 2 weeks, I took it for a drive round the block and realised the car had a mind of its own - I would shift from 3 to 4, but it would hesitate and shift to 2 instead and after few seconds jump from 2 to 4. During this period, the cog symbol and SMG Error sign would flash away like a Christmas tree. I also noticed that the SMG pump would go on for short bursts (less than 2s bursts) every few seconds. I didn't notice it doing this before so I am unsure whether this is normal behaviour.
So, I got the car towed to the independent BMW specialist. They discovered that one of the battery cells was completely destroyed and it was likely that not enough amps was being sent to the SMG unit. After changing the battery, they indicated that the bad shifts were gone and SMG fault codes gone but there was still a bit of lag shifting from 3 to 4. They indicated that a faulty crankshaft position sensor may lead to the issue. So, I authorised them to fix this but to no luck-Problem still remains. They have indicated that the most likely cause is a pressure leak on the accumulator. However, as the pump had been working hard to compensate for loss of pressure, it is likely that the pump will die soon too if it isn't already partially dead.
So the options I am left with are:
1) Replace the accumulator with the risk that the pump may fail anytime
2) Perform a manual conversion. The workshop would re-use the same transmission.
What advice would you be able to provide? In regards to the second option, has any of you had this sort of conversion done? Are there any pitfalls I should be aware of? How happy are you with the conversion? Roughly, how much should this cost?
PS: The car was for sale before the issue occurred and is still for sale (now at a heavily subsidised price due to fault)
The "ultimate driving machine" is driving me both nuts and broke.
Member
smg pumps are known to be short lived. Depends on the market there, but I'd say a manual probably will net you a larger market of potential buyers.
Member
I am leaning more towards the $$$ manual conversion but I may be able salvage some money back this way.Originally Posted by scooper
Member
Sell the car or perform the manual conversion, SMG was horrendous, hell even SMG II was crap.
Member
how long does the pump take to prime before you can start the car?
mine used to take between 10-15 secs,i replaced the accumulator and now i can start it straight away,no wait,even after a week of non use,i would give this ago on yours and see,worth the gamble imo.
Member
I did the conversion, because once it plays up, especialllly at the age these cars are now, it will send you broke and brokenhearted. No money will fix it.
Check out the sticky, all the info is there, and if your mechanic is fair you'll end up with the car you thought you bought, and like me addicted to it.
Member
Pump does take about 15s to prime. In fact, the car is almost as though I have to carry out safety checks before firing up the engine...my positive spin to a dire situation. I basically have to wait for the gear indicator to flash 0 then stabilize and hear a solid clunk on the gear lever and that's an indication that the engine is ready to be fired on
Member
Hey Mate, Sorry to hear about your SMG dramas. Probably the worst case I've heard.
You should have contacted the seller to rub it in.
I've owned mine for a little over 3 yrs and no issues to date. But I have always told myself that if the pump fails or anything with significant cost attached to it, I will convert to manual. I wont pay 5K for a pump to essentially rectify what really is a 20cent o ring seal that fails. I have inquired here in Sydney for this conversion and you'd be looking ay around 8K. That is the complete job to factory spec including the cluster conversion.
I wish you well.
99 Anniversary Edition - E36 - ///M3 - Cosmos Black - SMG - Extended Nappa Leather -
S50B32 - 236 KW - 320 HP
Member
ive been through this too - rip that crap out & covert it to manual ASAP. you'll never look back. i ended up selling a lot of the SMG stuff & recovering much of the conversion cost. the dealer will continue to do this BS process of "oh now its & now its that" - changing parts left right & centre but never really fixing the problem.
Last edited by 98m3estoril; 04-16-2012 at 05:38 AM.
Member
Ok...Just got the car back today with new battery + new crank sensor.
Car drives waaaaaaaay better and does start up much faster. Previously, I had to wait almost 30s before I could even start it. Although car drives OK, some gear changes are a bit sluggish - workshop mentioned this was due to drop in pressure in the leaky accumulator. The pump now has to overcompensate to maintain 80 bars of pressure. The pump also has continual short bursts of operation. The bursts last about 2s and are about 2s apart too. Wonder if this is normal? Can anyone with a good working SMG comment on this?
My final straw is going to be manual conversion...if I am unable to sell the car as is.
Member
yes buy a new accumulator!
Member
+1 on the accumulator. Your pump is having to work overtime to compensate. I know these smg issues are a pain in the short term, but a good smg system can bee very rewarding. I am very impressed with mine.
You should inquire about getting your software upgraded too. Mine was done by the previous owner just before I purchased and it and he reckons it made a difference to gear changes. I wouldn't know personally cos I've never driven another smg besides mine, but I have to say that I had no issues whatsoever. Oh, I forgot.. My accumulator was replaced days before pick up as this was found on the pre purchase inspection.
99 Anniversary Edition - E36 - ///M3 - Cosmos Black - SMG - Extended Nappa Leather -
S50B32 - 236 KW - 320 HP
Member
the accumulator is a waste of time. i had similar symptoms and flipped the $500+ for the new accumulator from the dealer. no difference in performance afterwards and the pump still kept priming up all the time. probably beacuse leaks had developed elsewhere - such as the the pistons in the pump itself.
this is not normal at all
Last edited by 98m3estoril; 05-03-2012 at 11:00 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Member
Hi folks I'm a newbie on here. Sorry to drag up the topic. I to have an smg gearbox in my 99 m3. To be honest the car has been running very well and I (touch wood) have not had any issues with it. Lately however I haved noticed that the pump is priming more. When I stop the engine and leave the car it could run on and off for upto 30 mins or so afterwards ? Is this normal or would it suggest a possible leak in the seals / accumulator ??
It drives fine with no management, cog lights etc. it's a little rough but that I am assuming is just the character of the smg.
So as a preventative what action should I take or what do you people feel this could be? Car starts straight up with no issues !!
Thanks in advance for any help and delighted to have signed up to the site.
Keanser
Member
Interesting - my car is garaged, not driven since as I am scared of doing any more damage. Last time I did turn it on, I did notice that the SMG fluid is low. I now think there's a fluid leak too. I wouldn't have a clue whether my car primed after I turned the engine off as I run away from it after my neighbourhood drives lol - Perhaps your driver door switch is misbehaving?
I'd suggest you get it scanned for any error codes before doing anything yourself. Check this website for loads of smg info http://tis.spaghetticoder.org/e36/M3_(S50)_COUPE/?q=smg
Member
Thanks for that.
I have a diagnostics machine myself. A pretty good one which reads it no problem and there is no codes at all showing. Interesting idea on the door lock. Have a bmw main dealer guy going to take a look next week at it. He has suggested not doing the software upgrade on it ?? Informed me the last two that he has done on e36 m3 smg's has completely damaged the box beyond repair ?? Reckons its something to do with the new test checks and parameters push the box beyond its limits ???
Doesn't make sense to me but this guy works in a very well respected BMW dealer here in Dublin ??
Make sense to anyone ?
Member
check for signs of visable leaks,the 3 seals on top of the pump can weep,if the pump is priming then as already mention check the door switch, also your accumulator could be shot.
Member
Now that you are both saying it there is a dodgy handle on the car, sometimes it sticks. Could this be a related issue ?
Member
you could try unplugging the door loom and see if it still happens.
Member
I have a 99 M3 with similar problem. When I try to start it it takes thirty seconds to fire up. Also found that if the battery was disconnected and then reconnected it would start straight away. Any ideas?
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