SMG - not its usual brilliant self today. Pump failure?

[PetKiller]

Good Morning All,

I have a 2003 3.0 SMG. Had it for coming up to 3-years now, picked it up on 38/39,000 miles and it has now done 64/65,000. Car has been pretty much faultless throughout with the only none consumable cost being a water pump last year.

When I had the car serviced last (probably a little over a year ago?) I asked the dealer to have a look at the SMG as it sometimes seemed to judder or be a bit slow on the changes (almost like the clutch was slipping). Came back to collect, they said all was fine, I questioned it and the dealer sent their main mechanic out with me in the car - both of us drove. Clean bill of health, mechanic said what I could feel driving it hard was probably the start of the clutch coming to the end of its life. All fine with the SMG. I was quite happy with this as I know the system in its early guise is a bit primative (clunky, jerky, sometimes on a different wavelength to the driver...). I do actually really like the gearbox a lot and it is one of the main reasons I like the car.

Anyway, get up this morning jump in the car and cannot get it to engage gear. It is stuck in first gear, nothing I do (well, moving the gearstick!) will not make it engage neural so I can start it. I can hear the fuel pump working, the lights are all on - especially the dashboard ones where there are two new things for me to look at: a cog (transmission warning light?), and when I move the gear stick I can get it to change from '1' to 'F1' which I am guessing does not mean I have unwittingly unlocked a secret Formula 1 mode and it either means 'fail' or 'fu©ked'?

So, after a bit of internet searching this morning I suspect it is the SMG pump. It appears there are 3 possibilities:

• the relay (which is cheap and easy to fix)
• the pump (which is what I think it is given the slow/slip issues I have had)
• a spring inside the gearbox (cheap part but needs the gearbox dropping from car)

Can anybody shed any experience or knowledge on this? Does this seem about right?

Also, I use a dealer in Falmouth and I would more than trust them to do the repair. Car is stuck in the underground car park at a flat in SE London (going to be fun getting it out of there with the rear wheels locked!). If I take this car to a dealer in London they will rape me. Not just a quick opportunist rape either - it will be horrific, probably more than one of them and they will hurt me, leaving me mentally ruined and covered in blood and man yogurt. Do people think a little garage somewhere could do this job? There is a good one near here who did my water pump, they are not a specialist but they seem okay. Or does it need to be a specialist?

Lastly, what sort of bill should I be looking at if anyone has had one done recently?

Upside of this is while searching the 'net for answers this morning I discovered a secret mode for the SMG 1 or whatever it is marketed as where it gives the more vicious M3 style changes. Looking forward to finding out if it is true or not when I get it fixed.

[PetKiller]

Been doing some more digging into this. Someone in the US is saying the relay can fail in cold weather, their car has similar starting issue, replaced the relay and all was well so going to start there.

Anyone know if the relay is the same as the E46 BMW and M3. Dealer in Blackheath did not know anything which was no surprise given they told me before when I asked why the service on a Z4 was hundreds of pounds more expensive than what they charge for a 3-series of the year and engine size that 'the engine is completely different?

[Darkman]

This might be useful as its is an indepth diagnostic on an M3 with an SMG transmission, though not conclusive in anyway it shows how a good garage would approach the situation given the right tools and diagnostics

http://www.picoauto.com/tutorials/bmw-m3.html

[PetKiller]

Thanks, Darkie. I will go through that - looks useful.

[PetKiller]

Just been and picked up the relay. Can anyone tell me where the box is? Guessing it is under the bonnet somewhere?

Thanks

[PetKiller]

I have just fitted the new relay - nothing!

But, the only hole it would fit in had a green coloured relay, not a salmon coloured one. Was virtually identical so thought I would try it.

There is a 'salmon' one with a different pin configuration to the one I have just bought. It has ASC ++0313 stamped on it - anyone know if this is the SMG relay? Or is the 'ASC' active stability control?

[PetKiller]

This is the bit I am after. Pretty sure now I have been given the wrong part! The green one is the one my new salmon one replaces... not the salmon one circled.

[Spud]

An SMG failure I had resulted from a rodent chewing through the gearbox wiring loom. Worth a check!

[BMWZ4MC]

Thought you might be talking to yourelf for a minute there!
If you can get to Buckinghamshire, Phil Crouch at CPC Performance Engineering (http://www.cpcpe.com/) is a man I trust with my car for everything. Give him a call and see what he thinks I'm not sure if he has a specialist intesest in SMG, but he has in ///Ms, so he must have seen plenty of E46 M3s with SMG problems

[Wondermike]

Interesting, can't be of much use I'm afraid but nice to see you keeping the thread updated for future reference.

[PetKiller]

I really hope I have rodents!

Got the correct relay today, plugged it in, still nothing. Car is being recovered to a specialist tomorrow.

[Swiftly]

I really hope I have rodents!

Got the correct relay today, plugged it in, still nothing. Car is being recovered to a specialist tomorrow.

Sorry to hear you are still having problems, hope you get it resolved soon and keep us updated

[PetKiller]

Had one last check of everything today before getting it recovered:

• SMG Relay (salmon coloured one in the engine bay, has ASC stamped on the top). No joy but from what I have read is the place to start as it is often the problem

• Fuses These are hidden inside the glovebox. Fuse 9 and 42 relate to the SMG transmission. Both were fine on mine

So, off it goes to the shop. Difficult to recover as the rear wheels lock (SMGs are parked in gear) with no way of releasing into neutral. It has to go on a flat bed/low loader lorry. To add to my trouble mine is in an underground car park with very low headroom in some areas - no way a lorry will get in. And there is a steep incline ramp to get out.

Car had to go on skates and towed out.

[BMWZ4MC]

Hope it's sorted soon (and cheaply).
Out of interest, where are you, the building in the last picture looks very interesting

[PetKiller]

That is Woolwich. 10 minutes walk from where the riots happened this summer!