smg hydraulic pump rebuild quotation

Renew your worn or burn"t out SMG pump with our remanufactured units! Our remanufactured pumps are disassembled, thoroughly cleaned and reassembled with all new components.

The E46 M3 had a couple major issues, one of the lesser ones is the SMG gearbox. The hydraulic pump often fails resulting in a costly repair. If this happens to a car you own it often make sense to convert the car to a manual rather than fix the SMG unit. Manual E46 M3’s tend to be more desirable and cost quite a bit more than manual M3’s so often times owners can buy an E46 M3 SMG and have it converted to manual for about the same price as buying a true manual.

Since the SMG transmission and the 6 speed transmission are internally identical all that is required to physically do this swap is to modify the bellhousing on the SMG transmission. This modification adds in the shift detents so the driver can feel where the gears are. Since the SMG is shifted by the computer these detents were not necessary in the manual gearbox. Machining the bell housing accurately is critical so that the driver can easily find the gears. If the machine work is not precise then the driver can have trouble finding gears as the gates will not be in the correct location. We’ve seen this problem on some swapped cars that have ended up at our shop for troubleshooting.

The hydraulic pump often fails resulting in a costly repair. If this happens to a car you own it often make sense to convert the car to a manual rather than fix the SMG unit.

For race cars it is also possible to swap the 6 speed transmission to a less expensive and rebuildable 5 speed transmission. Coupled with a 3.91 or 4.10 final drive this is often a good race/track setup, but it does require modifying the driveshaft and shift linkage. Overall the cost tends to be about the same as the 6 speed conversion but the 5 speed also has a considerable weight advantage compared to the 6 speed.

In order for cruise control, PDC, and the reverse light to function the car must be wired and re-coded as a manual car. The SMG computer is removed and all SMG components are unplugged. The clutch switch and brake switch must be installed and wired appropriately to retain the function of a true manual transmission E46 M3. We also have a special tune for the SMG to Manual conversion, developed by Frank Smith, that adjusts the idle to the correct level and can be coupled with a performance tune upon request.

You asked, we delivered! We practically get daily calls from BMW enthusiasts and BMW shops around the country doing their own SMG to manual conversion. While we love tackling this project for our clients, we know that is not always an option because of time and distance.

We’re now happy to offer an E46 Bellhousing Machine and Prep Service for SMG to Manual Conversions! Just send us your complete bellhousing, and we’ll send it back ready to install into your conversion. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions – otherwise, check it out on our store page.

I am sure this has been beaten like a dead horse and I did a search on this already BUT, can any SMG owners give me an honest opinion on your experience? I would like to pick up an E46 M3 (currently have a 330ci 5 speed), however I don"t know if the almost double premium for a 6 speed is worth it. I understand the SMG can be problematic, but is it one of those things that people complain about because it is simply expensive to fix or is it truly a nightmare like some make it seem? To me, paying $10,000 for an SMG M3 vs $18,000 for a 5 speed leans me towards the SMG and saving the $ for "repairs". Anyone stories, advice, etc would be appreciated.I own a 2004 M3, currently rebuilding the block with forged internals to handle ~800hp before the block needs sleeved, just got done at the machine shop. With the engine and tranny out, I opted to keep my SMG setup and simply relocate it. Here"s my feedback on the SMG II experience with Getrag 6-speed tranny... (keep in mind, I also own a Mk6 GTI w/ Stage 2 boost, full intake & exhaust mods, 6SM):

-> The SMG, if you understand how to drive it correctly, will give you the best of both worlds IMO; the feeling of driving a manual transmission without the need to control the clutch. Do not expect it to drive like a DSG/dual clutch, or any of the new automatics that are super smooth. Many newer BMW owners prefer the smoothness of dual clutch or automatic; I much prefer the violent, visceral feel of the single clutch being actuated by the SMG computer. It feels extremely mechanical. Some folks like to change the sensitivity of the shifts, using the SMG shift mode button; some like it shifting with a pretty large window of delay, and only shifting quickly under specific conditions. I personally prefer to keep it in Shift Mode 5 or 6 (6th level is only available when you turn off TC), with the Sport mode button on at all times... how an ///M should be driven anyway, right?

-> Rev matching is possible; I don"t have my SMG tuned to the latest software revision yet, so I typically blip the gas upon downshifting, which causes the computer to slightly stall the actuation of the previous gear for proper rev matching. Upon dropping the tranny, I found the clutch was OE, pretty worn. I"m upgrading to a single mass flywheel and a new organic clutch disk, new pressure plate, so I"m certain the engagement of gears upon down shifting with rev match will be faster. Thus, rev matching is not automatic but still possible. I loved the auto rev match feature in my 2014 370z, that was an art!

-> Maintenance; to prevent overheating (one of the primary issues) I recommend to relocate the SMG unit itself away from the engine block OE position, to the passenger drug well bin. I purchased all parts needed for a relocation kit from Burkhart Engineering; SMG fluid reservoir, relocation hydraulic lines, relocation wiring harness, and mounting bracket that fits perfectly inside that drug well bin area (perfect spot for it, why didn"t they make this the OE location for the unit?!); no more overheating issues, and optimal performing when you replace the electric pump motor (if your M3 has high mileage) and use Burkhart Engineering high performance SMG fluid (flows better than the OE Pentosin equiv). It will also free up a ton of room in that area of the block as if you didn"t have SMG; except that your SMG unit will now be in a relocated area that keeps it completely away from the heat of the engine, and allows for very easy access for maintenance/repairs. Change your SMG fluid in the reservoir on regular intervals. Pray to god your solenoids aren"t bad or leaking! Removal of the SMG unit from the stock position is a PITA; best to do it when you pull the motor for a rebuild, or if you"re dropping the tranny for a clutch service/flywheel upgrade.

-> This is more rare, but still possible; I"ve seen where some SMG units have a failed pressure accumulator. This is a major problem, the SMG unit makes gear shifts using the hydraulic fluid at different pressure levels, up to 100psi. It"s crucial that the SMG unit maintain appropriate pressure levels for gear shift actuation to occur quickly, smoothly, without error. I believe either the SMG computer or the DME itself will throw error codes based on accumulation pressure issues, if this is the case.

-> Be aware of how to properly drain/relieve the pressure in the lines and the accumulator of the SMG pump unit if you decide to remove it from the OE location, and relocate it. It is a high pressure system; failure to discharge will cause hydraulic fluid to go absolutely everywhere, you do NOT want to clean up this mess!

Don"t get me wrong, I love the 6SM in my Golf GTI on Stage 2; super fun to manually throw into each gear with a high-boost turbo tune! But, I will be one of the few that actually prefer the M3 with the SMG transmission option. As stated, IMO it provides the best of both worlds to manual & auto; a Getrag 6-speed hooked up to a hydraulic pump, giving me the manual feel without needing to worry about constantly dealing with the clutch. The violent, visceral feeling of each shift banging into gear in shift mode 6 is just phenomenal. It also allows you to be a more efficient racer on the track also, you"ll get better personal times around a circuit with SMG than 6 speed.

I think many haters hate on it simply because they"ve never driven one daily to a point of understanding how to properly drive one. Haters will also complain of the cost to maintenance/repair the unit; while I don"t argue that it"s expensive, it"s not nearly as bad as it used to be. There are many companies now that provide separate components of the overall unit for fractions of the cost of a full unit replacement. There are many DIY guides showing how to maintenance the unit without having to take it fully apart or, as stated, simply replacing the entire unit outright. As you can tell, I highly recommend it myself, but ultimately you should test drive if you can, to get a feeling of what I"m talking about. If you get one, just relocate the damn thing into the drug well bin, replace the fluid with BE, upgrade the SMG software/tune, upgrade to a single mass flywheel, new clutch, you"ll be solid!

6. SMG accumulator. Very likely. Im currently thinking that if I replace the accumulator I should probably replace the pump at the same time, I don"t want to go through the same labour costs in 50,000k"s to get the pump replaced.Im planning on owning the car for 3+ years

The shitty bit is you can"t buy the pump without the accumulator, so if the pump goes you are stuck with an extra accumulator that no one wants to buy.

7. SMG pump (there are businesses now overseas that do rewinds of these pumps) A few have attempted a self rewind DIY and failed, as apparently the brushes are quite special so to speak. I can source a rebuilt pump for around 1650 USD. (minus 250USD core exch so 1400). Its a lot less than the $3695.00 + GST by Jeff Gray! BUT is it really worth the risk?

8. hydraulic lines. Hmmmm, there could-well be a bent line...unlikely but possible. but the fact that the issue gets worse when the car gets warmer doesn"t makes sense with that... I would have thought that the warmer the fluid, the easier it would pass thru the lines?

In addition to those 8 points there is another interesting point I was told by Kayne at Kayne Barrie Motorsport. He mentioned that if the SMG system is not calibrated regularly, out of sync gear selection can cause the gear selector forks to wear on one side. If it gets bad enough the gearbox wont be able to hold gears. Im going to check this when the box comes out but its unlikely to be related because of the haydraulic pressure fault and that the symptoms aren"t quite right for it to be this.

If above two shows no signs or wear or damage I would then buy a new pump from the States and replace, sell the SMG pump if it tests okay as a second hand unit with a faulty accumulator - you should get at least US$500 for it ...

so 2 weeks ago while driving on the highway my Z4 made a beep and shifted to N even though the car"s SMG was set on D. I shifted car back to N and back to D but nothing. I parked the car on the side, shut if off and turned it back on, the car was able to shift to D again. I then drove maybe 10 meters when the same thign happened again, car shifted to N. Turned off and on car and everything worked fine and that was last time it happened.

So i was like thats alot, $4000 and add to that maybe 1500-2000$ labor... that whole car isn"t worth much more than that. Anyway while flipping through the diagnostic reports I noticed a few pages where the system had mentioned there was a fault in the SMG hydraulic pump and it needed to be replaced. So I asked the dealer employee about it and he made a phonecall and told me that they had forgot to add that to the list of parts. Whats the cost? KD1,300 which is around $4,500!! Thats for the one part and not including labor which is around $700.

I leave the dealer and I"m heading to my office when I get stuck in traffic. From idle I press the gas and the car shivered and vibrated. That hadn"t happened before but I figured I might have had the gear in 3 or something. A few moments later same thing happened and this time car shifted to N again. I shut off car, turned it back on and kept the SMG on manual and drove it back to the office. In manual I didn"t run into any problem but I did feel the RPM"s where acting or sounding a bit weird when shifting.

2006-2010 BMW M5 M6 Getrag SMG 7 Speed automated manual Transmission. Removed from a 2007 BMW M6 with the SMG transmission and 103k miles. In good working condition, fully tested and driven prior to removal from the vehicle. Was able to be shifted through all gears with no malfunctions or errors. Transmission made no odd noises, whines, or grinds during operation. Fluid has been drained with no excessive metal shavings or abnormalities. Does NOT include the SMG hydraulic pump, accumulator, Solenoids, Wiring harness, fluid cooler, or clutch solenoid. Includes only what is shown in the photos, you will need to reuse some of your existing hardware and components for installation.

"I had a small 10 ton hydraulic cylinder that blew a seal and needed repair. The price the owner quoted on the phone was reasonable so I took them the cylinder for repair. Within a couple of days, i got a call stating the cylinder was repaired. When I picked it up, the repair was at the price quoted, and I now have a working shop press once again. Thanks Tom, for the quick and honest repair....."