smg hydraulic pump e46 m3 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.

This part is listed by BMW as BMW part number 21532229715 (21-53-2-229-715) and is described as SMG Hydraulic Pump with Pressure Accumulator - E46 M3.

The SMG pump on the SMG (sequential manual gearbox) equipped E46 M3 is a very well known failure point. It"s really not a question of IF your SMG pump will suffer a failure, but when. Typically, the SMG pump lasts somewhere in the neighborhood of 100k miles, but they have been known to fail with much less miles.

If your E46 M3 has suffered the dreaded SMG pump failure, you need a new SMG pump. And BimmerWorld has the best price available to assist in getting your E46 M3 back on the road.

The problem: The pump supplies the hydraulic pressure for the different consumers (actuators) of the SMG and stores it in the pressure accumulator. The pump consists of a gear pump and the powering electric motor. Due to its location in a high temperature area, the motor suffers often from damage and is a common problem. Especially on hot days the car can drop out of gear or show the gearbox warning light (SMG cog light). Often the following codes appear in the error memory:

We provide a new motor for the pump as a solution for various problems with the BMW M3 SMG II. This item is not a universal motor with a coupling plate to adapt to the SMG block like others available on the market, this item is specially made for the E46 SMG II specifically. The motor meets the highest expectations of quality and enables a sporty style of driving with frequent shifting. Of course, the motor comes with a 12 month warranty.

[{"id":39365701468247,"title":"Complete Kit - Standard","option1":"Complete Kit - Standard","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"10.203X.1","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"E46 M3 SMG PUMP RELOCATION KIT - Complete Kit - Standard","public_title":"Complete Kit - Standard","options":["Complete Kit - Standard"],"price":55000,"weight":1134,"compare_at_price":69900,"inventory_management":null,"barcode":"","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]},{"id":39365701533783,"title":"Wire Harness - Standard Length","option1":"Wire Harness - Standard Length","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"10.203X.3","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"E46 M3 SMG PUMP RELOCATION KIT - Wire Harness - Standard Length","public_title":"Wire Harness - Standard Length","options":["Wire Harness - Standard Length"],"price":28000,"weight":1134,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":null,"barcode":"","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]},{"id":39365701566551,"title":"Fluid Line Kit - Standard length","option1":"Fluid Line Kit - Standard length","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"10.203X.4","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"E46 M3 SMG PUMP RELOCATION KIT - Fluid Line Kit - Standard length","public_title":"Fluid Line Kit - Standard length","options":["Fluid Line Kit - Standard length"],"price":20000,"weight":1134,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":null,"barcode":"","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}]

So, when I sat down to start working on this article, I struggled to find the right way to start. How do you introduce a legend? The BMW E46 M3 debuted twenty years ago and nearly every enthusiast has a story about it – either driving one, lusting after one, or (if you’re Klaus Frohlich, former head of development for BMW) sick of drivers benchmarking every car ever made against it.

I’m no exception – the E46 M3 made me fall in love with cars again, and specifically, BMWs. Working in New York over a decade ago, a modified Titanium Silver, Competition Package coupe caught my eye and I couldn’t look away. I soon bought my first E36 and began an automotive attachment from which I have still not recovered.

The E46 M3 undoubtedly represented a high point for BMW. Functional but understated design, a tireless powertrain, and rewarding driving dynamics all backed up BMW’s promise to deliver the “Ultimate Driving Machine”. Even twenty years later, the car remains a hot-ticket item for enthusiasts due to the timeless design and driver’s seat thrills.

I drove an early model (pre-2003), convertible E46 M3 with the SMG transmission. Arguably one of the finest cars BMW’s M division ever churned out, in its least desirable form. You don’t know what SMG is? Pay attention, because this part is important.

It stands for Sequential Manual Gearbox and was touted as “Formula 1 inspired” – a paddle shifted manual transmission that replaces a clutch pedal with a little robot (an electro-hydraulic pump) that does the legwork for you. Sadly, it seems this robot is sleeping on the job some of the time.

The SMG transmission is reviled by many because of its high cost of maintenance, awkward shifting patterns, and lack of a traditional clutch pedal. SMG owners will tell you “well, technically it’s a manual…” and explain that “you just need to learn how to drive it.”

But don’t believe that. There are no clear advantages to the SMG transmission. Everything it does, a traditional manual can do better, and only disconnects you from the driving experience – which is unfortunate, because the driving experience is kind of the whole point of owning one of these.

The real joy of driving this the car is in the steering feel and suspension tuning. BMW’s renowned hydraulic steering is heavy, but quick. The steering wheel is substantial, but never cumbersome, and provides good road feel through the re-tuned, M-specific suspension. The car truly feels special as you feel it out – model specific struts, springs, and sway bars work in tandem with the quick steering to truly reward good driving.

Numbers aren’t really the headline – the S54 inline-six offers up 333 hp and 262 lb ft of torque in this iteration, slightly turned up from the Z3 and Z4 M variants that used the same engine. The real drama comes from the powerband – with peak torque coming in around halfway up the tach at 5000 rpm, and all the power showing up at just shy of the S54’s 8000 rpm redline. With an optimal 0-60 time a little quicker than 5 seconds, the M3 remains “quick” by 2020 standards.

Anyway, driving the E46 M3 is still wonderful. As I mentioned earlier, the real joy of driving this car is in the handling and road feel, and that still shines through, even being slightly worse for wear. I put the top down and cruised back to meet the owner and, despite the wonky transmission, still managed to enjoy myself.

The SMG transmission only serves to make the car a less enjoyable experience, by taking an important component of driving involvement out of the equation. Instead of brimming with joy with every upshift, there’s this weird lull in the action that basically equates to you holding on to the steering wheel and waiting for someone else to physically shift the gear.

The irony here is that, even having driven the “worst of the best”, I would probably still consider picking up an E46 M3 in similar spec. Convertible models equipped with the SMG are available at well under the $10,000 mark, even in serviceable condition. While there’s no doubt it my mind that a manual coupe is the car to have from this generation, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with the car.

The same traits that make most vintage BMWs so attractive to enthusiasts – unrivaled steering feel, classically good looks, and a cockpit that feels special – still make the E46 M3 noteworthy, even in what most would call its least-desirable configuration. And a sleepy, lazily shifting robot doesn’t sway my opinion – but does make me appreciate the manual transmission just a little bit more.

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.

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.

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 ...

STOP RIGHT THERE!!!!!! Guys - this is the same exact issue I"ve been experiencing from day 1 of buying our M3. It throws me into neutral during driving, parked (in 1st gear), down shifting and/or upshifting!

Here"s what I"m doing next - bought a donor SMG control unit off of ebay with 66k miles on it, dropping it in as soon as I receive it! it"s a $200 item, but it can end up saving your dad lots of $$$!!!

If this fails, i will give up and call BMWNA for help since their product (this 2002 M3 e46) is just a bitch to diagnose, it has costed me thousands of dollars in parts and labor and issue is still outstanding.

Genuine BMW E46 M3 S54B32 SMG Gearbox Actuator And Hydraulic Pump. Genuine BMW E46 M3 S54B32 SMG Gearbox Actuator And Hydraulic Pump. Condition is Used. Dispatched with Royal Mail 1st Class. It is in fully working order and had absolutely no faults in ecu. Removed from a car with 92k miles. Used parts please check the pictures. If you have any more questions please don"t hesitate to contact me. Worldwide shipping available so please ask for quote! Thanks for looking and check my other listening too.