SMG error code 59 clutch control possible causes

[nextelbuddy]

can you drive it? If it has no problem driving, then the issue is about testing setup.

Yeah that's the plan. This weekend is to get it off the quick Jack's on the ground and driving around the neighborhood. Try to set some emission monitors if I can

[nextelbuddy]

So I can drive the car no problem. Car shifts perfect,no weird sounds or noises.

I parked car today and when I came back to turn ignition on, it had SMG cog and checked the codes and it was 59 again..


So just strange that clutch is working no problem yet error comes back sporadically.

I'll try getting s brand new slave and sensor and see if that helps. Just didn't want.to spend the money on that

[oceansize]

So I can drive the car no problem. Car shifts perfect,no weird sounds or noises.

I parked car today and when I came back to turn ignition on, it had SMG cog and checked the codes and it was 59 again..


So just strange that clutch is working no problem yet error comes back sporadically.

I'll try getting s brand new slave and sensor and see if that helps. Just didn't want.to spend the money on that

What is a little unlikely, but happening, is that another member is having the exact same issue after clutch/PP replacement https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...59-help-needed

He replaced his Slave with a brand new one from FCP just a few days ago and still gets the error as well.

Read through this post on another forum, does that sound possible? https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/...#post-19053687

reset the pressure plate put it all back together, but it was only doable with that bracket that came installed on the pressure plate. I had to install the bracket and then pull back the plastic clip springs and squeeze the pressure plate and it popped flush. After putting everything back together I tried bleeding, it failed, I tried shifting no luck. It was glitched, so I reset the clutch curve and did the clutch teach and followed through with the Bleed and adaptation and now it shifts great. All these codes and issues were due to the pressure plate being installed in the expanded position

[Irhase46m3]

So I can drive the car no problem. Car shifts perfect,no weird sounds or noises.

I parked car today and when I came back to turn ignition on, it had SMG cog and checked the codes and it was 59 again..


So just strange that clutch is working no problem yet error comes back sporadically.

I'll try getting s brand new slave and sensor and see if that helps. Just didn't want.to spend the money on that

It shouldnt be sporadically. Try this: on cold start, just push the brake pedal once to start the car and let the it idle in neutral on its own for 15min, you should have the smg cog light again. If you can reproduce the error under these conditions, do yourself a favor and get a new slave cylinder and dont forget to grease up the nipple on the rod.

[nextelbuddy]

It shouldnt be sporadically. Try this: on cold start, just push the brake pedal once to start the car and let the it idle in neutral on its own for 15min, you should have the smg cog light again. If you can reproduce the error under these conditions, do yourself a favor and get a new slave cylinder and dont forget to grease up the nipple on the rod.

So I tried testing your theory in the morning. I did a cold start just like you Said and even after 20 minutes there was no cog light

I was able to drive the car for most of the day and then when I went to get an alignment today at my friends shop, he used his autel tool And ran just the clutch slip procedure and it tested fine with no errors

And then I left the shop and it drove fine for about 30 minutes and after that the SMG system started messing up. It was just going to neutral show the cog light and give me an error for clutch control and one time it said clutch control and selector lever evaluation code 114

And now after repeated clearing the code which used to work now it just keeps coming back so I can barely drive the car.

Drive the car for 20 minutes and have no problem and then it'll just switch to neutral and bring the cog light on right in the middle of traffic.

I have the laptop in the car so I just clear the code and I can keep driving and then it comes back... sometimes quickly, sometimes after a long time

So maybe I really do need to change the slave cylinder and plcd sensor

At one point I was in inpa trying to run the bleed procedure on the side of the road and I was doing error from inpa saying communication interrupted and it wouldn't talk today SMG computer


I thought that's strange that only happens if there's a power interruption

Well, maybe there's something with the salmon relay. Maybe I need to change the salmon relay as well.

It's really confusing and frustrating

Like if there was a problem with the clutch itself or the install it wouldn't drive as well as it does.

[SUPREM3///]

This is almost identical to the issues I had. Like I mentioned, I'd check voltage and then go ahead and swap the slave cylinder.

Way too easy to waste money diagnosing SMG problems, so you should be able to grab a used one cheap to test the outcome maybe, pretty easy job. Or even start with just swapping the PLCD

[sapote]

Well, maybe there's something with the salmon relay. Maybe I need to change the salmon relay as well..

Bad relay will prevent starter to crank as no pressure in the smg.

[nextelbuddy]

Placed an order with MLR engineering a few days ago. Bought a rebuilt slave with sensor, relay and fuse. Replaced all 3 and performed all 3 adaptation tests in INPA again.

In the past it has always passed everything except the final clutch slipping point test when they press the brake and start the engine. Big red screen

This time it passed with a nice green screen.
.
I don't know why the original slave passed all the tests when it was in the actual m3 vert and started failing when I. Did the swap...

I can only consider that maybe when I removed the slave from the transmission, it disturbs the internal seals/magnets on the pushrod of the slave causing an internal error that wasn't there before.


I'll try driving the car and see if it drives fine or still kicks me out of gear.

But this is a win and I'll take it

[nextelbuddy]

SMG issue still present and worse now.


Passed all adaptation tests in INPA last night but today went to move the car and wouldn't start...same error clutch control. I tried like 4-5 times of clearing codes and turning ignition on off .. finally it started and I went to move car to other side of garage and smg was having hard time feathering clutch up the hill of my driveway... I gave it more throttle and it got in and as soon and as I left off, SMG cog light again clutch control 59


So I think there's might be a mechanical issue going on. Transmission probably going to have to come back out to inspect clutch, PP, flywheel, throw out bearing, fork, pivot pin, guide tube.. something isn't right.


Just doesn't make sense how it's worse now with brand new slave cylinder and adaptations that actually passed.

- it's obviously not clutch disc backwards, no noises and transmission wouldn't bolt on if it was backwards.

- Maybe the steel pivot pin I installed?

- maybe there's still air in the lines somewhere

- if the clutch disc wasn't 100% aligned and the transmission had a little tension bolting on but eventually did.. Doesn't a clutch disc become loose when the throw out bearing presses in on the pressure plate fingers thus self align every time?

Can't think of anything else right now

[oceansize]

What was the condition of the clutch fork? Going steel on the pivot maybe broke it? I’ve seen a few other error 59s come down to a broken fork. Anyways thanks for keeping us posted as I know this is frustrating.

[sapote]

It would be easy to probe the problem if we install a manual slave and connect it to the real pedal, then push it down with leg to feel the motion.

[George Hill]

So I think there's might be a mechanical issue going on. Transmission probably going to have to come back out to inspect clutch, PP, flywheel, throw out bearing, fork, pivot pin, guide tube.. something isn't right.
I think I would reinstall your original slave/plcd or swap in another one. After that I would consider taking the trans out as the issue has been present for the entire duration. Start over at square one and baseline everything as you don't have a 100% known good starting point.


Just doesn't make sense how it's worse now with brand new slave cylinder and adaptations that actually passed.

- it's obviously not clutch disc backwards, no noises and transmission wouldn't bolt on if it was backwards. You can still bolt on the transmission in many cases, the clutch just doesn't work right. Likely not your problem though.

- Maybe the steel pivot pin I installed? I've put SS pivot pins in SMG cars with no issues.

- maybe there's still air in the lines somewhere? Can you bleed the system with ISTA? I've never used INPA to run the procedures so I don't know if it is exactly the same result or?

- if the clutch disc wasn't 100% aligned and the transmission had a little tension bolting on but eventually did.. Doesn't a clutch disc become loose when the throw out bearing presses in on the pressure plate fingers thus self align every time? If the clutch was slightly off center as soon as you depressed the pressure plate the disc would center itself, but you probably wouldn't have gotten the transmission installed if it was off center.

I have seen a tuliped clutch disc cause weird drivability issues. I think it wasn't center and the transmission was drawn in with the bolts which "bent" the disc and then it never really fully disengaged.

*Edit, also do you have a stock type clutch kit in it? I did have a car with SMG clutch issues that had an aftermarket clutch and the SMG did not like it.

[nextelbuddy]

So I think there's might be a mechanical issue going on. Transmission probably going to have to come back out to inspect clutch, PP, flywheel, throw out bearing, fork, pivot pin, guide tube.. something isn't right.
I think I would reinstall your original slave/plcd or swap in another one. After that I would consider taking the trans out as the issue has been present for the entire duration. Start over at square one and baseline everything as you don't have a 100% known good starting point.


Just doesn't make sense how it's worse now with brand new slave cylinder and adaptations that actually passed.

- it's obviously not clutch disc backwards, no noises and transmission wouldn't bolt on if it was backwards. You can still bolt on the transmission in many cases, the clutch just doesn't work right. Likely not your problem though.

- Maybe the steel pivot pin I installed? I've put SS pivot pins in SMG cars with no issues.

- maybe there's still air in the lines somewhere? Can you bleed the system with ISTA? I've never used INPA to run the procedures so I don't know if it is exactly the same result or?

- if the clutch disc wasn't 100% aligned and the transmission had a little tension bolting on but eventually did.. Doesn't a clutch disc become loose when the throw out bearing presses in on the pressure plate fingers thus self align every time? If the clutch was slightly off center as soon as you depressed the pressure plate the disc would center itself, but you probably wouldn't have gotten the transmission installed if it was off center.

I have seen a tuliped clutch disc cause weird drivability issues. I think it wasn't center and the transmission was drawn in with the bolts which "bent" the disc and then it never really fully disengaged.

*Edit, also do you have a stock type clutch kit in it? I did have a car with SMG clutch issues that had an aftermarket clutch and the SMG did not like it.

Thanks for all the detailed replies for each possibility symptom. I appreciate it

I am running a LUK stock clutch (OEM number from rock Auto site 21212229163, 2229163) that I got from RockAuto but I'm using the Sachs BMW throwout bearing not the luk supplied throwout bearing

I guess I'll try bleeding the entire thing a few more times, the possibility of getting air out of the system and then if that doesn't help, I'll pull the transmission off. Probably order a genuine BMW or sachs clutch kit Just to be on the safe side, maybe there's something weird with the LUK kit. Maybe it's tuliped like you said....I don't know

[nextelbuddy]

So a quick update.

Cars driving with no errors now it passes the test and it passes the drivability.

What I did before was after changing the slave cylinder to the mlr rebuilt one. It would pass the test whereas previously the other slip slowners did not pass The inpa test put the mlr slave would not pass starting the car or driving most of the time

So I used in PA and ran the bleed procedure for just the slave cylinder and I ran it back to back several times. Probably at least five or six times.

Each time I ran it, I listened under the car and I could hear the sleigh cylinder pushing the clutch fork pushing the throwout bearing against the fingers of the pressure plate making a creaking noise and it was not there before on either of the slave cylinders or the replacement on the first time I did the bleed.

This creaking noise got a little bit more audible progressively each time I bled the system

Can only surmise that there was air in the system despite passing the test only bleeding. The first time in this situation, air was causing issues.

Seems now That most of the air or all of the air is out because I've been driving the car for 2 days now. Shifting starting driving with no issues

I still carry my laptop just in case until I get rid of my anxiety and I think for now I might be okay.

So basically TL Dr.... Even if adaptations passes all the tests when replacing components then involve opening up the hydraulic system... Choose to bleed The actuator and slave cylinder repeatedly even if it says it, pass the test after the first time.

[sapote]

I’m thinking if there’s a better way to bleed it.