SMG: I've given up...

[Distinct]

I've done pretty much everything I can with this (Burkhart, relocation, new clutch, etc.) and I surrender in defeat. It runs perfectly sometimes but has intermittent issues still. Yesterday it dropped out of gear a couple times and I had to keep restarting the car. Not heat related as it wasn't hot out and the car hadn't been driven hard or for a long duration, so the relocation seems to be doing great. Scanned the car this morning and it's giving me error 59 SMG clutch control. The cog light comes and goes. mostly when I just start up the car from cold. This isn't my daily driver so it looks like I will either manual transmission swap or just sell it. I've got enough problems in my life with other things breaking around the house, this SMG is just so frustrating. I wish that I had more local options for shops to do the swap. I've seen so many people doing them DIY on youtube and I'm so jealous, respectful and impressed.

Rant over. Sitting at home during COVID and just wanted to share.

[HDdave]

I've done pretty much everything I can with this (Burkhart, relocation, new clutch, etc.) and I surrender in defeat. It runs perfectly sometimes but has intermittent issues still. Yesterday it dropped out of gear a couple times and I had to keep restarting the car. Not heat related as it wasn't hot out and the car hadn't been driven hard or for a long duration, so the relocation seems to be doing great. Scanned the car this morning and it's giving me error 59 SMG clutch control. The cog light comes and goes. mostly when I just start up the car from cold. This isn't my daily driver so it looks like I will either manual transmission swap or just sell it. I've got enough problems in my life with other things breaking around the house, this SMG is just so frustrating. I wish that I had more local options for shops to do the swap. I've seen so many people doing them DIY on youtube and I'm so jealous, respectful and impressed.

Rant over. Sitting at home during COVID and just wanted to share.

Man I was nervous about the swap but I highly suggest doing it! Its not that hard its just all in your head. The car is 50000000x better with a 6 speed anyways.

[r4dr]

Man I was nervous about the swap but I highly suggest doing it! Its not that hard its just all in your head. The car is 50000000x better with a 6 speed anyways.

Do you have a specific guide you recommend?

[eacmen]

Which relocation kit did you use?

[HDdave]

Do you have a specific guide you recommend?

I used the old DIY off of m3F which I believe is copied on to here... Then some random youtube videos. Shoplifetv is decent

[Egone]

slave cylinder sensor had the same issue intermittent code 59 from cold start. One day it completely failed and i couldn't shift gears anymore swapped sensors and its been great since

[oceansize]

Clutch slave cylinder was the cause of my code 59.

[Distinct]

Thanks for helping. I'm going to try the clutch slave cylinder and that's going to be my last attempt at this. Sometimes I want to drive this car into heaven and other times off a cliff.

[Distinct]

Which relocation kit did you use?

From M3Forum Group Buy. Has worked wonders, this current problem is definitely not heat related.

[r4dr]

From M3Forum Group Buy. Has worked wonders, this current problem is definitely not heat related.

Ya know... if you just end up swapping and my SMG isn't dead yet (meaning I'm swapping too) let me know and I'd totally buy that relocation kit off you. /shameless

[eacmen]

Ya know... if you just end up swapping and my SMG isn't dead yet (meaning I'm swapping too) let me know and I'd totally buy that relocation kit off you. /shameless

Damn you beat me to it. Also interested. Also have no shame.

[hemi6]

My first pump went @ 195k, bought a used one for 700.00 and it works like new. Relocated mine with my own design, when getting on it no 6spd can shift this fast, its shifts so GD hard its like side-stepping the clutch on every shift. In heavy traffic areas stick shift cars bite. Relax, let it sit for awhile, you will figure it out, try another pump. I can tell you this, those slave cylinders wear out and when you throw a new clutch in it you really should install a new slave cylinder or that fluid will push past the cylinder (new clutch is too strong for a worn out slave cylinder). Just my experience, love my SMG.
Mike

[Distinct]

UPDATE: I have an opportunity to buy a complete used manual transmission for $1500. Would it be easier to swap this to my car compared to doing the conversion, ordering the parts and machining the bell housing? I'm about to buy the complete transmission and get my local performance shop to do the installation. Any thoughts on how many hours or cost it would be? I'm waiting to hear back from them before I pull the trigger on buying the parts.

[ATB88]

It saves you from having to have any downtime in waiting for your bellhousing to be machined after removing it from your transmission. Also the work of swapping the machined bellhousing onto your transmission -- it's not hard, but as with anything, it takes time and there's room for error. Also allows you to run the GPS without having to tap threads into your SMG transmission (this isn't important since the GPS isn't at all necessary). If you're going the route of getting a pre-machined bellhousing that you core-exchange your bellhousing for, there may be a slight possibility that you end up in a situation where there's a serious mismatch between the bearing on your bellhousing and the thing it matches up with on your trans (this is something sapote evangelized on the old forum -- I can't remember the details of this and whether or not, in the end, anyone agreed that this is even a real issue. I don't know of anyone who has had a problem with this).

The only downside to using the 6MT that I see is that SMG transmissions, you would think, have far less internal wear than 6MTs because the SMG never hurts the syncros or grinds the gears the way someone making the occasional mistake driving a 6MT might. So by converting your SMG trans you're basically getting a very nice and fresh transmission. The 6MT you'd be installing probably has an unknown history, so there's risk there, but probably not a big one.

Not sure which I would go for, tbh.

[oceansize]

I’m not touching a used transmission unless, and perhaps you do, i know 100% it is rock solid and lower mileage. Why? Since your paying someone to do the work, and I’m assuming you aren’t buying from shop doing the work, if the transmission has any defects you will pay them again to swap in another one or fix whatever the problem is.

You are stepping into a situation where you can spend a bunch of
money in a hurry. I would think hard about this. If you already have ignore me.