7 year review of my SMG (from clunk to no clunk)

[humarahumara]

Thank you so much Oceansize and Irhase46m3 for your responses. I'm almost slightly relieved that I'm not the only one to experience this. Indeed a part of me thinks that there is just more noise now b/c of how close the pump is to the firewall. The buzz though is really distracting for both myself and passengers. I hate having a car that sound "broke" ...even though i'm not experiencing any driving or shifting issues. I'm going to bleed and bleed again and see if it makes a difference. Will report back if it gets better or not.

[Irhase46m3]

Thank you so much Oceansize and Irhase46m3 for your responses. I'm almost slightly relieved that I'm not the only one to experience this. Indeed a part of me thinks that there is just more noise now b/c of how close the pump is to the firewall. The buzz though is really distracting for both myself and passengers. I hate having a car that sound "broke" ...even though i'm not experiencing any driving or shifting issues. I'm going to bleed and bleed again and see if it makes a difference. Will report back if it gets better or not.

Not a problem, please follow up as it helps others in need. Also, check the lines not touching plastic firewall and tryin to position them so that they are not too stressed. Good Luck!

[Sid_E46]

I recently used a LAUNCH X431 tablet to bleed my SMG system after doing a clutch job. The first time around it kept on failing the accumulator pressure test even though the pump was originally working. I replaced it with a slightly newer pump and it passed the tests and bled properly. I only did it once and it seems to have worked well, is it still recommended to run it more than once.

[Irhase46m3]

I recently used a LAUNCH X431 tablet to bleed my SMG system after doing a clutch job. The first time around it kept on failing the accumulator pressure test even though the pump was originally working. I replaced it with a slightly newer pump and it passed ass the tests and bled properly. I only did it once and it seems to have worked well, is it still recommended to run it more than once.

Hi There - From my experience you need to run it a few times (assuming you dont have the relocation kit and its in its stock location) to take out all the air, one time will not fully bleed the system. The system (if operating normally) is designed to bleed multiple times without issues. If you have a weak pump it will fail to bleed.

[Sid_E46]

Hi There - From my experience you need to run it a few times (assuming you dont have the relocation kit and its in its stock location) to take out all the air, one time will not fully bleed the system. The system (if operating normally) is designed to bleed multiple times without issues. If you have a weak pump it will fail to bleed.

Guess I'll try the procedure a few more times. It definitely looks like my old pump was pretty weak. And my pump is still in the stock location.

[coolchill]

really great thread here, I will be following the procedure and steps here, thanks!

[maw1124]

Great writeup. Thanks. My takeaways are (1) bleeding these systems is difficult and time consuming (check)... I have to think that works better with fresh fluid than sludge (check); (2) chassis rubber needs to be taken care of (check)... sure it’s expensive but no free lunches (or course); and (3) a proper functioning engine and sensors helps (check). The first 2 I’ve taken care of... the 3rd makes too much sense and will have my attention going forward. I’m also paying increased attention to sensors on other cars of this era, so I appreciate its application here.

Cheers,

maw

I just realized I forgot to update this thread with my experience... car has approximately 90k on it ('05) and the salmon relay, trans fluid and SMG fluid were done twice by 90k as preventative maintenance... also running a OETuning engine tune for the midrange torque boost... over Covid I did TTFS SMG tune and diff bushings... I'm sure the guys ran adaptations as part of the procedure... completely clunk free... had I known that I would have done the diff bushings long ago... I'm convinced they were the culprits, along with adaptations, fluid and tune.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

maw

[karter16]

I realise I'm reviving this thread from the archives but wanted to say thanks for this thread and the great info contained in it. I was coming from the opposite direction to OP - drivetrain had been rebuilt, but was still experiencing clunk. I had done the soft reset of SMG but wasn't aware the full reset in INPA was different. Ran that today and oh boy what a difference. Clunk gone!

Thanks!


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[MacCube]

I also want to thank everyone for this thread and all of the valuable information here. I’ve also gone through my nightmare of problems with a 2004 M3 about three years ago with my attempt at relocating the pump with the Burkhart Engineering kit, but hit a wall during bleeding and adaptation and ended up having the conversion to manual done. Not one to completely give up, I just traded that car for a 2006 M3 SMG with the intention to eventually try it again. So you will most likely hear from me again with a call for help sometime in the future.
I haven’t seen anyone mention another company that can provide replacement parts for the SMG which is MLR Engineering in Toronto. I’ve bought parts from him before and was very satisfied. I’ve noticed that the parts suppliers such as MLR and Burkhart seem to be moving away from the SMG 2 support as their websites seem to be hiding some of their listings requiring you to do a search to find a specific part. I may be wrong about this, as it’s just my observation. Thanks again.

[0-60motorsports]

I also want to thank everyone for this thread and all of the valuable information here. I've also gone through my nightmare of problems with a 2004 M3 about three years ago with my attempt at relocating the pump with the Burkhart Engineering kit, but hit a wall during bleeding and adaptation and ended up having the conversion to manual done. Not one to completely give up, I just traded that car for a 2006 M3 SMG with the intention to eventually try it again. So you will most likely hear from me again with a call for help sometime in the future.
I haven't seen anyone mention another company that can provide replacement parts for the SMG which is MLR Engineering in Toronto. I've bought parts from him before and was very satisfied. I've noticed that the parts suppliers such as MLR and Burkhart seem to be moving away from the SMG 2 support as their websites seem to be hiding some of their listings requiring you to do a search to find a specific part. I may be wrong about this, as it's just my observation. Thanks again.

The best thing you can do is relocation.

[jet_dogg]

The best thing you can do is relocation.

Actually the best is deletion.

[0-60motorsports]

Actually the best is deletion.

Hahaha Yes I agree and 99% of my customers prefer the conversion But as an SMG guy relocation is best, the earlier the better.

[MacCube]

I agree that relocating the pump makes total sense. Anything to protect it from the high heat generated by the engine. On the MLR Engineering site mention is made of relocating the pump to the trunk even, which could make sense if it were a track car. They once offered their own relocation bracket but discontinued it because few were buying it. They also offer hydraulic lines made to any length needed. MLR also has a custom aluminum enlarged oil pan for the smg pump designed to help with cooling, which I have ordered.
As more and more people do the conversation to manual it will become harder to find replacement parts or upgrades for this system. Just not enough incentive to make the investment with a declining customer base. And the same is likely true on the knowledge side as fewer and fewer repair shops know anything about troubleshooting or repairing the smg system. There’s just too much money to be made with the conversion to manual. Having said all that, this is why this forum and these threads on the troubleshooting and repairing this dinosaur of a system are so critical. Just sayin’.

[0-60motorsports]

I agree that relocating the pump makes total sense. Anything to protect it from the high heat generated by the engine. On the MLR Engineering site mention is made of relocating the pump to the trunk even, which could make sense if it were a track car. They once offered their own relocation bracket but discontinued it because few were buying it. They also offer hydraulic lines made to any length needed. MLR also has a custom aluminum enlarged oil pan for the smg pump designed to help with cooling, which I have ordered.
As more and more people do the conversation to manual it will become harder to find replacement parts or upgrades for this system. Just not enough incentive to make the investment with a declining customer base. And the same is likely true on the knowledge side as fewer and fewer repair shops know anything about troubleshooting or repairing the smg system. There’s just too much money to be made with the conversion to manual. Having said all that, this is why this forum and these threads on the troubleshooting and repairing this dinosaur of a system are so critical. Just sayin’.

https://mlreng.com/products/e46-m3-smg-upgraded-aluminum-reservoir-tank-21532229715?variant=39549850157143

It'll be interesting to see this installed. They seem to have a lot of good parts for the SMG pump/System. The thing is the cost of some of the parts is absurd, I can see why people would do the 6M conversion and be done with it.

[MacCube]

MLR also offers an aluminum expansion tank for a CSL type mounting that is less expensive than the plastic version that they also offer. Go figure. Burkhart has the best relocation bracket that I have seen. They may be the only one that still offers one. The fewer suppliers there are, the more expensive the parts will become.