BMW E60 M5 SMG Common Issues

Let’s take a look at what common problems the SMG III gearbox in the E60 M5 & M6 can present, and what to look out for if you are experiencing issues with your SMG gearbox.
If you found the video interesting don’t forget to give it a like, and make sure to subscribe for more M5 content.
Thanks for watching!

[@PLZodiac]

Thanks for posting. Your short movies are the best knowledge base for those cars. I just bought M5 E60 from Japan, 35k miles on in, great state and I am watching everything you post to be up to speed with possible issues and failures, as I plan not to sell the car at all in the future (using another BMW as a daily driver).

[@MTechGuy]

Thanks man, that’s great to hear. My M5 is from Japan too, had a few BMW’s from there and they certainly know how to look after their cars well. Good plan having another BMW as a daily

[@topofthepodium187]

Damn M Tech! You know your sh*t! Great vid!!

[@interestedparty7428]

Very informative, thank you, some BMW dealers could benefit from watching this.

[@MTechGuy]

Haha, thanks man

[@DogNamedNicolas]

Another great video!!!

[@MTechGuy]

Cheers C S, thanks for stopping by!

[@mrpaulieb2740]

Fantastic video, do you work on other peoples cars as I am looking for someone with your knowledge to work on my M5?

[@fwsimo2718]

Amazing video I’ve been looking for something like this for a while! I just started having an issue with mine I’ve got no error codes but when the vehicle gets warm enough my smg won’t let me go into reverse and if I put it in 1st it goes from 1st to 2nd back and forth. Any ideas?

[@450.mikey.2]

Me to did u get this fix??

[@obg6446]

Had my m5 for 8 years and never had any issues with clutch or gearbox, one thing I always do is when I'm stopped I put the car in neutral

[@MTechGuy]

Nice, the SMG isn’t as unreliable as many think it is

[@philippk1125]

Nice, yes most of the owners don't know what to do and it's extremely hard to find an M5 from the right owner.

[@DogNamedNicolas]

Is putting the SMG in neutral anytime you stop necessary? Doesn’t the clutch get disengaged when the brake is held for more than 2 seconds at a stop?

[@MTechGuy]

@@DogNamedNicolas Yes the computer will look after it at a complete stop 👍

[@jimmynickelz]

How many miles/km's?

[@JunYamog]

Our clutch which is likely from factory started have signs of wear about 60k kms. We replaced it at 61k kms along with all other bits, RMS, springs, bolts, flex joint, mounts, flywheel, etc... but not the slave cylinder. Oh well maybe on the next clutch. We also put liquid electrical tape on the solenoid harness, it looks very fragile. Btw I still have the clutch alignment tool, I need to sell that on trade me 🤣

[@MTechGuy]

Sounds like you got a few items sorted while you had the opportunity! Good idea with the liquid electrical tape. I’m not sure what stage in its life my clutch is at the mo

[@gumballer133]

When I first bought my 08 Model 6 years ago, I went in and set it up for the 6th shift setting where the traction control was off. The car shifted entirely too aggressive. Was it fun ? Yes, but I felt like something was going to break just to pick up a little performance.

[@MTechGuy]

Feels like the whole gearbox is gonna jump through the transmission tunnel!!

[@gumballer133]

@@MTechGuy Yes! I can't drive all my cars aggressive like that. I only hammer on my Corvette like that. Haha

[@MTechGuy]

I’ve owned a number of C3’s in the past, they can take a good hammering for sure!

[@gumballer133]

@@MTechGuy Haha. The 516 Big Block I have in there now has a good appetite for Transmissions until I put a T56 Magnum in it.

[@dnbuzumaki79]

I get dsc malfunction and transmission malfunction at same time what you think it could be

[@preslavlilov7637]

Hello i have an issue with my e60 M5 SMG 2007. Car star but won’t move. I can select gears, i can see the gears on the dashboard for a few seconds then automatically select N. Hidraulyc pump is working, the pressure is fine. I install brand new clutch and flywheel and still won’t move..the shaft is okay, when I rotate it from the back of the gearbox, the shaft infront working. Thanks!

[@JohnnyPottsIII]

you ever see 00501B fault code? Started giving me this about a week ago. comes on when I start moving forward in first gear.

[@Drillito]

Hi one question. My 645CI SMG E63 after it gets warm, at a stop gets confused and falls out of gear and won't go back in 1st but only switches between 1st and 2nd gear and it also won't go in the R. After 20 min or so it's all back to normal. I've changed shift sensor and selection sensor because my car would't go in 2nd, 4th and 6th gear. That's when I started having problems with my smg, but after that this temperature problem occurred. Is it because the hydraulic unit can't hold pressure? The Clutch position sensor or actuator slave cylinder? Leak somewhere? Adaptation on a cold trans? Help please.

[@MTechGuy]

It could be any number of contributing issues. I would start with the simple stuff first- make sure the battery is healthy, check SMG relays & hydraulic fluid level. Read the fault codes, check the pressures and carry out some fault tracing from there

[@Drillito]

@@MTechGuy I know, but so many people have the same symptoms, so I hoped it's the same solution for all of us somewhere :D

[@mista5796]

Hi M-tech guy. Ive had a gearbox warning come up (twice) in recent weeks as soon as the car starts up. The warning clears immediately though and the car drives fine. I did a code scan and it came up with 005201, 005202, 005203 and 005204. These are to do with wheel speed sensors in each corner of the car. I’ve changed one recently but can’t believe that all 4 are faulty. Wondering if you had any advice? Should I get it seen to by a specialist? -- Edit; it did end up being a faulty front right wheel speed sensor. It gave dsc / abs fault as well

[@MTechGuy]

Firstly check your battery is healthy, voltage issues can cause strange faults with these cars. Secondly, they are not specific BMW codes. Get the car scanned with a dedicated BMW scan tool, it’s more likely to identify codes that will point you in the right direction

[@mobileecutuningscotland3064]

I just had a new steering rack fitted by the dealer and after collecting it and heading home (3miles) i hear a whininng noise from engine bay area which wasnt there before new rack. I phoned them and was told it sounds like gearbox🤔 i know they ran the car before puting any fluid in ( dashcam video) could it be the steering pump whining as it was running dry and nothing to do with gearbox? Just your opinion would be good mate

[@MTechGuy]

Running the pump dry is not good but depends on how long. If it makes a whine while the gearbox is in neutral (clutch disengaged) it’s not the gearbox.

[@philippk1125]

5:53 what do you exactly mean with the failing accumulator? Can you link me the part please? I think mine has to pump sometimes in neutral

[@MTechGuy]

The accumulator stores hydraulic pressure for the SMG to use, it has two chambers- one for the hydraulic fluid & the other filled with nitrogen. Over time the nitrogen pressure can deplete or leak out. The seals can fail over time too. When it fails you will hear your pump priming continuously or cycle often, especially in neutral. Part # 23017838933

[@philippk1125]

@@MTechGuy Thank you for the answer, yes I think that is what's happening but it's really not bad and has been like that for 3 years I think. This is also the reason when in S6 mode that only the first shift is really hard and then it softens because the pressure for the next hard shifts isn't there right? So I don't need to replace the pump cuase it always shifts, but just the accumulator?

[@MTechGuy]

If you have access to INPA/ISTA you can carry out an accumulator pre-pressure test which should give you a good idea, before replacing anything

[@FernandoSantos-kv1cc]

Hello. Fernando from Portugal. Last Sunday I have a warning light in front of the steering wheel that appeared from one second. I made a third gear pull then fourth and then light appears from one second. The shifts were well and I did not felt anything wrong. Today I went to the office and the reading was low pressure in the gear box. They made a reading with the car in neutral an the gear box pump was on and off almost constantly; when the pressure reaches about 58 the pump switched on and then when it reaches about 80 it switched off and so on... is this normal or does this means an issue on the system? The gear box function correctly and and did not notice anything different, but could this be an warning for something... is it the pump ?... you said something in the video about this. Could you give me your opinion? Thank you. My car has about 141000kms. Thank you for your attention.

[@MTechGuy]

Read the fault codes and go from there

[@haoyii5269]

Hi there! Whenever my m5 is going downshift, there's a strong knocking sound coming from the rear of the car. Do you know what's the problem? Please help :(

[@zoneonthetrack4499]

I’m looking at the 2006 m5 v10 for $14,000 with 156k with service record with rod bearing and vanos lines done . Should I buy?

[@MTechGuy]

Sounds like it’s had a couple of big jobs done, can’t comment on the price or distance travelled as I don’t know what currency you’re talking, or km’s vs miles. Regardless of age or distance travelled it all comes down to if it’s been well looked after and the overall condition checks out

[@zoneonthetrack4499]

@@MTechGuy us currency

[@philippk1125]

Only buy an E60 M5 if the owners or last owner reeally knew what he was doing. And preferrably go for a facelift

[@Abe.dobashi]

Hey wanted to update you, you seem extremely knowledgeable with SMG. So I took the M5 to bmw to get it diagnosed, and they were telling me that they can’t figure out why the SMG won’t build pressure, again I had the Pump motor, Relays, TCM, Slave cylinder, Clutch, flywheel, pivot pin, clutch release bearing, PLCD, Clutch fork, Accumulator, Valve block so new (pressure sensor, directional control valve as well). New pump inside the valve block, new starter, battery. BMW and all the techs I took it to cannot figure out why the car won’t build pressure, I already spent over 10,000$ in parts alone, and bmw recommends me to buy the whole hydraulic unit for an additional 10,000$ I’m stuck. The car has been sitting for 6 months and no one can figure out why this car will not start. Any help will be appreciated. Also had the car run through ISTA to try to do the bleeding procedure, but the car won’t build any pressure. Thank you

[@MTechGuy]

Sounds like you’ve been on quite the journey! It’s difficult to diagnose an issue like this remotely without standing in front of the car. Check the wiring to the pressure sensor. Was the SMG pump brand new? If not pull the existing pump apart for inspection & change the seals. If the pump has been out, check the pump/motor is aligned and seated correctly to the gearbox and the drive hasn’t been compromised by alignment issue. Is the system bleeding OK? Their may be an airlock in the hydraulics from everything being apart so much, might be worth “burping”-there’s an Allen “drain” plug at the bottom of the pump block, back it out but don’t remove it, run the pump using INPA/ISTA, tighten the Allen bolt, top off the reservoir then repeat the process a 2nd time, then run the normal bleed procedure for the block and actuating valves to rid all the air. Good luck!

[@sandfordandrews6857]

I fitted a new electric motor to my SMG pump and could not get it to bleed using the loosening of the check valve plug method described above. I eventually worked out that motor I had bought (brand new) had had its plug wired backwards, so the pump was being run backwards - hence it wouldn't bleed. Definitely worth checking! Good luck! 👍

[@MTechGuy]

@@sandfordandrews6857 Thanks for sharing, good catch!

[@dootieflack]

How far are you from Detroit? I know a mechanic that can definitely fix it

[@micopico8786]

After how many Miles is it recommended to change the SMG transmission oil?

[@MTechGuy]

30,000 miles

[@micopico8786]

@@MTechGuy ok thx. I have get a burning smell after going high rpm. Its probably the clutch , isnt it?

[@Abe.dobashi]

I’m actually having a major issue with my E60 M5, it all started with a red cog. We replaced the SMG pump and tried to bleed the system. No luck, so the next step was the clutch, we replaced the clutch with the clutch kit. We also did the flywheel, slave cylinder and SMG relays. We tried to do adaptation to the clutch. We would always get an error that the position was outside the tolerance. We brought down the transmission, inspected everything again and it looked good. We put everything back together and called a bmw tech specialist. He updated all the softwares. The car will not start at all nor does it want to go through the adaptation procedure, and yes we’ve replaced the battery, alternator, starter, throttle actuators, and tested the TCM.We made sure the hydraulic fluid was good. We just cannot seem to figure out why we have a position tolerance issue. Any help would be appreciated.

[@MTechGuy]

Sounds frustrating! It’s difficult to diagnose without standing in front of the car and also reading the codes etc. Some items that can cause position tolerance issues/adaption issues- Bent clutch fork Super worn out plastic clutch arm pivot Flywheel & clutch mark alignment not 180 deg apart Failing clutch position sensor Faulty slave cylinder (sounds like you’ve replaced this) Failing SMG directional control valve Make sure the battery has a charger hooked up when running the clutch adaptions.

[@Abe.dobashi]

I just ordered a new clutch fork, pivot pin, and PLCD Clutch sensor. Will update.

[@Abe.dobashi]

So update, we inspected the clutch and flywheel to make sure everything is aligned properly, and that the torque specs were on point. I replaced the clutch fork, pivot pin, and PLCD sensor. No luck, keep getting clutch position deviation

[@MTechGuy]

Code 4FA0? At this stage with everything else done, possibly the directional control valve for the clutch could be faulty, or it’s O-rings could be passing causing it not to operate properly (cheap fix O-ring replacement) It’s rare for the valve itself to fail, normally O-rings or the wiring

[@Abe.dobashi]

@@MTechGuy for some reason, when I used the scan tool the Hydrualic pressure stays at 2 bar which I know is extremely low, I don’t know why it doesn’t want to build pressure. Any adaptation I do the car won’t pass.

[@nickloboda2874]

I have a 2006 M5 with the smg and it sometimes kicks it out of gear and says transmission malfunction, when I turn the car off sometimes it won’t even start do you know what the issue could be, thanks

[@MTechGuy]

Get the codes read and go from there

[@abdullahalhamoud4345]

Hello Please i need your advice. my M6 e63 v10 SMG gearbox went neutral while driving. I rest it and drove it and did it again. Should I change the Relay for the hydraulic pump or temp sensor or there is another issue. Thank you 🙏🏼

[@MTechGuy]

Read the fault codes and go from there

[@herc1319]

I found a M6 for 4k with a bad smg transmission. Is it worth buying it and getting a new trans in or don't bother?

[@MTechGuy]

Worth a shot for that price if you can also find a good SMG gearbox at the right price too. Allow for other issues to be resolved too & preventative maintenance

[@m6roddbankkingfishing136]

Yes, if you don't won't it, I'll buy it, just let me know ok thanks

[@mrdobalina8006]

Mine hangs abit when it changes gear sometimes or jerks, do you think its the clutch?

[@MTechGuy]

Could be any number of contributing factors, scan the vehicle for fault codes and go from there

[@leitopotatogames7744]

I’m getting a 5506 code “clutch valve” When the error comes up the car won’t shift And not the codes keep appearing on the monitor of my car and it won’t go into gears at all What could this be Thank you!

[@MTechGuy]

It could be any number of issues contributing to it. I would start by checking the hydraulic fluid level, followed by the wiring. It’s not common for the valve to fail, but the o rings sometimes fail and cause pressure bleed off

[@leitopotatogames7744]

Thank you for replying I’ll do that Thank you!

[@ericlison4699]

In beginning what is this sound, i have same sound and i have no clue what it cloud be please help.

[@MTechGuy]

VANOS gears, early ones get noisy over time- it’s normal

[@quarterblacktravis]

What about shifting really hard

[@MTechGuy]

These gearboxes shift hard anyways, it can take it but in S5/S6 setting it will wear your clutch faster

[@quarterblacktravis]

@@MTechGuy I mean my M5 shifts to hard slams into gear. The button to adjust doesn't do anything and it started out of nowhere

[@MTechGuy]

Start by scanning the car for SMG fault codes, and go from there

[@jakemarshall5457]

*Laughs in manual M5* I'm sorry

[@MTechGuy]

Different strokes, whatever spins your wheels Jake, it’s all good 👍

[@Bpt_chino203]

Gotta 545i smg 2004 worst thing ever

[@MTechGuy]

I love the SMG III !

[@Bpt_chino203]

As soon as I brought it the smg pump went bad haven’t had time to enjoy it😢 she takes all my money

[@fwsimo2718]

Amazing video I’ve been looking for something like this for a while! I just started having an issue with mine I’ve got no error codes but when the vehicle gets warm enough my smg won’t let me go into reverse and if I put it in 1st it goes from 1st to 2nd back and forth. Any ideas?

[@MTechGuy]

Sounds like possibly shift position sensor harness failing, the wire insulation deteriorates over time

[@fwsimo2718]

@@MTechGuy sounds good I’ll check it out, thanks again for the advice and the great video!