e36 smg-manual conversion
Discussion
ked up - again! and im either going to do this or scrap the I think these guys do it:
http://www.shropshirebmwparts.co.uk/
Failing that, perhaps try asking the question over here:
http://www.bmwowner.com/forum/
Personally I would thought it would be cheaper and less hassle to sell your car and purchase a car with manual but I don't know a great deal about this conversion.
HTH
shamrock said:
I think these guys do it:
http://www.shropshirebmwparts.co.uk/
Failing that, perhaps try asking the question over here:
http://www.bmwowner.com/forum/
Personally I would thought it would be cheaper and less hassle to sell your car and purchase a car with manual but I don't know a great deal about this conversion.
HTH
I ve put up a post on bmw owner to try and get a few more ideas about it before i start,http://www.shropshirebmwparts.co.uk/
Failing that, perhaps try asking the question over here:
http://www.bmwowner.com/forum/
Personally I would thought it would be cheaper and less hassle to sell your car and purchase a car with manual but I don't know a great deal about this conversion.
HTH
Already thought about either selling or scrapping it but ive had it a long time and better devil you know.
My genral idea is to get the parts and do most of the spanner work myself and then get a good auto trician to do the tricky bits, so as soon as i find out what i need i can see if its worth doing.
M
I'd be really interested to hear about this once you've got the info.
I've got an SMG E36 and when it needed a pump I looked into getting shropshire bmw parts to help convert it to a manual.
They do it using the M3 5 speed non evo g/box, and supply all the bits from 2nd hand spares (you need clutch pedal, prop, box, interior trim, think maybe also a slave cyclinder for the clutch). They can supply all the bits and its about £1000 + then there is fitting it....
I was very temtped to do it but couldnt find anyone who'd had it done previously, so will be interested to know how it went for m3john.
cheers
I've got an SMG E36 and when it needed a pump I looked into getting shropshire bmw parts to help convert it to a manual.
They do it using the M3 5 speed non evo g/box, and supply all the bits from 2nd hand spares (you need clutch pedal, prop, box, interior trim, think maybe also a slave cyclinder for the clutch). They can supply all the bits and its about £1000 + then there is fitting it....
I was very temtped to do it but couldnt find anyone who'd had it done previously, so will be interested to know how it went for m3john.
cheers
rallycross said:
I was very temtped to do it but couldnt find anyone who'd had it done previously, so will be interested to know how it went for m3john.
cheers
gerradiuk said:
Look this is NOT a hard job at all.
What he said really ^^When mine went wonkey the last time it was the final straw for me. I had been, for years, litrally throwing tens of thousands at it trying to perfect it but alas it was never going to be. So when it decided to play up in January this year he (the car) was sent off to the guys that look after my car (Highams Park Motor Co.) and i told them that, that was the final straw and it had to be converted.
The car sat there in their workshop for a couple of weeks without them even touching with a spanner so i started doing some homework for my self to see as to what i needed and where to get it.
If your going to do this i can HIGHLY reccomend FAB Direct. These guys knew exactly what i was after and were able to supply all the parts as a `kit` to convert the car - even down to dash & interior trim. What i also did find with them was that they were not just a voice on the end of the phone waiting to rape you of your hard earned savings. They actually liked to talk to you and discuss the upcoming project of converting my car over.
Their `kit` (which is in the cold light of day a bundle of parts strapped to a pallet) basicly consisted of the following:
- M3 Evo 6 Speed Gearbox
- Clutch
- Flywheel
- Peddle Box
- Dashbord Insturments
- Gearlever Surround Trim - although i bought a brand new gear lever handle to go on there.
- Engine Wiring Loom
- DME Control Unit
The Cost, well, the `kit` when i bought it was roughly £1600 which considering how much i'd already thrown at the car was a drop in the ocean so to me it was a non enterty. There was fitting cost's from Highams Park but it'd wrong for me to say on these pages just how much Clive charged me but if you budget for around £1400, this might get you that nice new leather gear knob like i got too.
Now i know that sounds expensive for what is essentially a £5k car on the Autotrader web pages but i don't think i'll ever sell ///M and before i go i'd like to leave you with this final thought - i've owned him now for around 4.5 years and he's never been so reliable. Since March this year the car has never failed to start or get me home or refused to move or anything. Ok `normal` things have gone wrong but honestly the car has never been so reliable. I'm not nervous to use it any more - how does a 9:25 lap around the Nordschleife sound.
Hope this is of some help guys and trust me i feel your pain. When mine was going wrong i couldn't find anybody out there who'd actually done it and i was getting quite dis-harted with the car. All i kept hearing was internet users saying yes it can be done but there was never any proof. Well it can, you can come and have a look at my car if your in the London area or if you don't mind travelling then feel free to pop round. I have recieved a couple of PM's recently about this and did reply the other day, if you chaps are on here then please raise a hand to say hi. I did reply late last night giving you guys my phone number so please call me if you get the chance.
M3J.
The plot thickens in the life and times of smg.
Thanks for all the input by the way..( M3J)
It now turns out the bloody ECU has been on fire!
Just to put you all in the picture,
It broke down a few weeks ago at a junction, transmission fault light came on, and fault code E7 came on display, the car would rev but just wouldnt move, engine was still running but ticking over lumpy and rough ( assuming this was because of gearbox software) and now i think of it a funny plastic smell from heater vents, any way called AA and got it towed home.
Ive since had it down at the local auto electricians just to see before i go to town with the conversion if they can spot whats wrong.
They ran a few tests and its come up with transmission fluid pressure fault, and a wheel speed sensor fault, oh and the alarms playing up as well, (least of the problems) I checked the fluid level in the resovoir and it was empty, which suprised me cos last time i looked it was ok.
The garage bloke said it was leaving puddles all over the floor while they were looking at it, so obviously a leak somewhere. I topped it back up and left him to carry on trying to get it running, ( they dont start until they find a neutral, as you all know)
Couple of days later got a call saying, after trying and failing to get the thing started they checked the connections to ECU, and when they got it out it had been burning!( explains plastic smell)
So now it seems its got a faulty smg system and ECU !
You've got to laugh.
But how far do you go with these things?
I ve not been round yet to have a look, been up to the eyeballs in work etc, so going to drop round this weekend, but not looking to good for the old banger is it..
Mart
Thanks for all the input by the way..( M3J)
It now turns out the bloody ECU has been on fire!
Just to put you all in the picture,
It broke down a few weeks ago at a junction, transmission fault light came on, and fault code E7 came on display, the car would rev but just wouldnt move, engine was still running but ticking over lumpy and rough ( assuming this was because of gearbox software) and now i think of it a funny plastic smell from heater vents, any way called AA and got it towed home.
Ive since had it down at the local auto electricians just to see before i go to town with the conversion if they can spot whats wrong.
They ran a few tests and its come up with transmission fluid pressure fault, and a wheel speed sensor fault, oh and the alarms playing up as well, (least of the problems) I checked the fluid level in the resovoir and it was empty, which suprised me cos last time i looked it was ok.
The garage bloke said it was leaving puddles all over the floor while they were looking at it, so obviously a leak somewhere. I topped it back up and left him to carry on trying to get it running, ( they dont start until they find a neutral, as you all know)
Couple of days later got a call saying, after trying and failing to get the thing started they checked the connections to ECU, and when they got it out it had been burning!( explains plastic smell)
So now it seems its got a faulty smg system and ECU !
You've got to laugh.
But how far do you go with these things?
I ve not been round yet to have a look, been up to the eyeballs in work etc, so going to drop round this weekend, but not looking to good for the old banger is it..
Mart
Edited by martinnitram on Friday 12th December 21:03
Edited by martinnitram on Friday 12th December 21:04
gerradiuk said:
Ahem I bet you do......because his oil temp gauge is not connected lol ,only joking John but remeber to pm me with the details when you get yours done please .
sir, you'll be the first person i'll contact. It's (over) due an inspection 1 service at the minute so after the festive period i'll send it in and get them to look at that at the same time.On a side note, since the convertion every now and then the tachometer dies and the air con cuts out at the same time. They will not work again until the car has sat for aprox 5 minutes then if it's still hot under the bonnet, once the revs exceed 2k the tachometer & air con die again. Any pointers or tips to look at. I was thinking 1 of 2 things, either the dash bord display has a dry joint that is breaking down causing both to die or there is a dodgy connection in the `new` engine wiring loom thats coming apart once under bonnet temp (not enging temp) is high. Any tips will be warmly welcomed.
Cactussed said:
M3John said:
how does a 9:25 lap around the Nordschleife sound.
Didn't Sabine do that in a van? 
Well yes she did but she's done countless of thousands of laps. I on the other hand had NEVER been anywhere near a circuit in my life ! I will not be timing myself in the future. We'll have to arrange a weekend blat over there mate once the weather improves.
Edited by M3John on Saturday 13th December 20:15
M3John said:
Cactussed said:
M3John said:
how does a 9:25 lap around the Nordschleife sound.
Didn't Sabine do that in a van? Well yes she did but she's done countless of thousands of laps. I on the other hand had NEVER been anywhere near a circuit in my life ! I will not be timing myself in the future. We'll have to arrange a weekend blat over there mate once the weather improves.
Edited by M3John on Saturday 13th December 20:15
Cactussed said:
M3John said:
Cactussed said:
M3John said:
how does a 9:25 lap around the Nordschleife sound.
Didn't Sabine do that in a van? Well yes she did but she's done countless of thousands of laps. I on the other hand had NEVER been anywhere near a circuit in my life ! I will not be timing myself in the future. We'll have to arrange a weekend blat over there mate once the weather improves.
Edited by M3John on Saturday 13th December 20:15
gerradiuk said:
...I would not have the 5 speed box, if you have an Evo the 3.2,I'm sure you know it gives more low down pull due to the vanos & is perfect for the 6 speed,also a more relaxing cruise on the motorway & better mpg...
The 6-spd is reputed to be more fragile however. Unrepairable when they break, good 2nd-hand hard-to-find for this reason. New from BMW the only option.I've recently put new gear-lever linkages on my 160k 5-spd box and it feels like new.
Edited by markbmw on Monday 15th December 13:01
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