[Bryson]

For the ignition lock, cut the sheath and wire right after the plug that goes into the tumbler. There's a spring in the plug housing itself that will keep the tumbler functioning just as a manual car and you don't need the whole cable whip. If you play around with the cable, this will make sense.

Also, the guys at SSF Oakland flipped when they asked about my wagon and I told them it was an M3 underneath - I'm sure you have or will get the same reaction

 

[George Hill]

Wonder what brand that bearing was in your photos, BMW normally use's F A G. or INA?

I've tried INA, F A G, the off brands that come in the Sachs and LuK kits, none fit correctly. I usually scrap them, maybe I'll start saving them to make a pile of shame, lol.

Also, you are using an M3 clutch switch. If you want the correct black one I'll send you one in exchange for your brown/orange one.

 

[Bali]

Well I read this one a bit too late.. Wonder what brand that bearing was in your photos, BMW normally use's FAJ. or INA? I put in a INA bearing, in FAJ packaging.

PS: Had to spell it FAJ because if you spell it correctly, with a "G" e46fanatics blocks the text for "bad language".. 😃

I thought F A G was the OE pilot bearing? They are for some other E46 bearings. It is funny that the filter catches that, but happily allows many other profane words.

See these posts for additional MT swap info. Please let me know if they help you, are missing any info, or need tweaks. Always looking for feedback to improve them.

DIY: Auto to Manual Transmission Swap Wiring Changes

This describes the wiring changes needed when swapping a manual transmission into an E46 that originally had an automatic transmission. Remove EGS First step is to remove the transmission control module (EGS), located in the electronics box near the brake master cylinder. Connector A7000...

www.e46fanatics.com

DIY: How to Code FA for AT->MT swap

Background These instructions describe how to code an E46 with FA coding for AT->MT swap using NCS Expert. If you have an E46 that originally came with an automatic transmission but was later swapped with a manual transmission and need to code the car for this change, then this guide is for you...

www.e46fanatics.com

 

[George Hill]

I thought F A G was the OE pilot bearing? They are for some other E46 bearings. It is funny that the filter catches that, but happily allows many other profane words.

It may be (IDK off the top of my head), but the BMW bearing dust seals are blue, and none of the aftermarket ones that I have seen are blue. *This reminds me I need to order some, I will post pics when they come in.

 

[George Hill]

@Bali for giggles I just looked on FCP and while they list F A G as the OE, if you look closely on the BMW it says Koyo where the F A G doesn't.

BMW M3 Parts | FCP Euro

BMW M3 parts online. Buy OEM & Genuine parts with a Lifetime Warranty, Free Shipping and Unlimited 365 Day Returns.

www.fcpeuro.com

 

[mjweimer]

Congrats - great looking car, somehow red suits the touring chassis well. Oh and zero surprise to see it assume "the position" on the fourth day of ownership. That driveway has seen a fair amount of serious project work over the years. I can't wait to follow along as this unfolds.

 

[Effduration]

great stuff here..

Do you have the hall switch that snaps into your new master cylinder? This is for wiring cruise control and the clutch safety switch… on my e39 Man-swap I used the surplus auto trans wiring to wire to/from the E-box.

what are doing for a rear differential? using the auto diff?

thrilled to see granddad involved… maybe you get him to help you bleed the clutch hydraulics

 

[///Mark_D]

Awesome thread, you're making some really fast progress. I saw your post on facebook when you got the car, and I can't believe you're almost done with getting the manual in there.

 

[blksab65]

Also, you are using an M3 clutch switch. If you want the correct black one I'll send you one in exchange for your brown/orange one.

Damn George, your good. ETK shows 2 part numbers for the M3 clutch switch so figured I could use it with the swap. Your right though, the car will start but cruse control wont function properly if you use the M3 switch- in a 325i.

I don't really see why this is the case, especially since the M3 master cylinder is identical part number to the 325i. I haven't had a chance to look at the wiring diagram differences but still- that wouldn't explain why the switch is different.

 

[blksab65]

See these posts for additional MT swap info. Please let me know if they help you, are missing any info, or need tweaks. Always looking for feedback to improve them.

I was checking out those post's earlier, the reverse relay info you posted definitely helped- I had trouble finding the wiring diagram haha.

Everything looks spot on in that thread, thanks for posting it. I verified everything using the wiring diagrams on AIR and all the information you posted is correct.

The only thing I did different from most was re using the existing transmission harness and "converted" it into a reverse harness.


PS..

I plan to ground the clutch switch here, under the gauge cluster. This is where a factory manual transmission clutch switch is supposed to be grounded at.

 

[blksab65]

Congrats - great looking car, somehow red suits the touring chassis well. Oh and zero surprise to see it assume "the position" on the fourth day of ownership. That driveway has seen a fair amount of serious project work over the years. I can't wait to follow along as this unfolds.

Lol seriously Matt, this driveway has seen it all! It's unbelievable how fast time flys with all the projects...

Glad to hear your doing well! 😃

great stuff here..

Do you have the hall switch that snaps into your new master cylinder? This is for wiring cruise control and the clutch safety switch… on my e39 Man-swap I used the surplus auto trans wiring to wire to/from the E-box.

what are doing for a rear differential? using the auto diff?

Yup I have the hall effect style clutch switch, I think the really early model e46's used two separate mechanical switches or something weird. Did you do the swap on a e39 wagon?

Also for the rear diff.. I'm going to leave it in the car. It's weird BMW did this but the e46 touring's and convertibles (325 models) with manual transmission's came with a 3.46 gear ratio.. the same exact gear ratio automatic transmission car's came with.

Awesome thread, you're making some really fast progress. I saw your post on facebook when you got the car, and I can't believe you're almost done with getting the manual in there.

Thanks! Your build thread was one of the main reason's I purchased a red touring to be honest. Sadly I have clear coat pealing in a few spots, but it's still red!

 

[blksab65]

Ok so today after work I got some progress done..

Turns out, the autologic scan tool has a "conversion" built into it that allows you to code the entire car to manual transmission.. by the click of a single button. Literally took 4min to code the entire car.

No more gauge cluster "transmission malfunction" indicator, no check engine light or codes, worked excellent. The car still has factory software installed as well, no nonsense.

Honestly I think this is the easiest way. I don't own a windows laptop and 90% of shops own a autologic. To anyone doing this in the future.. Looks like any repair shop can code your car, that owns a autologic scan tool.

 

[yjsaabman]

Great work, so far! You aren't married and don't have any kids, do you? Lol!

If you can figure out what you need for the ignition lock I have a manual trans column kicking around the basement. I could pull what you need and send it your way, just cover the postage.

 

[Effduration]

Great Intel on the Autologic Conversion idea...I had not heard that.

Yup I have the hall effect style clutch switch, I think the really early model e46's used two separate mechanical switches or something weird. Did you do the swap on a e39 wagon?

My E39 Swap is a sedan ('03 530i) that I am still driving daily four years after the swap..

Now that I think about it, the E-box (DME) Is on the driver's side (Left hand drive cars) in an E46. On an E39, it's on the passenger side...So, It made sense to use the Auto trans wiring for the clutch/cruise wiring in an E39 because the auto trans wiring was halfway between pedals and E-box.

In an E46, the pedals are already closer to the E-box...so I wouldn't go out of my way to use the Auto trans wiring.

 

[///Mark_D]

Thanks! Your build thread was one of the main reason's I purchased a red touring to be honest. Sadly I have clear coat pealing in a few spots, but it's still red!

That's so cool, I'm glad I could be a source of inspiration. I've owned mine for like 4 years now and have hardly made a dent in my to-do list for the car. I'll have to live vicariously through your thread until I can get back to working on mine

I've got some clear peeling as well, it seems to be really common on red E46's from what I can tell. On my wagon it's worst on the hatch just below the glass on that lip.

On my sedan it started on the hood (which I replaced with a hood from a salvage car) and it's getting bad now on the roof and rear truck lid as well. And the tops of the door handles. Pretty much any horizontal surface really. Gotta keep it extra protected with polish or a ceramic coating.

 

[George Hill]

Damn George, your good. ETK shows 2 part numbers for the M3 clutch switch so figured I could use it with the swap. Your right though, the car will start but cruse control wont function properly if you use the M3 switch- in a 325i.

I don't really see why this is the case, especially since the M3 master cylinder is identical part number to the 325i. I haven't had a chance to look at the wiring diagram differences but still- that wouldn't explain why the switch is different.

Yes, the signal to the EWS is the same for both cars, BUT the logic for the cruise control is different. I can't recall the operation directly but its something like the MS43/45 is looking for a ground signal and the MSS54 is looking for a power signal. And keep in mind the clutch switch is outputting two positions, 1. pushed all the way to the floor, for starting and 2. pushed slightly to disengage cruise.

Turns out, the autologic scan tool has a "conversion" built into it that allows you to code the entire car to manual transmission.. by the click of a single button. Literally took 4min to code the entire car.

The Autologic is really powerful but it just mimics the factory tools so pretty much anything you can do with ISTA-P can be done with the Autologic. We had one when I worked at the dealership and that was pretty much anyone's go-to for battery retrofit coding (lead acid to AGM or when changing Ah ratings), and CKM functions as it is so fast compared to ISTA-P. We also used it when we were adding/removing SDARS and TCUs from MOST Bus systems and I've even done SMG to Manual M3 conversions using it, really cool stuff. That's a good tool to have, play with it some and you'll find some other really nice and quick functions you can apply to these cars.

 

[Vass]

Awesome thread! Really impressed by the rate of progress you're making. I kicked off a similar process last December and am still slowly trudging along Love the detail in the posts and photos, will use it for reference once I kick on a bit. Great idea to reuse the auto wiring for the reverse light. Was going to try and do the same thing but haven't gotten to that point yet.
A few points I noticed worth chiming in on.

I also removed this stupid thing which proved to be a mistake, now the key gets stuck in the ignition. Turns out manual transmission cars have a different ignition lock assembly. I'll have to fool around with it next weekend.

As others have also noted, the tip is spring loaded so the wire can just be cut off right at the white plug that goes into the steering column. Ran into the same issue 2 weeks ago when I dug out the auto shifter. Works fine with it cut off, can't remove the key once the ignition is turned but pops right out with the car turned off.

I found the perfect plug to fill in the hole no longer being used. The e46 M3 I removed the pedals and hydraulics from (being used on this wagon) must have not had the plug, or I would have taken it?
The plug needed was the same size as my SACHS clutch grease cap, so I brought it along for reference lol

Probably fine as is but this is the factory plug that's meant to go there, part number 07147140849, if you ever wanted to tidy it up a bit. Cost less than $2 too.

Great thread this, will be following closely.
Cheers

 

[Vass]

Ohh, also, the manual gas pedal itself isn't really that much different from an automatic. The kickdown is just a clicker thingy, it's not an actual switch, just adds resistance at a certain point that the throttle sensor picks up and does the rest. There was a thread on here somewhere documenting it. You can just unbolt the pedal and take it out as those manual ones can be a pain to find. Biggest problem is finding the right 5-point security torx bit for the bolts, if you have it though then it's a 2 minute job. Looks something like this.

 

[Pliny]

Is 805 (pic above) a BMW-approved lubricant?

 

[stiegmanjr]

Well.. obviously a S54 conversion is the plan like I did to the last one.. But I don't have a donor car so only time will tell. For the meantime I'll be doing a 5 speed manual conversion, in fact I start tomorrow. Yes, I've only owned this car for 5 Days. Lets get this thing done 😃.

I still have a full M54 5 speed swap in my backyard left over from my 2001 325i touring (everything had to be removed from the car when I did the S54 swap on that wagon).

I think others would agree the biggest pain in the ass doing manual swaps are the pedals/ hydraulics.. So at least when I do a S54 conversion the pedals and everything under the dash will be sorted and ready for a S54 w/ Manual Transmission.