M3 Euro LTW
04-14-2008, 09:56 AM
Our friends in europe may know this already, but perhaps not.
Aside from the X20 connector difference that Bruce has been so kind to work out and post on in the past, some of the later MZ3 Coupes and Roadsters also came with EWS III. This matters in case one of us has a salvage motor and electronics pacakge from one of these cars, and isn't aware of the EWS III differences.
I've been working pretty hard on a couple of DME related issues, and went back and revisited this issue again.
I had the frustrating problem of having sent a DME/Key/EWS package to a customer that was still freshly wrapped from the breaker, and unopened by me. (now I test everything on my car before shipping it, and on the bench to record ISN and VIN's etc).
Well, Customer couldn't get the car started and shipped dme/ews/key back to me, and I discovered to my great consternation that it was an EWS III set up, dme and box/key. DME had a different part number than the bulk of DME's I have, but it was the same part number as the Group N DME. (odd)
Sure enough, on the bench I was able to align this "EWS III" MZ3 dme to a EWS II box and key. This combination started my car just fine. On the bench, I could not pull the data off the EWS III box at all, as if it were dead.
On a hunch, I went to the books (internet, thank you Benji for the links to the ETM's), and found that sure enough, the EWS III wire diagrams for the harness to the EWS box are completely different, hence I could not read it on the bench with my harness set up. To be clear on this, I mean the EWS III car's harness (not engine harness) has different pin assignments for the actual EWS III module. I presume that since the dme aligned just fine and ran in my car that the engine harness for EWS III should be compatible with EWS II cars.
I have yet to wire up an alternative wire harness for EWS III modules, but I will soon, and share with the board if we need any components beside the module and key to make them work on transplants.
This is important information since the EWS III box will plug nicely into the EWS II harness on any US spec E36... but it certainly won't work. It may work if we-re-wire the harness, but I've not verified it. There may be links to LKM or Cluster or who knows what other module in EWS III that I'm not aware of yet.... this is early data.
Course, I can also arrange now to flash the DME and take EWS out. I could do a 24 hour turn around with verifiable good DME as tested in my car and used as a core, or, in advance arrange to reflash your own dme if sent to me and you want THAT one back. Note that flashing out the EWS on a DME for us will require shorting pins 1 and 3 on the EWS box harness if the EWS wires and such have been added to your circuitry. (the EWS box acts as a switch on the trigger to the starter, but the DME still holds back on ignition unless programmed out)
Also, I can re-flash to Group N spec, raise the redline, or go AN. Very soon will be merging the Group N spec with the superior (but less aggressively tuned) low end profile of the stock dme. This will be done on the dyno to get a good tune at the lower end, not all "fat" as it is in stock. Will soon add updates to the website about these new (and available) DME re-flashes.
Thanks, and sweet dreams. You may not return to your normal activity.
Alex.
Addendum: After a quick review with my mechanic friend, Al Valenzo at Patrick BMW, he says that in fact many late 99 E36 cars in our US market came with EWS III systems in them. This is a potential pitfall for anyone dropping in a euro 3.2 and expecting the most common electronics package that they came with (ie EWS II) to be a plug and play. It won't.
Aside from the X20 connector difference that Bruce has been so kind to work out and post on in the past, some of the later MZ3 Coupes and Roadsters also came with EWS III. This matters in case one of us has a salvage motor and electronics pacakge from one of these cars, and isn't aware of the EWS III differences.
I've been working pretty hard on a couple of DME related issues, and went back and revisited this issue again.
I had the frustrating problem of having sent a DME/Key/EWS package to a customer that was still freshly wrapped from the breaker, and unopened by me. (now I test everything on my car before shipping it, and on the bench to record ISN and VIN's etc).
Well, Customer couldn't get the car started and shipped dme/ews/key back to me, and I discovered to my great consternation that it was an EWS III set up, dme and box/key. DME had a different part number than the bulk of DME's I have, but it was the same part number as the Group N DME. (odd)
Sure enough, on the bench I was able to align this "EWS III" MZ3 dme to a EWS II box and key. This combination started my car just fine. On the bench, I could not pull the data off the EWS III box at all, as if it were dead.
On a hunch, I went to the books (internet, thank you Benji for the links to the ETM's), and found that sure enough, the EWS III wire diagrams for the harness to the EWS box are completely different, hence I could not read it on the bench with my harness set up. To be clear on this, I mean the EWS III car's harness (not engine harness) has different pin assignments for the actual EWS III module. I presume that since the dme aligned just fine and ran in my car that the engine harness for EWS III should be compatible with EWS II cars.
I have yet to wire up an alternative wire harness for EWS III modules, but I will soon, and share with the board if we need any components beside the module and key to make them work on transplants.
This is important information since the EWS III box will plug nicely into the EWS II harness on any US spec E36... but it certainly won't work. It may work if we-re-wire the harness, but I've not verified it. There may be links to LKM or Cluster or who knows what other module in EWS III that I'm not aware of yet.... this is early data.
Course, I can also arrange now to flash the DME and take EWS out. I could do a 24 hour turn around with verifiable good DME as tested in my car and used as a core, or, in advance arrange to reflash your own dme if sent to me and you want THAT one back. Note that flashing out the EWS on a DME for us will require shorting pins 1 and 3 on the EWS box harness if the EWS wires and such have been added to your circuitry. (the EWS box acts as a switch on the trigger to the starter, but the DME still holds back on ignition unless programmed out)
Also, I can re-flash to Group N spec, raise the redline, or go AN. Very soon will be merging the Group N spec with the superior (but less aggressively tuned) low end profile of the stock dme. This will be done on the dyno to get a good tune at the lower end, not all "fat" as it is in stock. Will soon add updates to the website about these new (and available) DME re-flashes.
Thanks, and sweet dreams. You may not return to your normal activity.
Alex.
Addendum: After a quick review with my mechanic friend, Al Valenzo at Patrick BMW, he says that in fact many late 99 E36 cars in our US market came with EWS III systems in them. This is a potential pitfall for anyone dropping in a euro 3.2 and expecting the most common electronics package that they came with (ie EWS II) to be a plug and play. It won't.