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Thread: Flashers blink and car won't crank after airbag removal and interior stripping

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    481
    My Cars
    10 335i - 97 328is x2

    Flashers blink and car won't crank after airbag removal and interior stripping

    All this might be a dumb question but I've searched as much as I can and cannot find an answer. I recently stripped the entire interior from my 97 328is including removing the air bags, stock seats and stock steering wheel. I must have tripped the SRS system and maybe the immobilizer as well.

    Basically the car is acting like it's been in an accident. When I connect the battery, the flashers blink slowly and the car won't crank (fuel pumps aren't running etc). I removed the crash alarm relay and the blinking stopped, so I've deduced that the crash alarm has been activated. My question is what is ended to reset this? I understand I can run a 3.3 ohm resistor to override the SRS light to use my non airbag steering wheel but how do I reset the immobilizer?

    Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    SD, Cali, USA
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    11,707
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    1995 M3, 1985 745i , S13 240sx sr20det
    Could be ews or srs. Ews would not make the car start, shouldn't have been affected


    95 BMW M3 Alpine-
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Kentucky
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    18,000
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    '03 Z4, '06 Forester
    Nothing in the srs system will make the car not start.

    You sure your ews antenna ring is connected?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    481
    My Cars
    10 335i - 97 328is x2
    Quote Originally Posted by slocar View Post
    Nothing in the srs system will make the car not start. You sure your ews antenna ring is connected?
    Thanks a good idea. I will double check. It could have become disconnected while I was removing the steering column cover. It immediately starts flashing as soon as I connect the battery though. It's acting like a car that's been in an accident and had an immobilizer kick in
    1997 E36 Track Car - Started life as 328is
    1997 E36 S54 Track Car
    2010 E90 335i - Daily driver
    2011 F-250 - Tow rig

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Michigan
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    13,674
    My Cars
    2005 325Xi
    Quote Originally Posted by slocar View Post
    Nothing in the srs system will make the car not start.

    You sure your ews antenna ring is connected?
    I'm pretty sure the SRS control unit will send a "no-go" signal to the fuel pump (or it won't send a signal to the fuel pump relay or something along those lines) if it's been in an accident. I'm going to make a guess (literally) ... the SRS control unit was dropped sometime during the resto.
    Quote Originally Posted by B4SH View Post
    If anyone knows, it's this guy who knows literally nothing about everything.
    Quote Originally Posted by fcvapor05 View Post
    Do you even OT? The mean 401k around here is probably about $6, what with all the shiny cars and $1,000 watches and donations to get other members' Volvos running.


  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    481
    My Cars
    10 335i - 97 328is x2
    For what it's worth, I checked the EWS antenna ring and it is connected. It's definitely not a no go signal to the fuel pump as the engine won't turn over (car does not react to key being turned at all)

    Regardless of whether the key is in or not, as soon as the battery is connected the flashers begin to flash slowly... I've got to think the think it's been in a wreck and has immobilized itself.

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