Any EWS Experts out there?

[brc5]

So my E39 died while being left parked for a couple of weeks. It was locked up with the alarm on and sitting snug beneath it's cover in the garage. Upon returning to it, the doors wouldn't unlock, so I manually unlocked it and tried to start : no go. I put it on a charger overnight and tried again : no go. I tried jump starting : no go.

By that time I was late for where I was going and took the other car. I returned to the car a couple of days later, tried jumping it again and this time it went.

From then on, it followed a cycle of sometimes going, sometimes not. The pattern would usually be I would get in, drive somewere, get out, get back in and it wouldn't start. Once it jumpstarted OK, the next time it refused to and had to get towed.

I tried swapping batteries out with a different one but it made no difference. Finally I had it towed to my local independent and he read the codes on it. Basically there are two problems:
1) the key isn't being recognised by the EWS
2) there is a 'EWS Fault Code 148' which means that the EWS and DME systems aren't talking.

The independent thinks this could either be the receiving antenna ring in the ignition lock, or the EWS module itself. Apparently only BMW can replace the EWS because it has to be programmed to the DME.

Does anyone with any experience in this have any other ideas? Can letting your battery run flat while the alarm/immobiliser is on cause the car to go into some sort of 'i've been stolen' mode? Is it possible the EWS and DME just have to be matched up again with some sort of reset procedure?

Also, is it possible to diagnose a failure with the ignition lock receiver ring? Is there any way to test?

The ind. is doing his own research but I want to be informed as possible if he is out of ideas.

[cal45fan]

Try programming your key/s to the car again. I have done it before and the car took the newly programmed key.

Google or search here for key programming procedures. Good luck.

[Qsilver7]

Letting the car sit long enough until the battery goes flat only means that the car has lost power and you may get a lot of weird electrical gremlins due to a battery that is dying or has concealed damage due to sulfation (allowing the battery to repeatedly go into a state of discharge).

And by the battery not being healthy can create the situation where the EWS modules may become unsynchronized (misaligned).

I would dump your old battery (repeated attempts at charging it seems not to work), get a new one...plus get a FLOAT CHARGER and keep it connected to the jump start locations UNDER the hood (since you don't seem to drive it much). This will keep the battery from discharging. It apparently can't keep a charge which means that it can't be trusted and is basically toast.

If the EWS issues still exist...then you'll need to hook the car up to BMW DIS or the aftermarket diagnostic stuff out there and resynch the EWS components.

For more info about EWS...here's a link to a BMW EWS (PDF) document: http://www.bmwmotorsports.org/BMW_docs/EWS.pdf

[dpatel1026]

Have your shop realign the ews with the dme, they can use gt1. If that doesnt work, get another ews module from the dealer ($140usd), and then realign the dme with the ews.

[brc5]

Ok, the shop swapped out the receiver antenna ring for the car with an X5 in the shop, and the X5 started OK, so it would seem not to be the receiver.

Quote on a new EWS module is $350 through BMW Australia (bastrads!) plus a 10 day wait. Tired of getting raped for parts through BMW OZ, when $140 US = $150 AUD.

Indy has confirmed with his supplier that he has the equipment to correctly align the DME/EWS although he has never tried it before.

Currently plan is to try and do a realign with the DME/EWS using his box (I don't know the brand) and see if that fixes things, also try boosting the battery (in case the battery is dead), and if all else fails, let the poor thing sit for 10 days at the shop until the EWS parts arrive.

I will be getting a trickle charger as well. The other thing I'll get is some child seats. The reason it never gets used is the other car has the child seats, and all trips out and about seems to involve the rugrats. If this one had some seats in it, it would get used more often.

[CBi]

Before you go any further, has the ignition switch ever been replaced?

I would start with the ignition switch (I see this a lot on E39s).

If the ignition switch doesn't take care of the problem, most likely the EWS unit is on the way out. The antenna rings rarely go bad.

Ignition switches are relatively cheap. EWS units are a little more expensive, and any indy shop with a GT1 or Autologic can handle the install.




PS: An indy can check the key with another vehicle, to verify it's "good" before replacing the EWS. If they're any good, they will know what to do.

[dpatel1026]

If it is the ring thats cheap and easy to fix. As for the ews module it's coded from BMW with your vin and set of codes. The module can be installed by your indy and aligned with a GT1 or similar.

$300aus is steep, maybe you can buy one from a US dealer and have it shipped. Good luck these things are frustrating.

[Qsilver7]

Ok, the shop swapped out the receiver antenna ring for the car with an X5 in the shop, and the X5 started OK, so it would seem not to be the receiver..

Can you re-write this sentence with different wording...I don't understand what was going on with the X5....where did the "antenna ring" come from (was it an old one or a new one?)...and are you calling the "receiver" and "ring antenna" the same component...or are they two different components in your sentence?

Also, EWS has a short window where the ISN (individual serial number) is deactivated so a normally non working key may be able to start the car if a working key was just used. Make sure that the X5's working key was NOT used just before you did what ever was done in swapping some component...because it may have worked because you were in the short time period that the ISN's were required to start the X5.

[brc5]

Can you re-write this sentence with different wording...I don't understand what was going on with the X5....where did the "antenna ring" come from (was it an old one or a new one?)...and are you calling the "receiver" and "ring antenna" the same component...or are they two different components in your sentence?

Yes, I meant ring antenna.

He had an X5 of same vintage in the workshop next to mine. He took the ring antenna out of my car and installed it on the X5, and removed the X5 unit and installed it on my car.

The X5 started with the X5 key using the ring antenna from my car. (thereby confirming the ring antenna from my car is able to transmit/receive key data). My car did not start with my key and the X5 ring antenna (which is a known good one).

This supports the diagnosis that the EWS system and not the ring antenna is at fault. It's theoretically possible that my keys are at fault, but we've tried all 4 keys so I think that's unlikely.

Also, EWS has a short window where the ISN (individual serial number) is deactivated so a normally non working key may be able to start the car if a working key was just used. Make sure that the X5's working key was NOT used just before you did what ever was done in swapping some component...because it may have worked because you were in the short time period that the ISN's were required to start the X5.

I don't think he knew that. Though I would assume there was a period of time between when the car was last started and when the ring antenna was swapped out. I'll mention it anyway.

PS: An indy can check the key with another vehicle, to verify it's "good" before replacing the EWS. If they're any good, they will know what to do.

I assume by this you mean the key is receiving/transmitting OK. Given all 4 keys for the car were tried, I would assume this somewhat nullifies the 'dead key' possibility?

However, when I was watching him pull the codes, the box reported that the key wasn't recognised - 'Key Not OK' I think it reported. But it also reports an engine code 148 which is the DME/EWS fault code, so it's hard to know if the key isn't being recognised because of the EWS fault, or if the key fault is causing the EWS to not be recognised.

The guy I use is pretty good but he has admitted to me that he hasn't seen/resolved any EWS problems before. He never seems to try and BS and admits when he isn't sure about something. He runs a Benz/BMW shop and I think his experience is slightly tilted towards MB. But it's either him or the dealer, and my local dealer is (a) difficult to get a booking in less than a weeks notice and (b) charging accordingly. You also never get to talk to the techs which frustrates me.

$300aus is steep, maybe you can buy one from a US dealer and have it shipped

Australia gets ripped off with cars. A new 535i works out to be, on-the-road, $141,025 AUD. That's near enough to $140k USD. The same car, from the same factory, on the road in the USA is about $60k USD. Our govt takes a whack in tax (probably $30k, don't get me started on that). Where does the other $50k disappear to? Straight into BMW's back pocket, that's where. They have us over a barrel because of RHD and the Governments overly restrictive import laws which means you can't grey import a car unless you've owned it for more than 12 months in the foreign country you are importing from (which is how I got mine). Don't get me started on Porsche, who manage to take an extra $100k on each 911 sold here compared to the USA. Even GM, when it was selling Australian built cars in the USA (Pontiac G8) was rude enough to charge $5k less for them in the US than they were charging for the exact same car here. When Pontiac pulled out of the deal, they just built and sold them here with the Pontiac fascias and Holden badging and then priced them higher as a special model!

The only bright side is that the dealer servicing and parts prices mean that the depreciation curve is very steep and a 5 year old BMW becomes a good value car.

/rant (for now!)

[Qsilver7]

Yes, I meant ring antenna.

He had an X5 of same vintage in the workshop next to mine. He took the ring antenna out of my car and installed it on the X5, and removed the X5 unit and installed it on my car.

The X5 started with the X5 key using the ring antenna from my car. (thereby confirming the ring antenna from my car is able to transmit/receive key data). My car did not start with my key and the X5 ring antenna (which is a known good one).

This supports the diagnosis that the EWS system and not the ring antenna is at fault. It's theoretically possible that my keys are at fault, but we've tried all 4 keys so I think that's unlikely.

Also, EWS has a short window where the ISN (individual serial number) is deactivated so a normally non working key may be able to start the car if a working key was just used. Make sure that the X5's working key was NOT used just before you did what ever was done in swapping some component...because it may have worked because you were in the short time period that the ISN's were required to start the X5.

I don't think he knew that. Though I would assume there was a period of time between when the car was last started and when the ring antenna was swapped out. I'll mention it anyway.

Ah...thanks for the clarification.

As far as the short window of time that the ISN is not requested/required after using a working key...the time period is only like 10-30 seconds. I only mentioned it because I wasn't sure what was going on with the X5. But as you clarified...it sounds like the time between starting the X5 was much longer than 10-30 seconds.

It really sound like you just need to realign your EWS module, DME & keys.

[brc5]

Ah...thanks for the clarification.


It really sound like you just need to realign your EWS module, DME & keys.

Have you ever heard that this was the case?

It seems so unlikely to me that an electronic box would just die like that with no warning. And weird that I was able to start it twice since I started having problems, unless the EWS failure occured as a result of jump starting and/or charging and/or taking the battery in and out of the car.

I would totally understand if the box got confused (and needed a 'reboot') because the battery died, but I have trouble believing that it would stop working altogether for the same reason. But anything can happen I guess.

[jnyost]

Did you leave the key on the car long enough to make sure it was charged also?

[brc5]

Ok so EWS/DME realignment was tried and didn't work. New battery was hooked in with jumper leads and still no go.

Current status is that new EWS unit is on the way from the factory in Germany, while the car sits unloved in the workshop yard for 10 days. If the new unit doesn't work, I'll be fuming.

Hopefully 10 days is a conservative estimate given by the factory to allow for shipping times and it will arrive sooner than that.

Did you leave the key on the car long enough to make sure it was charged also?

The immobiliser system uses an RFID-like method. The key battery is only used for the remote locking/unlocking, which is a completely separate system from the engine start (EWS). The EWS receiver in the key is activated by the radio signal from the receiver ring around the ignition lock. Thus a flat battery in the key fob does not affect the immobiliser - this is how the valet and wallet keys work to start the car, as they have no battery in them.

[brc5]

OK, problem solved.

The solution was a new EWS unit ordered from the factory in Germany. This has to be coded by BMW to suit the car based on the VIN. Once this part was obtained (10 day delivery) and a DME/EWS realignment run, the car started first attempt. There was no battery issue at all, it was all down to a faulty EWS computer. It's a small white box the size of a large cigarette packet.

Total cost was $630 including EWS unit ($315) towing ($120) and the rest was labour for diagnosis and removal/installation. This is in Australia, would be cheaper in other parts of the world. I doubt you can do this repair yourself unless you have the equipment to realing the DME and if you can convince BMW that it really is your car before they order the part for you.

Car is now starting first time, every time. Looks like I can trust it again

On a sad note, however, the Touring got rear-ended by someone on the weekend, so just when I get one back, the other is going into the shop for repairs. Somebody's insurance policy is going to take a hit, thankfully it isn't mine.

[BimmerBreaker]

Mine broke months ago and I still have no idea whats going on and I refuse to read this thread to find out