Used NCS Expert, now my car is DEAD

[ac2007]

Hello everyone,

Let me start by saying that right now I feel as if I've committed a crime, I am almost at a loss for words. After tinkering around with NCS expert for a bit, I attempted to activate my Fogs+Highbeams and clearly did it in the worst possible way.

As my car sits right now, if I turn the key to position 2 it acts as if the voltage is terribly low, the Xenons won't turn on, and nothing works. Right after I coded it and tried to turn on the lights, they flickered very rapidly along with the instrument cluster, and they weren't even set to the on position.

I was following this guide: http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?t=33054


After only being able to read the EWS, here is the MORONIC mistake I made: After being unable to find "FL_UND_NSW_NICHT_GLEICHZ" in the FSW_PSW.TRC file, I simply added it, and set it to "nicht_aktiv". Next, I flashed the car.. and here I am. The two backup files I made are "fsw_psw.dat", and "FWS_PSW.TRC" BUT each is 4kb and 5kb respectively.


Guys I am devastated.. I don't know what to do, is there any way to restore factory settings to the car? Did I fry the EWS or some other module? Right now I don't care if I lose every setting.. I just want to get it working properly again.

[legoman67]

delete your FSW_PSW.MAN file from the work folder, and execute the coding job.

that should restore it to factory from the Daten files

[ac2007]

I have tried deleting everything from the WORK folder, and created a blank FSW_PSW.MAN file, then tried recoding. It has not worked


Maybe I am doing the recoding wrong? I think I may have accidentally coded the EWS data to the light control module. My FWS_PSW.TRC backup file is only 5kb. If its not too much bother do you mind taking me through the steps to ensure I am recoding correctly?

[legoman67]

I have tried deleting everything from the WORK folder, and created a blank FSW_PSW.MAN file, then tried recoding. It has not worked


Maybe I am doing the recoding wrong? I think I may have accidentally coded the EWS data to the light control module. My FWS_PSW.TRC backup file is only 5kb. If its not too much bother do you mind taking me through the steps to ensure I am recoding correctly?

you may have to go through and reprogram each ECU...


from another thread:

Now what do you do if you screwed it up or something is behaving funny and you want to go back to original settings. Or you cant remember all the stuff you changed, or dont like the results.

To load up the ORIGINAL factory defaults if you mess up.

Go to your /WORK/ folder. Open FSW_PSW.MAN, select all, delete, save & exit.

Load NCS Expert

Select "Expertmode" profile

Hit "VIN/ZCS/FA" to load your Chassis and Vehicle order info

Hit BACK

Hit PROCESS ECU

Select the chassis, then module you F'd up on. For example "LSZ"

On Pre-02 cars It will say "LSZ" and underneath "SG_Codieren" along with some files LSZ.Cxx, LSZ.PRG, etc etc. SG_CODIEREN is the correct job you want.

On Post-02 cars It will say "LSZ" and underneath "SG_Codieren" along with some files LSZ.Cxx, LSZ.PRG, etc etc. Hit CHANGE JOB, Select "FA_WRITE" Job.

These files are basically from your /DATEN/ folder and contain the proper coding information specific to your car. How does NCS know which files to use? Because it knows by looking at your VIN and VO, then selects the correct files. NCS will then basically read these files, then read your VO and re-write the proper codes, features, activate, deactivate everything to your factory settings.

The job is SG_Codieren or FA_Write because you will WRITE your original settings back in.

Hit EXECUTE JOB.

Viola, your original data is re-written and your car will work again. Hopefully.


Start small, and dont bite off more than you can chew. Once you get the hang of this basic stuff, you can do more. Dont mess with stuff you cant translate or dont understand, just leave it alone. Dont go nuts. I hope this helps someone out there.

[ac2007]

I'm in the car as I type this.

The only readable ECU (to get VIN, etc.) is EWS. I did this by going to VIN/ZCS/FA --> ZCS/FA f. ECU. With the key in the RUN position there is a loud ticking coming from the glovebox (fuse panel I suppose), and my dashboard is flashing.

I have tried the above steps for EWS, GM5 and LSZ modules.
The rest give error message "COAPI-2020: no answer from ECU, IFH-0009: NO RESPONSE FROM CONTROLUNIT"

The car seems more dead with its power, even though I know the battery was strong and perfectly fine before the flash. Am I screwed?

[Jason535d]

I'd say you need to get the absolute basics sorted - the power.

You must have a decent 14.5V DC PSU connected to the car, something capable of providing ideally 70A but you might get away with say 30A.

Let the battery charge, keep the PSU connected and start again. You can't safely do coding/programming without a solid power supply. These cars draw a huge amount of power with just the ignition on and you have probably flattened the battery.

[ac2007]

Right before programming, I did the cluster test and was getting a solid 11.8-11.9v, immediately after (I'm talking minutes) it died down to mid-8v.

Seems to me like I bricked a module (LSZ or EWS).. is there any way to confirm this?

[age109]

Did you use Revtors profile with ncs dummy or did you try to create your own. That thread you referred to instructs you to make your own. I wonder if you use revtors profile if it will help?

It can be found here:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1553779

[cegeste]

Like Jason335d said - sort out the power.

Sounds like your battery is dead.

[ac2007]

@age109
Thanks for the info, I did try to create a new profile and did flash with it when this error happened. To recover, I've been trying to use only the default "Expertmode". Do you know what the difference is with Revtor's profile?



@cegeste
Battery is on a charger right now, it is filling up really fast. Don't think that's the problem, but I'm not eliminating the possibility.
To describe with more detail, after the coding failed -the car was instantly low on power, as if a circuit failed and the car is routing power incorrectly.

[dracon]

@age109
Thanks for the info, I did try to create a new profile and did flash with it when this error happened. To recover, I've been trying to use only the default "Expertmode". Do you know what the difference is with Revtor's profile?



@cegeste
Battery is on a charger right now, it is filling up really fast. Don't think that's the problem, but I'm not eliminating the possibility.
To describe with more detail, after the coding failed -the car was instantly low on power, as if a circuit failed and the car is routing power incorrectly.

ac2007,

If you have TeamViewer, or are willing to download it... I might be able to help out and try to recode the vehicle back to factory specs and see if that helps get it back online.

[ac2007]

ac2007,

If you have TeamViewer, or are willing to download it... I might be able to help out and try to recode the vehicle back to factory specs and see if that helps get it back online.

Dracon, I already have TeamViewer installed on the netbook which I've been using to code. Right now the battery is charging at about 70%, so it should be another couple of hours before I can attempt reprogramming.

I really appreciate your offer. Please let me know if and when you are available to connect via remote access.

[vickumar]

Hey ac2007, I think I was in your position a while back. I changed a feature on my '99 328Ci and then suddenly my LSZ would have my headlight on all the time, tried changing back the coding manually, didnt work. All you have to do is reset it to the factory default values (which is stored in the daten folder) I could help guide you thru reseting the module to factory defaults if you need, im no expert but I think i can see whats going on here. NCS also does something wierd on early model e46s, the factory coding index (CI) for your LSZ is probably 27, and NCS reads it that way on the read step, but it has a habit of changing it during the coding step to CI 28. You have to notice this and set it back to 27! Thats what it was doing to mine! My LSZ cannot be updated, so all the wrong values were inserted, making it behave completely wrong. There is a way around it. I fixed mine easily once I figured that out. Btw I am Vic328CSi on e46f.c

You should also read the last part of my dummies guide (see sig) it has some steps to reset your module back to factory default for your car.

PM me your phone # if you still need help.

[ac2007]

Hey Vic!

Glad you're in this thread since I've been looking at your guide and you seem very knowledgeable with the program.

My battery is at about 90% charge now, I will update everyone as soon as I can.

[vickumar]

Hey Vic!

Glad you're in this thread since I've been looking at your guide and you seem very knowledgeable with the program.

My battery is at about 90% charge now, I will update everyone as soon as I can.

no problem bud.

Yeah definitely want the car fully charged when messing with all this, I keep a heavy duty 2A/10A battery charger hooked while i work on it.

[age109]

@age109
Thanks for the info, I did try to create a new profile and did flash with it when this error happened. To recover, I've been trying to use only the default "Expertmode". Do you know what the difference is with Revtors?

Not sure what difference is, but Ive read people having issues when they dont use the right profile. To eliminate that possibility, I'd try a known good profile such as revtors.

[vickumar]

Not sure what difference is, but Ive read people having issues when they dont use the right profile. To eliminate that possibility, I'd try a known good profile such as revtors.

its not really so much as a good or bad profile, its selecting the right one for the purpose. the main difference is revtors has something called manipulation enabled to handle .man files, whereas the expertenmode does not have manipulation enabled, so it does not handle or have anything to do with .man files. I mention all this in more detail in my writeup on the basics.

Hello everyone,

Let me start by saying that right now I feel as if I've committed a crime, I am almost at a loss for words. After tinkering around with NCS expert for a bit, I attempted to activate my Fogs+Highbeams and clearly did it in the worst possible way.

As my car sits right now, if I turn the key to position 2 it acts as if the voltage is terribly low, the Xenons won't turn on, and nothing works. Right after I coded it and tried to turn on the lights, they flickered very rapidly along with the instrument cluster, and they weren't even set to the on position.

I was following this guide: http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?t=33054


After only being able to read the EWS, here is the MORONIC mistake I made: After being unable to find "FL_UND_NSW_NICHT_GLEICHZ" in the FSW_PSW.TRC file, I simply added it, and set it to "nicht_aktiv". Next, I flashed the car.. and here I am. The two backup files I made are "fsw_psw.dat", and "FWS_PSW.TRC" BUT each is 4kb and 5kb respectively.


Guys I am devastated.. I don't know what to do, is there any way to restore factory settings to the car? Did I fry the EWS or some other module? Right now I don't care if I lose every setting.. I just want to get it working properly again.

Just to give you some additional info. Where you went wrong is that you cant add new values to these modules. They can only use what they came with from the factory that they recognize. The values in my E46 328 and my former E46 M3 were VERY different. so your car may not have the same value for fogs+highbeams as other cars do, the text may be different. The best way to deciper all this german is to use NCS Dummy, its easy to use really, just gotta play with it. It translates values from your fsw_trc files and also compares your old trc file to your new man files to see clearly all the changes you made.

So by adding your own value, you confused the lsz because it reads each line one by one but you threw in a curveball value it doesnt recognize FL_UND_NSW_NICHT_GLEICHZ. I highly doubt its eternally fried though, just confused as hell.

You did the right thing by saving backup, but dont necessarily need them. Im not sure why all these guides online ask you to save a backup of the FSW_TRC files, they are useless as backups, its all right there in your daten folder.

The first time you read your car, the FSW_TRC files will be much larger... because they contain info from EVERY module in your car. Once you do the second step and select your LSZ or whatever module, it reads again and overwrites the fsw_trc file and it becomes smaller because its data ONLY from the module you selected.

So take a deep breath and relax. Your car is fine i m sure dont worry!!

[ac2007]

its not really so much as a good or bad profile, its selecting the right one for the purpose. the main difference is revtors has something called manipulation enabled to handle .man files, whereas the expertenmode does not have manipulation enabled, so it does not handle or have anything to do with .man files. I mention all this in more detail in my writeup on the basics.




Just to give you some additional info. Where you went wrong is that you cant add new values to these modules. They can only use what they came with from the factory that they recognize. The values in my E46 328 and my former E46 M3 were VERY different. so your car may not have the same value for fogs+highbeams as other cars do, the text may be different. The best way to deciper all this german is to use NCS Dummy, its easy to use really, just gotta play with it. It translates values from your fsw_trc files and also compares your old trc file to your new man files to see clearly all the changes you made.

So by adding your own value, you confused the lsz because it reads each line one by one but you threw in a curveball value it doesnt recognize FL_UND_NSW_NICHT_GLEICHZ. I highly doubt its eternally fried though, just confused as hell.

You did the right thing by saving backup, but dont necessarily need them. Im not sure why all these guides online ask you to save a backup of the FSW_TRC files, they are useless as backups, its all right there in your daten folder.

The first time you read your car, the FSW_TRC files will be much larger... because they contain info from EVERY module in your car. Once you do the second step and select your LSZ or whatever module, it reads again and overwrites the fsw_trc file and it becomes smaller because its data ONLY from the module you selected.

So take a deep breath and relax. Your car is fine i m sure dont worry!!

UPDATE: Using Revtor's profile I was able to load the default E46 daten files, and read the fresh TRC off the car's modules. After this I wrote back a new MAN file, and you were perfectly right, the car was confused as hell.

After a combination of dead battery, novice coding (by me), and nearly 24 hours of self-hate, my car is once again back to normal and functioning correctly! Not only that, but I have successfully coded the flash-to-pass feature and tested that it is working.

Two lessons were learnt here:
1) Don't code without a power supply (I should have already known this, having flashed my DME just a few months ago)
2) Don't rush into programming features if you're unsure of anything, you have the potential to really mess things up with such programs.


I want to thank everyone who helped me on here and E46fanatics, especially Vickumar and E46Mango!

[age109]

UPDATE: Using Revtor's profile I was able to load the default E46 daten files, and read the fresh TRC off the car's modules. After this I wrote back a new MAN file, and you were perfectly right, the car was confused as hell.

After a combination of dead battery, novice coding (by me), and nearly 24 hours of self-hate, my car is once again back to normal and functioning correctly! Not only that, but I have successfully coded the flash-to-pass feature and tested that it is working.

Two lessons were learnt here:
1) Don't code without a power supply (I should have already known this, having flashed my DME just a few months ago)
2) Don't rush into programming features if you're unsure of anything, you have the potential to really mess things up with such programs.

I want to thank everyone who helped me on here and E46fanatics, especially Vickumar and E46Mango!

Sweet. Glad you got it working!

[vickumar]

Awesome!! Glad you got it sorted.

[TerraPhantm]

Just FYI, its normal for your lights to flicker when programming. The Pre 2002 LCMs do this for some reason.

[ac2007]

They were actually flashing after programming had been completed, and Xenons stayed on when the knob was set to the off position.

I've been used to the lights flickering while coding the LCM in the past with PA Soft.

[IcemanBHE]

coding the LCM in the past with PA Soft.

Now thats something I wouldnt be doing....

[ac2007]

Now thats something I wouldnt be doing....

Why not?

I've coded plenty of times with it, and can only think of 2 features it lacks to NCS in terms of that module.

It even realigned my EWS after I flashed my DME to Euro2, car wouldn't start without it.

[TerraPhantm]

They were actually flashing after programming had been completed, and Xenons stayed on when the knob was set to the off position.

I've been used to the lights flickering while coding the LCM in the past with PA Soft.

The lights getting stuck on is a fail safe if the LCM gets corrupted. Which happens pretty easily on the old modules. Thankfully fairly easy to reset too.