Very cool! (I need to start looking for a cluster...)
Yeah I'm going to buy a cluster now! awesome work, I hope a "mostly" plugin play can be accomplished
98 Estoril ///M3 4/6
S54 swap CSL
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
Practically foaming at the mouth for installed pics
'99 Estoril Blue + Dove Grey ///M3 coupe
'04 Jet Black + Cinnamon ///M3 coupe
I've spent time on the fuel gauge issue and it is a bit of a pain. The E36 uses left & right tank sensors wired in series to a single cluster input, E46 cluster has inputs for each sensor. Of course the sensor resistance varies per chassis and the E46 expects a different resistance from the left & right sensors when full.
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
Looks like I have a good solution for the fuel level gauge, need to so some real testing with the E36 level sensors.
I'm also 90% sure the speedo issue can be solved by re-coding the cluster and wiring it to the E36 diff sensor.
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
I have the hardware (currently on a breadboard) and software working with a cluster on my desk. Will be soldering it up on a proto board for some in-car testing soon, will know if the speedo works with E36 diff sensor and fuel level stuff is good shortly after.
I've been trying to find a source for the E36 cluster PCB connectors X16, X17, and X271. I *may* have found 2 of them, will need to order some to verify.
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
Awesome progress man! I PM'd you but you may have missed it, would you like me to still sample E36 DME speed with a scope?
Last edited by M52 POWER!; 03-03-2017 at 04:03 PM.
I think I'm good - should be able to test the cluster in car over the weekend, going to try to make it work with speedo diff sensor since it already runs to the E36 cluster.
At this point I have the proto board with essential features (fuel level, high beam/turn/fog indicators, dimmable illumination) working. I need to hit a salvage yard to get another set of E46 cluster connectors tomorrow then I'll be testing in the car. I'm not worried about A/C and check control integration as I've already done that on other projects and the proto board was getting crowded. Once I know the speedo & fuel level work correctly in the car I'll find a solution for the E36 cluster PCB connectors, create a board layout, and get some boards ordered. I'd guess it will be 3-4 weeks before I have something ready for purchase.
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
1st in line!!!!
98 Estoril ///M3 4/6
S54 swap CSL
So... I started to test fit an E46 cluster into a spare E36 dash. Someone told me you can unclip the top "spoiler" part and grind down the ribs on top to make it slide right in the E36 dash. Turns out it takes quite a bit more grinding. Not a deal breaker, but more effort than expected.
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
post pics of what you did
98 Estoril ///M3 4/6
S54 swap CSL
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
I spent more time on the housing and am pretty close, pictures coming soon.
I also ran into an issue with the fuel level part of my circuit when testing in the car, will have to re-work it a bit.
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
GPeterson,
Will the E46 LCM be required for this?
Nope, no LCM required. I thought about it at the beginning and quickly realized it complicated things and added little value.
BTW - my in-car testing today was fine in regards to turn signals and the high beam indicator. Turns out the E36 cluster is what makes the clicking sound when the turn signals are on so no double-clicks when running the E46 cluster.
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
I spent a bit of time on the fuel level issue today and am not satisfied with my initial approach. I have some digital potentiometer ICs on order and will try using them to simulate the two E46 level sensors.
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
So does this mean you need to take the E36's single level sensor and duplicate it x 2, or is there some scaling that needs to be accounted for between E36/E46?
I was provided the entire E46 M3 fuel pump assembly which includes level sensor, would using that specific level sensor be of any benefit? Or, I'm assuming the tanks physical size determines its scaling values.
Some scaling must be done as well. The E36 has a pair of sensors wired in series giving about 20ohms empty and 500ohms full. Here are the E46 sensor specs:
Left side: Empty = 70 Ohms (+/- 1.2), Full = 310.2 Ohms (+/- 3.6)
Right side: Empty = 70 ohms (=/- 1.2), Full = 394.5 (+/- 4.5)
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
E46 cluster housing in E36 dash, it is a tight fit and needs a bit more sanding but getting close:
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
Looks great!
BTW have you had an issue with Brake level warning? E36 is activated opposite E46 / Z3M. I have a warning light when everything is ok and the light will go out if I encounter low fluid. You should be seeing the same thing?
Last edited by PITT M3 RR; 03-10-2017 at 03:35 PM.
Nice progress. I was just thinking, you should call the adapter the "S54 to E36 CANalog converter" lol...
S54 swap DME flashing - $100
S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator: $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play
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