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Thread: S54 E46 Touring

  1. #1
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    S54 E46 Touring

    The swap is done. The DME required a bunch of pin reassignments and a couple of plugs in the e-box require wiring shuffling to get the charge and oil pressure lights to function. The 2003 M3 cluster is in the 2001 325 Sport Touring with a 2002 S54 and its harness and DME. Finally wired in an e-box fan. Without re-coding, the ABS, DSC, DME, and all sorts of other components that were throwing codes are somehow now getting along. The speedo is reading about 8-10% fast, so I need to somehow resolve that. AT this point, there is an evap code that sometimes pops up, but I will have that resolved with a reflash.

    So, I now have a ZF320 equipped S54 E46 Sport Touring that is actually function well (except the dead cruise control). PERFECT street sleeper. Freshened S54, CSL clone A.A. headers, custom 3.5" exhaust, underdrive pulleys, and an A.A. tune. First gear is ALMOST useless, and traction in 2nd is a challenge. EXACTLY what I wanted. Sadly, even when discreet, the fuel mileage sort of sucks. Such is the cost of fun !!!!!

  2. #2
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    Regarding the speedo error: what size tires are you running? Is there room for one size taller? Also, you can adjust the speedo error, with ISTA anyway.

    When you say your fuel mileage sucks, how badly? I have a '97 Subaru beater (n/a), and it gets exactly the same mileage as my M5: 21 mpg. A lot of my driving is highway, though. Of course, I doubt if you're driving the new toy gently!

    Congrats!

    Chris Powell
    Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
    Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
    BMWCCA 274412
    German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmwdirtracer View Post
    Regarding the speedo error: what size tires are you running? Is there room for one size taller? Also, you can adjust the speedo error, with ISTA anyway.

    When you say your fuel mileage sucks, how badly? I have a '97 Subaru beater (n/a), and it gets exactly the same mileage as my M5: 21 mpg. A lot of my driving is highway, though. Of course, I doubt if you're driving the new toy gently!

    Congrats!
    Well, the CSL headers, Bimmerworld 2 into 1 race collector, and 3.5" single exhaust plus the A.A. tune may be part of the mileage issue. I have not driven it around a lot and most has just been driving around. With new rod bearings I have yet to have the engine over 5-6k rpm. Highway mileage will suffer a bit as it has the 3.46 diff (with an LSD), and coupled with the 1:1 final drive in the ZF320, the engine is spinning a bit more in 5th. I doubt I have more than 100 miles on it, so the numbers are off.

    BUT, the tire question got be checked the specs on tires are Tirerack. I have 225/45/17s on it (831 revs per mile) while the rears on an M3 are 255/45/18 (799 revs per mile). That will account for the ~3-4% odometer error, but the 8% speedo error is another issue. At this point the choices are 18s (wheels are tires), 50 series (17" tires), or just stick with the 225/45x17s that are on it. The 1st choice will be MORE $$$, the 2nd choice less expensive but may look like balloons, and the 3rd means burn more gas.

    Getting all the wiring done was a real pain. Coming to terms with the universe's most diabolical wiring diagrams did not help. First thing I learned is that the links do not work in Chrome, but do in IE. Second, it almost like learning a another language. I have had PLENTY of experience with wiring and wiring diagrams with 8 years USAF radar tech, then motorcycles, and then cars (Asian and domestic), as well as E30s and 36s. THEN ... BMW changed it all up. Once I figured out the low oil pressure light (PHUQING DAYS !!!!!!!!), things started falling into place.

    What really surprised me is that initially, after I cleared codes in all the systems, the various systems started throwing fewer and fewer codes. The stunner was that the ABS/DSC systems and the DME negotiated a settlement without intervention. Keeping in mind that the host is a 2001 E46, the engine with its harness and DME are a 2002 S54, and the M3 cluster is out of a 2003 manual coupe. Even the EWS VIN code has not reappeared. No mods were done to get to that point. The only feature that does not yet function is the cruise control -- the light comes on but the system will not engage. NOBODY has an answer to this .. just guesses.

    So, now I have a low content (3 option - Sport package, metallic paint, and wood trim) silver over black E46 Touring ROCKET. Once rolling 1st gear is almost useless, and in 2nd traction can be a challenge !!! Make me giggle !! I used to own this car and knew how tight it was (and still is a bank vault at 195k miles on the chassis), and it still is. The FSR Konis are wonderful, but even though the sway bars are the biggest available on a non-M E46, it will be getting an upgrade there -- springs will stay stock.

    Quite the project.

  4. #4
    dworthy's Avatar
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    Bob, you can re-code the speedo to read a 3%-4% error rate if you like. You will need to get into NCS-Expert to get this done, and have a search on google, as there is a specific line of code in the cluster that will have to be changed. You can do the same thing on the temp gauge if you don't like the "always in the middle" until it is about to overheat. Able can help with that, for I am sure he has a tutorial laying around.

    Also I would look at fitting a 245 under the rear of that car, for it will fit and not be as tail happy.
    Darin
    Current:
    16 220i Active Tourer Platinsilver MET (C08)/Dakota Black (PDSW), P7ACA, P7LDA, P7LHA, P9BDA, 6sp Manual - Wife's new toy!
    05 325it Electric Red(438)/Gray(N6TT) ZCW, ZSP 5sp Manual Back set cover, trunk mat, Euro Infra-Rot front windshield, and mud flaps! Mr. Wagon My new Winter car.
    05 M3 Imolarot II(405)/Gray(N5TT) ZCW, ZPP 6sp Manual C.F. Lip, CSL diffuser, SSK, Euro Infra-Rot front windshield and a trunk liner! Mr. Go_Fast Stored for the Winter
    Past:
    95 318is Montreal Blue Met (297)/Beige(K1SN) RIP, killed by an Idiot.
    84 M535i gray market Burgandy Rot Met/Black Leather Lowered by Intrax on bilies, poly everywhere, B&B cat back system, K&N, and a hitch! Da Beast - Still running w/400k+!
    91 316i euro Tizianrot/Gray cloth - E-36 w/M-40 RIP, but great on gas! Best was 38 MPG
    82 528i euro Saphire Blue Met/Blue Leather RIP
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by dworthy View Post
    Bob, you can re-code the speedo to read a 3%-4% error rate if you like. You will need to get into NCS-Expert to get this done, and have a search on google, as there is a specific line of code in the cluster that will have to be changed. You can do the same thing on the temp gauge if you don't like the "always in the middle" until it is about to overheat. Able can help with that, for I am sure he has a tutorial laying around.

    Also I would look at fitting a 245 under the rear of that car, for it will fit and not be as tail happy.

    I just loaded NCS-Expert and am clueless on that -- so far!!

    The WIDTH of the tires is not the issue, it's the height .... ~ 1.4" in diameter. That said, for now I want to resolve the cluster. If/when I switch to wider rubber (and I will) I'll need different rims. There are non-E46 wheels on it now, but I am sure they are 7.5" wide. If/when I change, I'll get some correct setback 8" rims and mount 245/40x17s or 18s. Not sure yet. I did throw my E36 M3 race rims on it and they ALMOST fit (might have rubbed and I am not going to "massage" the lips any more than they are. So, ET42-44 may be needed -- if they exist. We'll see.
    Last edited by snaponbob; 02-13-2018 at 12:46 PM.

  6. #6
    dworthy's Avatar
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    Bob, I wasn't referring the width of the tire to do anything with the speedo, just to make a bit more traction down on the road is all.

    Yes, go with a 8' rim, and I think you will need an ET of 30ish. Yes you may need to roll the fenders to get those tires to work, but hey the hard work is done as you have a S-54 under the hood now.
    Darin
    Current:
    16 220i Active Tourer Platinsilver MET (C08)/Dakota Black (PDSW), P7ACA, P7LDA, P7LHA, P9BDA, 6sp Manual - Wife's new toy!
    05 325it Electric Red(438)/Gray(N6TT) ZCW, ZSP 5sp Manual Back set cover, trunk mat, Euro Infra-Rot front windshield, and mud flaps! Mr. Wagon My new Winter car.
    05 M3 Imolarot II(405)/Gray(N5TT) ZCW, ZPP 6sp Manual C.F. Lip, CSL diffuser, SSK, Euro Infra-Rot front windshield and a trunk liner! Mr. Go_Fast Stored for the Winter
    Past:
    95 318is Montreal Blue Met (297)/Beige(K1SN) RIP, killed by an Idiot.
    84 M535i gray market Burgandy Rot Met/Black Leather Lowered by Intrax on bilies, poly everywhere, B&B cat back system, K&N, and a hitch! Da Beast - Still running w/400k+!
    91 316i euro Tizianrot/Gray cloth - E-36 w/M-40 RIP, but great on gas! Best was 38 MPG
    82 528i euro Saphire Blue Met/Blue Leather RIP
    79 525 euro Green/Green RIP
    79 318 Silver/Black - The first one that got it all started
    M-Flight Member

  7. #7
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    ET 30s would make it look like a roller skate. Stock is something like 47.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmwdirtracer View Post
    Regarding the speedo error: what size tires are you running? Is there room for one size taller? Also, you can adjust the speedo error, with ISTA anyway.

    When you say your fuel mileage sucks, how badly? I have a '97 Subaru beater (n/a), and it gets exactly the same mileage as my M5: 21 mpg. A lot of my driving is highway, though. Of course, I doubt if you're driving the new toy gently!

    Congrats!
    Tell me more about ITSA, please.

    Actual MPGs are not TOO bad. Low to mid 20s on open suburban roads, and naturally less in stop and go.

  9. #9
    dworthy's Avatar
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    ITSA is the modern BMW diagnostic tool. While the INPA/DIS/Progman is one of the first as they only go upto YM08 or so. ITSA doesn't need WinXP to run, as it is the current diagnostic tool that BMW uses. While I am having a hard time justifying purchasing the suite as all my BMW's are pre-YM08.

    I use an old Dell D-830 Laptop w/WinXP for all my INPA/DIS/Progman needs, and does just fine in my book. I also have a SSD with Win10 that I use for everyday stuff, while Win10 tends to max it out, I have thought about going back to Win7 just to make it easier on the system.
    Darin
    Current:
    16 220i Active Tourer Platinsilver MET (C08)/Dakota Black (PDSW), P7ACA, P7LDA, P7LHA, P9BDA, 6sp Manual - Wife's new toy!
    05 325it Electric Red(438)/Gray(N6TT) ZCW, ZSP 5sp Manual Back set cover, trunk mat, Euro Infra-Rot front windshield, and mud flaps! Mr. Wagon My new Winter car.
    05 M3 Imolarot II(405)/Gray(N5TT) ZCW, ZPP 6sp Manual C.F. Lip, CSL diffuser, SSK, Euro Infra-Rot front windshield and a trunk liner! Mr. Go_Fast Stored for the Winter
    Past:
    95 318is Montreal Blue Met (297)/Beige(K1SN) RIP, killed by an Idiot.
    84 M535i gray market Burgandy Rot Met/Black Leather Lowered by Intrax on bilies, poly everywhere, B&B cat back system, K&N, and a hitch! Da Beast - Still running w/400k+!
    91 316i euro Tizianrot/Gray cloth - E-36 w/M-40 RIP, but great on gas! Best was 38 MPG
    82 528i euro Saphire Blue Met/Blue Leather RIP
    79 525 euro Green/Green RIP
    79 318 Silver/Black - The first one that got it all started
    M-Flight Member

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by dworthy View Post
    ITSA is the modern BMW diagnostic tool. While the INPA/DIS/Progman is one of the first as they only go upto YM08 or so. ITSA doesn't need WinXP to run, as it is the current diagnostic tool that BMW uses. While I am having a hard time justifying purchasing the suite as all my BMW's are pre-YM08.

    I use an old Dell D-830 Laptop w/WinXP for all my INPA/DIS/Progman needs, and does just fine in my book. I also have a SSD with Win10 that I use for everyday stuff, while Win10 tends to max it out, I have thought about going back to Win7 just to make it easier on the system.
    Win 10 SUCKS. I "upgraded" my Win 7 desktop a few years ago (it took HOURS). After using it for 20 minutes, I found out how to revert, and I did. Took 15 minutes. PHEW.

    I work on 80s and 90s 3 series and few fewer newer one plus my own E39 Sport Touring. So, ITSA may not be the ticket. That said, regardless of software, I still have no clue how to tweak the cluster. I have a Dell 610 with DIS/TIS as well as an older version of INPA. The hard drive is so crowded that it can't even perform a defrag !! And given how it came to me loaded, partitioned, etc, I have no idea what I can remove to free up space. And it runs SO slowly that I do not trust it to do what I need with the M Touring.

  11. #11
    dworthy's Avatar
    dworthy is offline Wagon meister :) BMW Tech Expert
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    I started with a Dell D-6xx and really had problems with speed. What I have found is the D-8xx is a better suited laptop to perform what I need to do. Also what really helps out with boot, and speed is switch to a SSD, and ditch that HDD. There are plenty of cloning software out there for free, and if you get a Samsung SSD, it comes with the software already. So I have two drivers, one HDD for the WinXP and one for SDD for the Win10, which I am seriously thinking of putting it back to Win7. I run 32-Bit for INPA as it really doesn't work well with the 64-bit operating systems. There are workarounds, but I am just too lazy to mess with it.
    Darin
    Current:
    16 220i Active Tourer Platinsilver MET (C08)/Dakota Black (PDSW), P7ACA, P7LDA, P7LHA, P9BDA, 6sp Manual - Wife's new toy!
    05 325it Electric Red(438)/Gray(N6TT) ZCW, ZSP 5sp Manual Back set cover, trunk mat, Euro Infra-Rot front windshield, and mud flaps! Mr. Wagon My new Winter car.
    05 M3 Imolarot II(405)/Gray(N5TT) ZCW, ZPP 6sp Manual C.F. Lip, CSL diffuser, SSK, Euro Infra-Rot front windshield and a trunk liner! Mr. Go_Fast Stored for the Winter
    Past:
    95 318is Montreal Blue Met (297)/Beige(K1SN) RIP, killed by an Idiot.
    84 M535i gray market Burgandy Rot Met/Black Leather Lowered by Intrax on bilies, poly everywhere, B&B cat back system, K&N, and a hitch! Da Beast - Still running w/400k+!
    91 316i euro Tizianrot/Gray cloth - E-36 w/M-40 RIP, but great on gas! Best was 38 MPG
    82 528i euro Saphire Blue Met/Blue Leather RIP
    79 525 euro Green/Green RIP
    79 318 Silver/Black - The first one that got it all started
    M-Flight Member

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by dworthy View Post
    I started with a Dell D-6xx and really had problems with speed. What I have found is the D-8xx is a better suited laptop to perform what I need to do. Also what really helps out with boot, and speed is switch to a SSD, and ditch that HDD. There are plenty of cloning software out there for free, and if you get a Samsung SSD, it comes with the software already. So I have two drivers, one HDD for the WinXP and one for SDD for the Win10, which I am seriously thinking of putting it back to Win7. I run 32-Bit for INPA as it really doesn't work well with the 64-bit operating systems. There are workarounds, but I am just too lazy to mess with it.
    Well, my laptop is a 64 bit, and even though I have the drivers from the vendor, when I load my INPA it says I do not have the correct drivers.

    But my BIGGER issue is getting the cruise control to function.

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